Pioneer VSX-AX2AV-S - Manual

Before you start 01 6 En Chapter 1: Before you start Checking what’s in the box Please check that you've received the following supplied accessories: • Setup microphone (cable: 5m.) • Remote control unit • AA/LR6 dry cell batteries x2 • AM loop antenna • FM wire antenna • Power cord • Caution sheet ...

5 minute guide 02 7 En Chapter 2: 5 minute guide Introduction to home theater Home theater refers to the use of multiple audio tracks to create a surround sound effect, making you feel like you're in the middle of the action or concert. The surround sound you get from a home theater system depends n...

5 minute guide 02 8 En 1 Switch on the receiver and your TV. 2 Connect the microphone to the MCACC SETUP MIC jack on the front panel. Place the microphone so that it’s about ear level at your normal listening position (use a tripod if possible). Make sure there are no obstacles between the speakers ...

5 minute guide 02 9 En Problems when using the Auto MCACC Setup If the room environment is not optimal for the Auto MCACC Setup (too much background noise, echo off the walls, obstacles blocking the speakers from the microphone) the final settings may be incorrect. Check for household appliances (ai...

Connecting your equipment 03 10 En Chapter 3 Connecting your equipment This receiver provides you with many connection possibilities, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. This page explains the kinds of components you can connect to make up your home theater system. Rear panel This illustration show...

Connecting your equipment 03 11 En 11 Composite and S-video monitor outputs Use to connect monitors and TVs. Connecting your TV and DVD player on page 12. 12 Audio/video source inputs/(outputs) (x6) Use for connection to audio/visual sources, such as DVD players/recorders, VCRs, etc. Each set of inp...

Connecting your equipment 03 12 En Connecting your TV and DVD player The diagram shows a basic setup of this receiver together with a TV and DVD player, with S-video or composite video connections. Different TVs and DVD players may offer alternative connections. See also Using the component video ja...

Connecting your equipment 03 13 En Connecting a satellite/cable receiver or other set-top box Satellite and cable receivers, and terrestrial digital TV tuners are all examples of so-called ‘set-top boxes’. 1 Connect the audio/video outputs on the set-top box to the SAT AUDIO and VIDEO inputs. Connec...

Connecting your equipment 03 14 En • For a second recorder, use the DVR/ VCR2 outputs. 3 If the device can output digital audio, connect an optical-type 1 digital audio output from the recorder to the DIGITAL 2 (DVR/VCR1) input. Use an optical cable for the connection. 2 • For a second recorder, use...

Connecting your equipment 03 15 En Connecting digital audio sources This receiver has both digital inputs and outputs, allowing you to connect digital audio components for playback and for making digital recordings. Most digital components also have analog connections. See Connecting analog audio so...

Connecting your equipment 03 16 En Connecting analog audio sources This receiver features three stereo audio-only inputs. Two of these inputs have corresponding outputs for use with audio recorders. One of the audio inputs ( PHONO ) is a dedicated turntable input which should not be used for any oth...

Connecting your equipment 03 17 En 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 ...

Connecting your equipment 03 18 En Bare wire connections Make sure that the speaker cable you’re going to use is properly prepared with about 10 mm of insulator stripped from each wire, and the exposed wire strands twisted together ( fig. A ). To connect a terminal, unscrew the terminal a few turns ...

Connecting your equipment 03 19 En The diagrams below show suggested surround and surround back speaker orientation. The first diagram ( fig. A ) shows orientation with one surround back speaker (or none) connected. The second ( fig. B ) shows orientation with two surround back speakers connected. •...

Connecting your equipment 03 20 En Important • The signal ground ( ) is designed to reduce noise that occurs when an antenna is connected. It is not an electrical safety ground. FM wire antenna • Connect the FM wire antenna to the FM UNBAL 75 Ω in the same way as the AM antenna. For best results, ex...

Controls and displays 04 21 En Chapter 4: Controls and displays Front panel Illustration shows the VSX-AX4AVi front panel 1 INPUT SELECTOR dial Use to select an input source. 2 STANDBY/ON Switches the receiver between on and standby. Power indicator lights when the receiver is on. 3 PHASE CONTROL – ...

Controls and displays 04 22 En 9 HDMI indicator Blinks when connecting an HDMI-equipped component; lights when the component is connected (page 47). 10 i.LINK indicator (VSX-AX4AVi only) Lights when an i.LINK-Audio-equipped component is selected (page 48). DIGITAL VIDEO CONVERSION indicator (VSX-AX2...

Controls and displays 04 23 En Display 1 SIGNAL indicators Light to indicate the currently selected input signal. AUTO lights when the receiver is set to select the input signal automatically (page 28). 2 Program format indicators These change according to which channels are active in digital source...

