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– Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. – Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. – Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. – Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS READ INSTRUCTIONS — All the safety and operating instructions should be read before the product is operated. RETAIN INSTRUCTIONS — The safety and operating instructions should be retained for future reference. HEED WARNINGS — All warnings on the product and in the operating instructions should be adhered to.
Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES decoders for six-channel surround sound. • Seamless video conversion With the Pioneer video converter, you can use a wide range of cables interchangeably, giving you more flexibility when making video connections. •...
(such as newspapers, table-cloths and curtains), and do not operate the equipment on thick carpet or a bed. Installing the receiver • When installing this unit, make sure to put it on a level and stable surface.
Before you start • Make sure that the plus and minus ends of each battery match the indications in the battery compart- ment. • Remove batteries from equipment that isn’t going to be used for a month or more. • When disposing of used batteries, please comply with governmental regulations or environmental public instruction’s rules that apply in your country or area.
This receiver was designed with the easiest possible setup in mind, so with the following quick setup guide, you should have your system hooked up for surround sound in no time at all. In most cases, you can simply leave the receiver in the default settings.
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5 minute guide Connect your speakers. To take full advantage of the receiver’s surround sound capabilities connect front, center, surround and surround back speakers, as well as a subwoofer. Although this is ideal, other configurations with fewer speakers—no subwoofer or no center speaker, or even no surround speakers—will work.
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DVD player, your subwoofer and the TV. Make sure you’ve set the video input on your TV to this receiver. Check the manual that came with the TV if you don’t know how to do this. Also make sure that DVD/LD is showing in the receiver’s display, indicating that the DVD input is selected.
After you have set up the microphone provided with your system, the receiver uses the information from a series of test tones to optimize the speaker settings and equalization for your particular room.
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Make sure ‘Start’ is selected, then press ENTER. A progress report is displayed on-screen while the receiver outputs test tones to determine the speakers present in your setup. Try to be as quiet as possible while it’s doing this.
If there is an option for MPEG audio, set this to convert the MPEG audio to PCM. If you connected the multichannel analog outputs of the player to this receiver, make sure that the player is set to output multichannel analog audio. Note •...
Connecting your equipment This receiver provides you with almost limitless possibilities for connecting your audio/video system, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. Depending on your needs, you could be up and running in no time after a few simple connections.
Connecting your equipment Digital audio optical inputs Two optical digital audio inputs for connecting digital audio sources to this receiver. All the inputs are freely assignable to input functions for maximum flexibility. • If a connected component does not correspond to the input function (DVD/LD, etc.), see Assigning the...
L (left) terminals. Digital audio cables Commercially available coaxial digital audio cables or optical cables should be used to connect digital components to this receiver. Coaxial digital audio cable Optical cable • When connecting optical cables, be careful when inserting the plug not to damage the shutter protecting the optical socket.
Connecting your equipment Connecting your TV This page shows you how to connect your TV to the receiver. To be able to play the sound from the TV’s built- in tuner, connect the analog audio outputs from your TV to this receiver.
• If your DVD player only has an optical digital output, you can connect it to one of the optical inputs on this receiver using an optical cable. When you set up the receiver you’ll need to tell the receiver which input you connected the player to (see Assigning the digital inputs on page 77).
Connect the front, surround, center and subwoofer outputs on your DVD player to the corresponding MULTI CH IN jack on this receiver. • Use standard RCA phono cables for the connections. • Take care to connect each output to its corresponding input on the receiver.
When you set up the receiver you’ll need to tell the receiver which input you connected the set-top box to (see Assigning the digital inputs on page 77).
The example illustration below shows a recorder connected to the optical DIGITAL 2 (CD-R/TAPE1) input. When you set up the receiver you’ll need to tell the receiver which input you connected the recorder to (see Assigning the digital inputs on page 77).
Connecting your equipment Connecting other video sources You can basically use any of the audio/video inputs on this receiver for any kind of video source. The example illustration below shows a component connected to the VCR2 inputs. Connect the analog audio outputs and a video output of the source component to a set of spare audio/video inputs on this receiver.
TV and source component to check whether they are compatible with progressive-scan video. Important • If you connect any source component to the receiver using a component video input, you should also have your TV connected to this receiver's component video MONITOR output.
