Pioneer VSX-39TX - Manual

V Quick Start Guide 2 2 2 2 2 Speaker Connections Home theater is designed to be setup with five, or seven speakers (front left & right; center; surround left &right; and, optimally, surround back left & right) and a subwoofer but you can use this receiver with fewerspeakers. Hook up the...

VI Quick Start Guide 4 4 4 4 4 Digital Input Assignment This is only necessary if you did not hook up your DVD to DIGITAL IN 1, as in the first diagram on p. IV. 3 5 6 7 4 System Setup SPEAKER SETTING CROSSOVER NETWORK BASS PEAK LEVEL MANAGER DYNAMIC RANGE CONTROL DIGITAL INPUT SELECT MULTI ROOM CHA...

VII 5 5 5 5 5 Playing a DVD with Surround Sound 1 Turn on the receiver, your TV, and the DVD player. 2 Press the STANDARD button on the front panel for the basic surround sound setting. You can also press the remote control RECEIVER button and then press the STANDARD button on thatscreen. 3 Press th...

8 Multi Channel Stereophonic Concept The VSX-39TX receiver is constructed with Pioneer’s industry-leading multi channel stereophonic concept. Thiswell-developed approach to receiver circuitry takes the high level base technology that, up until now, has beenonly used for stereo equipment and applies ...

9 PREP ARA TION PREP ARA TION Table of Contents Before You Start ................................. 10 Checking the Supplied Accessories ........................ 10How to Use This Manual .......................................... 10Preparing the Remote Control ................................. 10 Loa...

10 Before You Start Checking the Supplied Accessories Please check that you have received all of the following supplied accessories. How to Use This Manual Preparing the Remote Control Loading the batteries Load the batteries into the remote control as shown below. The remote control uses a lot of p...

11 PREP ARA TION PREP ARA TION Before You Start 8 inches (20 cm) lock switch Touch pen Receiver Installing the Receiver Please note:• Do not place objects directly on top of this unit. This would prevent proper heat dispersal. • When installing in a rack, shelf, etc., be sure to leave more than 8 in...

12 Audio Components To begin set up connect your audio components to the jacks as shown below. These are all analogconnections and your analog audio components (turntable, cassette deck) use these jacks. Rememberthat for components you want to record with you need to hook up four plugs (a set of ste...

13 PREP ARA TION Digital Connections In order to use Dolby Digital/DTS soundtracks which are at the heart of home theater you need to makedigital audio connections. You can do this by either a coaxial or an optical connection (you don’t need to doboth). The quality of these two types of connections ...

14 Example Connection for a DVD/LD or LD player Make sure you connect your DVD/LD or LD players using both the 2 RF jack and either a coaxial or optical (you don't need to do both of these) digital connections. If your player has an 2 RF output this will ensure you can use all LDs (see p. 15). We al...

15 PREP ARA TION Video Components Connect your video components to the jacks as shown below. Regarding a DVD there are two types ofconnections to make. Hook up your video signal with either component video, S-video, or composite videocords (the quality descends in this order) but remember, the video...

16 Connecting Your Equipment REMOTE IN CD IN SURR- OUND SUB WOOFER SUB WOOFER CENTER FRONT MULTI CH IN SURR- OUND R R R L R L L L(Single) R R L R FRONT PRE OUT CENTER COMPONENT VIDEO DVD/LD IN TV/SAT IN Y P B P R MONITOR OUT P B P R Y MULTI CH IN SURROUND BACK SURROUND BACK PRE OUT DVD / LD IN S2 VI...

17 PREP ARA TION Connecting Your Equipment TV Connect your TV to the jacks as shown below. Hook up the signal with either component video, S-video,or composite video cords (the quality descends in this order) but remember, the video component you arewatching and your TV must be hooked up with same t...

18 Connecting the Radio Antennas Connect the supplied FM wire antenna and the AM loop antenna to the antenna terminals as shownbelow. These antennas should provide adequate reception quality in most cases, but connecting outdoorantennas should noticeably improve sound quality. Before making or chang...

19 PREP ARA TION Connecting Your Equipment Speakers A full complement of eight speakers is shown here but, naturally, everyone's home set up will vary.Simply connect the speakers you have in the manner described below. The VSX-39TX will work with justtwo stereo speakers (called "front" speak...

