Pioneer VSX-9100TX - Manuals

Before you start 01 6 En Chapter 1: Before you start Features • High quality MOSFET design This receiver offers high-quality discrete MOSFET configuration unique to Pioneer for low distortion, and generates equal amplifier power to all channels, eliminating the possibility of one channel dominating ...

Before you start 01 7 En Ventilation When installing this unit, make sure to leave space around the unit for ventilation to improve heat dispersal (at least 8 in. (20 cm) at the top). If not enough space is provided between the unit and walls or other equipment, heat will build up inside, interferin...

5 minute guide 02 8 En Chapter 2: 5 minute guide Introduction to home theater You are probably used to using stereo equipment to listen to music, but may not be used to home theater systems that give you many more options (such as surround sound) when listening to soundtracks. Home theater refers to...

5 minute guide 02 9 En 3 Connect your speakers. A complete setup of eight speakers (including the subwoofer) is shown here but everyone’s home setup will vary. Simply connect the speakers you have in the manner shown below. The receiver will work with just two stereo speakers (the front speakers in ...

5 minute guide 02 10 En Note • The speaker terminals also accept single banana plugs. Where you place the speakers will have a big effect on the sound. Place your speakers as shown below for the best surround sound effect. See Hints on speaker placement on page 21 for more on this. 4 Plug in the rec...

5 minute guide 02 11 En Automatically setting up for surround sound (MCACC) The Auto MCACC Setup measures the acoustic characteristics of your listening area, taking into account ambient noise, speaker size and distance, and tests for both channel delay and channel level. After you have set up the m...

5 minute guide 02 12 En 6 Follow the instructions on-screen. • Make sure the microphone is connected. • If you’re using a subwoofer, it is automatically detected every time you switch on the system. Make sure it is on and the volume is turned up. • See below for notes regarding high background noise...

5 minute guide 02 13 En Note • If you leave an error message on the screen for over three minutes, or if you cancel the Auto MCACC Setup at any time, the receiver automatically exits and no settings will be made. • Depending on the characteristics of your room, sometimes identical speakers with cone...

Connecting up 03 14 En Chapter 3: Connecting up Important • Before making or changing any connections, switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from the AC outlet. About cable types Analog audio cables Use stereo RCA phono cables to connect analog audio components. These cables are typical...

Connecting up 03 15 En When making cable connections Be careful not to arrange cables in a manner that bends the cables over the top or around this unit. If the cables are laid on top of the unit, the magnetic field produced by the transformers in this unit may cause a humming noise to come from the...

Connecting up 03 16 En Connecting digital audio components The easiest way to hook up this receiver for surround sound (Dolby Digital and DTS sources) is to use a digital input. You can do this by either coaxial or optical connections (you do not need to do both). The quality of these two types of c...

Connecting up 03 17 En Connecting analog audio components To begin set up, connect your analog audio components (such as a cassette deck) to the jacks. For components you want to record with, you need to hook up four plugs to the receiver (a set of stereo inputs and a set of stereo outputs), but for...

Connecting up 03 18 En Connecting video components Connect your video components to the jacks as shown below. With digital video components (like a DVD player), you must use the connections shown on this page for the video signal, but in order to hear a digital source (like a DVD) you should hook up...

Connecting up 03 19 En Connecting antennas Connect the AM loop antenna and the FM wire antenna as shown below. To improve reception and sound quality, connect external antennas (see Using external antennas below). Always make sure that the receiver is switched off and unplugged from the wall outlet ...

Connecting up 03 20 En Connecting the speakers A complete setup of eight speakers (including the subwoofer) is shown below, but everyone’s home setup will vary. Simply connect the speakers you have in the manner shown below. The receiver will work with just two stereo speakers (the front speakers in...

Connecting up 03 21 En Note • The speaker terminals also accept single banana plugs. (Refer to speaker manual for details.) • If you are using a THX certified subwoofer use the THX INPUT jack on the subwoofer (if your subwoofer has one) or switch the filter position to THX on your subwoofer. Hints o...

Connecting up 03 22 En 3-D view of 7.1 channel speaker setup AC outlet Power supplied through this outlet is turned on and off by the receiver's power switch. Total electrical power consumption of connected equipment should not exceed 100 W (0.8 A). Caution • Do not connect a TV set , monitor, heate...

