Pioneer Vsx Ax5I G Users Manual

VSX-AX5i-G to the manual d8af6ab8-6e81-4917-b908-c3ffebfd0c00

2015-01-26

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VSX-AX5i.book Page 1 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Thank you for buying this Pioneer product.

Please read through these operating instructions

so you will know how to operate your model

properly. After you have finished reading the

instructions, put them away in a safe place for

future reference.

Installing the Receiver

VENTILATION: When installing this unit, make sure

to leave space around the unit for ventilation to improve

heat radiation (at least 60 cm at top, 10 cm at rear, and 30

cm at each side).

WARNING: Slot and openings in the cabinet are

provided for ventilation and to ensure reliable operation of

the product and to protect it from overheating, to prevent

fire hazard, the openings should never be blocked and

covered with items, such as newspapers, tablecloths,

curtains, etc. Also do not put the apparatus on the thick

carpet, bed, sofa, or fabric having a thick pile.

NOTE: THE NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS COMPARTMENT WARNING IS LOCATED ON THE APPLIANCE BONNET

H040 En

VSX-AX5i.book Page 2 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

TWO VOLTAGE SELECTOR

SWITCHES (multi-voltage

model only)

Only multi-voltage model is provided with these

switches.

European models are not provided with these

switches.

Main voltages in Saudi Arabia are 127 V and 220 V

only. Never use this model with the 110 V setting

in Saudi Arabia.

There are two VOLTAGE SELECTORS. Be sure

both of these are set correctly. Always check

that these selectors are set properly before

plugging the power cord into the wall outlet.

1. Disconnect the power cord.

2. Use a small-sized screwdriver.

3. Insert the screwdriver into the groove of the

smaller voltage selector and adjust until the

voltage is the same as at the larger one.

Operating Environment

Operating environment temperature and humidity:

+5°C – +35°C (+41°F – +95°F); less than 85%RH

(cooling vents not blocked)

Do not install in the following locations

• Location exposed to direct sunlight or strong

artificial light

• Location exposed to high humidity, or poorly

ventilated location

[For European model]

CAUTION 220 V

Power source voltage is factory adjusted 220 volts. If

your area is different, change voltage selectors

settings.

H040 En

VSX-AX5i.book Page 3 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Table of Contents

Features ................................................ 6

Before You Start ................................... 7

Checking the Supplied Accessories ................................. 7

Preparing the Remote Control .......................................... 7

Loading the batteries ..................................................... 7

Remote Control Battery Indicator ................................. 7

Operating range of remote control unit ....................... 8

Opening the Front Panel ................................................... 8

Switching video system between PAL and NTSC ............ 8

Easy Setup Guide Part 1 ....................... 9

Home Theater: The Basics ................................................ 9

1) Your Home System .................................................... 9

2) The Source Material .................................................. 9

3) The Listening Modes ................................................. 9

Conclusion ...................................................................... 9

1 Hooking Up Your DVD Player and TV .......................... 10

Digital Connections ..................................................... 10

2 Speaker Connections .................................................... 11

3 Setting up the Main Unit .............................................. 12

4 Assigning the Digital Inputs ........................................ 12

Easy Setup Guide Part 2 ..................... 13

1 Auto Surround Sound Setup ........................................ 13

2 Playing a DVD with Surround Sound .......................... 15

Connecting Your Equipment ............. 16

Connecting your TV .......................................................... 16

Component Video Input Default Settings .................. 16

Connecting Video Components ...................................... 17

Connecting a DVD player ............................................ 17

Connecting VCRs or DVRs .......................................... 18

Connecting a Video Component

to the Front Panel ........................................................ 18

Connecting Satellite TV (SAT) Components .............. 19

Connecting Analog Audio Components ........................ 20

Connecting to the Multi Channel Analog Inputs

(DVD-Audio or Super Audio CD

(SACD) compatible player) .......................................... 21

Connecting Digital Audio Components ......................... 22

Digital Input Default Settings ..................................... 23

Connecting the Radio Antennas .................................... 24

Using outdoor antennas .............................................. 24

Connecting Speakers ....................................................... 25

Speaker impedance ..................................................... 26

Placing Your Speakers ..................................................... 27

Speaker placement ...................................................... 27

Power Connections (AC IN) ............................................ 27

Power Connections (AC OUTLETS)

(European model only) ..................................................... 27

Using i.LINK Interface ........................ 28

What is i.LINK? ................................................................. 28

Connecting i.LINK-equipped Components .................... 28

Creating an i.LINK Network ............................................. 29

Displays and Controls ........................30

Front Panel ........................................................................30

Remote Control .................................................................32

Display ...............................................................................35

Back Panel ........................................................................36

Setting Up for Surround Sound ........ 38

Surround Back System ....................................................39

NORMAL Setup ................................................................40

Speaker Setting ............................................................41

Channel Level ...............................................................43

Speaker Distance .........................................................44

Basic Operation ..................................45

Stereo and Multichannel Playback .................................45

Selecting the Input Signal ...........................................46

Listening Modes ...............................................................47

