Pioneer Stereo Receiver VSX 815 S K User Manual

AUDIO/VIDEO MULTI-CHANNEL

RECEIVER

VSX-515-S/-K

VSX-815-S/-K

VSX-915-S/-K

Operating Instructions

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Contents

01 Before you start

06 Listening to your system

Introduction to home theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Checking what’s in the box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Loading the batteries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Installing the receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Auto playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Listening in surround sound . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Using the Advanced surround effects . . . . .37

Dolby Pro Logic IIx Music settings. . . . . . . .38

Neo:6 Music settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Listening in stereo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Listening with Acoustic Calibration EQ . . . . .39

Choosing the input signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Using the surround back channel

02 5 minute guide

Listening to Surround Sound. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Using the Quick Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

(Extended mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Using the Virtual Surround Back mode

(VirtualSB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Using Loudness and Midnight listening. . . . .43

Enhancing dialog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Using the tone controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Playing other sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Selecting the multichannel analog inputs . . .44

Using the sleep timer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

03 Quick surround sound setup

Automatically setting up for surround sound

(MCACC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

more on this).

O C

LIS

NIN

IMPEA

XTE

I-

ING

ION

/ST

IER

X-

D-

ICK

ENT

TUR

STE

12 RECEIVER

Switches the remote to control the receiver

(used to select the green commands above the

number buttons (SYSTEM SETUP, etc). Also

use this button to set up surround sound

(page 10, page 46).

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Listening to your system

Chapter 6:

Listening to your system

Important

Listening in surround sound

• Certain features explained in this section

will not be possible depending on the

source (for example, PCM 88.2 / 96kHz,

DTS 96kHz (24 bit) or WMA 9 Pro sources).

Using this receiver, you can listen to any

source in surround sound. However, the

options available will depend on your speaker

setup and the type of source you’re listening to.

If you connected surround back speakers, see

also Using the surround back channel

(Extended mode) on page 41.

Auto playback

There are many ways to listen back to sources

using this receiver, but for the simplest, most

direct listening option is the Auto Surround

feature. With this, the receiver automatically

detects what kind of source you’re playing and

selects multichannel or stereo playback as

The following modes provide basic surround

sound for stereo and multichannel sources.

ADVANCED STEREO/ MIDNIGHT/

STANDARD SURROUND DIRECT

LOUDNESS

RECEIVER CONTROL

EFFECT

STANDARD ADV.SURR

STEREO

SLEEP

/CH SEL

MUTE

LEVEL

SLEEP

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

ACOUSTIC

DIMMER

DIALOG E

INPUT ATT

DIALOG

necessary.

EFFECT

/CH SEL

SHIFT

LEVEL

MASTER

VOLUME

ADVANCED STEREO/ MIDNIGHT/

RECEIVER CONTROL

STANDARD SURROUND DIRECT

LOUDNESS

TOP MENU

RECEIVER CONTROL

EFFECT

STANDARD ADV.SURR

STEREO

SLEEP

/CH SEL

MUTE

LEVEL

SLEEP

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

While listening to a source, press

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

ACOUSTIC

DIMMER

DIALOG E

INPUT ATT

DIALOG

•

EFFECT

/CH SEL

SHIFT

LEVEL

MASTER

VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

STANDARD.

If necessary, press repeatedly to select a

listening mode.

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

• If the source is Dolby Digital, DTS, or Dolby

Surround encoded, the proper decoding

format will automatically be selected and

•

While listening to a source, press

STEREO for auto playback of a source.

Press repeatedly until AUTO SURR. shows

briefly in the display (it will then show the

decoding or playback format). Check the

digital format indicators in the display to see

how the source is being processed.

shows in the display.

With two channel sources, you can select from:

• 2Pro Logic IIx MOVIE – Up to 7.1

channel sound, especially suited to movie

sources

Note

1 • Stereo surround (matrix) formats are decoded accordingly using Neo:6 CINEMA or 2Pro Logic IIx MOVIE (see Listening

in surround sound above for more on these decoding formats).

• The Auto Surround feature is canceled if you connect headphones or select the multichannel analog inputs.

2 This button is called ST/DIRECT/AUTO SURR on the front panel and (VSX-515 only) STEREO/DIRECT on the remote control.

3 If the Extended mode (page 41) is switched to OFF, or the surround back speakers are set to NO (VSX-915 only – this happens

automatically if the Surround back speaker setting on page 46 is set to anything but SB NORM.), 2Pro Logic IIx becomes 2

Pro Logic II (5.1 channel sound).

4 If the Extended mode (page 41) is switched to OFF, or the surround back speakers are set to NO (page 46), 2Pro Logic IIx

becomes 2Pro Logic II (5.1 channel sound).

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Listening to your system

• 2Pro Logic IIx MUSIC – Up to 7.1

channel sound, especially suited to music

sources

Using the Advanced surround effects

The Advanced surround effects can be used for

a variety of additional surround sound effects.

Most Advanced Surround modes are designed

to be used with film soundtracks, but some

modes are also suited for music sources. Try

different settings with various soundtracks to

• 2Pro Logic IIx GAME – Up to 7.1

channel sound, especially suited for video

games

• 2PRO LOGIC – 4.1 channel surround

sound (sound from the surround speakers

is mono)

see which you like.

ADVANCED STEREO/ MIDNIGHT/

STANDARD SURROUND DIRECT

LOUDNESS

SLEEP

RECEIVER CONTROL

• Neo:6 CINEMA – 6.1 channel sound,

especially suited to movie sources

EFFECT

STANDARD ADV.SURR

STEREO

SLEEP

/CH SEL

MUTE

LEVEL

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E

INPUT ATT

DIALOG

DIMMER

EFFECT

/CH SEL

• Neo:6 MUSIC – 6.1 channel sound,

especially suited to music sources

SHIFT

LEVEL

MASTER

VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

TOP MENU

With multichannel sources, if you have

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

Press ADVANCED SURROUND³

repeatedly to select a listening mode.

• ADV. MOVIE – Simulates the relaxed envi-

ronment of a movie theater, and is suitable

for watching movies.

connected surround back speaker(s) and have

•

selected Extended ON , you can select

(according to format):

• 2Pro Logic IIx MOVIE – See above (only

available when you’re using two surround

back speakers)

• ADV. MUSIC – Simulates the acoustic

environment of a large concert hall and is

suitable for music or musical sources.

• 2Pro Logic IIx MUSIC – See above

• Dolby Digital EX – Creates surround back

channel sound for 5.1 channel sources and

provides pure decoding for 6.1 channel

sources (like Dolby Digital Surround EX)

• TV SURR. – This mode produces surround

sound for both mono and stereo TV

sources. It is useful for older movies

recorded with mono soundtracks.

• DTS-ES – Allows you to hear 6.1 channel

playback with DTS encoded sources

• SPORTS – This is designed for sports

programs with a lot of action, adding to the

excitement by bringing background action

to the forefront.

• ADV. GAME – Useful when playing video

games. It works especially well with sound

moving from left to right in game software.

Note

1 During playback of a Dolby Digital multichannel source with the Extended mode switched ON, you will only be able to select

Dolby Digital EX, 2Pro Logic IIx MOVIE or 2Pro Logic IIx MUSIC. See Using the surround back channel (Extended mode)

on page 41 for more on this.

2 • If you press ADVANCED SURROUND when the headphones are connected, the PHONES SURROUND mode will automat-

ically be selected.

• Depending on the source and the sound mode you have selected, you may not get sound from the surround back speakers

in your setup. For more on this, refer to Using the surround back channel (Extended mode) on page 41.

3 VSX-815/915 only – This button is called ADV.SURR on the remote control.

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Listening to your system

• EXPANDED – This mode is especially

designed to give sound depth to stereo

sources, and lets you hear two-channel

(stereo) signals as simulated multichannel

surround sound. Use with Dolby Pro Logic

for a stereo surround effect. You can also

use with Dolby Digital sources for a wider

stereo field than the Standard modes.

With ‘2Pro Logic IIx MUSIC’ mode

active, press EFFECT/CH SEL repeatedly to

select ‘C WIDTH’, ‘DIMEN.’ or ‘PNRM’

• C WIDTH – Center Width provides a better

blend of the front speakers by spreading

the center channel between the front right

and left speakers, making it sound wider

(higher settings) or narrower (lower

settings). (This is applicable only when

using a center speaker.)

• 7-STEREO – This can be selected to give

multichannel sound to a stereo source,

using all of the speakers in your setup.

• DIMEN. – Dimension adjusts the depth of

the surround sound balance from front to

back, making the sound more distant

(minus settings), or more forward (positive

settings).

• VIR. SURR – Creates a virtual surround

effect using just the subwoofer and front

speakers.

• PHONES SURROUND – When listening

through headphones, you can still get the

effect of overall surround.

• PNRM. – Panorama extends the front

stereo image to include the surround

speakers for a ‘wraparound’ effect.

Use the +/– buttons to adjust the

Tip

setting.

• When an Advanced Surround listening

mode is selected, the effect level can be

adjusted in the range of 10 to 90 by

pressing EFFECT/CH SEL (until EFFECT

shows in the display). The effect level can

be set for each Advanced Surround mode

by pressing +/–.

Center Width is adjustable between 0 and 7

(default : 3); Dimension between –3 and +3

(default : 0); Panorama is On or Off (default :

Off).

Press EFFECT/CH SEL again to adjust

other settings.

Neo:6 Music settings

Dolby Pro Logic IIx Music settings

When listening to 2-channel sources in Dolby

Pro Logic IIx Music mode, there are three

further parameters you can adjust: Center

• Default setting: 3

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.

Width, Dimension, and Panorama.

ADVANCED STEREO/ MIDNIGHT/

STANDARD SURROUND DIRECT

LOUDNESS

RECEIVER CONTROL

EFFECT

STANDARD ADV.SURR

STEREO

SLEEP

/CH SEL

MUTE

LEVEL

SLEEP

ADVANCED STEREO/ MIDNIGHT/

STANDARD SURROUND DIRECT

LOUDNESS

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E

INPUT ATT

DIALOG

DIMMER

RECEIVER CONTROL

EFFECT

STANDARD ADV.SURR

STEREO

SLEEP

/CH SEL

MUTE

LEVEL

SLEEP

EFFECT

/CH SEL

SHIFT

LEVEL

MASTER

VOLUME

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E

INPUT ATT

DIALOG

DIMMER

RECEIVER CONTROL

TOP MENU

EFFECT

/CH SEL

SHIFT

LEVEL

MASTER

VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

TOP MENU

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

Note

1 If the Extended mode is switched off, 2Pro Logic IIx becomes 2Pro Logic II (5.1 channel sound), however these settings

will still be effective.

