PIONEER VSX-C300(-S) - Owner's Manual Immediate Download

Operating Instructions

AUDIO/VIDEO

MULTI-CHANNEL RECEIVER

VSX-C300

VSX-C300-S

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

CAUTION

IMPORTANT 1

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.

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.

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.

In some countries or regions, the shape of the power plug

may sometimes differ from that shown in the explanatory

drawings. However, the method of connecting and operat-

ing the unit is the same.

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).

Operating Environment H045 En

Operating environment temperature and humidity:

°C +35°C (+41°F +95°F); less than 85%RH (cooling

vents not blocked)

Do not install in the following locations

· Location exposed to direct sunlight or strong artificial

light

· Location exposed to high humidity, or poorly

ventilated location

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

CAUTION:

THE

--OFF/_ON BUTTON IS SECONDARY CONNECTED

AND THEREFORE DOES NOT SEPARATE THE UNIT FROM

MAINS POWER IN STANDBY POSITION. THEREFORE INSTALL

THE UNIT SUITABLE PLACES EASY TO DISCONNECT THE

MAINS PLUG IN CASE OF THE ACCIDENT. THE MAINS PLUG

OF UNIT SHOULD BE UNPLUGGED FROM THE WALL SOCKET

WHEN LEFT UNUSED FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.

H017BEn

VENTILATION: When installing this unit, make sure to leave space around the unit for ventilation to improve heat

radiation (at least 20 cm at top, 50 cm at rear and front, and 10 cm at each side).

WARNING: Slot and openings in the cabinet are provided for ventilation and to ensure reliable operation of the product and

to protect it from overheating, to prevent fire hazard, the openings should never be blocked and covered with items, such as

newspapers, tablecloths, curtains, etc. Also do not put the apparatus on the thick carpet, bed, sofa, or fabric having a thick pile.

H040 En

English

Manufactured under license from Dolby Labo-

ratories. "Dolby", "Pro Logic", and the double-D

symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.

"DTS" and "DTS Digital Surround" are

trademarks of Digital Theater Systems, Inc.

Compatibility with the Home

Theater Formats

Dolby Digital, DTS Sound Decoders

These highly evolved multichannel sound formats are

the heart of home theater. They deliver realistic multi-

channel sound that can turn any living room into a

theater, reproducing all the sound effects of the original

movie. The VSX-C300/C300-S has the flexibility to

decode all these formats.

MPEG-2 Decoder

The MPEG-2 sound format is emerging as an important

medium to deliver multichannel soundtracks, especially

for music, and the VSX-C300/C300-S is fully equipped

to handle MPEG-2 format discs.

Dolby Pro Logic Decoder

This was the first multichannel sound format and many

videos and other media can still be found in Pro Logic.

The VSX-C300/C300-S reproduces this long-standing

format with excellent clarity. With it you can get

multichannel surround sound even from two channel

and Dolby Surround sources. In addition, you can use

this decoder with the 5-D Theater mode for a stronger

surround sound effect.

Home Theater Listening Modes

Custom Designed Listening Modes (p.30)

These modes enhance the sound of sources from movies

and music to TV and video games for a more dramatic

effect. These are each designed to accentuate specific

sound qualities, giving the listener a wide range of

possibilities.

Virtual Listening Mode (p.30)

This especially designed listening mode uses only two

channels but through sound imaging imitates a full

surround sound. It allows you to experience surround

sound with only two speakers.

Headphones Surround Mode (p.30)

This new headphone mode allows the user to get a

surround-like sound while listening on headphones

designed to accommodate this technology.

Midnight Listening Mode (p.32)

The Midnight listening mode allows you to obtain

excellent surround sound effects even when listening at

low volumes, something that was previously impossible.

Features

Quiet Mode (p.30)

The Quiet mode provides good sound by smoothing out

harsh noises in the soundtrack. This is achieved by

reducing the bass and treble.

Easy-to-use Remote Control

This new remote control is extremely convenient to use.

One button is dedicated to one task in the control of the

receiver, eliminating confusing buttons whose purpose

are unclear. In addition, this remote can be used to

operate a variety of other components simply by

recalling the appropriate setup codes.

Easy Setup for Quick Home Use

This receiver features an automatic setup function that

senses which speakers you have hooked up and

automatically sets the receiver for proper surround

sound. Thus, you can start enjoying home theater

immediately after hooking up your speakers and

components, without worrying about difficult setup

procedures.

The Energy-saving Design

This unit is designed to use less than 1 W of energy

when the receiver is in standby mode.

TruSurround and the

® symbol are trade-

marks of SRS Labs, Inc. TruSurround technol-

ogy is incorporated under license from SRS

Labs, Inc.