• If your digital component only has an optical digital output, you can connect it to one of the optical inputs on this receiver using an optical cable. When you set up the receiver you’ll need to tell the receiver which input you connected the player to (see Assigning the digital inputs on page 77).
Connecting your equipment Connecting analog audio sources This receiver features four stereo audio-only inputs. Two of these inputs have corresponding outputs for use with audio recorders. One of the audio inputs (PHONO) is a switchable turntable input which can also be used for line level components (see PHONO/LINE Setup on page 80 for more on this).
VSX-56TXi • The input signals can be accessed by selecting VIDEO as the input source. • Pull down the front cover where indicated to access the front panel inputs.
Connecting your equipment Installing your speaker system To take full advantage of the receiver’s surround sound capabilities connect front, center, surround and surround back speakers, as well as a subwoofer. Although this is ideal, other configurations with fewer speakers—no subwoofer or no center speaker, or even no surround speakers—will work.
THX INPUT jack on the subwoofer (if your subwoofer has one) or switch the filter position to THX on your subwoofer. • The surround speaker terminals on this receiver can be connected in a number of ways, depending on your setup. See Surround back speaker setting on page 51 for an overview of the possible configurations.
Connecting external antennas below. FM wire antenna S400 S400 VSX-56TXi AM loop antenna Assemble the stand as shown in the illustration. fig. A fig. B • Bend the stand in the direction indicated (fig. A).
Check the power cord once in a while. If you find it damaged, ask your nearest Pioneer authorized independent service company for a replacement. • Do not use any power cord other than the one supplied with this unit.
It can often be used instead of the remote control (cursor up/down) buttons. STANDBY/ON STANDBY/ON to switch the receiver on or into Press standby. Surround listening mode buttons (page 37) Use to select the MOVIE and MUSIC surround listening modes.
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Controls and displays 10 STEREO/DIRECT (page 40) Switches the receiver into STEREO mode if it was in a different listening mode or toggles between DIRECT and STEREO. 11 MULTI CH IN (page 41) Press to select the component connected to the MULTI CH IN terminals (for example, a DVD-Audio player).
Display SIGNAL indicators (page 42) Light to indicate the currently selected input signal. AUTO lights when the receiver is set to select the input signal automatically. Digital format indicators • PRO LOGIC II – Lights during Dolby Pro Logic II and Pro Logic IIx processing.
Number buttons The operation of these buttons depends on whether the remote control has been set to the RECEIVER or MULTI CONTROL setting (see Controlling other equipment on page 54 for more on this). When RECEIVER is selected, you’ll be able to select the following:...
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11 SB CH MODE (page 43) Use to select the surround/virtual back channel mode. 12 SYSTEM OFF (page 59) Press to switch off all Pioneer components in your system, or any other component you have also programmed to switch off using the System Off function.
Listening in surround sound Using this receiver, you can listen to any source in surround sound. However, the listening mode options and the current active mode may change depending on your speaker setup, the SB CH mode setting, and the type of source you’re listening to.
Listening to your system The MOVIE listening modes These modes are specifically designed for watching movies. The basic modes provide pure decoding of multichannel sources, and will create surround channels for two channel sources. The advanced effect modes have been created give you different kinds of surround sound environments when listening to any source.
IIx Music mode, there are three further parameters you can adjust: Center Width, Dimension, and Panorama. RECEIVER EFFECT/CH SEL Press RECEIVER. With ‘2 Pro Logic IIx MUSIC’ mode active, press EFFECT/CH SEL repeatedly to select CENTER WIDTH, DIMENSION or PANORAMA.
EFFECT/CH SEL you disconnect them it reverts to the previous mode. Note • Many receiver features (such as matrix decoding) are not accessible when the headphones are connected. • When headphones are connected, no sound is heard from the speakers. However, sound will still be output from the preouts.
Acoustic Calibration EQ is active. Note • You can’t use Acoustic Calibration EQ when MULTI CH IN or SACD DIRECT is switched on. • If you switch on Acoustic Calibration EQ when DIRECT is selected, the receiver automatically switches to STEREO.
Press SIGNAL SEL to select the type of input signal for the current source. Press repeatedly to choose between: • AUTO – The receiver selects the first available signal in the following order: • ANALOG – Selects an analog signal.