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Listening to your system

With Neo:6 MUSIC mode active, press

EFFECT/CH SEL repeatedly to select C.

IMAGE.

Listening with Acoustic

Calibration EQ

Use the +/– buttons to adjust the

• Default setting: OFF / ALL CH (after the

setting.

Auto MCACC Setup or EQ Auto Setting)

Adjust the effect from 0 (all center channel

sent to front right and left speakers) to 10

(center channel sent to the center speaker

only).

You can listen to sources using the Acoustic

Calibration Equalization set in Automatically

setting up for surround sound (MCACC) on

page 11 or Acoustic Calibration EQ on page 49.

Refer to these pages for more on Acoustic

Calibration Equalization.

Listening in stereo

ADVANCED STEREO/ MIDNIGHT/

STANDARD SURROUND DIRECT

LOUDNESS

When you select STEREO or DIRECT, 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.

RECEIVER CONTROL

EFFECT

STANDARD ADV.SURR

STEREO

SLEEP

/CH SEL

MUTE

LEVEL

SLEEP

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E

INPUT ATT

DIALOG

DIMMER

EFFECT

/CH SEL

SHIFT

LEVEL

MASTER

VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

TOP MENU

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

ADVANCED STEREO/ MIDNIGHT/

STANDARD SURROUND DIRECT

LOUDNESS

INPUT

ATT

EXTENDED ACOUSTIC

FL DIMMER

SPEAKERS

MODE

RECEIVER CONTROL

EFFECT

STANDARD ADV.SURR

STEREO

SLEEP

/CH SEL

MUTE

LEVEL

SLEEP

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

ACOUSTIC

DIMMER

DIALOG E

INPUT ATT

DIALOG

TUNING

/STATION

TUNER

EDIT

QUICK

SETUP

SYSTEM

SETUP

TONE

RETURN

BAND

EFFECT

/CH SEL

SHIFT

LEVEL

MASTER

VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

MULTI JOG

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

Illustration shows the VSX-815/915 front panel

While listening to a source, press

•

While listening to a source, press

•

STEREO¹for stereo playback.

ACOUSTIC EQ.

Press repeatedly to switch between:

Press repeatedly to select between:

• STEREO – The audio is heard with your

surround settings (such as channel level)

and you can still use digital processing

(such as the Midnight, Loudness, and Tone

control functions).

• ALL CH – No special weighting is given to

any one channel.

• F. ALIGN – All speakers are heard in

accordance with the front speaker

settings.

• DIRECT – Bypass all effects and surround

• CUSTOM 1/2 – Custom settings

settings so that the audio remains as close

• EQ OFF – Switches Acoustic Calibration

EQ off.

to the source audio signal as possible.

• AUTO SURR. – See Auto playback on

page 36 for more on this.

The MCACC indicator on the front panel lights

when Acoustic Calibration EQ is active.

Note

1 This button is called ST/DIRECT/AUTO SURR on the front panel and (VSX-515 only) STEREO/DIRECT on the remote control.

2 If you switch on Midnight listening, Loudness, Dialog Enhancement, or the Tone controls when DIRECT is selected, the receiv-

er automatically switches to STEREO.

3 • You can’t use Acoustic Calibration EQ when DVD 5.1ch is on, and it has no effect when headphones are connected.

• If you switch on Acoustic Calibration EQ when DIRECT is selected, the receiver automatically switches to STEREO.

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Listening to your system

Choosing the input signal

You need to hook up a component to both

analog and digital inputs on the rear of the

receiver to select between input signals.

ADVANCED ST/DIRECT

SIGNAL

STANDARD

SURR /AUTO SURR SELECT

LISTENING MODE

Press SIGNAL SELECT on the front panel

to select the input signal corresponding to the

source component.

Press repeatedly to select between:

• AUTO – This automatically switches to

DIGITAL if a digital source is detected,

otherwise it remains on ANALOG.

• ANALOG – Selects the analog inputs.

• DIGITAL – Selects the digital input.

When set to DIGITAL or AUTO, 2DIGITAL

lights when a Dolby Digital signal is input, and

DTS lights when a DTS signal is input.

Note

1 • This receiver can only play back Dolby Digital, PCM (32kHz–96 kHz), WMA9 Pro and DTS digital signal formats. With other

digital signal formats, set to ANALOG.

• You may get digital noise when a LD or CD player compatible with DTS is playing an analog signal. To prevent noise, make

the proper digital connections (page 14) and set the signal input to DIGITAL.

• Some DVD players don’t output DTS signals. For more details, refer to the instruction manual supplied with your DVD player.

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Listening to your system

INPUT

ATT

EXTENDED ACOUSTIC

FL DIMMER

SPEAKERS

MODE

Using the surround back channel

TUNING

/STATION

TUNER

EDIT

QUICK

SETUP

SYSTEM

SETUP

(Extended mode)

RETURN

BAND

TONE

• Default setting: EXT. ON

MULTI JOG

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 example, with 5.1 encoded material). With

5.1 encoded sources, a surround back channel

will be generated, but the material may sound

better in the 5.1 format for which it was

Illustration shows the VSX-815/915 front panel

Press EXTENDED MODE (front panel) to

select a surround back channel option.

•

Press repeatedly to select between:

• EXT. ON – 6.1 or 7.1 decoding is always

used (for example, a surround back

channel will be generated for 5.1 encoded

material)

originally encoded (in which case, you can

simply switch the Extended mode off).

• EXT. AUTO – Automatically switches to 6.1

or 7.1 decoding for 6.1 encoded sources

(for example, Dolby Digital EX or DTS-ES)

• EXT. OFF – Maximum 5.1 playback

Standard

Extended

mode

Advanced

surround

Stereo sources

Type of source

Multichannel

sources

2Pro Logic II x 2Pro Logic

Neo:6

Dolby Digital EX/

DTS-ES/WMA9 Pro

encoded multi-

channel source with

6.1/7.1ch surround

AUTO

ì*

Dolby Digital/DTS/

WMA9 Pro encoded

multichannel source

AUTO

ì*

Dolby Digital/WMA9

Pro/DTS encoded

stereo source; other

digital stereo source

AUTO

Analog 2-channel

(stereo) source

AUTO

* Excluding WMA9 Pro format

Note

1 • You must have surround back speakers connected (and set to LARGE or SMALL in the Speaker setting on page 51) and (VSX-

915 only) the Surround back speaker setting on page 46 must be set to SB NORM. to hear the surround back channel.

• You can’t use the surround back channel with headphones, or the STEREO / DIRECT or AUTO SURR. modes.

• You can’t hear the surround back channel with DTS 96kHz/24 bit sources or PCM 96/88.2kHz sources.

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Listening to your system

The table indicates when you will hear the

virtual surround back channel.

Using the Virtual Surround Back

mode (VirtualSB)

•

Press EXTENDED MODE (front panel)

repeatedly to select a virtual surround back

channel option.

Selecting this mode allows you to hear a virtual

back channel through your surround speakers.

For example, you can choose to listen to

sources with no surround back channel

information (for example, 5.1 encoded

Press repeatedly to select between:

• VSB ON – Virtual Surround Back is always

used (for example, on 5.1 encoded

material)

material) with emulated 6.1 encoding (VSB

ON). Sometimes the material may sound

better in the 5.1 format for which it was

originally encoded. In this case you can have

the receiver only apply this effect to 6.1

encoded sources like Dolby Digital EX or DTS-

ES (VSB AUTO), or you can simply switch it off

• VSB AUTO – Virtual Surround Back is

automatically applied to 6.1 encoded

sources (for example, Dolby Digital EX or

DTS-ES)

• VSB OFF – Virtual Surround Back mode is

switched off

(VSB OFF).

Standard

VSB

mode

Advanced

surround

Stereo sources

Type of source

Multichannel

sources

2Pro Logic II 2Pro Logic

Neo:6

Dolby Digital EX/

DTS-ES encoded

multichannel source

with 6.1ch surround

AUTO

Dolby Digital/DTS

encoded

multichannel source

AUTO

Dolby Digital/DTS

encoded stereo

source; other digital

stereo source

AUTO

Analog 2-channel

(stereo) source

AUTO

Note

1 • You can’t use the Virtual Surround Back mode with headphones or the STEREO / DIRECT mode.

• You can only use the Virtual Surround Back mode if the surround speakers are on and the Surr Back setting is set to NO in

the Speaker setting on page 51.

• The Virtual Surround Back mode cannot be applied to sources that do not have surround channel information.

• You can’t adjust the surround back channel level when you’re listening to the virtual surround back channel.

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Listening to your system

Using Loudness and Midnight

listening

Using the tone controls

Depending on what you are listening to, you

may want to adjust the bass or treble using the

The Loudness listening feature can be used to

get good bass and treble from music sources

at low volume levels.

front panel tone control.

AUDIO/VIDEO MULTI-CHANNEL RECEIVER

MULTI JOG

The Midnight listening feature allows you to

hear effective surround sound of movies at low

volume levels. The effect automatically adjusts

according to the volume at which you’re

listening.

ENTER

CD-R/TAPE/MD

TUNER

AUX

MASTER

VOLUME

VIDEO INPUT

AUDIO R

MCACC

SETUP MIC

S-VIDEO

VIDEO

DIGITAL IN

ADVANCED STEREO/ MIDNIGHT/

STANDARD SURROUND DIRECT

LOUDNESS

RECEIVER CONTROL

EFFECT

STANDARD ADV.SURR

STEREO

SLEEP

/CH SEL

MUTE

LEVEL

SLEEP

DOWN

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG

DIMMER

DIALOG E

INPUT ATT

EFFECT

/CH SEL

SHIFT

LEVEL

MASTER

VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

TOP MENU

INPUT

ATT

EXTENDED ACOUSTIC

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

Press MIDNIGHT/LOUDNESS to switch

FL DIMMER

SPEAKERS

MODE

TUNING

/STATION

TUNER

EDIT

QUICK

SETUP

SYSTEM

SETUP

TONE

RETURN

BAND

between MIDNIGHT, LOUDNESS, and OFF.

MULTI JOG

Illustrations show the VSX-815/915 front panel

Press TONE to select the frequency you

want to adjust.

Press to switch between BASS and TREBLE.

Enhancing dialog

• Default setting: OFF

The Dialog Enhancement feature localizes

dialog in the center channel to make it stand

out from other background sounds in a TV or

movie soundtrack.

Use the MULTI JOG dial to change the

amount of bass or treble as necessary.