Stereo modes ................................................................47

MOVIE modes (SURROUND mode) ...........................48

MUSIC modes (SURROUND mode) ...........................49

Adjusting the Effect of a Listening Mode ...................50

Adding/Adjusting the Effect in

Dolby Pro Logic II Music Mode ...................................50

Listening with ACOUSTIC CAL EQ ..................................51

Digital Noise Reduction (DIGITAL NR Function) ........... 51

Listening in MIDNIGHT Mode .........................................52

Listening in LOUDNESS Mode ........................................52

Adjusting Bass and Treble ..............................................53

Listening with Sound Delay .............................................53

Listening in Audio Scaler mode ......................................54

Multi Channel In Playback ...............................................54

Surround Back Channel Modes ......................................55

Surround Back Channel Mode ...................................55

Virtual Surround Back Mode .......................................55

Dual Mono setting and playback ....................................56

Using Headphones ...........................................................56

Video Select ......................................................................57

Adjusting the Brightness of the Display (DIMMER) ......57

Using the Tuner ..................................58

Automatic and Manual Tuning .......................................58

MPX Mode ....................................................................58

RF ATT Mode (European model only) .........................58

Channel Step Setting (multi-voltage model only) ..........59

To Change Channel Steps ...........................................59

Direct Access Tuning .......................................................59

Memorizing Frequently Used Stations ...........................60

Naming Memorized Stations ...........................................61

Recalling Memorized Stations ........................................62

An introduction to RDS (European model only) ............63

Using the RDS display .................................................63

Searching for RDS programs

(European model only) .....................................................64

Basics of EON (Enhanced Other Network information)

(European model only) .....................................................65

Using EON (European model only) .................................65

Clearing all stations from the RDS or EON search

(European model only) .....................................................66

VSX-AX5i.book Page 4 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Table of Contents

EXPERTBASICPREPARATION SURROUND SETUPEASY SETUP GUIDE

Remote Control of

Other Components ............................ 67

Setting Up the Remote Control

to Control Other Components ........................................ 67

Recalling Settings Stored

in the Remote Control ................................................. 67

Programming Signals from

Other Remote Controls (LEARNING Mode) ............... 69

Using Remote Control with Other Components ........... 71

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

Cassette Deck operations ........................................... 71

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV operations ........................... 72

Setting up the Direct Function ....................................... 73

Using Other Functions ....................... 74

Recording from Audio/Video Components .................... 74

SPEAKERS B Setup ......................................................... 75

Stereo playback in another room

(SECOND ZONE) .......................................................... 75

Bi-amping the front speakers

(FRONT BI-AMP) .......................................................... 75

SPEAKERS Button ....................................................... 76

Setting up and Using the USB Audio Connection ........ 77

Connecting Additional Amplifiers .................................. 78

The PIONEER SR System:

Operating other PIONEER components ........................ 79

Multi Operations .............................................................. 80

Performing Multi Operations ...................................... 81

System Off ........................................................................ 82

Using SYSTEM OFF ...................................................... 82

Editing Remote Control Display Names ........................ 83

Editing Button Names (KEY LABEL) .............................. 84

Adjusting the Light on the Remote Control ................... 85

Clearing Remote Control Settings You Have Input ....... 86

Resetting the Main Unit .................................................. 87

Fine Tuning Your System .................. 88

THX CINEMA Setup ......................................................... 88

Assigning the Digital Inputs ........................................... 89

Assigning the Component Video Inputs ........................ 90

Assigning i.LINK Inputs ................................................... 91

Function Rename ............................................................. 93

SACD Setup ...................................................................... 94

PHONO/LINE Setup ......................................................... 95

Expert System Settings ...................... 96

EXPERT Setup .................................................................. 96

Crossover Network ....................................................... 97

Fine Channel Level ....................................................... 98

Fine Channel Delay ...................................................... 99

Acoustic Calibration EQ ............................................ 100

Bass Peak Level ......................................................... 104

Dynamic Range Control ............................................ 105

Techno Tidbits and

Problem-solving ............................... 106

Dolby ............................................................................... 106

Dolby Digital ............................................................... 106

Dolby Pro Logic II ....................................................... 106

Dolby Digital Surround EX ........................................ 106

DTS .................................................................................. 106

DTS .............................................................................. 106

DTS-ES ........................................................................ 107

DTS Neo:6 ................................................................... 107

DTS 96/24 .................................................................... 107

THX .................................................................................. 107

i.LINK Related Messages .............................................. 108

Troubleshooting ............................................................. 109

Preset Code Brands ....................................................... 116

Specifications (European model) ................................. 117

Specifications (multi-voltage model) ............................ 118

VSX-AX5i.book Page 5 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Before You Start

i.LINK Digital Interface

The i.LINK interface makes it possible to connect the receiver to i.LINK-equipped components such as a DVD player

with a single cable and enjoy multichannel digital audio from SACD and DVD-A discs (if the player is compatible

with these outputs), as well as digital audio from DVD-Video, CD and Video CD discs.

In addition to simplified connection, jitterless audio is possible with Pioneer’s PQLS* technology when playing DVD-

As, audio CDs and SACDs. By suppressing jitter, deterioration of audio quality is minimized and digital audio of the

highest quality is realized.

*PQLS (Precision Quartz Lock System) [rate control]

Technology for high-precision transmission of digital audio over the i.LINK interface enabling jitterless digital-to-

analog conversion using a precision quartz in this receiver.

To make this feature work, it is only necessary that this receiver and one rate-control-compatible player are alive on

the i.LINK network.

Other advantages of using i.LINK include ‘smart’ features such as automatic configuration and automatic function

selection—start playback on a i.LINK-equipped component and the receiver automatically selects the component

for input.

