Pioneer VSX-AX5Ai-S - Manual

Before you start 01 6 En Chapter 1 Before you start Features • Easy setup using Advanced Multichannel Acoustic Calibration (MCACC) Setting up for home theater sound is as easy as connecting your speakers, a DVD player or other source, and your TV. The Auto Surround Setup provides a quick but accurat...

Before you start 01 7 En • Power cord x 1 (Multi-voltage NTSC model x 2) • Flat-bladed adapter (Multi-voltage model only) • Antenna converter (Multi-voltage model only) • These operating instructions Note • The accessories will be different depending on the country of purchase. Where two power cords...

Before you start 01 8 En Remote control battery indicator When the batteries get too weak to operate the remote control properly an indicator warning screen will appear on the remote. Change the batteries as shown above. This must be done within five minutes or all your remote control settings will ...

5 minute guide 02 9 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 10 En 3 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...

5 minute guide 02 12 En Automatically setting up for surround sound The Auto Surround 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 microp...

5 minute guide 02 13 En 6 Make sure ‘Normal System’ is selected, then select ‘Exit’. • If you are planning on bi-amping your front speakers, or setting up a separate speaker system in another room, read through Surround back speaker setting on page 55 and make sure to connect your speakers as necess...

5 minute guide 02 14 En • If you are using THX Certified speakers, confirm that all speakers are set to SMALL in Speaker Setting on page 55, and that the Crossover Network on page 87 is set to 80Hz . You can also choose to view all the settings by selecting Next . Press ENTER after you have finished...

Connecting your equipment 03 15 En Chapter 3 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 connec...

Connecting your equipment 03 16 En 8 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 funct...

Connecting your equipment 03 17 En • When recording video sources however, you won’t be able to record sources connected to the component video inputs. With composite and S-video sources, they must be connected using the same type of video cable as you used to connect the recorder to the receiver. A...

Connecting your equipment 03 18 En 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 TV has a built-in digital decoder, you can connect the ...

Connecting your equipment 03 19 En Connecting a DVD player Different DVD players offer a different selection of connections, but all should give you at least a digital audio output, stereo analog audio outputs and a video output. Additionally, you may have a player with multichannel analog audio out...

Connecting your equipment 03 20 En Connecting the multichannel analog outputs 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 Connect the front, surround, center and subwoofer outpu...

Connecting your equipment 03 21 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 a set of audio/video outputs on the set- top box component to the TV/SAT AUDIO and V...

Connecting your equipment 03 22 En Connecting a VCR or DVD recorder This receiver has two sets of audio/video inputs and outputs suitable for connecting analog or digital video recorders, including VCRs, DVD-recorders and HDD recorders. • See About the video converter on page 16 if you plan to use a...

Connecting your equipment 03 23 En 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. 1 Connect the analog audio outputs and a video output of...

Connecting your equipment 03 24 En Using the component video jacks Component video should deliver superior picture quality when compared to composite or S-video. A further advantage (if your source and TV are both compatible) is progressive-scan video, which delivers a very stable, flicker-free pict...

Connecting your equipment 03 25 En Connecting digital audio sources This receiver has both digital inputs and outputs, allowing you to connect digital components for playback and for making digital recordings. Many digital components also have analog connections for recording analog sources (such as...

Connecting your equipment 03 26 En 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 leve...

Connecting your equipment 03 29 En Connecting the speakers Each speaker connection on the receiver comprises a positive (+) red, and negative (–) black terminal. For proper sound you should take care to match these up with the terminals on the speakers themselves. • If you only have one surround bac...

Connecting your equipment 03 30 En Connecting antennas The supplied antennas provide a simple way to listen to AM and FM radio. If you find that reception quality is poor, an outdoor antenna should give you better sound quality—see Connecting external antennas below. AM loop antenna 1 Assemble the s...

Connecting your equipment 03 31 En To improve AM reception, connect a 5–6m length of vinyl-coated wire to the AM LOOP terminals without disconnecting the supplied AM loop antenna. For the best possible reception, suspend horizontally outdoors. Plugging in the receiver Only plug in after you have con...