The bass and treble can be adjusted from –6 to

+6 (dB).

ADVANCED STEREO/ MIDNIGHT/

STANDARD SURROUND DIRECT

LOUDNESS

RECEIVER CONTROL

EFFECT

STANDARD ADV.SURR

STEREO

SLEEP

/CH SEL

MUTE

LEVEL

SLEEP

• Wait about five seconds for your changes

to be input automatically.

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E

INPUT ATT

DIALOG

DIMMER

EFFECT

/CH SEL

SHIFT

LEVEL

MASTER

VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

Press DIALOG E to switch dialog

•

enhancement on or off.

Note

1 • You can’t use MIDNIGHT/LOUDNESS when DVD 5.1ch has been selected.

• If you switch on Loudness or Midnight listening when DIRECT is selected, the receiver automatically switches to STEREO.

2 You can only use the tone controls when STEREO/DIRECT is selected. DIRECT will switch to STEREO when the tone controls

are used.

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Listening to your system

VSX-515 model:

Playing other sources

DVD/LD

DVD 5.1

TV/SAT

INPUT

ATT

SPEAKER EXTENDED ACOUSTIC

IMPEDANCE MODE

FL DIMMER

INPUT

SELECT

RECEIVER

SOURCE

RECEIVER

SOURCE

INPUT SELECT

MULTI CONTROL

•

Press DVD 5.1 on the front panel.

DVD/LD

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

TV CONT

RECEIVER

DVD 5.1ch will show in the display and the

ANALOG SIGNAL SELECT indicator will light.

CD-R/TAPE

TUNER

ADVANCED STEREO/ MIDNIGHT/

STANDARD SURROUND DIRECT

LOUDNESS

EFFECT

DVD/LD

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

TVCONT

RECEIVER

/CH SEL

MUTE

LEVEL

SLEEP

MULTI CONTROL

CD-R/TAPE TUNER

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG

DIMMER

VSX-815/915 model:

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

Turn on the power of the playback

ADVANCED ST/DIRECT

SIGNAL

STANDARD

SURR /AUTO SURR SELECT

LISTENING MODE

component.

Turn on the power of the receiver.

Select the source you want to playback.

Press DVD/LD.

Press SIGNAL SELECT to select the

Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons (or INPUT

SELECT).

multichannel analog inputs.

DVD 5.1ch will show in the display and the

ANALOG SIGNAL SELECT indicator will light.

Start playback of the component you

selected in step 1.

Selecting the multichannel

analog inputs

If you have connected a decoder or a DVD

player with multichannel analog outputs to this

receiver (page 17), you can select them for

surround sound playback.

•

Make sure you have set the playback

source to the proper output setting.

For example, you might need to set your DVD

player to output multichannel analog audio.

Note

1 If your source is the TV’s built-in tuner, switch to the channel you want to watch, otherwise make sure that the TV’s video input

is set to this receiver (For example, if you connected this receiver to the VIDEO 1 jacks on your TV, make sure that the VIDEO 1

input is selected). Turn down the volume of your TV so that all the sound is coming from the speakers connected to this receiver.

2 • When playback from the multichannel inputs is selected, you can’t use ACOUSTIC CAL EQ, DIALOG E, INPUT ATT, TONE,

VSB and MIDNIGHT/LOUDNESS, as well as any of the listening modes (including STEREO/DIRECT and the Extended mode).

• When playback from the multichannel inputs is selected, only the volume and channel levels can be set.

• You can’t listen to your speaker B (Second Zone) system during playback from the multichannel inputs.

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Listening to your system

Using the sleep timer

The sleep timer switches the receiver into

standby after a specified amount of time so you

can fall asleep without worrying about the

receiver being left on all night. Use the remote

control to set the sleep timer.

ADVANCED STEREO/ MIDNIGHT/

STANDARD SURROUND DIRECT

LOUDNESS

RECEIVER CONTROL

EFFECT

STANDARD ADV.SURR

STEREO

SLEEP

/CH SEL

MUTE

LEVEL

SLEEP

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG

DIMMER

DIALOG E

INPUT ATT

EFFECT

/CH SEL

SHIFT

LEVEL

MASTER

VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

TOP MENU

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

Press SLEEP repeatedly to set the sleep

•

time.

30 min

60 min

Off

90 min

• You can check the remaining sleep time at

any time by pressing SLEEP once. Pressing

repeatedly will cycle through the sleep

options again.

Note

1 You can also switch off the sleep timer simply by switching off the receiver.

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The System Setup menu

Chapter 7:

The System Setup menu

Use ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor left/right) to select the

setting you want to adjust then press ENTER

Press RETURN to confirm and exit the current

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

also explains how to fine-tune individual

speaker system settings to your liking.

• SB. SYSTEM (VSX-915 only) – Specify how

you are using your surround back speakers

(see Surround back speaker setting below).

• A. MCACC – This is a quick and effective

automatic surround setup (see

Automatically setting up for surround

sound (MCACC) on page 11).

INPUT

RECEIVER

SOURCE

SELECT

• M. MCACC – Fine tune your speaker

settings and customize the Acoustic

Calibration EQ (see Manual MCACC

speaker setup below).

RECEIVER

SOURCE

INPUT SELECT

MULTI CONTROL

DVD/LD

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

TV CONT

RECEIVER

• SP SETUP – Specify the size, number,

distance and overall balance of the

speakers you’ve connected (see Manual

speaker setup on page 51).

CD-R/TAPE

TUNER

DVD/LD

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

TVCONT

RECEIVER

ADVANCED STEREO/ MIDNIGHT/

STANDARD SURROUND DIRECT

LOUDNESS

MULTI CONTROL

CD-R/TAPE TUNER

EFFECT

/CH SEL

MUTE

LEVEL

SLEEP

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG

DIMMER

• IN ASSIG. – Specify what you’ve connected

to the digital and component video inputs

(see The Input Assign menu on page 75).

MASTER

VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

TOP MENU

DTV MENU

FL DIMMER

DISC

• OTHER – Make customized settings to

reflect how you are using the receiver (see

The Other setup menu on page 76).

+10

TUNE

ENTER

INPUT ATT

T.EDIT

D.ACCESS

TOP MENU

CLASS

ENTER

TUNE

GUIDE

DTV MENU

T.EDIT

AUDIO

SUBTITLE

ENTER

BAND

SYSTEM

SETUP

RETURN

TUNE

TV CONTROL

SYSTEM

SETUP

RETURN BAND DTV ON/OFF DTV INFO

RETURN

GUIDE

Surround back speaker setting

VSX-915 model only

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

If the receiver is off, press

• Default setting: SB NORM.

There are several ways you can use the

surround back speaker channels with this

system. In addition to a normal home theater

setup where they are used for the surround

back speakers, they can be used for bi-amping

the front speakers or as a separate speaker

system in another room.

ꢀ RECEIVER to turn the power on.

• If headphones are connected to the

receiver, disconnect them.

Press RECEIVER on the remote control,

then press the SYSTEM SETUP button.

• Press SYSTEM SETUP again at any time to

exit the System Setup menu.

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The System Setup menu

Select ‘SB. SYSTEM’ from the System

• If you’re using a subwoofer, switch it on

and turn up the volume to the middle

position.

Setup menu.

See Making receiver settings from the System

Setup menu above.

Select ‘M MCACC’ from the System Setup

Select the surround back speaker setting.

• SB NORM. – Select for normal home

theater use with surround back speakers in

your main (speaker system A) setup.

menu.

See Making receiver settings from the System

Setup menu above if you’re not already at this

menu.

• SB 2ND Z – Select to use the (surround

back) B speaker terminals to listen to

stereo playback in another room (see

Second Zone speaker B setup on page 71).

Select the setting you want to adjust.

If you’re doing this for the first time, you might

want to make these settings in order.

• CH LEVEL – Make fine adjustments to the

overall balance of your speaker system (see

Fine Channel Level below).

• SB BIAMP – Select this setting if you’re bi-

amping your front speakers (see Bi-amping

your front speakers on page 72).

• CH DISTN. – Make precise delay settings

for your speaker system (see Fine Channel

Distance below).

When you’re finished, press RETURN.

You will return to the System Setup menu.

The last five settings are specifically for

customizing the parameters explained in

Acoustic Calibration EQ on page 49:

Manual MCACC speaker setup

You can use the settings in the Manual MCACC

setup menu to make detailed adjustments

when you’re more familiar with the system.

Before making these settings, you should have

already completed Automatically setting up for

surround sound (MCACC) on page 11.

• EQ A. SET – Measure the acoustic

characteristics of your room and

automatically adjust the frequency balance

of your speaker system (see Setting the

Acoustic Calibration EQ automatically on

page 49).

You only need to make these settings once

(unless you change the placement of your

current speaker system or add new speakers).

• EQ COPY – Copy Acoustic Calibration EQ

settings for manual adjustment (see

Copying your Acoustic Calibration EQ

settings on page 49).

• C1 ADJ/C2 ADJ – Make detailed manual

adjustments to your custom Acoustic

Calibration EQ settings (see Setting the

Acoustic Calibration EQ manually on

page 50).

Important

• For some of the settings below, you’ll have

to connect the setup microphone to the

front panel and place it about ear level at

your normal listening position. See

Automatically setting up for surround

sound (MCACC) on page 11 if you’re

unsure how to do this. Also see Other

problems when using the Auto MCACC

Setup on page 13 for notes regarding high

background noise levels and other possible

interference.

• EQ CHECK – Check the ALL CH, F. ALIGN

and custom settings (see Checking your

Acoustic Calibration EQ settings on

page 50).

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The System Setup menu

Fine Channel Level

• Default setting: 0dB (all channels)

Fine Channel Distance

• Default setting: 3.0 m (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 Quick surround sound

setup on page 11.

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 that you may not achieve

using the Quick surround sound setup on

page 11.

Select ‘CH LEVEL’ from the Manual

MCACC setup menu.

You’ll hear test tones from each speaker in

turn. Since the left speaker is the main

reference speaker, the level is fixed and cannot

be changed.

Select ‘CH DISTN.’ from the Manual

MCACC setup menu.

Use ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) to adjust the

distance of the left channel from the listening

position then press ENTER

Caution

Use ꢂ/ꢃ(cursor left/right) to select each

• The test tones used in the System Setup

are output at high volume (the volume

increases to -18dB automatically).

channel in turn and adjust the distance as

necessary.

Use ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) to adjust the delay

of the selected speaker to match the reference

speaker. The delay is measured in terms of

speaker distance from 0.1 to 9.0 meters.

Use ꢂ/ꢃ(cursor left/right) to select each

channel in turn and adjust the levels (+/–

10dB) as necessary.