Multichannel Acoustic Calibration EQ System (MCACC)

In order to make setting up as easy as possible for users we have created the MCACC system. This unique and

convenient way of getting good surround sound from the receiver makes trouble-free setup a snap. With the

included microphone plugged into the front panel the MCACC system creates a monitoring environment to

establish the parameters of the sound for the specific room you are using. The MCACC system adjusts the

parameters to establish excellent surround sound effects and offers you studio quality home theater sound with

minimum effort.

Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES, DTS 96/24 and the Latest Audio and Video

Formats

The VSX-AX5i is equipped with Dolby Digital EX decoding, the very latest Dolby Digital contribution to home theater

with surround back speakers in addition to surround speakers. These additional speakers make home theater even

more realistic and powerful. Naturally, you can also play all existing audio formats, including the recently developed

Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS-ES Extended Surround formats on the VSX-AX5i as well. On the video side, the

component video output is fully compatible with high definition, progressive-scan digital video (720p).

*Lucasfilm and THX are trademarks or registered trademarks of Lucasfilm, Ltd. and TM. Surround EX is a jointly developed

authorization.

*Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. “Dolby”, “Pro Logic”, “Surround EX” and double-D symbol

are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.

*"DTS", "DTS-ES Extended Surround" and "Neo:6" are trademarks of Digital Theater Systems, Inc.

USB Audio Hook up

For extra convenience the USB Audio port is a future-oriented connector that allows you to hook a USB-compatible

PC to the receiver.

Audio Scaler (HI BIT/HI SAMPLING)

This new technology enables the user to hear CD and DVD, as well as other soundtracks at a wider dynamic range,

allowing for finer audio reproduction. This Audio Scaler approximates the audio of high end formats just becoming

available now.

The Energy-saving Design

The European model is designed to use 0.8 W of energy when the receiver is in standby mode, while the multi-

voltage model is designed to use 0.9 W.

Features

“i.LINK” and the i.LINK logo are trademarks of the Sony Corporation.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 6 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Before You Start

PREPARATION

Checking the Supplied Accessories

Please check that you have received all of the following supplied accessories.

Memo:

Multi-voltage model has two power cords. These accessories will be different depending on the country of purchase.

Please use the correct cord for your country.

Preparing the Remote Control

Loading the batteries

Load the batteries into the remote control as shown below. Please use alkaline batteries. When you notice a

decrease in the operating range, replace all batteries with new ones.

Remote Control Battery Indicator

When the batteries get too weak to operate the remote control properly an

indicator warning screen will appear on the remote. Change the batteries as

shown above. This must be done within five minutes or all your remote control

settings will be cleared.

AM Loop Antenna FM Wire Antenna “AA” IEC LR6

batteries x 4

Operating

Instructions

Remote Control Unit

Microphone for Auto Microphone Stand for Auto

Surround Sound Setup

AC Power Cord

x 1 (European model)

x 2 (multi-voltage model)

“AA” IEC LR6

batteries x 4

CAUTION!

Incorrect use of batteries may result in such hazards as leakage and bursting. Observe the following precautions.

• Never use new and old batteries together.

• Insert the plus and minus sides of the batteries properly according to the marks in the battery case.

• Batteries with the same shape may have different voltages. Do not use different batteries together.

• When disposing of used batteries, please comply with governmental regulations or environmental public institution’s

rules that apply in your country or area.

Before You Start

Shows when the

batteries are getting weak

VSX-AX5i.book Page 7 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Before You Start

Operating range of remote control unit

The area in which you can use the remote control to operate the VSX-AX5i is fairly large. To use, point the remote

control toward the remote sensor on the front panel of this unit while within the range shown below.

Remote control may not function properly if:

• There are obstacles between the remote control and

the remote sensor.

• Direct sunlight or fluorescent light is shining onto the

remote sensor.

• The receiver is located near a device emitting infrared

rays.

• Operated simultaneously with another remote control

which uses infrared rays.

Opening the Front Panel

To open the front panel push gently on the lower third of the panel with your finger.

Switching video system between PAL and NTSC

This receiver is able to use two types of video systems for its OSD (on screen display) either PAL or NTSC. If you don't

match the system on the amplifier with your home system no OSD will appear on your TV. The default setting is PAL.

If you use this system you don't need to make any settings here. People with multi-system TVs don’t need to worry

about changing the setting either. If necessary, follow the instructions below to switch the type of video system.

1 Put the receiver in the STANDBY mode.

2 While holding down the TONE + button

press the STANDBY/ON button.

The video system type will change depending on the state

the receiver was previously in. The new type, either PAL or

NTSC, will appear in the display. It will be shown for about

seven seconds and then the receiver returns to normal

operating mode.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 8 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Displays & Controls

EASY SETUP GUIDE PREPARATION

Home Theater: The Basics

Most consumers are used to using stereo equipment to listen to music but many people are not used to home

theater systems that give you many more options when listening to soundtracks. In fact, home theater is not really

complicated and this little guide should give you an understanding of the basics. Home theater refers to the use of

multiple audio tracks combined with multiple speakers to create a surround sound effect.

There are three different factors involved in getting surround sound. Each contribute to what kind of sound you get.

These factors are:

1) The equipment you are using for your home theater setup. Particularly important is the number of speakers you

are using. We call this your speaker configuration.

2) The 'source' material you are using. This is the actual product (like a DVD) or broadcast (like cable TV) you are

listening to/watching. We call this the source.

3) The last factor is the listening mode you choose on the VSX-AX5i receiver. These are explained below and in

subsequent chapters but most likely the PRO LOGIC II MOVIE for moves and the PRO LOGIC II MUSIC for music will

be fine.