Controls and displays 04 32 En Chapter 4 Controls and displays Front panel Note that the illustration below shows the European model. 15 16 17 19 20 3 4 2 6 9 5 8 23 24 25 21 18 22 7 10 12 11 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 23 24 25 21 18 22 European model Multi-voltage model VSX-AX5Ai.book 32 ページ ２００４年６月２日　水曜...

Controls and displays 04 33 En 1 MULTI JOG dial Depending on the operation, you can use this to select an input source or listening mode, as well as for tuner and system settings. It can often be used instead of the remote control / (cursor up/down) buttons. 2 Surround listening mode buttons (page 3...

Controls and displays 04 34 En 23 TONE CONTROL (page 46) TONE Press to switch the tone controls on or off (bypass). BASS/TREBLE Use to select whether the bass or treble will be adjusted. +/– Use to adjust the frequency setting. 24 MCACC SETUP MIC jack Use to connect the supplied microphone. 25 VIDEO...

Controls and displays 04 36 En Remote control 1 Remote Control Display Screen 2 SOURCE Use this button to turn on/off other components. You must input the component preset code in order to do this (see Using the remote control with other components on page 58). TV This is a dedicated TV button. Use ...

Controls and displays 04 37 En 6 / / / /ENTER buttons Use to navigate menus and select options/execute commands. 7 AUDIO Use to switch the audio tracks of a DVD when a DVD player is selected as the input source. 8 Command buttons for other components Use these buttons to control the component you se...

Listening to your system 05 38 En Chapter 5 Listening to your system Auto playback • Default setting: On There are many ways to listen back to sources using this receiver, but for the simplest, most direct listening option is the Stream Direct feature. With this, the receiver automatically detects w...

Listening to your system 05 39 En 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 differ...

Listening to your system 05 40 En The MUSIC listening modes These modes are specifically designed for listening to music. 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 dif...

Listening to your system 05 41 En Neo:6 Music settings • Default setting: 2 When listening to 2-channel sources in Neo:6 Music mode, you can adjust the center image to create a wider stereo effect with vocals. Note that this is only available when using a center speaker. 1 Press RECEIVER. 2 With NEO...

Listening to your system 05 44 En 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...

Listening to your system 05 45 En Listening with virtual surround back speakers • Default setting: VIRTL SB OFF If you don’t have real surround back speakers connected, you can use the Virtual Surround Back feature to simulate one. Sometimes the material may sound better in the 5.1 format for which ...

Listening to your system 05 46 En Using Midnight and Loudness listening • Default setting: Off The Midnight listening feature makes quieter sounds more audible, allowing you to hear effective surround sound at low volume levels. The Loudness feature boosts the bass and treble in audio sources, usefu...

Listening to your system 05 47 En Note • You can’t use the tone control with THX CINEMA , MULTI CH IN or SACD DIRECT . • You can’t use the tone control with sources over 96kHz (including SACD in some cases) when using one of the digital inputs (including i.LINK). • If you switch on the tone control ...

Using the tuner 06 48 En Chapter 6 Using the tuner Finding a station 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 exact frequency of the station you want to listen to, see Tuning dir...

Using the tuner 06 49 En MPX mode If there is interference or noise during a stereo FM radio broadcast (the STEREO indicator is lit), or the radio reception is weak, press MPX on the remote to switch the receiver into mono reception mode (the MONO indicator lights). This should improve the sound qua...

Using the tuner 06 50 En Listening to memorized station presets You can do this from both the remote control and the front panel. 1 Press CLASS to select the class in which the station is stored. Press repeatedly to cycle through the three memory classes, A , B and C . 2 Use the STATION +/– buttons ...

Using the tuner 06 51 En An introduction to RDS European model only Radio Data System, or RDS as it’s usually known, is a system used by FM radio stations to provide listeners with various kinds of information—the name of the station and the kind of show they’re broadcasting, for example. This infor...

Using the tuner 06 52 En Searching for RDS programs One of the most useful features of RDS is the ability to search for a particular kind of radio program. You can search for any of the program types listed on the previous page. 1 Press the BAND button to select the FM band. RDS is only possible in ...

Using the tuner 06 53 En Clearing all stations from the RDS and EON searches The receiver will automatically register an identifying marker (called a PI code) for any station you input into the memory classes which can receive RDS or EON data. If you want to remove the currently memorized stations f...