Listen to the reference speaker and use it to

measure the target channel. From the listening

position, face the two speakers with your arms

outstretched pointing at each speaker. Try to

make the two tones sound as if they are

arriving simultaneously at a position slightly in

front of you and between your arm span.

Use ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) to adjust the

volume of the selected speaker to match the

reference speaker. When it sounds like both

tones are the same volume, press ꢂ (cursor

left) to 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 ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor left/

right) to select it.

When you're finished, press RETURN.

You will return to the Manual MCACC setup

menu.

When it sounds like the delay settings are

matched up, press ꢃ (cursor right) to confirm

and continue to the next channel.

• For comparison purposes, the reference

speaker will change depending on which

speaker you select.

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The System Setup menu

• If you want to go back and adjust a

channel, simply use ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor left/

right) to select it.

• A. CH – All Channel Adjust is a ‘flat’ setting

where all the speakers are set individually

so no special weighting is given to any one

channel.

When you're finished, press RETURN.

You will return to the Manual MCACC setup

menu.

• F.ALG – Front Align Adjust balances the

overall sound so that all speakers are set in

accordance with the front speaker settings

(no equalization is applied to the front left

and right channels).

Acoustic Calibration EQ

Acoustic Calibration Equalization is a kind of

room equalizer for your speakers (excluding

the subwoofer). It works by measuring the

acoustic characteristics of your room and

neutralizing the ambient characteristics that

can color the original source material. This

provides a ‘flat’ equalization setting. If you’re

not satisfied with the automatic adjustment,

you can also adjust these settings manually to

get a frequency balance that suits your tastes.

You will return to the Acoustic Cal EQ setup

menu after the Acoustic Calibration

Equalization is set.

Copying your Acoustic Calibration EQ

settings

If you want to manually adjust the Acoustic

Calibration EQ (see Setting the Acoustic

Calibration EQ manually below), we

recommend copying the A. CH or the F.ALG

settings from the EQ A. SET setup above (or

from Automatically setting up for surround

sound (MCACC) on page 11) to one of the

custom (C1 or C2) settings. Instead of just a flat

EQ curve, this will give you a reference point

from which to start.

Setting the Acoustic Calibration EQ

automatically

If you have already completed Automatically

setting up for surround sound (MCACC) on

page 11, A. CH ADJ and F.ALG ADJ (below)

should already be set. Therefore, if you want to

adjust your settings manually, you can skip to

Setting the Acoustic Calibration EQ manually

below.

Select ‘EQ COPY’ from the Manual MCACC

setup menu.

Use ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor left/right) to select C1

Select ‘EQ A. SET’ from the Manual

MCACC setup menu.

• Make sure the microphone is connected.

or C2 then use the ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down)

buttons to select the setting you want to

copy.

• If you’re using a subwoofer, it is

• You can also copy from one custom setting

to another. For more on the A. CH and

F.ALG settings, see Setting the Acoustic

Calibration EQ automatically above.

automatically detected every time you

switch on the system. Make sure it is on

and the volume is at the middle position.

• See Other problems when using the Auto

MCACC Setup on page 13 for notes

regarding high background noise levels

and other possible interference.

Use ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor left/right) to select

‘COPY? YES’ to copy and confirm.

You can also use ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) to

select COPY? NO to cancel.

Wait for the Auto MCACC Setup to finish.

As the receiver outputs test tones, the

frequency balance is adjusted automatically

for the following settings:

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The System Setup menu

• The OVER!! indicator shows in the display

if the frequency adjustment is too drastic

and might distort. If this happens, bring the

level down until OVER!! disappears from

the display.

Setting the Acoustic Calibration EQ

manually

Before manually adjusting the Acoustic

Calibration EQ, we recommend copying the A.

CH or the F.ALG settings from the auto setup

above (or from Automatically setting up for

surround sound (MCACC) on page 11) to one of

the custom settings. Instead of just a flat EQ

curve, this will give you a reference point from

which to start (see Copying your Acoustic

Calibration EQ settings above for how to do

this).

Tip

• Changing the frequency curve of one

channel too drastically will affect the

overall balance. If the speaker balance

seems uneven, you can raise or lower

channel levels using test tones with the

‘trim’ band (TRM shows in the display).

Use ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor left/right) to select TRM

then use ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) to raise or

lower the channel level for the current

speaker.

Select ‘C1 ADJ’ or ‘C2 ADJ’ from the

Manual MCACC setup menu.

Use ꢂ/ꢃ(cursor left/right)and ENTER to

select which method you want to use to

adjust the overall frequency balance.

It is best to choose whichever one you copied

to the custom setting in Copying your Acoustic

Calibration EQ settings above.

When you're finished, press RETURN.

Press RETURN once more to go back to the

Manual MCACC setup menu.

• A. CH ADJ – All the speakers can be set

independently so no special weighting is

given to any one channel. When adjusting,

test tones will sound for each individual

channel.

Checking your Acoustic Calibration EQ

settings

After you have completed an automatic or

manual Acoustic Calibration EQ adjustment,

you can check the ALL CH, F.ALIGN and

CUSTOM1/2 settings in the display.

• F.ALG ADJ – Speakers are set in

accordance with the front speaker

settings. The sound of the test tone will

alternate between the left front (reference)

speaker and the target speaker.

Select ‘EQ CHECK’ from the Manual

MCACC setup menu.

Use ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) and ENTER to

Use ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) to select the

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.

channel you want and adjust to your liking.

Use the ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor left/right) buttons to

select the frequency and ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/

down) to boost or cut the EQ. When you’re

finished, use the ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor left/right)

buttons to select the channel display (for

example R EQ for the right channel or SBR EQ

for the surround back right channel) then ꢀ/ꢁ

(cursor up/down) to proceed to the next

channel.

Use ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) to select the

channel you want, using ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor left/

right) to check the settings.

The MCACC channel EQ indicators in the front

panel display will light accordingly.

When you're finished, press RETURN.

• The front speakers can’t be adjusted if you

selected F.ALG ADJ.

You will return to the Manual MCACC setup

menu.

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The System Setup menu

Manual speaker setup

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.

This receiver allows you to make detailed

settings to optimize the surround sound

performance. You only need to make these

settings once (unless you change the

placement of your current speaker system or

add new speakers.).

Select SP SET from the SP SETUP menu.

Use ꢂ/ꢃ(cursor left/right) to choose the

These settings are designed to fine-tune your

system, but if you’re satisfied with the settings

made in Automatically setting up for surround

sound (MCACC) on page 11, it isn’t necessary

to make all of these settings.

speaker(s) that you want to set then select a

speaker size.

Use ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) to select the size

(and number) of each of the following

speakers:

Select ‘SP SETUP’ from the System Setup

• Front (F) – Select LARGE if your front

speakers reproduce bass frequencies

effectively, or if you didn’t connect a

subwoofer. Select SMALL to send the bass

menu then press ENTER

See Making receiver settings from the System

Setup menu above.

frequencies to the subwoofer.

Use ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor left/right) to select the

setting you want to adjust then press ENTER

If you are doing this for the first time, you may

want to adjust these settings in order:

• Center (C) – Select LARGE if your center

speaker reproduces bass frequencies

effectively, or select SMALL to send bass

frequencies to the other speakers or

subwoofer. If you didn’t connect a center

speaker, choose NO (the center channel is

sent to the front speakers).

• SP SET – Specify the size and number of

speakers you’ve connected (see Speaker

setting below).

• X.OVER– Specify which frequencies will be

sent to the subwoofer (see Crossover

network on page 52).

• Surround (S) – Select LARGE if your

surround speakers reproduce bass

frequencies effectively. Select SMALL to

send bass frequencies to the other

speakers or subwoofer. If you didn’t

connect surround speakers choose NO

(the sound of the surround channels is

sent to the front speakers or a subwoofer).

• CH LEVEL – Adjust the overall balance of

your speaker system (see Channel level on

page 52).

• SP DISTN. – Specify the distance of your

speakers from the listening position (see

Speaker Distance on page 53).

• Surround Back (SB) – Select the number

and size of surround back speakers you

have. Select LARGE if your surround back

speakers reproduce bass frequencies

Note

1 If you select SMALL for the front speakers the subwoofer will automatically be fixed to YES. Also, the center, surround, and

surround back speakers can’t be set to LARGE if the front speakers are set to SMALL. In this case, all bass frequencies are sent

to the subwoofer.

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The System Setup menu

effectively. Select SMALL to send bass

frequencies to the other speakers or

subwoofer. If you didn’t connect surround

sounds best. If you’re having problems, the

easiest option is to route all the bass

sounds to the subwoofer by selecting

SMALL for the front speakers.

back speakers choose NO.

• Subwoofer (SW) – LFE signals and bass

frequencies of channels set to SMALL are

output from the subwoofer when YES is

selected (see notes below). Choose the

PLUS setting if you want the subwoofer to

output bass sound continuously or you

want deeper bass (the bass frequencies

that would normally come out the front and

center speakers are also routed to the

subwoofer). If you did not connect a

subwoofer choose NO (the bass

Crossover network

• Default setting: 100Hz

This setting decides the cutoff between bass

sounds playing back from the speakers

selected as LARGE, or the subwoofer, and bass

sounds playing back from those selected as

SMALL. It also decides where the cutoff will

be for bass sounds in the LFE channel.

Select ‘X.OVER’ from the SP SETUP menu.

frequencies are output from other

speakers).

Use ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) to choose the

frequency cutoff point.

Frequencies below the cutoff point will be sent

to the subwoofer (or LARGE speakers).

When you’re finished, press RETURN.

Tip

• If you have a subwoofer and like lots of

bass, it may seem logical to select LARGE

for your front speakers and PLUS for the

subwoofer. This may not, however, yield the

best bass results. Depending on the

speaker placement of your room you may

actually experience a decrease in the

amount of bass due low frequency

cancellations. In this case, try changing

the position or direction of speakers. If you

can’t get good results, listen to the bass

response with it set to PLUS and YES or the

front speakers set to LARGE and SMALL

alternatively and let your ears judge which

Channel level

Using the channel level settings, you can

adjust the overall balance of your speaker

system, an important factor when setting up a

home theater system.

Select CH LEVEL from the SP SETUP menu.

Use ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) to select a

setup option.

• T. TONE M.– Move the test tone manually

from speaker to speaker and adjust

individual channel levels.

• T. TONE A. – Adjust channel levels as the

test tone moves from speaker to speaker

automatically.

Note

1 • If the surround speakers are set to NO, the surround back speakers will automatically be set to NO.