Controls and displays 04 24 En Remote control The remote has been conveniently color-coded according to component control using the following system (press the corresponding input source button to access): • Green – Receiver controls (see below) • Red – DVD controls (page 71) • Blue – Tuner controls...

Controls and displays 04 25 En TV – Use to turn on/off the power of the TV. TV VOL +/– – Use to adjust the volume on your TV. INPUT SELECT – Use to select the TV input signal. TV CH +/– – Use to select channels. 8 Component control buttons The main buttons ( , , etc.) are used to control a component...

Listening to your system 05 26 En Chapter 5: Listening to your system Important • The listening modes and many features described in this section may not be available depending on the current source, settings and status of the receiver. See Listening modes with different input signal formats on page...

Listening to your system 05 27 En Using the Home THX modes THX and Home THX are technical standards created by Lucasfilm Ltd. for cinema and home theater sound. Home THX is designed to make home theater audio sound more like what you hear in a cinema. Different THX options will be available dependin...

Listening to your system 05 28 En Listening in stereo When you select STEREO , you will hear the source through just the front left and right speakers (and possibly your subwoofer depending on your speaker settings). Dolby Digital and DTS multichannel sources are downmixed to stereo. • While listeni...

Listening to your system 05 29 En • PCM – Only PCM signals are output. 1 The receiver selects the first available signal in the following order: ; HDMI ; DIGITAL . When set to DIGITAL or AUTO , 2 DIGITAL lights with Dolby Digital decoding, DTS lights with DTS decoding, and WMA9 Pro lights to indicat...

Using the tuner 06 30 En Chapter 6: 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 06 31 En Naming station presets For easier identification, you can name your station presets. 1 Choose the station preset you want to name. See Listening to station presets below for how to do this. 2 Press T.EDIT (TUNER EDIT). The display shows STATION NAME , then a blinking cursor ...

Using the tuner 06 32 En 4 Press ENTER to search for the program type. The system starts searching through the station presets for a match. When it finds one, the search stops and the station plays for five seconds. 5 If you want to keep listening to the station, press ENTER within the 5 seconds. If...

The System Setup menu 07 33 En Chapter 7: 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 07 35 En • With error messages (such as Ambient Noise or Microphone Check ) select RETRY after checking for ambient noise (see Problems when using the Auto MCACC Setup on page 9) and verifying the mic connection. If there doesn’t seem to be a problem, you can simply select GO N...

The System Setup menu 07 36 En 1 Select ‘Surr Back System’ from the System Setup menu. See Making receiver settings from the System Setup menu above if you’re not already at this screen. 2 Select the surround back speaker setting. • Normal (SB) – Select for normal home theater use with surround back...

The System Setup menu 07 37 En The volume increases to the 0dB reference level. 2 Adjust the level of the left channel. This will be the reference speaker level, so you may want to keep the level around 0dB so that you’ll have plenty of room to adjust the other speaker levels. • After pressing ENTER...

The System Setup menu 07 38 En frequencies. Depending on speaker placement, your listening position, and ultimately the shape of your room, it results in an overly resonant (‘boomy’) sound. The Standing Wave Control uses filters to reduce the effect of overly resonant sounds in your listening area. ...

The System Setup menu 07 39 En How to use Professional Acoustic Calibration EQ If you find that lower frequencies seem overly reverberant in your listening room (i.e. it sounds `boomy'), or that different channels seem to exhibit different reverb characteristics, select Aco Cal EQ Pro. (or ALL ) for...

The System Setup menu 07 40 En Using Professional Acoustic Calibration EQ 1 Select ‘EQ Professional’ then press ENTER. 2 Select an option and press ENTER. • Reverb Measurement – Use this to measure the reverb characteristics of your room (for graphical output using a PC, see Connecting a PC for Adva...

The System Setup menu 07 41 En After the Acoustic Calibration Equalization is set, you are given the option to check the settings on-screen. Data Management This system allows you to store up to six MCACC presets, allowing you to calibrate your system for different listening positions (or frequency ...

The System Setup menu 07 42 En 2 Select the MCACC preset you’ll be copying the settings ‘From’ then specify where you want to copy them (‘To’). Make sure you don’t overwrite an MCACC preset you’re currently using (this can’t be undone). 3 Select ‘Copy’ to confirm and copy the settings. Copy Complete...

The System Setup menu 07 43 En 1 Select ‘Speaker Setting’ from the Manual SP Setup menu. 2 Choose the set of speakers that you want to set then select a speaker size. Use / to select the size (and number) of each of the following speakers: 1 • Front – Select LARGE if your front speakers reproduce ba...