Controls and displays 04 23 En Chapter 4: Controls and displays Front panel 1 MULTI JOG dial Use the MULTI JOG dial to select various settings and menu options. 2 STANDBY/ON Switches the receiver between on and standby. 3 LISTENING MODE SELECT Use with the MULTI JOG dial to select the various listen...

Controls and displays 04 24 En 10 Front panel controls To access the front panel controls, push gently on the lower third portion of the panel with your finger. 11 TUNER CONTROL TUNER EDIT Use with the MULTI JOG dial to memorize and name stations for recall (page 48). TUNING/STATION Use with the MUL...

Controls and displays 04 25 En Display 1 Speaker indicators (page 56) Lights to indicate the current speaker system, A and/or B . 2 SIGNAL SELECT indicators Lights to indicate the type of input signal assigned for the current component: AUTO Lights when AUTO signal select is on. DIGITAL Lights when ...

Controls and displays 04 26 En 12 Master volume level Shows the overall volume level. –80dB indicates the minimum level, and +12dB indicates the maximum level. 13 DE Lights when Dialog Enhancement ( DIALOG E ) is switched on (page 36). 14 TUNER indicators STEREO Lights when a stereo FM broadcast is ...

Controls and displays 04 27 En Remote control 1 RECEIVER This switches between standby and on for this receiver. 2 INPUT SELECT Use to select the input source. 3 MULTI CONTROL buttons Press to select control of other components (see Controlling the rest of your system on page 50). 4 Number buttons a...

Controls and displays 04 29 En +/– Use to adjust the effect and channel levels, as well as to change Dolby Pro Logic IIx and Neo:6 Music parameter settings. SLEEP (SHIFT & –) Use to put the receiver in sleep mode and select the amount of time before the receiver turns off (page 37). DIALOG E (SH...

Listening to your system 05 30 En Chapter 5: Listening to your system Tip • The listening modes described below can also be selected using the front panel controls. Simply press LISTENING MODE SELECT repeatedly to access the modes you want, then use the MULTI JOG to select a particular listening mod...

Listening to your system 05 31 En Note • If the Extended mode (page 34) is switched to OFF , or the surround back speakers are set to NO (this happens automatically if the Surround back speaker setting on page 38 is set to anything but Normal (SB) ), 2 Pro Logic IIx becomes 2 Pro Logic II (5.1 chann...

Listening to your system 05 32 En • If you press ADV. SURR when the headphones are connected, the PhonesSurround mode will automatically be selected. • You can’t use the Advanced Surround effects with 88.2/96kHz PCM or DTS 96kHz/24 bit sources. Tip • When an Advanced Surround listening mode is selec...

Listening to your system 05 33 En Listening with Acoustic Calibration EQ • Default setting: OFF / ALL CH ADJ (after the Auto MCACC Setup or EQ Auto Setting) You can listen to sources using the Acoustic Calibration Equalization set in Automatically setting up for surround sound (MCACC) on page 11 or ...

Listening to your system 05 34 En Using the surround back channel (Extended mode) • Default setting: Extended 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 (for...

Listening to your system 05 35 En Using the Virtual Surround Back mode (VirtualSB) When you’re not using surround back speakers, selecting this mode allows you to hear a virtual surround back channel through your surround speakers. For example, you can choose to listen to sources with no surround ba...

Listening to your system 05 36 En Using Loudness and Midnight listening The Loudness listening feature can be used to get good bass and treble from music sources at low volume levels. The Midnight listening feature allows you to hear effective surround sound of movies at low volume levels. The effec...

Listening to your system 05 37 En Playing other sources 1 Turn on the power of the playback component. 2 Turn on the power of the receiver. 3 Select the source you want to playback. Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons (or INPUT SELECT ). 4 Start playback of the component you selected in step 1. Selecting ...

The System Setup menu 06 38 En Chapter 6: The System Setup menu Making receiver settings from the System Setup menu The following section shows you how to make detailed settings to specify how you’re using the receiver (for example, if you want to set up two speaker systems in separate rooms), and a...