• VSX-515/815 only – If you are using only one surround back speaker, connect the positive wire to the right channel (+) termi-

nal, and the negative wire to the left channel (–) terminal.

• VSX-915 only – If you select one surround back speaker only, make sure that speaker is hooked up to the left surround back

terminal.

• VSX-915 only – If you selected SB 2ND Z or SB BIAMP (in Surround back speaker setting on page 46) you can’t adjust the sur-

round back settings.

2 For more on selecting the speaker sizes, see Speaker setting above.

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The System Setup menu

Confirm your selected setup option.

Speaker Distance

The test tones will start after you press ENTER.

For good sound depth and separation from

your system, you need to specify the distance

of your speakers from the listening position.

The receiver can then add the proper delay

needed for effective surround sound.

Adjust the level of each channel using the

ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) buttons.

If you selected T. TONE M., use ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor

left/right) to switch speakers.

Select ‘SP DISTN.’ from the SP SETUP

The T. TONE A. setup will output test tones in

the following order (depending on the speaker

setting):

menu.

Use ꢂ/ꢃ(cursor left/right) to choose the

speaker that you want then set the distance.

Use ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) to adjust the

distance of each speaker (in 0.1 meter

increments).

SBR

SBL

When you’re finished, press RETURN.

Adjust the level of each speaker as the test

tone is emitted.

When you’re finished, press RETURN.

Tip

• You can change the channel levels at any

time by using EFFECT/CH SEL and +/– on

the remote control. You can set two

channel levels: one for DVD 5.1 CH and

one for the listening modes.

Note

1 • 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 level after testing with an actual soundtrack.

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Using the tuner

Chapter 8:

Using the tuner

Press TUNER to select the tuner.

Listening to the radio

Use the BAND button to change the band

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

station below. Once you are tuned to a station

you can memorize the frequency for recall

later—see Saving station presets on the next

page for more on how to do this.

(FM or AM), if necessary.

Each press switches the band between FM and

AM.

Tune to a station.

There are three ways to do this:

Automatic tuning

To search for stations in the currently

selected band, press and hold TUNE +/–

for about a second. The receiver will start

searching for the next station, stopping

when it has found one. Repeat to search for

other stations.

RECEIVER

SOURCE

INPUT SELECT

MULTI CONTROL

DVD/LD

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

TV CONT

RECEIVER

DVD/LD

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

TV CONT

RECEIVER

Manual tuning

To change the frequency one step at a

MULTI CONTROL

CD-R/TAPE TUNER

CD-R/TAPE

TUNER

ADVANCED STEREO/ MIDNIGHT/

STANDARD SURROUND DIRECT

LOUDNESS

time, press TUNE +/–.

EFFECT

/CH SEL

MUTE

LEVEL

SLEEP

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG

DIMMER

High speed tuning

Press and hold TUNE +/– for high speed

tuning. Release the button at the frequency

you want.

MASTER

VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

FL DIMMER

DISC

ENTER

TOP MENU

DTV MENU

D.ACCESS

CLASS

TUNE

TOP MENU

INPUT ATT

T.EDIT

TUNE

DTV MENU

T.EDIT

ENTER

TUNE

ENTER

BAND

GUIDE

Improving FM stereo sound

AUDIO

SUBTITLE

TUNE

SYSTEM

SETUP

SYSTEM

SETUP

RETURN

GUIDE

RETURN

If the TUNED or STEREO indicators don't light

when tuning to an FM station because the

signal is weak, press the MPX button to switch

the receiver into mono reception mode. This

should improve the sound quality and allow

you to enjoy the broadcast.

TV CONTROL

RETURN BAND DTV ON/OFF DTV INFO

INPUT

TVVOL

TV CH

VOL

SELECT

REC

DISPLAY

CLASS

MPX

D.ACCESS

DTV ON/OFF

DTV INFO

REC STOP

MUTE

DISC

ENTER

+10

TUNER

DISPLAY

MPX

CH RETURN

SUBTITLE

HDD

DVD

AUDIO

RECEIVER CONTROL

STANDARD ADV.SURR

STEREO

SLEEP

TV CONTROL

CHANNEL

Tuning directly to a station

Sometimes, you'll already know the frequency

of the station you want to listen to. In this case,

you can simply enter the frequency directly

using the number buttons on the remote

control.

MIDNIGHT/

ACOUSTIC

LOUDNESS

SHIFT

DIALOG E

INPUT ATT

CHANNEL

VOLUME

EFFECT

/CH SEL

LEVEL

RECEIVER

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

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Using the tuner

Press the TUNER button to select the

INPUT

ATT

EXTENDED ACOUSTIC

FL DIMMER

SPEAKERS

MODE

tuner.

TUNING

/STATION

TUNER

EDIT

QUICK

SETUP

SYSTEM

SETUP

Use the BAND button to change the band

RETURN

BAND

TONE

(FM or AM), if necessary.

MULTI JOG

Each press switches the band between FM and

AM.

Illustrations show the VSX-815/915 front panel

Press D.ACCESS (Direct Access).

RECEIVER

SOURCE

INPUT SELECT

DVD/LD

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

TV CONT

MULTI CONTROL

CD-R/TAPE TUNER

MULTI CONTROL

Use the number buttons to enter the

RECEIVER

DVD/LD

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

TV CONT

RECEIVER

frequency of the radio station.

For example, to tune to 106.00 (FM), press 1, 0,

6, 0, 0.

CD-R/TAPE

TUNER

ADVANCED STEREO/ MIDNIGHT/

STANDARD SURROUND DIRECT

LOUDNESS

EFFECT

/CH SEL

MUTE

LEVEL

SLEEP

ACOUSTIC

If you make a mistake halfway through, press

D.ACCESS twice to cancel the frequency and

start over.

DIALOG

DIMMER

INPUT ATT

FL DIMMER

DISC

ENTER

D.ACCESS

TOP MENU

CLASS

MASTER

VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

TUNE

TOP MENU

DTV MENU

T.EDIT

ENTER

TUNE

BAND

INPUT ATT

T.EDIT

TUNE

SYSTEM

SETUP

RETURN

GUIDE

ENTER

TUNE

TV CONTROL

GUIDE

Saving station presets

AUDIO

SUBTITLE

INPUT

TVVOL

TV CH

VOL

SELECT

REC

SYSTEM

SETUP

RETURN

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 30 stations, stored in three

banks, or classes, (A, B and C) of 10 stations

each. When saving an FM frequency, the MPX

RETURN BAND DTV ON/OFF DTV INFO

DTV ON/OFF

DTV INFO

REC STOP

MUTE

DISPLAY

CLASS

MPX

D.ACCESS

TUNER

DISPLAY

DISC

MPX

CH RETURN

SUBTITLE

HDD

DVD

AUDIO

ENTER

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

Tune to a station you want to memorize.

See Listening to the radio on the previous page

for more on this.

setting (see previous page) is also stored.

AUDIO/VIDEO MULTI-CHANNEL RECEIVER

Press T.EDIT (TUNER EDIT).

MULTI JOG

The display shows ST. MEMORY, then a

ENTER

blinking memory class.

Press CLASS to select one of the three

CD-R/TAPE/MD

TUNER

AUX

MASTER

VOLUME

classes then press ST +/– to select the station

preset you want.

VIDEO INPUT

AUDIO

MCACC

SETUP MIC

S-VIDEO

VIDEO

DIGITAL IN

You can also use the number buttons or the

MULTI JOG dial (front panel) to select a station

preset.

DOWN

Press ENTER.

After pressing ENTER, the preset class and

number stop blinking and the receiver stores

the station.

Note

1 If the receiver is left disconnected from the AC power outlet for over a month, the station memories will be lost and will have

to be reprogrammed.

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Using the tuner

Press ST +/– to select the station preset

Naming station presets

For easier identification, you can name your

station presets.

you want.

• You can also use the number buttons on

the remote control to recall the station

preset.

Choose the station preset you want to

name.

See Listening to station presets below for how

to do this.

Changing the frequency step

Press T.EDIT (TUNER EDIT).

If you find that you can’t tune into stations

successfully, the frequency step may not be

suitable for your country/region. Here’s how to

switch the setting:

The display shows ST. NAME, then a blinking

cursor at the first character position.

Input the name you want.

Choose a name up to four characters long.

VSX-515 model:

• Use the MULTI JOG dial (front panel) or the

ST +/– buttons (remote) to select

characters.

Switch the receiver into standby.

On the front panel, press ꢀ STANDBY/

• Press ENTER to confirm a character. If no

character is input, a space is input.

ON while you press and hold the CLASS

button.

The channel tuning step alternates between

• The name is stored when ENTER is pressed

after choosing the fourth character.

10K STEP and 9K STEP each time you do this.

VSX-815/915 model:

Tip

Switch the receiver into standby.

• To erase a station name, simply repeat

steps 1-3 and input four spaces instead of

a name.

On the front panel, press ꢀ STANDBY/

ON while you press and hold the BAND

button.

The channel tuning step alternates between

• Once you have named a station preset, you

can press (TUNER) DISPLAY when

listening to a station to switch the display

between name and frequency.

10K STEP and 9K STEP each time you do this.

Listening to station presets

You will need to have some presets stored to do

this. See Saving station presets above if you

haven’t done this already.

Press TUNER to select the tuner.

Press CLASS to select the class in which

the station is stored.

Press repeatedly to cycle through classes A, B

and C.

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Making recordings

Chapter 9:

Making recordings

Select the source you want to record.

Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons (or INPUT

Making an audio or a video

recording

SELECT).

Select the input signal (if necessary).

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).

Press SIGNAL SELECT to select the input

signal corresponding to the source component

(see page 40 for more on this).

Prepare the source you want to record.

Keep in mind you can’t make a digital

recording from an analog source or vice-versa,

so make sure the components you are

recording to/from are hooked up in the same

way (see Connecting up on page 14 for more on

connections).

Tune to the radio station, load the CD, video,

DVD etc.

Prepare the recorder.

Insert a blank tape, MD, video etc. into the

recording device and set the recording levels.

If you want to record a video source, you also

need to use the same type of connection for the

Refer to the instructions that came with the

recorder if you are unsure how to do this. Most

video recorders set the audio recording level

automatically—check the component’s

instruction manual if you’re unsure.

source as for the recorder.

INPUT

SELECT

RECEIVER

SOURCE

RECEIVER

SOURCE

INPUT SELECT

Start recording, then start playback of the

MULTI CONTROL

source component.