The System Setup menu 07 44 En 4 Adjust the level of each channel using the / buttons. If you selected Manual , use / to switch speakers. The Auto setup will output test tones in the order shown on- screen: Adjust the level of each speaker as the test tone is emitted. 1 5 When you’re finished, press...

The System Setup menu 07 45 En Set the bass peak level gradually, then press ENTER at the point just before the tone starts to distort. 1 The display on the receiver shows RESUME while the volume returns to its original position, then you automatically return to the main Bass Peak Level menu. 4 When...

Other connections 08 46 En Chapter 8: Other connections Caution • Make sure the power is switched off before making or changing the connections. Connecting an iPod This receiver has a dedicated iPod terminal that will allow you to control playback of your iPod using the controls of this receiver. 1 ...

Other connections 08 47 En Genre Artist Album Song Composer Album Song Shuffle Songs Tip • You can play all of the songs in a particular category by selecting the All item at the top of each category list. For example, you can play all the songs by a particular artist. Basic playback controls The fo...

Other connections 08 48 En 2 Use an HDMI cable to connect the HDMI OUT interconnect on this receiver to an HDMI interconnect on a HDMI-compatible monitor. 1 • The arrow on the cable connector body should be facing right for correct alignment with the connector on the player. 3 Use the INPUT SELECT b...

Other connections 08 49 En 1 Use an i.LINK cable to connect one of the i.LINK connectors on this receiver to an i.LINK connector on your i.LINK component. • The arrow on the cable connector body should be lined up with the arrow (to the left of the connector) on the receiver for correct alignment. T...

Other connections 08 50 En 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 receiver eliminates distortion caused by ti...

Other connections 08 51 En Connecting the multichannel analog inputs For DVD Audio and SACD playback, your DVD player may have 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 channel analog outputs (depending on whether your player supports surround back channels). 1 Make sure that the player is set to output multichannel analog a...

Other connections 08 52 En 3 If you’re connecting for the first time, wait for the USB driver installation to finish. The installation may take a minute or two to complete. Make sure you leave the USB cable connected until the dialog box indicates that the USB setup is finished. Note that some older...

Other connections 08 53 En • SP A – Sound is output from speaker system A and the same signal is output from the pre-out terminals. • SP B – Sound is output from the two speakers connected to speaker system B. Multichannel sources will not be heard. The same signal is output from the surround back c...

Other connections 08 54 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. • Befor...

Other connections 08 55 En Multi-room listening options The following table shows what you can listen to in each sub room: Basic multi-room setup (ROOM 2) 1 Connect a separate amplifier to the MULTI-ROOM & SOURCE OUT jacks and a TV monitor to the MULTI-ROOM & SOURCE MONITOR OUT jacks, both o...

Other connections 08 56 En Using the multi-room controls The following steps use the front panel controls to adjust the sub room volume and select sources. See Multi-room remote controls below 1 Press the MULTI ROOM & SOURCE ON/OFF button on the front panel. Each press selects a multi-room optio...

Other connections 08 57 En 1 Connect the IR receiver sensor to the MULTI-ROOM & SOURCE IR IN jack on the rear of this receiver. 2 Connect the IR IN jack of another component to the MULTI-ROOM & SOURCE IR OUT jack on the rear of this receiver to link it to the IR receiver. Please see the manu...

Other connections 08 58 En • Before you can use the extra SR+ features, you need to make a few settings in the receiver. See The Input Setup menu on page 60 and SR+ Setup for Pioneer plasma displays on page 62 for detailed instructions. • Use a 3-ringed miniplug SR+ cable to connect the CONTROL IN j...

Other connections 08 59 En Connecting a PC for Advanced MCACC output If you use the Professional Acoustic Calibration EQ (see page 38) to measure the reverb characteristics of your listening room, you can check the results graphically using a computer connected to this receiver. Use a commercially-a...

Other Settings 09 60 En Chapter 9: Other Settings The Input Setup menu You only need to make settings in the Input Setup menu if you didn’t hook up your digital equipment according to the default settings (see Input function default and possible settings below). In this case, you need to tell the re...

Other Settings 09 61 En • 12V Trigger 1 / 2 – After connecting a component to one of the 12 volt triggers (see Switching components on and off using the 12 volt trigger on page 57), select M. ROOM , ROOM2 , ROOM3 or OFF for the corresponding trigger setting to switch it on automatically along with t...

Other Settings 09 62 En Multi-Room and IR receiver setup • Default setting: Variable / Setting 1 If you’ve made multi-room connections (see Multi-room listening on page 54) you may need to specify your volume setting. Also use this menu to specify your IR receiver type (if necessary). 1 Select ‘Mult...

Using other functions 10 63 En Chapter 10 Using other functions Setting the AV options There are a number of additional sound and picture settings you can make using the AV Parameter menu. The defaults, if not stated, are listed in bold. Important • Note that if a setting doesn’t appear in the AV Pa...