The Surround Setup menu 07 54 En Chapter 7 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 c...

The Surround Setup menu 07 55 En • SurrBack System – Specify how you are using your surround back speakers (see Surround back speaker setting below). • Auto Setting – This is a quick and easy automatic surround setup (see Automatically setting up for surround sound on page 12). • Normal – Specify th...

The Surround Setup menu 07 56 En Use / (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 subw...

The Surround Setup menu 07 57 En 3 Adjust the level of each channel using the / (cursor up/down) buttons. If you selected Manual , use / (cursor up/down) and ENTER to select speakers. The Auto setup will output test tones in the order shown on-screen: Adjust the level (+/– 10dB) of each speaker as t...

Controlling other equipment 08 58 En Chapter 8 Controlling other equipment Using the remote control with other components The supplied remote control can operate not only this receiver, but also your TV, DVD player and other components. If the component is listed in the remote control's memory, you ...

Controlling other equipment 08 59 En 8 Repeat steps 3 – 7 for any other components you want to control. 9 When you’re finished, use / (cursor up/down) to select ‘*Exit*’ from the menu and press ENTER. Programming signals from other remote controls If the preset code for your component is not availab...

Controlling other equipment 08 60 En 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 58 for more on this). Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons to select the compone...

Controlling other equipment 08 61 En 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 58 for more on this). Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons to...

Controlling other equipment 08 63 En Direct function • Default setting: On (all components) You can use the direct function feature to control one component using the remote control while at the same time, using your receiver to playback a different compo-nent. This could let you, for example, use t...

Controlling other equipment 08 64 En 4 Use / (cursor up/down) to select a command in the sequence then press ENTER. If this is the first command in the sequence, select 1st Cmmnd . Otherwise, simply choose the next command in the sequence. 5 To add (or change) a command select ‘Change’ and press ENT...

Controlling other equipment 08 65 En Using System off • 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...

Using other functions 09 66 En Chapter 9 Using other functions 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 record...

Using other functions 09 67 En Watching video and audio sources independently 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. Press repeatedly to cycle through...

Using other functions 09 68 En 2 Press DIMMER repeatedly to change the brightness of the front panel display. Tip • Switching the dimmer to lowest setting will also switch off the MCACC and i.LINK indicators. Switching the speaker impedance • Default setting: Speaker 8 Ω Ω Ω Ω You can use speakers w...

Using other functions 09 69 En 4 Press the button you want to rename. 5 Edit the button as necessary. Use / (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 ...

Other connections 10 71 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 contac...

Other connections 10 72 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 73 En 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 ...

Other connections 10 74 En Using the multi-room controls You can use the front panel controls to adjust the sub room volume and select sources. 1 Press the MULTI ROOM & SOURCE ON/OFF button on the front panel. The MULTI ROOM indicator lights and MR&S ON appears in the front panel display to ...

Other connections 10 75 En Connecting an IR receiver If you keep your stereo components in a closed cabinet or shelving unit, you can use an optional IR receiver to control your system instead of the remote sensor on the front panel of this receiver. You may need to specify your IR receiver type in ...

Other connections 10 76 En Using the i.LINK interface If you have a component with an i.LINK connector, you can connect it to this receiver using an i.LINK cable. Since the i.LINK interface does not transmit video signals, the video signal of i.LINK-connected compo-nents must be connected with other...

Other connections 10 77 En About i.LINK i.LINK is a trademark name for IEEE1394, a high-speed interface for digital audio, video and other data found on personal computers, digital camcorders, and other kinds of audio and audio/visual equipment. A single i.LINK connector can both send and receive da...

Other connections 10 78 En Using the USB interface It is possible to listen to two channels of audio from your computer by connecting to the USB interface on the rear of this receiver. Depending on your model of computer and the software installed, you can listen to the stereo audio source through t...

Other connections 10 79 En Connecting a PC for Advanced MCACC output If you use the Professional Acoustic Calibration (see page 91) 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-avai...

Advanced setup 11 80 En Chapter 11 Advanced setup The System Setup menu The System Setup menu is where you can make customized settings to reflect how you are using the receiver. 1 Switch on the receiver and your TV. 2 Using the remote control, press RECEIVER, then press the SYSTEM SETUP button. An ...