DVD/LD

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

TV CONT

RECEIVER

CD-R/TAPE

TUNER

ADVANCED STEREO/ MIDNIGHT/

STANDARD SURROUND DIRECT

LOUDNESS

EFFECT

DVD/LD

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

TV CONT

RECEIVER

/CH SEL

MUTE

LEVEL

SLEEP

MULTI CONTROL

CD-R/TAPE TUNER

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG

DIMMER

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

ADVANCED ST/DIRECT

SIGNAL

STANDARD

SURR /AUTO SURR SELECT

LISTENING MODE

Note

1 VSX-815/915 only – For example, you can’t record a component hooked up to S-video jacks with a recorder hooked up to the

composite video outputs (see page 19 for more on video connections).

2 • The receiver's volume, balance, tone (bass, treble, loudness), and surround effects have no effect on the recorded signal.

• Some digital sources are copy-protected, and can only be recorded in analog.

• Some video sources are copy-protected. These cannot be recorded.

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Controlling the rest of your system

Chapter 10:

Controlling the rest of your

system

VSX-515 model only

Press the MULTI CONTROL button for the

component you want to control.

Setting the remote to control

other components

The LED lights.

Use the number buttons to enter the

Most components can be assigned to one of

the MULTI CONTROL buttons using the

component’s manufacturer preset code stored

in the remote.

preset code.

You can find the preset codes on page 63.

The LED blinks again after you enter the code.

If the correct code has been input the power of

the component being input will turn on or off.

However, please note that there are cases

where only certain functions may be

controllable after assigning the proper preset

code, or the codes for the manufacturer in the

remote control will not work for the model that

you are using.

The power of the component being input will

only turn on or off if that component is able to

be turned on directly by remote control.

• You can only input a code for the compo-

nent type written on each MULTI

Note

CONTROL button.

• Even if you don’t input a preset code for the

TV (TV/SAT MULTI CONTROL button) you

will be able to control your TV using the

dedicated TV CONTROL on the remote if

you have assigned it to the TV CONT

button.

• After one minute of inactivity, the remote

automatically exits the operation.

Selecting preset codes directly

DISPLAY

CLASS

MPX

D.ACCESS

Repeat steps 2 through 3 to try a different

code, or to enter a code for another

component you want to control.

RECEIVER

SOURCE

DISC

ENTER

+10

INPUT SELECT

MULTI CONTROL

DVD/LD

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

TV CONT

RECEIVER

When you’re done, press RECEIVER.

CD-R/TAPE

TUNER

ADVANCED STEREO/ MIDNIGHT/

STANDARD SURROUND DIRECT

LOUDNESS

TV CONTROL

While pressing the RECEIVER button,

press and hold the 1 button.

The LED blinks.

Note

1 • TV codes (for example, codes for TV, CATV, Satellite TV or DTV) can only be assigned to the TV/SAT or TV CONT button.

• You can’t assign the TUNER or RECEIVER buttons.

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Controlling the rest of your system

Direct function

Clearing all the remote control

• Default setting: ON

settings

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 component.

This could let you, for example, use the remote

control to set up and listen to a CD on the

receiver and then use the remote control to

rewind a tape in your VCR while you continue

to listen to your CD player.

You can clear all presets and restore the

factory default settings.

•

While pressing the RECEIVER button,

press and hold the 0 button for three seconds.

The LED blinks three times indicating the

settings have been restored to the factory

presets.

When direct function is on, any component

you select (using the MULTI CONTROL

buttons) will be selected by both the receiver

and the remote control. When you turn direct

function off, you can operate the remote

control without affecting the receiver.

While pressing the RECEIVER button,

press and hold the 4 button.

The LED blinks.

Press the MULTI CONTROL button for

the component you want to control.

The LED lights.

Use the number buttons to enter either

1 (direct on) or 2 (direct off).

The LED blinks again.

Repeat steps 2 through 3 for the other

components you want to control.

When you’re done, press RECEIVER.

Note

1 You can’t use direct function with the TUNER function.

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Controlling the rest of your system

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 58 for more

on this). Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons to select the component.

• The TV CONTROL buttons on the remote control are dedicated to control the TV assigned to

the TV CONT button. If you have two TVs, assign the main TV to the TV CONT button.

Button(s) Function

Components

TVꢀ

Switches the DTV on or off.

DTV

Switches the TV or CATV between standby and on.

Switches the TV input. (Not possible with all models.)

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV

INPUT

SELECT

CHANNEL Selects channels.

+/–

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

DTV

VOLUME

+/–

Adjust the TV volume.

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

DTV

TOP MENU Use as the TEXT ON button.

Select different menus from the DTV functions.

Select the menu screen.

DTV

AUDIO

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV

Use as the AUDIO button.

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

DTV

GUIDE

Use as the GUIDE button for navigating.

Use as the TEXT OFF button.

Cable TV/Satellite TV/DTV

ꢃ

ꢄ

Use to choose the BLUE commands on a DTV menu.

DTV

Use to choose the GREEN commands on a DTV menu. DTV

Use to choose the RED commands on a DTV menu. DTV

Use to choose the YELLOW commands on a DTV menu. DTV

ꢂ

ꢅ

ꢆ

ꢁ

Press to get information on DTV programs.

Switches DTV on or off.

DTV

ꢇ

Use to select closed captioning with DTV.

Use to select a speciﬁc TV channel.

Number

Buttons

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

DTV

+10 button Use to add a decimal point when selecting a speciﬁc TV DTV

channel.

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Controlling the rest of your system

Button(s) Function

Components

ENTER/

DISC

Use to enter a channel.

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

DTV

ꢂꢃꢁꢀ& Select or adjust and navigate items on the menu screen. DTV

ENTER

ENTER brings up the DTV menus.

Press to select or adjust and navigate items on the menu Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

screen.

DTV

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 58 for more

on this). Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons to select the component.

Button (s) Function

Components

SOURCEꢀ Press to switch the component between standby and on. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

DVR player/Cassette deck

ꢃ

ꢅ

Press to return to the start of the current track.

Repeated presses skips to the start of previous tracks.

CD/MD/CD-R/DVD/LD

player

Play the reverse side of the tape on a reversible deck.

Press to advance to the start of the next track.

Cassette deck

CD/MD/CD-R/DVD/LD

Repeated presses skips to the start of following tracks. player

Play the forward side of the tape on a reversible deck.

Pause playback or recording.

Cassette deck

ꢄ

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

DVR player/Cassette deck

ꢁ

Start playback.

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

DVR player/Cassette deck

ꢆ

ꢇ

ꢂ

Hold down for fast forward playback.

Hold down for fast reverse playback.

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

DVR player/Cassette deck

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

DVR player/Cassette deck

Stops playback (on some models, pressing this when the CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

disc is already stopped will cause the disc tray to open). DVR player/Cassette deck

Number

buttons

Directly access tracks on a program source.

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/LD

player

Use the number buttons to navigate the on-screen

display.

DVD/DVR player

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Controlling the rest of your system

Button (s) Function

Components

+10 button Selects tracks higher than 10. (For example, press +10

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/LD

player

then 3 to select track 13.)

ENTER/

DISC

Changes the search mode.

DVD

Chooses the disc.

Multiple CD player

VCR

Use as the ENTER button.

Displays the setup screen for DVR players.

Changes sides of the LD.

DVR player

LD player

TOPMENU Displays the disc ‘top’ menu of a DVD.

DVD/DVR player

Displays menus concerning the current DVD or DVR you DVD/DVR player

are using.

ꢀ

Pauses the tape.

Cassette deck

DVD/DVR player

ꢁ

Stops the tape.

ENTER

ꢂ/ꢃ

Starts playback.

Fast rewinds/fast forwards the tape.

ꢂꢃꢁꢀ& Navigates DVD menu/options.

ENTER

GUIDE

Displays/changes the subtitles on multilingual DVDs.

DVD/DVR player

VCR/DVR player

CHANNEL Selects channels.

+/–

AUDIO

Changes the audio language or channel.

DVD/DVR player

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Controlling the rest of your system

Preset Code List

You should have no problem controlling a component if you find the manufacturer in this list, but

please note that there are cases where codes for the manufacturer in the list will not work for the

model that you are using. There are also cases where only certain functions may be controllable

after assigning the proper preset code.

GOLDSTAR 610, 623

JVC 613, 665

FUNAI 658

AIWA 660

NEC 659

GRANDIENTE 630

PIONEER 600, 667

PANASONIC 803

KENWOOD 804, 807

ONKYO 808, 809

SONY 801, 806

TEAC 805

YAMAHA 811, 812

PIONEER 800

TV / SAT

TV CONT

DVD

DTV

Manufacturer Code

TOSHIBA 001

SONY 002

PANASONIC 003

JVC 004

SAMSUNG 005

SHARP 006

AKAI 007

RCA 009, 011

DENON 010

HITACHI 012

PHILIPS 013

Manufacturer Code

PIONEER 229, 207, 231, 232

PANASONIC 226, 230

JVC 227

TOSHIBA 228

VCR

STB (SATELLITE/

Manufacturer Code

RCA 401, 413, 415

ZENITH 403

MAGNAVOX 414

FISHER 426, 412, 427

PANASONIC 408, 432, 433,

462, 463, 473

TOSHIBA 405, 464, 474

JVC 428, 430, 429, 431, 407

HITACHI406, 436, 434, 465,

472

SONY 416, 417, 404, 457,

458, 459, 460, 461, 475,

476, 477, 478

MITSUBISHI 409, 420, 421,

422, 423, 424, 466, 467,

470

SANYO 410, 425, 435, 468

SHARP 402, 418, 419, 469,

471

TV / SAT

TV CONT

Manufacturer Code

DENON 309

JVC 303

CATV)

Manufacturer Code

AICHI DENSI 734

DX ANNTENA 732, 733

FUJITSU 722, 723, 724

HITACHI 721

MASPRO 729

NEC 720

PANASONIC 725, 726, 728

SUMITOMO 730

TOSHIBA 719

JERROLD 701, 702, 703,

704, 711, 712, 713 , 714,

715, 716

SA 705, 706, 708, 709, 731

ZENITH 707, 717, 710

PIONEER 700, 718

PANASONIC 304, 326

KENWOOD 310, 311, 321

MARANTZ 323

ONKYO 320, 308, 307

PHILIPS 312, 322, 313

RCA 302, 319

SONY 301, 316, 317, 318

TEAC 305, 306, 327, 324,

325

YAMAHA 315, 314, 328

PIONEER 300

ZENITH 014

THOMSON 015

SONY 016 (video game)

MICROSOFT

017(Videogame)