20 Placing Your Speakers Proper speaker placement is essential to realize the best sound from your system. The diagram and tipsgiven here are just a rough guide. Be sure to read the instructions that come with your speakers. Speaker placement If you have a multiple speaker arrangement the placement ...

21 PREP ARA TION Connecting Your Equipment CD IN SURR- OUND SUB WOOFER SUB WOOFER L L (Single) R R R R R L L L R CENTER FRONT MULTI CH IN SURR- OUND FRONT PRE OUT CENTER COMPONENT VIDEO DVD/LD IN TV/SAT IN Y P B P R OUT TO MONITOR TV P B P R Y MULTI CH IN SURROUND BACK SURROUND BACK PRE OUT DVD / LD...

22 Front Panel All the controls on the front panel are explained and/or referenced here. To open the front panel pushgently on the lower third of the panel. STANDBY/ON DSP MODE MULTI-ROOM & SOURCE INPUT SELECTOR MASTER VOLUME MIN MAX THX CINEMA ADVANCED STANDARD CONTROL STANDBY AUDIO/VIDEO MULTI...

24 Display All the display information is explained and/or referenced here. DIGITAL dB PRO LOGIC STEREO DSP MIDNIGHT LOUDNESS ATT SIGNAL SELECT OVER H.P AC-3 DTS ANALOG SP AB MONO STEREOTUNED AMFM L C R LFE LS S RS DIGITAL AC-3RF AUTO TAPE 2 VOLUME 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 12 Displays & ...

25 PREP ARA TION 11 2 / dts mode indicators 2 DIGITAL : When the 2 /dts mode on the receiver is on, this indicator lights to indicateplayback of a Dolby Digital signal. However, 2 PRO LOGIC lights during 2 channel playback ofDolby Digital. 2 PRO LOGIC : When the 2 /dts mode on the receiver is on, th...

26 Displays & Controls Remote Control These pages describe the buttons on the remote control used to operate the receiver. Since the screen on thisLCD remote control changes when you select a different function, explanations of buttons for controlling othercomponents/functions can be found in th...

27 PREP ARA TION Displays & Controls Basic Receiver LCD Screens Receiver MAIN Screen 1 3 4 4 6 7 2 8 9 5 0 - MAIN SUB DSP STEREO THX ADVANCED THEATER EFFECT STANDARD MIDNIGHT LOUDNESS SIGNAL SELECT DIGITAL NR / dts MULTI CH IN Receiver 1 Receiver MAIN button Press this button to select the main ...

28 Displays & Controls 1 Receiver SUB button Press this button to select the sub receiver screen(above) when the remote control is on the mainreceiver screen. 2 TAPE 2 MONITOR button Selects the tape deck (or MD recorder, etc.)connected to the TAPE 2 MONITOR inputs/outputs. Allows monitoring of ...

29 SET UP Initial Set Up On Screen Display There are a number of possible ways to hook up the receiver to your video components, like a DVD player, andhook up to your receiver to your TV, but some of them won't allow you to use the on-screen display of this unit.To avoid this one simply needs to fol...

30 Setting Up the Remote Control Since this remote is based on LCD screens, you should try and get used to the touch-sensitive nature of thebuttons as well as the way in which different screens control different operations. You can move between thedifferent screens with the function buttons on the l...

31 SET UP 5 Decide which other adjustments you‘d like to make and press thosebuttons. The different possibilitiesare: BACKLIGHT : The backlight button let’s you choose whether or not you want to have the backlight for thisLCD screen on or off. If you leave it on the screen iseasier to see but the re...

32 Initial Set Up Setting Up for Surround Sound To ensure the best possible surround sound, complete the following set up operations. You only need to makethese settings once (unless you change the placement of your current speaker system or add new speakers,etc.). These set up operations use your T...

34 Initial Set Up SPEAKER SETTING The following steps show you how to select the correct set up for the type and number of speakers youconnected. If continuing from DIGITAL INPUT SELECT go to step 1. If starting fresh, complete steps 1-3 on p.32first. 1 Press the SPEAKER SETTING button. 2 Select the...

35 SET UP Initial Set Up « memo If you have a subwoofer and like lots of bass, itmay seem logical to select LARGE for yourFRONT speakers and leave the subwooferselected. This may not, however, yield the bestbass results. Depending on the size and shapeof your room you may actually experience adecrea...