Let's start with the home theater setup you have in your home.

1) Your Home System

The heart of your system is the VSX-AX5i receiver and it is very flexible in getting you theater-like surround sound.

You can use this receiver with anywhere from two to seven speakers (front left, front right, center, surround left and

right, and surround back left and right) and a subwoofer to get home theater surround sound. We recommend you

use seven speakers and a subwoofer. If this is not possible follow the instructions in "Auto Surround Sound Setup"

in the "Easy Setup Guide Part 2" and you will still be able to get good surround sound. Also, a DVD player is essential

for home theater and you can also hook up satellite or cable TV tuner to this receiver and get a more home theater-

like sound from these sources.

2) The Source Material

DVDs have become the basic source material for home theater because they are convenient to use and offer

excellent sound and picture quality as well as allow users to enjoy home theater soundtracks with more than two

channels of audio. For example, Dolby Pro Logic plays back four channels (front left, front right, center and a single

channel for both surround speakers), Dolby Digital and DTS sources usually have six discrete channels (front left,

front right, center, surround left and right and a channel that powers the subwoofer) of sound. Since the subwoofer

channel is only for bass sounds it is expressed as .1 of a channel and this multichannel setup has been named 5.1

channel sound.

It is important you consult the manual that came with your DVD player as well to make sure the player is outputting

a surround soundtrack and all the other settings are appropriate for your home theater setup.

3) The Listening Modes

This receiver has many different listening modes and they are designed to cover all the speaker configurations and

types of sources you might be using. In general, the PRO LOGIC II MOVIE listening mode is the easiest way to get

realistic surround sound for movies. For music the basic listening mode for music is PRO LOGIC II MUSIC.

To listen to music in stereo simply choose the STEREO listening mode. Other possibilities (like listening to a stereo

CD with all seven speakers or taking a stereo source and getting multichannel home theater-like sound) are

explained in listening modes (page 47).

Conclusion

These are the three basic factors that contribute to your home theater sound. The easiest thing is to hook up seven

speakers and a subwoofer and simply play your DVDs with PRO LOGIC II MOVIE listening mode. This will give you

realistic and enjoyable home theater sound. First hook up your equipment, like your DVD player, TV and speakers.

Then follow the Easy Setup Guide instructions to set up your system for surround sound. It is very important you do

one of the surround sound setups to get optimal sound from your receiver.

For more details on any of the information presented here check the main section of the manual.

Easy Setup Guide Part 1

VSX-AX5i.book Page 9 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Easy Setup Guide Part 1

Before making or changing the connections, switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from the

AC outlet.

1 Hooking Up Your DVD Player and TV

In order to use Dolby Digital/DTS soundtracks, which are at the heart of home theater, you need to hook up your

DVD player with digital audio connections. You can do this by either a coaxial or an optical connection, you don’t

need to do both. The quality of these two types of connections is the same but since some DVD players only have

one type of digital terminal you need to figure out which yours has and hook it up to the appropriate terminal on the

receiver. In order to do this you will need the proper cable. For coaxial connections you can use a coaxial digital cord

or a regular RCA video cord, which have the same type of plugs. For optical connections you will need a special

optical cable which you can buy at your local stereo store. For more information on cords and cables see page 23.

You should also hook up your DVD player with analog audio connections. Use regular RCA stereo cords for these

connections. Also hook up the video connection on your DVD player, and your TV to this receiver. For your TV it's

easiest to use a regular composite (RCA) video cord, as shown below.

Digital Connections

Some DVD players have both coaxial and optical terminals, but there is no need to connect both. If your DVD player

has a coaxial terminal (not a PCM-only output) for the audio out hook it up using this terminal. Follow the diagram

below. This is the best scenario, as you will be able to follow the default settings of this receiver and won't need to

assign the digital inputs (you should use DIGITAL IN 3).

If your DVD player only has an optical terminal for the audio output you can hook it up using one of the DIGITAL IN

terminals 1 or 2 (for example, DIGITAL IN 2). In this case, you will need to assign the digital input (which means tell

the receiver which input you used for your DVD digital audio). See page 12 for this.

S400

(AUDIO)

(CD-R/

TAPE1)

S-VIDEO

(not a PCM-only

output)

You only need to make

one DIGITAL connection.

A stereo cord

A video cord

coaxial cord

optical cord

DVD player

VSX-AX5i.book Page 10 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Easy Setup Guide Part 1

EASY SETUP GUIDE

2 Speaker Connections

Home theater is designed to be setup with five, or seven speakers (front left and right; center; surround left and

right; and, optimally, surround back left and right) and a subwoofer, but you can use this receiver with fewer

speakers. Hook up the speakers you have to the A speaker terminals on the back of the receiver. If you only have two

speakers hook them up as FRONT. If you have three hook up the single speaker as CENTER. Follow the diagram

below in order to hook up all your speakers. A center speaker is very important for watching films because in digital

soundtracks the dialog comes from the center speaker. If you do not have a center speaker you must tell the receiver

the center channel is off or when you listen to digital soundtracks you won't hear any dialog. This can be done

automatically by following the “1 Auto Surround Sound Setup” instructions from page 13 in this Easy Setup Guide.

If possible, use surround back speakers. These speakers are important to take full advantage of all the sound

channels on new, eight channel home theater DVDs. The diagram below also explains how to hook up a subwoofer

which provides realistic bass sounds. For the subwoofer use a mono (single plug) RCA cord and for the other

speakers use regular speaker cords.