PIONEER 000, 008, 020

Manufacturer Code

SONY 101

PANASONIC 105, 106

PHILIPS 104

KENWOOD 103

RCA 107

CD-R

Manufacturer Code

PHILIPS 346

PIONEER 345

YAMAHA 347

PIONEER 100, 111

On digital STB

GOLDSTAR 411

GRADIENTE 441

PIONEER 400

TV / SAT

TV CONT

TV / SAT

TV CONT

ManufacturerCode

RCA 201, 203, 209

SONY 202, 557

ECHOSTAR 205

PRIMESTAR 206

BELL 208

Manufacturer Code

RCA 601, 615, 616, 617, 618

ZENITH 603, 620

MAGNAVOX 612, 629

GE 611, 628

GENERAL 666

PHILIPS 607

SONY 604

PANASONIC 608, 622

TOSHIBA 605, 626, 663

SHARP 602, 619, 627

HITACHI 606, 624, 625, 664

SANYO 621, 614

Manufacturer Code

SONY 901

KENWOOD 903

SHARP 902

TEAC 904

ONKYO 905

DENON 906

PIONEER 900

DVD Recorder

Manufacturer Code

PIONEER 456, 487, 488, 489

TOSHIBA 485

TOSHIBA 555

SHARP 554

PANASONIC 486

AIWA 562, 563, 564

HITACHI 556

JVC 551, 552, 553

MASPRO 559, 560, 561

PANASONIC 558

PIONEER 200

TAPE

Manufacturer Code

DENON 810

FISHER 813

DAT

Manufacturer Code

PIONEER 907

JVC 802

MITSUBISHI 609

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Controlling the rest of your system

Chapter 11:

Controlling the rest of your

system

VSX-815/915 model only

Setting the remote to control

other components

Selecting preset codes directly

INPUT

SELECT

Most components can be assigned to one of

the MULTI CONTROL buttons using the

component’s manufacturer preset code stored

in the remote.

RECEIVER

SOURCE

FL DIMMER

DISC

However, please note that there are cases

where only certain functions may be

ENTER

D.ACCESS

TOP MENU

CLASS

DVD/LD

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

TVCONT

RECEIVER

TUNE

MULTI CONTROL

CD-R/TAPE TUNER

controllable after assigning the proper preset

code, or the codes for the manufacturer in the

remote control will not work for the model that

DTV MENU

T.EDIT

ENTER

BAND

TUNE

SYSTEM

SETUP

RETURN

GUIDE

TV CONTROL

you are using.

INPUT

TVVOL

TV CH

VOL

VSX-915 only – If you can’t find a preset code

that matches the component you want to

control, you can still teach the remote

individual commands from another remote

control (page 65).

While pressing the RECEIVER button,

press and hold the 1 button.

The remote LCD display shows SETUP.

Press the MULTI CONTROL button for the

component you want to control.

The LCD on the remote displays the

component you want to control.

Note

• You can cancel or exit any of the steps by

pressing RECEIVER. To go back a step,

press RETURN.

Use ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor left/right) to select

PRESET then press ENTER.

• After one minute of inactivity, the remote

automatically exits the operation.

Use ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) to select the

first letter of the brand name of your

component then press ENTER.

This should be the manufacturer’s name (for

example, P for Pioneer).

Note

1 • TV codes (for example, codes for TV, CATV, Satellite TV or DTV) can only be assigned to the TV/SAT or TV CONT button.

• If you assign the TUNER function to another component, you will have to reassign it to the Pioneer preset code to use this

receiver’s built-in tuner.

2 You can’t assign the RECEIVER button.

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Controlling the rest of your system

Use ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) to select the

Press the MULTI CONTROL button for the

manufacturer’s name from the list then press

ENTER.

component you want to control.

The LCD on the remote displays the

component you want to control.

Use ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) to select the

proper code from the list, then try using this

remote control with your component.

The code should start with the component type

(for example, DVD 009). If there is more than

one, start with the first one.

Use ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor left/right) to select

LEARN then press ENTER

PRES KEY shows in the LCD display.

• To exit or cancel press RECEIVER.

Point the two remote controls towards

To try out the remote control, switch the

component on or off (into standby) by pressing

SOURCE ꢀ. If it doesn’t seem to work, select

the next code from the list (if there is one).

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.

• VSX-915 only – If you can’t find or properly

enter a preset code, you can still teach the

remote individual commands from another

remote control (see Programming signals

from other remote controls below).

• The remote controls should be 3–5 cm

apart.

3 – 5 cm

If your component is controlled

successfully, press ENTER to confirm.

The remote LCD display shows OK.

Press the corresponding button on the

other remote control that is sending

(teaching) the signal to this receiver’s remote

control.

For example, if you want to learn the playback

control signal, press and hold ꢁfor a couple of

seconds. The LCD display will show OK if the

operation has been learned.

Programmingsignalsfromother

remote controls

VSX-915 model only

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 program

additional operations (buttons not covered in

the presets) after assigning a preset code.

If for some reasons the operation hasn’t been

learned the LCD will display ERROR briefly and

then display PRES KEY again. If this happens,

keep pressing the (teaching) button as you vary

the distance between the two remotes, until

the LCD display shows OK.

While pressing the RECEIVER button,

press and hold the 1 button.

The remote LCD display shows SETUP.

Note

1 • You can’t assign the RECEIVER button.

• TV CONTROL buttons (TVꢀ, TV VOL +/–, TV CH +/– and INPUT SELECT) can only be learned after selecting TV CONT.

2 • Some commands from other remote controls cannot be learned, but in most cases the remotes just need to be moved closer

together or farther apart.

• If the remote LCD shows ERROR, it may also mean the memory is full. See Erasing one of the remote control button settings

below to erase a programmed button you’re not using to free up more memory.

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Controlling the rest of your system

Certain buttons represent operations that

cannot be learned from other remote controls.

The buttons available are shown below:

Use ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor left/right) to select

ERASE then press ENTER

The LCD display flashes PRES KEY.

Press and hold the button to be erased for

INPUT

SELECT

RECEIVER

SOURCE

two seconds.

The LCD display shows OK or NO CODE to

confirm the button has been erased.

RETURN

VOL

GUIDE

TV CONTROL

INPUT

Repeat step 4 to erase other buttons.

Press the RECEIVER button when you’re

TVVOL

TV CH

SELECT

DVD/LD

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

TVCONT

RECEIVER

MULTI CONTROL

CD-R/TAPE TUNER

DTV ON/OFF

REC

DTV INFO

REC STOP

MUTE

done.

TUNER

DISPLAY

MPX

CH RETURN

SUBTITLE

HDD

DVD

AUDIO

RECEIVER CONTROL

STANDARD ADV.SURR

Erasing all of the remote control

presets

THX

STEREO

ACOUSTIC

SIGNAL

SELECT

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

AUTO SURR

SHIFT

FL DIMMER

DISC

+10

ENTER

EFFECT

/CH SEL

SLEEP

DIALOG

D.ACCESS

TOP MENU

CLASS

This will erase all preset remote control preset

codes and (VSX-915 model only) programmed

buttons.

TUNE

DTV MENU

T.EDIT

ENTER

BAND

RECEIVER

TUNE

SYSTEM

SETUP

RETURN

GUIDE

While pressing the RECEIVER button,

press and hold the 1 button.

To program additional signals for the

The remote LCD display shows SETUP.

current component repeat steps 4 and 5.

To program signals for another component,

exit and repeat steps 1 through 5.

Press the DVD/LD MULTI CONTROL

button.

Press the RECEIVER button to exit and

Use ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor left/right) to select

store the operation(s).

RESET then press and hold ENTER for about

two seconds

The LCD shows OK to confirm the remote

presets have been erased.

Erasing one of the remote

control button settings

VSX-915 model only

Direct function

This erases one of the buttons you have

programmed and restores the button to the

factory default.

• Default setting: ON

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 component.

This could let you, for example, use the remote

control to set up and listen to a CD on the

receiver and then use the remote control to

rewind a tape in your VCR while you continue

to listen to your CD player.

While pressing the RECEIVER button,

press and hold the 1 button.

The remote LCD display shows SETUP.

Press the MULTI CONTROL button

corresponding to the button setting to be

erased.

The LCD on the remote displays the

component.

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Controlling the rest of your system

When direct function is on, any component

you select (using the MULTI CONTROL

buttons) will be selected by both the receiver

and the remote control. When you turn direct

function off, you can operate the remote

control without affecting the receiver.

While pressing the RECEIVER button,

press and hold the 1 button.

The remote LCD display shows SETUP.

Press the MULTI CONTROL button for the

component you want to control.

The LCD on the remote displays the

component you want to control.

Use ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor left/right) to select

DIRECT F then press ENTER

The LCD on the remote displays the

component you want to control.

Use ꢀ/ꢁ (cursor up/down) to switch

direct function ON or OFF then press ENTER.

The LCD shows OK to confirm the setting.

Confirming preset codes

Use this feature to check which preset code is

assigned to a MULTI CONTROL button.

While pressing the RECEIVER button,

press and hold the 1 button.

The remote LCD display shows SETUP.

Press the MULTI CONTROL button of the

component for which you want to check the

preset code.

Use ꢂ/ꢃ (cursor left/right) to select

READ ID then press ENTER.

The brand name and preset code appears in

the display for three seconds.

Note

1 You can’t use direct function with the TV CONT function.

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Controlling the rest of your system

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 64 for more

on this). Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons to select the component

• The TV CONTROL buttons on the remote control are dedicated to control the TV assigned to

the TV CONT button. If you have two TVs, assign the main TV to the TV CONT button.

Button(s) Function

Components

TVꢀ

Switches the DTV on or off.

DTV

Switches the TV or CATV between standby and on.

Switches the TV input. (Not possible with all models.)

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV

INPUT

SELECT

TV CH +/– Selects channels.

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

DTV

TV VOL +/– Adjust the TV volume.

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

DTV

SOURCEꢀ Press to switch the component assigned to the TV CONT Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

button on or off.

DTV

ꢇ

ꢆ

ꢃ

ꢅ

ꢄ

Switches the DTV on or off.

Press to get information on DTV programs.

Use to choose the BLUE commands on a DTV menu.

Use to choose the YELLOW commands on a DTV menu.

Use to choose the GREEN commands on a DTV menu.

Use to choose the RED commands on a DTV menu.

Use to switch DTV audio tracks.

ꢂ

AUDIO

CH RETURN Use to return to the previously selected channel.

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

DTV

DTV MENU Press to display the DTV menu.

DTV

GUIDE

Use as the GUIDE button for navigating.

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

DTV

RETURN

Use to select closed captioning with DTV.

Use to select a speciﬁc TV channel.