36 System Setup SPEAKER SETTING CROSSOVER NETWORK BASS PEAK LEVEL MANAGER DYNAMIC RANGE CONTROL DIGITAL INPUT SELECT MULTI ROOM CHANNEL DELAY CHANNEL LEVEL BACK 1 Press the CHANNEL DELAY button. The CHANNEL DELAY speaker settings will appear onyour remote control screen. 2 Select each speaker by pre...

37 SET UP Initial Set Up 1 Press the CHANNEL LEVEL button. The CHANNEL LEVEL settings will appear on your remotecontrol screen. NOTE : Be prepared! The test tone is output at a high volume level. MASTER VOLUME rotates to the reference position (0 dB)and the display on the receiver flashes TEST TONE....

38 3 Using the remote control display, follow the instructions below toadjust the speaker levels so that youhear the test tone at the samevolume from each speaker whenseated in your normal listeningposition. NOTE : The volume of the subwoofer tends to sound lower than it actually is. You may need to...

39 SET UP Initial Set Up CROSSOVER NETWORK The following steps show you how to adjust the crossover network. The crossover network is the frequency atwhich the system divides the signal and sends the different parts (high, mid, low) to different speakers.Speaking precisely, this setting sets the cut...

40 Initial Set Up 1 Press the BASS PEAK LEVEL MANAGER button. 2 Press the TEST TONE button. The MASTER VOLUME rotates to MIN (----dB). dB STEREO SIGNAL SELECTANALOG SP A AUTO VOLUME dB STEREO SIGNAL SELECTANALOG SP A AUTO VOLUME A test tone will sound or not depending on whichspeakers you have selec...

41 SET UP DYNAMIC RANGE CONTROL This feature makes it possible to enjoy full surround sound effects on Dolby Digital sources even at lowvolumes. It does this by compressing the dynamic range. Dynamic range is the difference between the loudestand the softest sounds in any given signal. Compressing t...

42 DUAL MONO SETTING The dual mono setting can only be used when listening to Dolby Digital discs that have dual mono softwareencoded in them. Dual mono software usually is used to put two different soundtracks on one DVD. With thissetting you can choose which channel in the dual mono setting you wa...

43 OPERA TION Basic Playback Sound Modes The five sound modes on the receiver are explained here. These can be turned on from the front panel or fromthe RECEIVER MAIN SCREEN on the remote control.There are three cinema modes: STANDARD, HOME THX CINEMA, and ADVANCED THEATER. These aredesigned to be u...

44 memo HOME THX CINEMA modes THX is a set of technical standards created by Lucasfilm, Ltd. These standards were designed to emulate a filmsound stage and thus reproduce, with the greatest possible accuracy, the soundtrack intended by the filmmakers.To get THX sound use one the three modes explaine...

45 OPERA TION Basic Playback DSP modes The DSP (Digital Signal Processing) modes allow you to transform your living room into a variety of differentsonic environments when playing either two-channel or multi-channel sources. If you have SURROUND BACKspeakers(s) switched on (see p.34-35) then 7.1 wil...

46 1 Press RECEIVER. This sets the remote to select the sound mode. (You can skip this step when using the controls onthe receiver.) 2 Select the sound mode. • For STANDARD \ Press STANDARD Each press changes the STANDARD mode asfollows: STANDARD STANDARD 7.1 STANDARD auto • For HOME THX CINEMA \ Pr...

47 OPERA TION Basic Playback Playing Sources with Dolby Digital or DTS Sound The following instructions show you how to play Dolby Digital or DTS sound sources with the VSX-39TX. 1 Turn on the power of the playback component. 2 Press the STANDBY/ ON button to turn on thereceiver. Be sure that the st...

48 Playing Sources with Stereo Sound The following instructions show you how to play audio or audio-visual sources with the VSX-39TX. If the TAPE 2 indicator is visible in the display, it means the TAPE 2 MONITOR is on. Press TAPE 2MONITOR on the front panel to turn it off unless you want to listen ...

49 OPERA TION Switching ANALOG/DIGITAL Signal Input This button selects the type of input, ANALOG, DIGITAL or 2 RF, sent to the receiver. You need to take special care to switch to the appropriate input when necessary. For example, the switch would have to be on DIGITALto hear DOLBY DIGITAL or DTS s...

50 Listening in MIDNIGHT Mode This feature makes it possible to get excellent surround sound effects even when listening at low volumes. Itcan be used with a variety of surround sound sources and play soundtracks so that the quieter sounds areaudible while the noisier sounds don’t become overly loud...

