VSX-AX4AVi-S
VSX-AX2AV-S
AUDIO/VIDEO MULTI-CHANNEL RECEIVER
Operating Instructions
Discover the benefits of registering your product online at
www.pioneer.co.uk
(www.pioneer-eur.com).
VSX_AX4AVi.book.fm 1
D3-4-2-1-1_En-A
The exclamation point within an equilateral
triangle is intended to alert the user to the
presence of important operating and
maintenance (servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the appliance.
The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol,
within an equilateral triangle, is intended to
alert the user to the presence of uninsulated
"dangerous voltage" within the product's
enclosure that may be of sufficient
magnitude to constitute a risk of electric
shock to persons.
CAUTION:
TO PREVENT THE RISK OF ELECTRIC
SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR
BACK). NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS
INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED
SERVICE PERSONNEL.
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
IMPORTANT
WARNING
To prevent a fire hazard, do not place any naked
flame sources (such as a lighted candle) on the
equipment.
D3-4-2-1-7a_A_En
This product complies with the Low Voltage Directive
(73/23/EEC, amended by 93/68/EEC), EMC Directives
(89/336/EEC, amended by 92/31/EEC and
93/68/EEC).
D3-4-2-1-9a_En
WARNING
This equipment is not waterproof. To prevent a fire
or shock hazard, do not place any container filled
with liquid near this equipment (such as a vase or
flower pot) or expose it to dripping, splashing, rain
or moisture.
D3-4-2-1-3_A_En
VENTILATION CAUTION
When installing this unit, make sure to leave space
around the unit for ventilation to improve heat
radiation (at least 60 cm at top, 10 cm at rear, and
30 cm at each side).
WARNING
Slots and openings in the cabinet are provided for
ventilation to ensure reliable operation of the
product, and to protect it from overheating. To
prevent fire hazard, the openings should never be
blocked or covered with items (such as newspapers,
table-cloths, curtains) or by operating the
equipment on thick carpet or a bed.
D3-4-2-1-7b_A_En
Thank you for buying this Pioneer product.
Please read through these operating
instructions so you will know how to operate
your model properly. After you have finished
reading the instructions, put them away in a
safe place for future reference.
WARNING
The voltage of the available power supply differs
according to country or region. Be sure that the
power supply voltage of the area where this unit
will be used meets the required voltage (e.g., 230V
or 120V) written on the rear panel.
D3-4-2-1-4_A_En
Before plugging in for the first time, read the following
section carefully.
Do not connect either wire to the earth terminal of a
three pin plug.
NOTE
After replacing or changing a fuse, the fuse cover in
the plug must be replaced with a fuse cover which
corresponds to the colour of the insert in the base
of the plug or the word that is embossed on the
base of the plug, and the appliance must not be
used without a fuse cover. If lost replacement fuse
covers can be obtained from your dealer.
Only 10 A fuses approved by B.S.I or A.S.T.A to
B.S.1362 should be used.
D3-4-2-1-2-2_En
The wires in this mains lead are coloured in
accordance with the following code:
Blue
: Neutral
Brown : Live
If the plug provided is unsuitable for your socket
outlets, the plug must be cut off and a suitable plug
fitted.
IMPORTANT
FOR USE IN THE UNITED
KINGDOM
The cut-off plug should be disposed of and must
not be inserted into any 13 amp socket as this can
result in electric shock. The plug or adaptor or the
distribution panel should be provided with 10 A
fuse. As the colours of the wires in the mains lead
of this appliance may not correspond with coloured
markings identifying the terminals in your plug,
proceed as follows ;
The wire which is coloured blue must be connected
to the terminal which is marked with the letter N or
coloured black.
The wire which is coloured brown must be
connected to the terminal which is marked with the
letter L or coloured red.
Replacement and mounting of an AC plug on the power supply cord of this unit should be performed only by qualified
service personnel.
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CAUTION
The
STANDBY/ON switch on this unit will not
completely shut off all power from the AC outlet.
Since the power cord serves as the main disconnect
device for the unit, you will need to unplug it from
the AC outlet to shut down all power. Therefore,
make sure the unit has been installed so that the
power cord can be easily unplugged from the AC
outlet in case of an accident. To avoid fire hazard,
the power cord should also be unplugged from the
AC outlet when left unused for a long period of time
(for example, when on vacation).
D3-4-2-2-2a_A_En
If the AC plug of this unit does not match the AC
outlet you want to use, the plug must be removed
and appropriate one fitted. Replacement and
mounting of an AC plug on the power supply cord of
this unit should be performed only by qualified
service personnel. If connected to an AC outlet, the
cut-off plug can cause severe electrical shock. Make
sure it is properly disposed of after removal.
The equipment should be disconnected by removing
the mains plug from the wall socket when left
unused for a long period of time (for example, when
on vacation).
D3-4-2-2-1a_A_En
This product is for general household purposes. Any
failure due to use for other than household purposes
(such as long-term use for business purposes in a
restaurant or use in a car or ship) and which
requires repair will be charged for even during the
warranty period.
K041_En
Important information about this unit`s AC outlets
Switched total 100 W MAX
Power supplied through these outlets is turned on and off by this unit's
STANDBY/ON switch. Total electrical
power consumption of connected equipment should not exceed 100 W.