Make sure you connect the speaker on the right to the R terminal and the speaker on the left to the L terminal. Also

make sure the positive and negative (+/–) terminals on the receiver match those on the speakers.

Memo:

•We recommend speakers with a nominal impedance rated 8 Ω - 16 Ω , but you can change the speaker

impedance setting of the receiver (see page 26).

• If you only have one surround back speaker hook it up to the left surround back terminal.

• If you use a THX certified subwoofer use the THX INPUT jack on the subwoofer (if your subwoofer has one) or

switch the filter position to THX on your subwoofer.

• When you attached your speaker wire to the speaker terminal make sure that not even one strand of wire touches

the back of the receiver. If this happens it could short out the receiver.

S400

(AUDIO)

Powered

subwoofer

Front

speaker

(Left)

Front

speaker

(Right)

Center

speaker

TV/monitor

Surround

speaker

(Right)

Surround

speaker

(Left)

Surround back

speaker (Right)

urround back

speaker (Left)

3 Tighten

terminal.

 Speaker terminals

1 Twist exposed wire

strands together tightly. 2 Loosen speaker terminal

and insert exposed wire.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 11 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Easy Setup Guide Part 1

3 Setting up the Main Unit

1 Connect the supplied AC power cord to the AC IN on this receiver and plug in the

other end to a wall outlet.

2 Press the OFFON button to put the receiver in ON mode.

3 Press the  STANDBY/ON button to switch the receiver ON.

4 Assigning the Digital Inputs

This is only necessary if you did not hook up your DVD player to DIGITAL IN 3 using a coaxial cable but rather

connected it to one of the optical digital inputs. The following example shows how to assign the DIGITAL IN 2 jack to

DVD.

1 Turn on the receiver and your TV,

press the RECEIVER button on the

remote control.

2 Press the SYSTEM SETUP button.

The SYSTEM SETUP menu appears on your TV (if it

doesn't, refer to page 10 to make sure you have prop-

erly connected the receiver to your TV).

3 Looking at the on-screen display on

your TV, use the  buttons to select

INPUT ASSIGN. Press the ENTER

button.

4 DIGITAL IN-SELECT should be

selected, if not use the  buttons to

select it. Press the ENTER button.

5 Use the  buttons to select

DIGITAL-2 and press ENTER.

The default setting for the DIGITAL-2 jack is CD-R.

6 Use the  buttons to select DVD/ LD

and press ENTER.

7 Press the SYSTEM SETUP button.

The receiver exits the setup process.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 12 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Easy Setup Guide Part 2

EASY SETUP GUIDE

1 Auto Surround Sound Setup

If setting up your surround sound speakers seems like it's going to be an involved task you only need to use this

quick, automatic method, known as the MCACC system, to achieve good surround sound. You'll need to hook up the

microphone so that the receiver can hear and judge the distance, size, sound character and sound pressure level of

the speakers and thus know what settings to make.

First turn the volume down, then plug the microphone into the SETUP MIC jack on the front panel of the receiver

and put the microphone into its stand.

Follow the step-by-step guide to setting up your surround sound below. This will customize the surround sound for

your listening environment. If you want to personalize your surround sound setups by making the settings manually

go to "Setting up for Surround Sound" (starting on page 38) and "EXPERT Setup" (starting on page 96). Make sure all

the components you need, especially speakers, have been properly connected before you do the steps described

here.

1 Hook up the microphone to the

SETUP MIC jack on the Front Panel.

2 Place the microphone at your

normal listening position.

Use a table, chair or something else to put the

microphone at the same height as you usually lis-

ten to your system from.

If you have a tripod you can affix the mic stand to it.

3 Switch on the receiver and your

TV.

Make sure your TV is set to this receiver as you will

use the on-screen displays (OSDs) on your TV to

follow these instructions.

4 If you have a subwoofer turn it on.

5 Press the RECEIVER button on the

remote control.

6 Press the SYSTEM SETUP button

and use the on-screen display

(OSD) that appears on your TV.

7 The arrow should be pointing at

SURROUND SETUP, press ENTER.

crop

one

stand

microphone

Front

Speaker

(L)

Front Speaker (R)

Center Speaker

Subwoofer

Position

Surround

Speaker

(R)

urround

peaker

(

)

urround Back

Speaker (L)

urround

Back

Speaker

(R)

Easy Setup Guide Part 2

VSX-AX5i.book Page 13 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Easy Setup Guide Part 2

8 Select AUTO SETTING with the 

buttons and press ENTER.

9 Some auto setup instructions will be

listed, make sure to follow them.

Make sure you have: hooked up the microphone and

moved obstacles to the speakers out of the way. If

you have a subwoofer make sure it is turned on and

has the volume turned up.

WARNING: The test tones are very loud!! Make sure

there are no infants or small children in the room

and that no one who will be scared, upset or injured

by loud noise is present. You yourself may want to

wear earplugs. It is possible to lower the volume of

test tones, but this could result in incorrect speaker

settings.

10 If you have followed all setup

instructions and warnings above

make sure that the arrow is pointed

to START and press ENTER. Be

prepared for loud test tones.

Try to be as quiet as possible after hitting ENTER. The

test tones may take up to 30 seconds.

The volume automatically increases to 0 dB, then the

system will output some test tones and establish

ambient noise levels, the microphone status, and

what speakers you hooked up.

11 Check the speaker settings on the

OSD.