The System Setup menu 06 40 En Fine Channel Level • Default setting: 0dB (all channels) You can achieve better surround sound by properly adjusting the overall balance of your speaker system. The following setting can help you make detailed adjustments that you may not achieve using the Manual speak...

The System Setup menu 06 41 En When it sounds like the delay settings are matched up, press ENTER to confirm and continue to the next channel. • For comparison purposes, the reference speaker will change depending on which speaker you select. • If you want to go back and adjust a channel, simply use...

The System Setup menu 06 42 En 3 Select ‘OK’ to copy and confirm. Setting the Acoustic Calibration EQ manually Before manually adjusting the Acoustic Calibration EQ, we recommend copying the ALL CH ADJUST or the FRONT ALIGN settings from the auto setup above (or from Automatically setting up for sur...

The System Setup menu 06 43 En 2 Select the setting you want to check. • It is useful to do this while a source is playing so you can compare the different settings. 3 Select the channels you want, pressing ENTER when you’re finished checking each one. 4 When you're finished, press RETURN. You will ...

The System Setup menu 06 44 En Speaker Setting Use this setting to specify your speaker configuration (size, number of speakers). It is a good idea to make sure that the settings made in Automatically setting up for surround sound (MCACC) on page 11 are correct. 1 Select ‘Speaker Setting’ from the M...

The System Setup menu 06 45 En 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 b...

The System Setup menu 06 46 En Note • If you are using a Sound Pressure Level (SPL) meter, take the readings from your main listening position and adjust the level of each speaker to 75 dB SPL (C-weighting/slow reading). • The subwoofer test tone is output at low volumes. You may need to adjust the ...

Using the tuner 07 47 En Chapter 7: Using the tuner Listening to the radio The following steps show you how to tune in to FM and AM radio broadcasts using the automatic (search) and manual (step) tuning functions. If you already know the frequency of the station you want, see Tuning directly to a st...

Using the tuner 07 48 En Saving station presets If you often listen to a particular radio station, it's convenient to have the receiver store the frequency for easy recall whenever you want to listen to that station. This saves the effort of manually tuning in each time. This unit can memorize up to...

Making recordings 08 49 En Chapter 8: Making recordings Making an audio or a video recording 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 fro...

Controlling the rest of your system 09 50 En Chapter 9: Controlling the rest of your system Setting the remote to control other components Most components can be assigned to one of the MULTI CONTROL buttons using the component’s manufacturer preset code stored in the remote. However, please note tha...

Controlling the rest of your system 09 51 En Programming signals from other remote controls If the preset code for your component is not available, or the available preset codes do not operate correctly, you can program signals from the remote control of another component. This can also be used to p...

Controlling the rest of your system 09 52 En Erasing one of the remote control button settings This erases one of the buttons you have programmed and restores the button to the factory default. 1 While pressing the RECEIVER button, press and hold the 1 button. The remote LCD display shows SETUP . 2 ...

Controlling the rest of your system 09 53 En Controls for TVs This remote control can control components after entering the proper codes or teaching the receiver the commands (see Setting the remote to control other components on page 50 for more on this). Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons to select the...

Controlling the rest of your system 09 54 En Controls for other components This remote control can control these components after entering the proper codes or teaching the receiver the commands (see Setting the remote to control other components on page 50 for more on this). Use the MULTI CONTROL bu...

Other connections 10 56 En 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. • Be careful not to allow any conta...

Other connections 10 57 En Bi-amping your front speakers Bi-amping is when you connect the high frequency driver and low frequency driver of your speakers to different amplifiers (in this case, to both front and surround back terminals) for better crossover performance. Your speakers must be bi-ampa...

Other connections 10 58 En Multi-room listening When used together with an optional IR receiver (such as a Niles or Xantech unit), this receiver can power two independent systems in separate rooms. Different sources can be playing in both rooms at the same time or, depending on your needs, the same ...

Other connections 10 59 En 2 Press (SHIFT+) INPUT SELECT to select the input source you want to listen to in the sub room. 3 Use (SHIFT+) VOLUME +/– to adjust the volume. You won’t be able to adjust the volume if it is set to FIXED in the Multi Room Setup on page 67. • You can only increase the volu...