51 OPERA TION Basic Playback Adjusting Bass and Treble (Tone Control) You can use BASS +/– or TREBLE +/– buttons to adjust the low and high frequencies for each individual set ofspeakers. If the receiver is in STEREO mode you can only adjust the FRONT speakers. In a surround mode(STANDARD, ADVANCED ...

52 Basic Playback MULTI CHANNEL IN Playback MULTI CH IN allows you to connect an external decoder to enjoy certain types of specialized discs. To useMULTI CH playback follow the instructions below. memo MULTI CH INPUT Receiver MAIN SUB DSP STEREO THX ADVANCED THEATER EFFECT STANDARD MIDNIGHT LOUDNES...

53 OPERA TION Adjusting the Brightness of the Display Use the FL DIMMER button to adjust the brightness of the fluorescent display (FL=fluorescent display). Use the FL DIMMER button on theremote control or the front panel toalternate between the differentlevels of brightness. Four levels of brightne...

54 Using the Tuner Automatic and Manual Tuning The following steps show you how to tune in FM and AM radio broadcasts using the automatic (search) andmanual (step) tuning functions. If you already know the exact frequency of the station you want, see “DirectAccess Tuning“ on the following page. 1 Pr...

55 OPERA TION 1 Press the TUNER. This selects the TUNER function on the receiver andsets the remote to the TUNER operation mode. 2 Press the BAND button to select the band (FM or AM). Each press switches the band : FM j AM 3 Press the DIRECT ACCESS button to activate the direct access tuningmode. Th...

56 Using the Tuner Memorizing Frequently Used Stations The following steps show you how to memorize up to 30 radio stations in 3 classes (each holding 10 stations).When memorizing FM frequencies, the receiver also memorizes the MPX mode (STEREO or MONO). Using the front panel 1 Tune in the station y...

57 OPERA TION Using the Tuner Recalling Memorized Stations Using the remote control 1 Press the TUNER. This selects the TUNER function on the receiver andsets the remote to the TUNER operation mode. 2 Press the CLASS button repeatedly to select a class number. Each press switches the display: 3 Use ...

58 4 RECEIVER DVD/LD TV/SAT VCR1 VCR2 REMOTE SETUP MD/TAPE1 CD TUNER TV CONTROL Preset Recall DVD LD VCR TV TAPE CD-R DVR TUNER STB CD MD SELECT ITEM BACK DVD/LD] [ 1 Press the REMOTE SETUP. The REMOTE SETUP menu appears on the remotecontrol's screen. 2 Press the PRESET RECALL button on the remote c...

59 OPERA TION 5 Select the name of the company that makes your component. If there are two pages of company names, use thepage +/– buttons to go back and forth between thetwo sets of makers' names. For explanation purposes,we'll use PIONEER as an example. 6 Press the NUMBER 1 button. If the componen...

60 Learning Mode: Programming Signals from Other Remote Controls If preset codes are not available for your component(s), or the available preset codes do not operate correctly,you can use this procedure to program in signals from the remote control(s) of your other component(s). Thesesteps can also...

61 OPERA TION Remote Control of Other Components memo Locking the Settings This feature allows you to lock the SYSTEM SETUP and REMOTE SETUP settings so that they cannot bechanged without unlocking them first. When they are locked you cannot enter the setting screen in thesemodes. The locking and un...

64 Using Remote Control with Other Components DVD or LD player operations • The following operations are available from the receiver's remote control after you programyour DVD or LD player into it, but some operations may need to be learned separately by thereceiver (see “Setting Up the Remote Contr...

65 OPERA TION Remote Control of Other Components CD player operations • The following operations are available from the receiver's remote control after you programyour CD player into it, but some operations may need to be learned separately by the receiver(see “Setting Up the Remote Control to Contr...

66 MD operations • The following operations are available from the receiver's remote control after you programyour MD recorder into it, but some operations may need to be learned separately by the re-ceiver (see “Setting Up the Remote Control to Control Other Components,“ p.58-61). • To perform thes...

67 OPERA TION Remote Control of Other Components TV operations • The following operations are available from the receiver's remote control after you programyour TV into it, but some operations may need to be learned separately by the receiver (see“Setting Up the Remote Control to Control Other Compo...

68 Remote Control of Other Components CATV operations • The following operations are available from the receiver's remote control after you programyour CATV into it, but some operations may need to be learned separately by the receiver (see“Setting Up the Remote Control to Control Other Components,“...