If they match your speaker configuration make sure

OK is selected and press ENTER. The test tones will

be output loudly again. The test tones may take up to

5 minutes this time.

After they have finished, you see the SPEAKER SYS-

TEMS CHECK screen. If you want to view the settings

select NEXT and press ENTER repeatedly. If not, sim-

ply go to step 13.

If they do not match the speaker configuration you

hooked up and you want to try again select RETRY

with  buttons and press ENTER. Follow the

instructions above from step 10.

If you get an error message instructing you to do

something, follow the instructions and RETRY with

 buttons and press ENTER.

If the speaker settings do not match the speaker con-

figuration you connected and you want to input the

settings manually select ERR FIX SP with the 

buttons, press ENTER. Go to step 12.

If you see an ERR message in the right side column,

there may be a problem with the speaker connection.

If selecting RETRY doesn't fix the problem, turn off

the power and check the speaker connections.

Speaker Distance

VSX-AX5i.book Page 14 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Easy Setup Guide Part 2

EASY SETUP GUIDE

12 Use the  buttons to select a

speaker press ENTER. Then use the

 buttons to select the size of

each speaker individually. Press

ENTER. Use the  buttons to

select OK and press ENTER.

The system will output another series of test tones

to establish the proper channel level, channel

delay and acoustic calibration EQ. Again, be pre-

pared for loud test tones.

After it has finished, you see the SPEAKER SYS-

TEMS CHECK screen. If you want to view the set-

tings select NEXT and press ENTER repeatedly. If

not, simply go to the next step.

13 Select EXIT and press ENTER to go

back to the SURROUND SETUP

menu. Then choose EXIT twice to

return to normal use.

You should now have settings that will give you

good surround sound. The MCACC indicator will

light and the surround sound settings are com-

plete.

2 Playing a DVD with Surround Sound

1 Make sure the receiver, your TV, your subwoofer and your DVD player are

switched ON.

2 Press the DVD/LD button on the remote control.

You should see DVD/LD in the display on the receiver.

3 Play a DVD then adjust the MASTER VOLUME.

Memo:

To get a more refined sound, make the sound settings in “EXPERT Setup” on page 96.

If you're having trouble getting surround sound playback look at this Frequently

Asked Questions (FAQ) guide:

Q1: Even though I'm playing a DVD I'm not getting 5.1 channel playback.

A1: Either the DVD is not set for digital output, or the Dolby Digital/DTS output settings are not correct.

Set the DVD player to output a digital signal and set the Dolby Digital and DTS output properly. If you are

unsure how to do this check the DVD initial setup in the manual that came with your DVD player.

Q2: There is no sound from the subwoofer or it is very low.

A2: There is a good possibility you haven't reached a part of the DVD that has an LFE channel (which feeds

the subwoofer) yet. The LFE channel only appears in selected parts of the soundtrack. Continue playing

and listen for the subwoofer.

If you want to hear more sound from the subwoofer set it to PLUS (see page 41 for more information and con-

sult the Memo on page 42).

Memo:

• Make sure the room environment follows the

guidelines displayed on the OSD during auto

setup. If the room environment is not optimal

for auto setup (too much ambient noise,

obstacles blocking the speakers from the

microphone, etc.) the final settings may be

incorrect. Check for household appliances (air

conditioner, fridge, fan, etc.) that may be

affecting the environment and switch them off

if necessary.

• Screens will turn off after three minutes and

the receiver will automatically exit from the

setup process.

• If you leave CHECK!! or other error message

on the screen for three minutes, or you

choose CANCEL at anytime during the setup,

the settings made up to that point will be

cleared.

• After completing the Auto Surround Sound

Setup, ACOUSTIC CAL EQ ON (ALL CH

ADJUST) is set automatically.

• Some older TVs may interfere with the

operation of the mic. If this is the case turn the

TV off when doing Auto Surround Sound

Setup.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 15 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Connecting Your Equipment

Connecting your TV

Before making or changing the connections, switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from the AC

outlet.

Connect your TV to the jacks as shown below. Hook up with either component video, S video, or composite

video cords (the quality descends in this order) but you must use the same type of video cords to hook

up your DVD player (and all other video components) as you use to hook up your TV. If you plan to

hook up your DVD player with component video cords hook up your TV with them as well. Composite video

cords, which look just like regular RCA audio cords (see page 20) but have only one cable are the most

common.

Component Video Input Default Settings

If you use component video cords to hook up your video equipment it is easiest to do so following the default

settings, which are listed below. Remember you must use component video cords from your video source (for

example, a DVD player) to the receiver and from the receiver to your TV (or monitor). If you don't follow the

default settings below you must assign the inputs you used with the "Assigning the Component Video Inputs"

procedure (see page 90).

The default settings are:

COMPONENT VIDEO IN 1: DVD/LD

COMPONENT VIDEO IN 2: TV/SAT

S400

(AUDIO)

CAUTION:

In order to set up

the receiver use

MONITOR OUT 1 so

that you can see the

on-screen displays.

S video cables produce

clearer picture

reproduction by sending

separate signals for the

luminance and the color.

The video signal is

divided into the

luminance (Y) signal and

the color (PB and PR)

signals. In this way,

interference between

the signals is avoided.

S Video Component video

Composite Video

Composite video cords are the most common or standard video cord but also

the lowest quality. The color on the connector is yellow to distinguish it from

regular RCA audio cords which have white and red connectors (see page 20). It

is important to use a true composite video cord and not an audio cord (though

they look exactly the same) because the impedance is different and this will

affect the picture quality.