CAUTION
· Do not connect a TV set, monitor, heater or similar appliance to this unit's AC outlet.
· Do not connect appliances with high power consumption to the AC outlet in order to avoid overheating and fire
risk. This can cause this unit to malfunction.
D3-4-2-2-1b_A_En
Operating Environment
Operating environment temperature and humidity:
+5 ºC +35 ºC (+41 ºF +95 ºF); less than 85 %RH
(cooling vents not blocked)
Do not install this unit in a poorly ventilated area, or in
locations exposed to high humidity or direct sunlight (or
strong artificial light)
D3-4-2-1-7c_A_En
When disposing of used batteries, please comply
with governmental regulations or
environmental public instruction's rules that
apply in your country/area.
D3-4-2-3-1_En
CAUTION
These speaker terminals carry
HAZARDOUS LIVE
voltage. To prevent the risk of electric shock when
connecting or disconnecting the speaker cables,
disconnect the power cord before touching any
uninsulated parts.
D3-4-2-2-3_A_En
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Contents
01 Before you start
Checking what's in the box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Installing the receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Loading the batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
02 5 minute guide
Introduction to home theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Listening to Surround Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Automatically setting up for surround sound
(MCACC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Problems when using the Auto MCACC Setup . . . . . 9
Playing a source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Better sound using Phase Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
03 Connecting your equipment
Rear panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
When making cable connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
About the video converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Connecting your TV and DVD player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Connecting a satellite/cable receiver or other
set-top box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Connecting a DVD/HDD recorder, VCR and
other video sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Using the component video jacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Connecting digital audio sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
About the WMA9 Pro decoder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Connecting analog audio sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Connecting a component to the front panel
inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Installing your speaker system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Connecting the speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Placing the speakers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
THX speaker system setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Connecting antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
AM loop antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
FM wire antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Connecting external antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Plugging in the receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
AC outlet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
04 Controls and displays
Front panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Operating range of remote control unit . . . . . . . . . . 22
Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Remote control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
05 Listening to your system
Auto playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Listening in surround sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Standard surround sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Using the Home THX modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Using the Advanced surround effects . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Listening in stereo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Using Stream Direct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Selecting MCACC presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Choosing the input signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Using surround back channel processing . . . . . . . . . 29
Using the Virtual Surround Back mode . . . . . . . . . . 29
06 Using the tuner
Listening to the radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Improving FM stereo sound. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Tuning directly to a station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Saving station presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Naming station presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Listening to station presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
An introduction to RDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Searching for RDS programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Using EON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
07 The System Setup menu
Making receiver settings from the System
Setup menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Automatic MCACC (Expert) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Surround back speaker setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Manual MCACC setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Fine Channel Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Fine Speaker Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Standing Wave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Acoustic Calibration EQ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Professional Acoustic Calibration EQ . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Data Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Manual speaker setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Speaker Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Channel Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Speaker Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Bass Peak Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
X-Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
THX Audio Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
08 Other connections
Connecting an iPod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Connecting your iPod to the receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Playing music from your iPod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Connecting using HDMI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
About HDMI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
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Using the i.LINK interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Checking the i.LINK inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
About i.LINK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
About PQLS rate control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Creating an i.LINK network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Connecting the multichannel analog inputs . . . . . . . 51
Selecting the multichannel analog inputs . . . . . . . . 51
Using the USB interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Second Zone speaker B setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Switching the speaker system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Bi-amping your front speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Bi-wiring your speakers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Connecting additional amplifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Multi-room listening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Making multi-room connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Using the multi-room controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Connecting an IR receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Switching components on and off using the
12 volt trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Using this receiver with a Pioneer plasma
display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Using the SR+ mode with a Pioneer plasma
display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Connecting a PC for Advanced MCACC output . . . . . 59
Advanced MCACC output using your PC . . . . . . . . . 59
09 Other Settings
The Input Setup menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Input function default and possible settings . . . . . . 61
The Other Setup menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Multi-Room and IR receiver setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
SR+ Setup for Pioneer plasma displays. . . . . . . . . . 62
OSD Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
10 Using other functions
Setting the AV options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Making an audio or a video recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Playing a different source when recording. . . . . . . . 64
Reducing the level of an analog signal . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Watching video and audio sources independently . . 65
Using the sleep timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Dimming the display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Switching the speaker impedance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Checking your system settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Resetting the system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Default system settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
11 Controlling the rest of your system
Setting the remote to control other components . . . 67
Selecting preset codes directly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Programming signals from other remote
controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Erasing one of the remote control button
settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Resetting the remote control presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Confirming preset codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Renaming input source names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Direct function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Multi Operation and System Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Programming a multi-operation or a shutdown
sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Using multi operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Using System off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Controls for TVs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Controls for other components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Operating other Pioneer components with this
unit's sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
12 Additional information
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
No sound. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Other audio problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
i.LINK interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
i.LINK messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
USB interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
HDMI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
iPod messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Surround sound formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Dolby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
DTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Windows Media® Audio 9 Professional . . . . . . . . . 80
About THX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Listening modes with different input signal
formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Stream direct with different input signal formats . . . 84
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Cleaning the unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Our philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
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