Using the surround back channel • Default setting: SB CH ON You can have the receiver automatically use 6.1 or 7.1 decoding for 6.1 encoded sources (for example, Dolby Digital EX or DTS-ES), or you can choose to always use 6.1 or 7.1 decoding with other sources (for example, 5.1...
Sometimes the material may sound better in the 5.1 format for which it was originally encoded. In this case you can have the receiver only apply this effect to 6.1 encoded sources like Dolby Digital EX or DTS-ES (VIRTL SB AUTO), or you can simply switch it off (VIRTL SB OFF).
(including SACD in some cases) when using one of the digital inputs (including i.LINK). • If you switch on either of these modes when DIRECT is selected, the receiver automatically switches to STEREO. Using the tone control You can use the tone control to make customized settings for the bass and treble.
SACD or sources over 48kHz when using one of the digital inputs (including i.LINK). • If you switch on digital noise reduction when DIRECT is selected, the receiver automatically switches to STEREO. Listening to dual mono soundtracks • Default setting: DUAL ch1 You can specify how dual mono encoded Dolby Digital soundtracks should be played.
To search for stations in the currently selected band, press and hold either of the TUNING +/– buttons for about a second. The receiver will start searching for the next station, stopping when it has found one. Repeat this step to search for other stations.
This saves the effort of manually tuning in each time. The receiver can memorize up to 30 stations, stored in three banks, or classes, (A, B and C) of 10 stations each. When memorizing FM frequencies, the receiver also stores the MPX setting (see MPX mode above).
Naming station presets You can input a name of up to four characters for each preset station in the receiver’s memory. For example, you could input Jazz for that station and when you listen to it the name, rather than the frequency, will appear in the front panel display.
The Surround Setup menu Making receiver settings from the Surround Setup menu This receiver allows you to make detailed settings to optimize the surround sound performance. You only need to make these settings once (unless you change the placement of your current speaker system or add new speakers.).
Select ‘SurrBack System’ from the Surround Setup menu. See Making receiver settings from the Surround Setup menu above if you’re not already at this screen. 1.Surround Setup SurrBack System...
The Surround Setup menu (cursor up/down) to select the size (and number) of each of the following speakers: • Front – Select LARGE if your front speakers reproduce bass frequencies effectively, or if you didn’t connect a subwoofer. Select SMALL to send the bass frequencies to the subwoofer.
For good sound depth and separation from your system, you need to specify the distance of your speakers from the listening position. The receiver can then add the proper delay needed for effective surround sound. Select ‘Speaker Distance’ from the Normal setup 0.0dB...
(for example, MD/TAPE2 is an MD), and the VIDEO button is set to a Pioneer DVD player. Recalling preset codes The following steps show you how to recall preset codes for each input source.
DVD player that you connected to the DVD/LD terminals. Select Key flashes in the display. • You can’t assign the RECEIVER or TUNER buttons. Select the button corresponding to the command you want to teach the remote control.
Controls for TVs This remote control can control components after entering the proper codes or teaching the receiver the commands (see Using the remote control with other components on page 54 for more on this). Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons to select the component.
Controls for other components This remote control can control these components after entering the proper codes or teaching the receiver the commands (see Using the remote control with other components on page 54 for more on this). Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons to select the component.
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• The default preset setting for all functions is a corresponding Pioneer component. Note that where two buttons are listed, the first component is the the default (for example, MD/TAPE2 is an MD), and the VIDEO button is set to a Pioneer DVD player.
This could let you, for example, use the remote control to set up and listen to a CD on the receiver and then use the remote control to rewind a tape in your VCR while you continue to listen to your CD player.
• program the power to switch off in a shutdown • program the power to switch on if it’s the source • program a Pioneer TV or monitor to switch on if the These take priority in multi operations (not shutdown).
SYSTEM • Press SYSTEM OFF. The command sequence you programmed will run, then all Pioneer components will switch off, followed by this receiver. Switching components on and off using the 12 volt trigger You can connect components in your system (such as a...
You can make an audio or a video recording from the built-in tuner, or from an audio or video source connected to the receiver (such as a CD player or TV). Keep in mind you can't make a digital recording from an...
You can listen to a sound source and select a different video source on your TV. • While listening to a source, press RECEIVER, then VIDEO SEL to select the video source you want to watch. RECEIVER VIDEO SEL Press repeatedly to cycle through the possible video sources.