TV/monitor

Connecting Your Equipment

VSX-AX5i.book Page 16 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Connecting Your Equipment

PREPARATION

Connecting Video Components

Before making or changing the connections, switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from the AC

outlet.

Connect your video components as shown on this and the following page. For video components (for

example, a DVD player) there are two types of connections to make, video and audio. Hook up your video

signal with either component video, S video or composite video cords (the quality descends in this order) but

you must use the same type of cord as you used to hook up your TV.

For the audio signal, in order to use digital soundtracks like Dolby Digital or DTS you must hook up a digital

input, with either a coaxial or optical cord (see page 23). It is also a good idea to hook up your components

with analog audio connections as well.

If you want to record from your DVD player composite (or S video) cord connections and analog audio

connections are necessary.

Connecting a DVD player

Before making or changing the connections, switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from the AC

outlet.

Hook up your audio signal with either a coaxial or optical digital cords (you don't need to do both). If you hook

up your DVD/LD player using component video cable connections you might need to setup your DVD player

for component video output as well. See your DVD manual for details. If you have a DVD-Audio or Super

Audio CD (SACD) compatible player, see page 21. If you have i.LINK compatible components, see page 28.

You need to hook up your audio with analog connections as well.

*The arrows indicate the direction of the signal.

Memo:

• Be sure to make either a digital coaxial or digital optical connection (pictured in this diagram as DIGITAL

jack 3 or DIGITAL jack 2) but you don't need to make both.

• If your digital connections are different than the default settings (see page 23) you will need to assign the

digital jacks to the proper component(s).

S400

(AUDIO)

(not a PCM-only output)

DVD player

VSX-AX5i.book Page 17 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Connecting Your Equipment

Connecting VCRs or DVRs

Before making or changing the connections, switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from the AC

outlet.

Connect the video out of your VCR/DVR using either S video or composite video cords, depending on how you

connected the receiver to your TV (see page 16). Use analog audio cords for the audio signal. To record, you

also need to connect a set of audio/video outputs from the receiver to the audio/video inputs on your VCR/

DVR. Note that to record video from a source component, the video connection from the source to the

receiver and from the receiver to the recorder must be the same type.

Connecting a Video Component to the Front Panel

Connect a portable DVD player, video game console or any video component to the front panel as show here.

Front video connections are accessed via the front panel input selector as VIDEO. You cannot assign the

digital input on the front panel.

S400

(AUDIO)

(Single)

VCR/DVD recorder

VCR

Be careful! For portable DVD players you will need a

specialized optical cord (for the audio) that has a mini

optical plug on one end and a regular optical plug on

the other.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 18 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Connecting Your Equipment

PREPARATION

Connecting Satellite TV (SAT) Components

Before making or changing the connections, switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from the AC

outlet.

Hook up the video signal with either component video, S video, or composite video cords, depending on how

you connected the receiver to your TV (see page 16).

For the audio signal, in order to use digital soundtracks broadcast you must hook up a digital input. Use

either a coaxial or optical cable, it doesn't matter which (see page 23). We recommend hooking up your audio

with analog cables as well (see below).

*The arrows indicate the direction of the TV signal.

Memo:

• If your digital connections are different than the default settings (see page 23) you will need to assign the

digital jacks to the proper component(s).

S400

(AUDIO)

(Single)

Satellite tuner

VSX-AX5i.book Page 19 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Connecting Your Equipment

Connecting Analog Audio Components

Before making or changing the connections, switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from the AC

outlet.

Connect your audio components to the jacks as shown below. These are all analog connections and your

analog audio components (turntable, cassette deck) use these jacks. Remember that for components you

want to record with you need to hook up four plugs (a set of stereo ins and a set of stereo outs), but for

components that only play (like a turntable) you only need to hook up one set of stereo plugs (two plugs). If

you want to record to/from digital components (like a CD-R) to/from analog components you must hook up

your digital equipment with these analog connections.

*The arrows indicate the direction of the audio signal.

Memo:

• If you want to hook up any equipment other than a turntable to the PHONO/LINE jack please go to the

PHONO/LINE Setup (see page 95) and choose the LINE setting. If your turntable has a phono pre-amplifier

(most do not) please choose the LINE setting as well.

• Depending on where the cassette deck is placed, noise may occur during playback of your cassette deck

which is caused by leakage flux from the transformer in the receiver. If you experience noise, move the cas-

sette deck farther away from the receiver.

S400

(AUDIO)

(Single)

 Audio cords

Use (RCA) audio cords (not supplied) to

connect the audio components.

Connect red plugs to R

(right) and white plugs

to L (left).

Be sure to insert

completely.

If your turntable has a ground

wire, connect it to the signal

ground terminal ().

CD player

Cassette deck

CD recorder

Turntable

VSX-AX5i.book Page 20 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Connecting Your Equipment

PREPARATION

Connecting to the Multi Channel Analog Inputs (DVD-Audio or Super

Audio CD (SACD) compatible player)

Before making or changing the connections, switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from the AC

outlet.

If you have a DVD-Audio or Super Audio CD (SACD) compatible player, or are using an external Dolby Digital/

DTS decoder, connect it to the multichannel analog inputs as shown below.

Memo:

If you use only one surround back input, be sure to hook up to the SURROUND BACK L jack.

S400

(AUDIO)

(Single)

Components equipped with

5.1 (7.1) channel analog output jacks

VSX-AX5i.book Page 21 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Connecting Your Equipment

Connecting Digital Audio Components

Before making or changing the connections, switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from the AC

outlet.