70 Remote Control of Other Components Cassette deck operations You can use this remote control to control a single or a double cassette deck after you program the deck playerinto it. If you have a regular cassette deck with only one set of tape heads use the buttons on the right marked“SINGLE/DECK I...

71 OPERA TION Remote Control of Other Components VCR operations • The following operations are available from the receiver's remote control after you programyour VCR deck into it, but some operations may need to be learned separately by the receiver(see “Setting Up the Remote Control to Control Othe...

72 Recording from Audio Components The following explanations show you how to record an analog or digital audio signal. Note that your analogcomponents cannot record a player that is only connected digitally (and vice-versa). If you want to record from adigital component to an analog one (for exampl...

73 OPERA TION Video Select Press the VIDEO SELECT button onthe front panel to cycle through thedifferent possible video inputs. The first press shows the video input you arecurrently using. After that pressing VIDEO SELECTcycles though the possibilities in the following order: DVD/LD VCR1 VCR2 ( OFF...

74 Multi Operations Multi operations allow you to tell the receiver and your other components to do a number of things with thepush of only two buttons on the LCD commander. For example, you can program the unit to turn on your TV,turn on your DVD player and start playing the loaded DVD. This allows...

75 OPERA TION RECEIVER DVD/LD TV/SAT VCR1 VCR2 REMOTE SETUP MD/TAPE1 CD TUNER TV CONTROL Multi Operation 3 2 4 5 3 DVD BACK SELECT NUMBER DVD/LD [ ] CLEAR CLEAR SETUP OK Using Other Functions 6 Select a command from the screen of the component (for example 3 [play]). The command and component chosen...

76 System OFF The SYSTEM OFF feature allows you to tell the receiver and your other components to stop and turn off withthe push of only one button on the LCD commander ( this feature will only work with components that have a standby mode ). For example, you can program the unit to stop your DVD, t...

78 Using Other Functions Setting up the DIRECT FUNCTION The direct function will not be necessary for most users. It is designed in case you have an external videosource connected to your TV (a video source that is not going through the VSX-39TX). For this explanation we'llcall this the "externa...

79 OPERA TION Using Other Functions Multi-Room When used together with an optional IR receiver, this receiver is capable of outputting two different sources atthe same time. One to the (main) MONITOR OUT jack and SPEAKERS terminals and another to the MULTIROOM & SOURCE AUDIO and MONITOR OUT jack...

82 Using the remote control with the MULTI-ROOM system 1 From the sub room, point the remote control at the MULTI ROOMsensor and press a STANDBY/ONbutton to turn the power on. The MULTI ROOM & SOURCE button will light on thefront panel in the main room. 2 Next press the FUNCTION button to select...

83 OPERA TION Using Other Functions • You can also control PIONEER components (and those made by other manufacturers) by pointing the receiver's remote control directly at the respective component. This type of operation does not re-quire control cords. All you have to do is recall the appropriate t...

84 Techno Tidbits & Problem-solving Dolby Digital Digitalsound 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 MHz Frequency Analogsound(Monaural) Video Dolby Digitalsound Dolby Digital is a compression format which recordsthe sound of 6 or 8 channels of the theater surroundsystem (Dolby Digital) on the movie film digital tra...

85 Techno Ti dbits & Problem-solving DTS D TS has been adopted as a sound recording format in the latest movie theaters since the release of “JURASSIC PARK” in 1993, and has a good reputation for high quality sound and dynamic surround effects.In this system, 6 channels of digital sound are reco...

86 Troubleshooting Incorrect operations are often mistaken for trouble and malfunctions. If you think that there is something wrong withthis component, check the points below. Sometimes the trouble may lie in another component. Investigate the othercomponents and electrical appliances being used. If...

90 Specifications Amplifier Section Continuous average power output of120 watts* per channel, min., at 6ohms, from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz with nomore than 0.09 %** total harmonicdistortion (front). Continuous Power Output Front ....... 120 W + 120 W (20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.09 %, 6 Ω ) Center .....................

Published by Pioneer Corporation.Copyright © 2000 Pioneer Corporation.All rights reserved. <ARB7230-A> PIONEER CORPORATION 4-1, Meguro 1-Chome, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8654, Japan PIONEER ELECTRONICS [USA] INC. P.O. BOX 1540, Long Beach, California 90801-1540, U.S.A. PIONEER ELECTRONICS OF CANADA...