6–16Ω but if you are using speakers with an impedance of less than 8Ω, you must change the impedance setting below. • With the receiver in standby, press ON while holding down the SPEAKERS button. Each time you do this, you switch between the impedance settings: •...
Using other functions Press the button you want to rename. Edit the button as necessary. (cursor up/down) to select letters and/or numbers and use (cursor left/right) to move the cursor forward/back a position. The name can be up to eight characters (the possible characters are listed below).
The display shows OK and the receiver should now be reset. Note • Make sure the multi-room feature is switched off when doing this. • If the receiver is unplugged from the AC outlet for a month or more, it resets to the default settings. STANDBY/ON for about...
Other connections Chapter 10 Other connections Caution • Before making or changing the connections, switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from the power outlet. Plugging in components should be the last connection you make with your system. •...
When bi-wiring, make sure you’ve selected Normal Surround in Surround back speaker setting on page 51. • To bi-wire a speaker, connect two speaker cords to the speaker terminal on the receiver. Using a banana plug for the second connection is recommended. SELECTABLE Caution •...
Other connections Multi-room listening This receiver can power two independent systems in separate rooms after you have made the proper multi- room connections. Different sources can be playing in both rooms at the same time or, depending on your needs, the same source can also be used. The main and...
Use the MASTER VOLUME dial to adjust the volume. This is only possible if you selected the VARIABLE volume control in Multi-Room and IR receiver setup on page 81. When you’re finished, press CONTROL again to return to the main room controls.
Please see the manual supplied with your IR receiver for the type of cable necessary for the connection. • If you want to link a Pioneer component to the IR receiver, see Operating other Pioneer components with this unit’s sensor on page 61 to connect to the CONTROL jacks instead of the IR OUT jack.
(see Assigning the i.LINK inputs on page 78). The two i.LINK connectors on the rear of your receiver are 4-pin connectors. Use a 4-pin, S400 i.LINK cable to connect i.LINK-equipped components.
“i.LINK” and the “i.LINK” logo are trademarks of Sony Corporation. About PQLS rate control Pioneer's PQLS (Precision Quartz Lock System) technology provides high-precision digital audio from DVD-A, SACD and audio CD sources when you use the i.LINK interface. A precision quartz controller in this...
USB cable during playback. • To prevent noise being output, don’t use other software on your computer during playback. • Pioneer is not responsible for computer system damage, software crashes or failures, or any other possible computer problems due to this configuration.
RS-232C cable to connect the RS- 232C jack on your computer to the 9-pin RS-232C jack on the back panel of this receiver (the cable must be cross type, female–female). To obtain the software to output the results, please register this unit online as instructed on the front cover of the manual.
1-bit Direct Stream Digital (DSD) audio from an SACD directly (see SACD Setup on page 80). PHONO jack on the rear of the receiver (see PHONO/ LINE Setup on page 80). multi-room setup and your IR receiver type (see Multi- Room and IR receiver setup on page 81).
You only need to do this if you didn’t hook up your digital equipment according to the default settings for the digital inputs (see above). This setting tells the receiver what digital equipment is hooked up to which terminal so the buttons on the remote correspond to what you have hooked up.
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• Use the (cursor up/down) buttons and ENTER to do this. • If you connect any source component to the receiver using a component video input, you should also have your TV connected to this receiver's component video MONITOR output.
Advanced setup Function Rename You can customize the names that appears on the display when you select an input source (for example, you could change the name of VCR1/DVR to DVR-310). • It’s convenient to use the front panel controls when editing names.
• Default setting: PHONO You can choose whether you want to use the PHONO jack on the rear of the receiver to connect a turntable, or a line level component (such as a CD or DVD player). Select ‘PHONO/LINE Setup’ from the System Setup menu.
• FIXED – Use this setting if you’ve connected a fully integrated amplifier (such as another Pioneer VSX receiver) in the sub room and want to use that receiver’s volume controls.
Advanced setup The Expert setup menu The settings in the Expert setup menu are more advanced features of this receiver that you can use to make detailed adjustments when you’re more familiar with the system. Before making these settings, you should have already completed Automatically setting up for surround sound on page 12.
Advanced setup Crossover Network • Default setting: 80Hz This setting decides the cutoff between bass sounds playing back from the speakers selected as LARGE, or the subwoofer, and bass sounds playing back from those selected as SMALL. It also decides where the cutoff will be for bass sounds in the LFE channel.