Using other functions 10 64 En 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). 1 Keep in mind you can't make a digital recording from an analog source or v...

Using other functions 10 66 En The front panel display shows each of the following settings for two seconds each: 2 When you’re finished, press STATUS again to switch off the display. Resetting the system Use this procedure to reset all the receiver’s settings to the factory default. Use the front p...

Controlling the rest of your system 11 67 En Chapter 11: Controlling the rest of your system Setting the remote to control other components Most components can be assigned to one of the input source buttons (such as DVD/LD or CD ) using the component’s manufacturer preset code stored in the remote. ...

Controlling the rest of your system 11 68 En 4 Point the two remote controls towards each other then press the button that will be doing the learning on this receiver’s remote control. PRES KEY starts flashing to indicate the remote is ready to accept a signal. • The remote controls should be 3–5 cm...

Controlling the rest of your system 11 69 En 3 Press the button of the component for which you want to check the preset code, then press ENTER. The brand name and preset code appears in the display for three seconds. Renaming input source names You can customize the names that appear on the remote L...

Controlling the rest of your system 11 70 En 5 Use / to select a command in the sequence then press ENTER . If this is the first command in the sequence, select 1ST CODE . Otherwise, simply choose the next command in the sequence. PRES KEY flashes after you press ENTER . 6 If necessary, press the in...

Controlling the rest of your system 11 71 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 67 for more on this). Use the input source buttons to select the ...

Controlling the rest of your system 11 72 En Operating other Pioneer components with this unit’s sensor Many Pioneer components have SR CONTROL jacks which can be used to link components together so that you can use just the remote sensor of one component. When you use a remote control, the control ...

Additional information 12 73 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 74 En Other audio problems No sound from the surround or center speakers. • Check that the Stereo listening mode isn’t selected; select one of the surround listening modes (see Listening in surround sound on page 26). • Check that the surround/center speakers are not set to...

Additional information 12 75 En Video Settings When playing a DTS format LD there is audible noise on the soundtrack. • Make sure that the input signal type is set to DIGITAL (see Choosing the input signal on page 28). Can't record audio. • You can only make a digital recording from a digital source...

Additional information 12 76 En Professional Calibration EQ graphical output Display After using the Auto MCACC Setup, the speaker size setting is incorrect. • There may have been some low frequency noise in the room from an air-conditioner, motor, etc. Switch off all other appliances in the room an...

Additional information 12 77 En Remote control i.LINK interface When playing Dolby Digital or DTS sources, the receiver’s format indicators do not light. • Check that the player is connected using a digital connection.• Make sure that the receiver is set to AUTO or DIGITAL (see Choosing the input si...

Additional information 12 78 En i.LINK messages You may see the following messages displayed in the front panel display when using the i.LINK interface. USB interface HDMI You can’t get i.LINK to display when using the SIGNAL SELECT button. • Make sure your i.LINK source components are switched on.•...

Additional information 12 79 En iPod messages 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. No picture. • If your display device is not SD (480i/576i...

Additional information 12 80 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 81 En WMA9 Pro can support up to 5.1/7.1 channel playback with sampling rates up to 24-bit/96kHz. Using the unique WMA compression techniques, WMA9 Pro can deliver multichannel music and soundtracks over high-speed internet networks at low bit rates with minimal audio degra...

Additional information 12 82 En the THX Surround EX playback mode, otherwise THX Select2 Cinema mode will apply ASA processing to provide optimum replay. • THX MusicMode For the replay of multi-channel music the THX MusicMode should be selected. In this mode THX ASA processing is applied to the surr...

Additional information 12 83 En Multichannel signal formats SBch Processing Input signal format Standard THX Auto Surround SBch Processing ON (7.1 channel decoding used for all sources) WMA9 Pro (6.1/7.1 channel) Straight decoding WMA+THX CINEMA Straight decoding Dolby Digital EX (6.1 channel flagge...

Additional information 12 85 En Specifications Continuous Power Output – Stereo Front . . . 180 W + 180 W (AX4AVi), 170 W + 170 W (AX2AV) (DIN 1 kHz, THD 1 %, 6 Ω ) Front . . . 150 W + 150 W (AX4AVi), 140 W + 140 W (AX2AV) (DIN 1 kHz, THD 1 %, 8 Ω ) Continuous Power Output – Multichannel (DIN 1 kHz,...

Additional information 12 86 En • Never use thinners, benzine, insecticide sprays or other chemicals on or near this unit, since these will corrode the surface. Our philosophy Pioneer is dedicated to making your home theater listening experience as close as possible to the vision of the moviemakers ...

<05F00001> <ARB7335-E> Printed in 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, Ontar...