Other connections 10 60 En Connecting additional amplifiers This receiver has more than enough power for any home use, but it’s possible to add additional amplifiers to every channel of your system using the pre-outs. Make the connections shown below to add amplifiers to power your speakers. Importa...

Other connections 10 61 En • Use a 3-ringed miniplug SR+ cable to connect the CONTROL IN jack of this receiver with the CONTROL OUT jack of your plasma display. Before you can use the extra SR+ features, you need to make a few settings in the receiver. See SR+ Setup for Pioneer plasma displays on pa...

Other connections 10 62 En Switching components on and off using the 12 volt trigger You can connect components in your system (such as a screen or projector) to this receiver so that they switch on or off using a 12 volt trigger when you select an input function. However, you must specify which inp...

Other Settings 11 63 En Chapter 11: Other Settings The Input Assign menu You only need to make settings in the Input Assign menu if you didn’t hook up your digital equipment according to the default settings for the digital inputs, or if you have connected equipment using component video cables. 1 S...

Other Settings 11 64 En Assigning the component video inputs • Default settings: Component 1 – OFF Component 2 – OFF If you used component video cords to connect your video equipment you must tell the receiver which device it is, or else you may see the S-video or composite video input instead of th...

Other Settings 11 65 En 4 Select the setting you want to adjust. If you are doing this for the first time, you may want to adjust these settings in order: • DRC Setup – Specify the amount of dynamic range adjustment to Dolby Digital soundtracks (see Dynamic Range Control Setup below). • Dual Mono Se...

Other Settings 11 66 En Note • This setting works only with dual mono encoded Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks. Tip • While the receiver is in standby (using the front panel), press the STANDBY/ON button while holding down the TUNER EDIT button to change the dual mono setting. LFE Attenuator Setup ...

Other Settings 11 67 En Multi Room Setup • Default setting: VARIABLE / Setting 1 If you’ve made multi-room connections (see Multi-room listening on page 58) you may need to specify your volume setting and IR receiver type. 1 Select ‘Multi Room Setup’ from the Other Setup menu. 2 Select the volume le...

Additional information 12 68 En Chapter 12: Additional information Troubleshooting Incorrect operations are often mistaken for trouble and malfunctions. If you think that there is something wrong with this component, check the points below. Sometimes the trouble may lie in another component. Investi...

Additional information 12 69 En No sound Symptom Cause Remedy No sound is output when an input source is selected.No sound output from the front speakers. • Improper connections. • Make sure you have properly connected the component to the corresponding input on the back of the receiver (see Connect...

Additional information 12 70 En Other audio problems No sound from one speaker. • The speaker setting has been set to NO . • Change the setting in Speaker Setting on page 44. • The speaker level is too low. • Check the level in Channel Level on page 45. • The speaker isn’t connected properly. • Chec...

Additional information 12 72 En Settings Display Can’t record video. • You are trying to record a source connected to the component video jacks. • Connect the source component to either the composite video or the S-video jacks (see Connecting video components on page 18). • The source is copy protec...

Additional information 12 73 En Remote control 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. When playing certain discs, none of the receiver’s forma...

Additional information 12 75 En Surround sound formats Below is a brief description of the main surround sound formats you’ll find on DVDs, satellite, cable and terrestrial broadcasts, and video cassettes. Dolby The Dolby technologies are explained below. See www.dolby.com for more detailed informat...

Additional information 12 76 En About THX The THX technologies are explained below. See www.thx.com for more detailed information. THX Cinema processing THX is an exclusive set of standards and technologies established by the world-renowned film production company, Lucasfilm Ltd. THX grew from Georg...

Additional information 12 77 En 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 ...

Additional information 12 78 En S001_En 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 Asso...

PIONEER CORPORATION 4-1, Meguro 1-Chome, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8654, Japan PIONEER ELECTRONICS (USA) INC. P.O. BOX 1540, Long Beach, California 90810-1540, U.S.A. TEL: (800) 421-1404 PIONEER ELECTRONICS OF CANADA, INC. 300 Allstate Parkway, Markham, Ontario L3R OP2, Canada TEL: 1-877-283-5901 PIONEER...