1 0 . 0 f t 1 0 . 0 f t Select ‘EQ AUTO SETTING’ then select ‘Start’. As the receiver outputs test tones, the frequency balance is adjusted automatically for the following settings: • ALL CH ADJUST – All the speakers are set individually so no special weighting is given to any one channel.
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Advanced setup !! Complete !! is displayed on-screen after the Acoustic Calibration Equalization is set. If you want to check the settings, select Check. Select Next after you have finished checking each screen. • If you want to copy these settings and adjust them manually, select Data Copy.
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Advanced setup Copying your Acoustic Calibration EQ settings If you want to manually adjust the Acoustic Calibration EQ (see Setting the Acoustic Calibration EQ manually above), we recommend copying the ALL CH ADJUST or the FRONT ALIGN settings from the Auto setup above (or from Automatically setting up for surround sound on page 12) to one of the custom settings.
(with software available from Pioneer—see Connecting a PC for Advanced MCACC output on page 75 for more on this). How to interpret the graphical output The graph shows decibels on the vertical axis and time (in milliseconds) on the horizontal axis.
With this setup, the receiver automatically sets an early time period (20–40 ms or 60–80 ms) for reverb measurement, giving you a system calibration based on the direct sound coming from the speakers.
( – 8 0 = n o s o u n d ) Set the bass peak level gradually, then press ENTER at the point just before the tone starts to distort. When you’re finished, the display on the receiver will show RESUME and the volume will return to its original position.
Advanced setup • If the YES or PLUS setting on the subwoofer is selected (in Speaker Setting on page 51), the test tone will only play back from the subwoofer. If not, the test tone will play back from the front and surround speakers set to LARGE.
Sometimes the trouble may lie in another component. Investigate the other components and electrical appliances being used. If the trouble cannot be rectified even after exercising the checks listed below, ask your nearest Pioneer authorized independent service company to carry out repair work. Power...
• The subwoofer's levels are too low. Remedy • Make sure you have properly connected the component to the corresponding input on the back of the receiver (see Connecting your equipment on page 15). • Press MUTE or adjust the volume accordingly.
• Make sure you have properly connected the digital component to the corresponding input on the back of the receiver (see Connecting your equipment on page 15). • Choose a compatible source, or check the component’s manual for the correct settings.
• Connect the MONITOR OUT jack to the TV monitor (see Connecting your TV on page 18). • When the receiver is in standby, switch to COLOR BURST OFF by holding down the MULTI JOG CONTROL RETURN button and pressing STANDBY/ON.
• The low-frequency noise could have been caused by an air conditioner or motor. Switch off all appliances in the room and rerun the Auto Surround Setup. • Ask your Pioneer dealer to disable the key lock. Remedy • Press DIMMER on the remote control repeatedly to select a different brightness.
The remote control backlight is switched on, but the ENTER button doesn’t light. • For information about using the remote control in the sub room, please contact your local Pioneer dealer or the Pioneer Customer Support division. i.LINK interface Symptom No sound is output.
LINK CHECK The receiver is checking the i.LINK network. It does this when components are added to, or removed from the network. The sound may be interrupted if this happens during playback. LOOP CONNECT The i.LINK network cannot function because the connected components form a loop.
Additional information USB interface Symptom No sound. Note • If the unit does not operate normally due to external effects such as static electricity, disconnect the power plug from the outlet and insert again to return to normal operating conditions. Cause •...
(with two channel sources, the “.1” subwoofer channel is generated by bass management in the receiver). Two modes (Cinema and Music) are available using DTS Neo:6 with two channel sources.
Dolby web site at www.dolby.com. Only receiver and controller products bearing the THX Surround EX logo, when in the THX Surround EX mode, faithfully reproduce this new technology in the home.
Additional information Specifications Amplifier section Continuous average power output of 110 watts* per channel, min., at 8 ohms, from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz with no more than 0.09%** total harmonic distortion (front). Continuous Power Output Front... . . 110 W + 110 W (20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.09%) Center .
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Selecting fine audio equipment such as the unit you’ve just purchased is only the start of your musical enjoyment. Now it’s time to consider how you can maximize the fun and excitement your equipment offers. This manufacturer and the Electronic Industries Association’s Consumer Electronics Group want you to get the most out of your equipment by playing it at a safe level.