Advanced setup 11 81 En THX CINEMA Setup • Default setting: PLII / PLIIx MOVIE If you want, you can choose which decoding method the receiver will use for 2-channel sources when you’ve selected the THX CINEMA mode (see Listening in surround sound on page 38 for details). 1 Select ‘THX CINEMA Setup’ ...

Advanced setup 11 82 En 3 Select the component that corresponds with the one you connected to that input Select between DVD/LD , TV/SAT , VCR1 , VCR 2 , CD , CD-R or MD . • Use the / (cursor up/down) buttons and ENTER to do this. • If you assign a digital input to a certain function (for example, DV...

Advanced setup 11 83 En 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 ). Tip • It’s convenient to use the front panel controls when editing names. However, if you want to use the ...

Advanced setup 11 84 En SACD Setup • Default setting: OFF This feature allows you to enjoy the high-quality 1-bit Direct Stream Digital (DSD) audio from an SACD directly, bypassing all digital signal processing in the receiver. 1 Select ‘SACD Setup’ from the System Setup menu. 2 Select ‘SACD DIRECT’...

Advanced setup 11 85 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 73) you may need to specify your volume setting. Also use this menu to specify your IR receiver type (if necessary). 1 Select ‘Mult...

Advanced setup 11 87 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 bass sou...

Advanced setup 11 88 En Fine Channel Delay For proper sound depth and separation with your system, it is necessary to add a slight bit of delay to some speakers so that all sounds will arrive at the listening position at the same time. The following setting can help you make detailed adjustments tha...

Advanced setup 11 89 En !! 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 Cop...

Advanced setup 11 90 En 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 Automatical...

Advanced setup 11 91 En Professional Acoustic Calibration This setup minimizes the unwanted effects of room reverberation by calibrating your system based on the direct sound coming from the speakers. It can also provide you with a graphical output of the frequency response of your room. Note • Befo...

Advanced setup 11 92 En Note that changing the room (for example, moving furniture or paintings) will affect the calibration results. In such cases, you should recalibrate your system. Using Professional Acoustic Calibration 1 Select ‘Acoustic Cal EQ’ from the Expert setup menu. 2 Select ‘Profession...

Advanced setup 11 93 En • If No Data is displayed, you will need to make a reverb measurement using the Auto Pro or Reverb Measurement setup option. 7 If you selected ‘Advanced EQ Setup’, input the time setting you want to use for calibration, then select ‘Start’. After checking on the reverb measur...

Advanced setup 11 94 En • If the YES or PLUS setting on the subwoofer is selected (in Speaker Setting on page 55), 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 . 4 When you're finished, select ‘Exit’. You...

Additional information 12 95 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. Investig...

Additional information 12 96 En No sound Symptom Cause Remedy No sound is output when an input source is selected. • Improper connections. • 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). • Sound ...

Additional information 12 97 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 55. • The speaker level is too low. • Check the level in Channel Level on page 56. • The speaker isn’t connected properly. • Chec...

Additional information 12 98 En Video When playing a DTS format LD there is audible noise on the soundtrack. • The input signal type is set to ANALOG . • Set the input signal type to DIGITAL (see Selecting the input signal type on page 43) Can't record audio. • You are trying to make an analog recor...

Additional information 12 99 En Settings Display Screen noise when playing back a video source. • The video source signal has a problem. • If your video connections use mixed cable types (for example RCA standard video to a component video connection), you may want to try connecting your system usin...

Additional information 12 100 En Remote control When playing Dolby Digital or DTS sources, the receiver’s format indicators do not light. • No digital connection, or the digital connection is incorrect. • Check the digital audio connection (page 19). • The receiver’s input signal type is set to anal...

Additional information 12 101 En i.LINK interface i.LINK messages You may see the following messages displayed in the front panel display when using the i.LINK interface. Symptom Cause Remedy No sound is output. • An output signal is not produced from the i.LINK connector on the source player. • Ref...

Additional information 12 102 En USB interface 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. Changing the frequency step Multi-voltage model only If...

Additional information 12 103 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 informa...

Additional information 12 104 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 Geor...

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...