Contents

Quick Start Guide

Introductory Information

Checking the Supplied Accessories

Installing the Receiver

When Making Cable Connections 9

Loading the Batteries

Operating Range of Remote Control Unit

Maintenance of External Surfaces

Connecting Your Equipment

Connecting a DVD Player & a TV

Audio/Video Cords

Optical Cables

Connecting a Digital Tuner/Set Top Box

Connecting a TV with an Internal Digital Tuner

Connecting Video Components

Connecting Speakers

Hints on Speaker Placement

Connecting Antennas

Using External Antennas

Operating other Pioneer Components with this

Unit's Sensor 17

Plugging in the Receiver

Displays & Controls

Front Panel

Rear Panel

Remote Control

Basic Playback

Automatic Switching between Analog & Digital

Signals

Checking the Settings on Your DVD (or other)

Player

Playing a Source

Fine Tuning Your Surround Sound

Room Setup

Personalizing Your Surround Sound

Setting the Volume Level of Each Channel

Contents

Listening Modes

Selecting a Listening Mode

Tone Effects

MIDNIGHT Listening Mode

Using the Tuner

Finding a Station

Tuning Directly to a Station

Memorizing Stations

Naming Memorized Stations

Recalling Memorized Stations

An Introduction to RDS

Searching for RDS Programs

Using Other Functions

Muting the Sound

Using the Headphones

Changing the Display Brightness

Checking your Settings

Analog Input Mode

Resetting the System

Default Settings for the Receiver

Controlling the Rest of Your System

Changing the Remote Control Mode

Recalling Preset Codes

Clearing the Preset Codes

Direct Selection

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/DVD recorder/

Cassette Deck Controls

Cable TV/Satellite TV/Digital TV/TV Controls

Preset Code List

Additional Information

Troubleshooting

Techno Know How

Understanding DVD Packaging

Digital Audio Formats

Recording Formats

Playback Formats

Specifications

Congratulations on buying this fine 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.

English

Home Theater: The Basics

Most consumers are used to using stereo equipment to listen to music but many people are not used to home theater

systems that give you many more options when listening to soundtracks. In fact, home theater is not really compli-

cated and this little guide should give you an understanding of basics.

The main reasons why it seems so difficult is that there are three different factors involved in home theater and each

will contribute to what kind of sound you get.

These factors are:

1) The equipment you are using for you home theater set up. Particularly important is the number of speakers you

are using. We call this your speaker configuration. The default settings should be fine in most cases.

2) The 'source' material you are using. This is the actual product (like a DVD) or broadcast (like cable TV) your are

listening to/watching. We call this the source.

3) The last factor is the listening mode you choose on the VSX-C300/C300-S receiver. These are explained below and

in subsequent chapters but most likely the default setting will be fine.

Let's start with the home theater set up you have in your home.

Your Home System

The heart of your system is the VSX-C300/C300-S receiver and it is very flexible in getting you theater-like surround

sound. You can use this receiver with anywhere from two to five speakers (front left, front right, center, surround left

and right) and a subwoofer to get home theater surround sound. However we recommend you use five speakers. If

you only have two speakers choose the Listening mode that offers surround sound for your home setup. Also, a DVD

player is essential for home theater and you can also hook up satellite or cable TV tuner to this receiver and get a

more home theater like sound from those programs.

The Source Material

DVDs have become the basic source material for home theater because they offer excellent sound and picture quality,

allow users to choose the movies they want, and are easy to store, etc. You can also enjoy home theater with other

sources, such as digital satellite TV, cable TV and VHS videotapes. The important part here is all these sources have

soundtracks recorded on them with various kinds of technology (this is called the sound encoding). Home theater

sources are recorded (encoded) with multiple sound channels, that is discrete parts of the overall sound. CDs (which

are stereo sources) work the same way but they only have two sound channels, the left channel and the right channel.

These two channels carry different parts of the soundtrack and mix together when you hear it to make an enjoyable,

stereo sound. The same idea applies to home theater sources except home theater sources are recorded with

multichannels, that is, more than two channels. For example, Dolby Pro Logic encoding has four channels (front left,

front right, center and a single channel for both surround speakers), Dolby Digital, DTS, and MPEG-2 encoding

usually have six channels (front left, front right, center, surround left and right and a channel that powers the

subwoofer ). Since the subwoofer channel is only for bass sounds this multichannel set up has been named 5.1

channel sound. These multiple channels are what create a surround sound effect and give you the experience of being

in a movie theater. It is important you consult the manual that came with your DVD player as well to make sure the

player is outputting a surround soundtrack and all the other settings are appropriate for home theater.

The Listening Modes

This receiver has many different listening modes and they are designed to cover all the speaker configurations and

types of sources you might be using. In general, if you follow the recommend advice and have five speakers hooked

up in most cases the AUTO listening mode is the easiest way to get realistic home theater sound. This is the default

setting so you don't have to do anything. Other possibilities (like listening to a stereo CD with all five speakers or,

conversely taking a stereo source and it getting multichannel home theater-like sound) are explained in Listening

modes (page 30).

These are the three basic factors that contribute to your home theater sound. The easiest thing is to hook up five

speakers and simply play your DVDs with AUTO mode. This will give you realistic and enjoyable home theater

sound.

Quick Start Guide