DTV

Number

Buttons

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

DTV

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Controlling the rest of your system

Button(s) Function

Components

+10 button Use to add a decimal points when selecting TV channels. DTV

ENTER/

DISC

Use to enter a channel.

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

DTV

Select different menus from the DTV functions.

Select the menu screen.

DTV

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV

ꢂꢃꢁꢀ & Press to select or adjust and navigate items on the menu Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

ENTER screen. DTV

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 64 for more

on this). Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons to select the component.

Button (s) Function

Components

SOURCEꢀ Press to switch the component between standby and on. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

DVR player/Cassette deck

ꢃ

ꢅ

Press to return to the start of the current track.

Repeated presses skips to the start of previous tracks.

CD/MD/CD-R/DVD/LD

player

Go back channels (channel –).

DVR/VCR

Press to advance to the start of the next track.

Repeated presses skips to the start of following tracks.

CD/MD/CD-R/DVD/LD

player

Go forward channels (channel +).

Pause playback or recording.

VCR

ꢄ

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

DVR player/Cassette deck

ꢁ

Start playback.

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

DVR player/Cassette deck

ꢆ

ꢇ

ꢂ

Hold down for fast forward playback.

Hold down for fast reverse playback.

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

DVR player/Cassette deck

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

DVR player/Cassette deck

Stops playback (on some models, pressing this when the CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

disc is already stopped will cause the disc tray to open).

DVR player/Cassette deck

ì REC

Starts recording. To prevent accidental recording, this

MD/CD-R/VCR/ DVR player/

Cassette deck

(SHIFT+ꢁ) button must be pressed twice to take effect.

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Controlling the rest of your system

Button (s) Function

Components

REC STOP Stops recording.

DVR player

(SHIFT+ꢂ)

Number

buttons

Directly access tracks on a program source.

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/LD

player

Use the number buttons to navigate the on-screen display. DVD/DVR player

+10 button Selects tracks higher than 10. (For example, press +10

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/LD

player

then 3 to select track 13.)

ENTER/

DISC

Chooses the disc.

Multiple CD player

MD player

VCR

Ejects the disc.

Use as the ENTER button.

Use as the CLEAR button.

Displays the setup screen for DVR players.

Changes sides of the LD.

DVD

DVR player

LD player

TOP MENU Displays the disc ‘top’ menu of a DVD player.

DVD/DVR player

ꢀ

Displays menus for the current DVD or DVR you are using. DVD/DVR player

Pauses the tape.

Cassette deck

DVD/DVR Player

ꢁ

Stops the tape.

ENTER

ꢂ/ꢃ

Starts playback.

Fast rewinds/fast forwards the tape.

ꢂꢃꢁꢀ& Navigates DVD menu/options.

ENTER

GUIDE

CH +/–

Press to access the DVD player setup screen.

DVD/DVR Player

Selects channels.

VCR/DVD/DVR Player

CD/MD/CD-R/Cassette deck

DVD/DVR Player

Selects tracks.

AUDIO

Changes the audio language or channel.

SUBTITLE Displays/changes the subtitles on multilingual DVDs.

DVD/DVR Player

DVR Player

HDD (SHIFT Switches to the hard disk controls when using a DVD/

+ CH–)

HDD recorder.

DVR Player

DVD (SHIFT Switches to the DVD controls when using a DVD/HDD

+ CH+)

recorder.

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Other connections

Chapter 12:

Other connections

Select SB 2ND Z from the ‘SB. SYSTEM’

Caution

menu.

See Surround back speaker setting on page 46

to do this.

• 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.

Switching the speaker system

If you selected SB 2ND Z in Surround back

speaker setting on page 46, three speaker

system settings are possible using the

SPEAKERS button. If you selected SB NORM.

or SB BIAMP, the speaker system is fixed as

SPꢁA or SPꢁAB (respectively). The options

• Be careful not to allow any contact

between speaker wires from different

terminals.

• You can use speakers with a nominal

impedance between 6–16Ω (please see

Switching the speaker impedance on

page 81 if you plan to use speakers with an

impedance of less than 8Ω).

below are for the SB 2ND Z setting only.

•

Use the SPEAKERS button on the front

panel to select a speaker system setting.

INPUT

ATT

EXTENDED ACOUSTIC

FL DIMMER

SPEAKERS

MODE

Second Zone speaker B setup

TUNING

/STATION

TUNER

EDIT

QUICK

SETUP

SYSTEM

SETUP

VSX-915 model only

BAND

TONE

RETURN

After selecting SB 2ND Z in Surround back

speaker setting on page 46, you can use the

speakers connected to the (surround back) B

speaker terminals on the rear panel to listen to

stereo playback in another room. See

Switching the speaker system below for the

listening options with this setup.

MULTI JOG

Press repeatedly to choose a speaker system

option:

• SPꢁA – Sound is output from the speakers

connected to the A speaker terminals

(multichannel playback is possible).

Connect a pair of speakers to the

• SPꢁB – Sound is output from the two

speakers connected to speaker system B

(only stereo playback is possible).

surround back speaker terminals on the rear

panel.

Connect them the same way you connected

your speakers in Connecting the speakers on

page 22. Make sure to review Hints on speaker

placement on page 23 when placing the

speakers in another room.

Note

1 • The subwoofer output depends on the settings you made in Speaker setting on page 51. However, if SPꢁB is selected above,

no sound is heard from the subwoofer (the LFE channel is not downmixed).

• Depending on the Surround back speaker setting on page 46 output from the surround back pre-out terminals may change.

• All speaker systems (except SB 2ND Z connections) are switched off when headphones are connected.

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Other connections

• SPꢁAB – Sound is output from speaker

system A (up to 5 channels, depending on

the source), the two speakers in speaker

system B, and the subwoofer.

Multichannel sources (heard through

speaker system A) are downmixed for

stereo output from speaker system B.

Select the SB BIAMP setting from the ‘SB.

SYSTEM’ menu.

See Surround back speaker setting on page 46

to specify how you’re using the surround back

speaker terminals.

Caution

• Most speakers with both Hi and Low

terminals have two metal plates that

connect the Hi to the Low terminals. These

must be removed when you are bi-amping

the speakers or you could severely damage

the amplifier. See your speaker manual for

more information.

Bi-amping your front speakers

VSX-915 model only

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-ampable to do this

(having separate terminals for high and low)

and the sound improvement will depend on the

kind of speakers you’re using.

• If your speakers have a removable

crossover network, make sure you do not

remove it for bi-amping. Doing so may

damage your speakers.

Connect your speakers as shown below.

Bi-wiring your speakers

This illustration below shows the connections

for bi-amping your front left speaker. Hook up

your front right speaker in the same way.

VSX-915 model only

The reasons for bi-wiring are basically the

same as bi-amping, but additionally,

FRONT

CENTER

SURROUND BACK

SURROUND

interference effects within the wire could be

reduced, producing better sound. Again, to do

this your speakers must be bi-wireable (that is

they must have separate terminals for the high

and low frequencies). When bi-wiring, make

sure you’ve selected SB NORM. or SB 2ND Z in

Surround back speaker setting on page 46.

Front left

speaker

•

To bi-wire a speaker, connect two speaker

cords to the speaker terminal on the receiver.

Since both front and surround back speaker

terminals output the same audio, it doesn’t

matter which set (front or surround back) is

powering which part (Hi or Low) of the

speaker.

Caution

• Make sure you use a parallel (not series,

which are fairly uncommon) connection

when bi-wiring your speakers.

• Don't connect different speakers from the

same terminal in this way.

• Make sure that the + / – connections are

properly inserted.

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Other connections

Connecting additional

Using this receiver with a

amplifiers

Pioneer plasma display

VSX-815/915 model only

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

If you have a Pioneer plasma display , you can

use an SR+ cable to connect it to this unit and

take advantage of various convenient features,

such as automatic video input switching of the

plasma display when the input is changed.

connections shown below to add amplifiers to

power your speakers.

• Before making or changing the

connections, switch off the power and

disconnect the power cord from the AC

outlet.

CONTROL

OUT

ANALOG

INPUT

Pioneer plasma

display

Center channel

amplifier (mono)

S-VIDEO

ANALOG

INPUT

FRONT

SURROUND SURROUND BACK

PREOUT

AUX

FM UNBAL

DIGITAL OUT

Ω

Surround back

LOOP

ANTENNA

OPT IN

MONITOR OUT

channel amplifier

OUT

CONTROL

OPT

OUT

DVR/

VCR

BACK

CENTER

ANALOG

INPUT

OUT

(DVR/VCR)

OPT

SURROUND

VIDEO

DVR/

VCR

OUT

SAT

(TV/SAT)

Surround channel

amplifier

DVD

/LD

FRONT

MONITOR

OUT

SAT

ASSIGNABLE

DIGITAL IN

COAX

5.1CH

REC INPUT

SUB

DVD

/LD

ANALOG

INPUT

WOOFER

PREOUT

(CD)

CD-R

TAPE

OUT

COAX

S-VIDEO

(DVD

/LD)

PLAY

AUDIO

Front channel

amplifier

ANALOG

INPUT

Powered

subwoofer

ꢄ To SUB WOOFER PREOUT jack

The illustration shows the VSX-915, but

connections for the VSX-815 are the same.

Note

1 • To hear sound only from the pre-outs, simply disconnect any speakers that are connected directly to the receiver.

• If you’re not using a subwoofer, change the front speaker setting (see Speaker setting on page 51) to LARGE.

• VSX-815 only – Note that there is only one surround back channel pre-out terminal.

• VSX-915 only – You can use the additional amplifier on the surround back channel pre-outs for a single speaker as well. In

this case plug the amplifier into the left (L (Single)) terminal only.

• VSX-915 only – The sound you hear from the surround back terminals depends on the Surround back speaker setting on

page 46.

2 This receiver is compatible with all Pioneer plasma displays from 2003 onward.

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Other connections

•

Use a 3-ringed miniplug SR+ cable to

connect the CONTROL IN jack of this receiver

with the CONTROL OUT of your plasma

display.

Before you can use the extra SR+ features, you

need to make a few settings in the receiver. See

The Input Assign menu on page 75 for detailed

instructions.

Using the SR+ mode with a

Pioneer plasma display

VSX-815/915 model only

When connected using an SR+ cable, a

number of features become available to make

using this receiver with your Pioneer plasma

display even easier. These features include:

• On-screen volume display.

• On-screen display of listening mode.

• Automatic video input switching on the

plasma display.

• Automatic volume muting on the plasma

VIDEO

INPUT 1

VIDEO

INPUT 2

display.

Pioneer plasma

display

See also The Input Assign menu on page 75 for