Connect your digital components as shown below. The VSX-AX5i has two coaxial and two optical inputs for a

total of four digital inputs on the rear panel plus one digital input on the front panel. In order to use digital

soundtracks like Dolby Digital or DTS (among others) you need to make digital audio connections. You can do

this by either a coaxial or an optical connection (you don’t need to do both). The quality of these two types of

connections is the same but since some digital components only have one type of digital terminal, it is a

matter of matching like with like (for example, the coaxial out from the component to coaxial in on the

receiver).

Hook up your audio signal with either a coaxial or optical digital cords (you don't need to do both). If you hook

up your DVD/LD player using component video cable connections you might need to setup your DVD player

for component video output as well. See your DVD manual for details. If you have i.LINK compatible

components, see page 28.

There are two optical digital out jacks (the CD recorder is connected to one in the diagram below). If you

connect this to the optical input on a digital recorder (currently these include MD, DAT and CD-R) you can

make direct digital recordings with this unit.

We also recommend hooking up your digital components to analog audio jacks (see “Connecting Analog

Audio Components” on page 20) in order to make recordings (some digital sources may be protected against

making digital copies).

For information on USB Audio, see page 77.

*The arrows indicate the direction of the audio signal.

S400

(AUDIO)

(Single)

(not a PCM-only output)

Satellite tuner

CD recorder

DVD player

CD player

VSX-AX5i.book Page 22 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Connecting Your Equipment

PREPARATION

Digital Input Default Settings

Unlike analog connections, the jacks for digital connections are not dedicated to one type of component, they

can be used freely. Thus you must tell the receiver what digital component is connected to which jack so your

components will be in sync with the names on the remote control buttons and the like. To avoid having to

assign the digital inputs you can hook up your equipment in accordance with the receiver's default settings.

The default settings are:

DIGITAL IN 1 (optical): TV/SAT

DIGITAL IN 2 (optical): CD-R/TAPE1

DIGITAL IN 3 (coaxial): DVD/LD

DIGITAL IN 4 (coaxial): CD

See “Assigning the Digital Inputs” on page 89 if the way you hook up your equipment is different from the

default settings listed here.

 Coaxial cords/Optical cables

Commercially available digital audio coaxial

cords (standard video cords can also be used) or

optical cables (not supplied) are used to connect

digital components to this receiver.

Be sure to insert completely and in the case of

the optical cable, right-side up. If it is inserted

improperly it can break the shutter on the optical

terminal (this won't, however, affect the

connection or insertion of an optical cable).

Optical cable

Coaxial cord

(or standard [composite]

video cord)

VSX-AX5i.book Page 23 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Connecting Your Equipment

Connecting the Radio Antennas

Before making or changing the connections, switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from the AC

outlet.

Connect the supplied FM wire antenna and the AM loop antenna to the ANTENNA terminals as shown below.

These antennas should provide adequate reception quality in most cases, but connecting outdoor antennas

should noticeably improve sound quality.

Using outdoor antennas

S400

(AUDIO)

(Single)

 AM loop antenna

1 Assemble the antenna. 2 Twist exposed wire strands

together and insert. 3 Attach to a wall, etc. (if

desired) and face toward

the direction providing

the best reception.

AM loop

antenna

FM wire

antenna

5-6 m

 To improve AM reception

Connect a 5 – 6 meter length of vinyl-coated wire to the AM

LOOP ANTENNA terminal in addition to the supplied AM loop

antenna.

For best possible reception, suspend horizontally outdoors.

 To improve FM reception

Connect an external FM antenna.

PAL connector

Indoor antenna

(vinyl-coated wire)

AM loop antennaAM loop antennaAM loop antennaAM loop antenna

75Ω coaxial

cable

Outdoor antenna

VSX-AX5i.book Page 24 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Connecting Your Equipment

PREPARATION

Connecting Speakers

Before making or changing the connections, switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from the AC

outlet.

We recommend a full complement of seven speakers and a subwoofer as shown here but, naturally,

everyone's home setup will vary. Simply connect the speakers you have in the manner described below.

One of the latest features of home theater is the use of surround back speakers. These speakers add even

greater realism in movie sound effects and some new discs with soundtracks in Dolby Digital or DTS

incorporate these channels. See page 27 for speaker placement.

In general, make sure you connect the speaker on the right to the R terminal and the speaker on the left to the

L terminal. Also make sure the positive and negative (+/–) terminals on the receiver match those on the

speakers.

Memo:

•We recommend speakers with a nominal impedance rated 8 Ω - 16 Ω, but you can change the speaker

impedance setting of the receiver (see page 26).

• If you only have one surround back speaker hook it up to the left surround back terminal.

• If you are using a THX certified subwoofer use the THX INPUT jack on the subwoofer (if your subwoofer has one)

or switch the filter position to THX on your subwoofer.

S400

(AUDIO)

 Speaker terminals

1 Twist exposed wire

strands tightly together.

2 Loosen speaker terminal

and insert exposed wire.

3 Tighten

terminal.

Surround

speaker

(Left) Surround

speaker

(Right)

Surround back

speaker (Right)

urround back

speaker (Left)

Front

speaker

(Left)

Front

speaker

(Right)

Center

speaker

TV/monito

Powered

subwoofer

VSX-AX5i.book Page 25 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Connecting Your Equipment

Speaker impedance

You can change the speaker impedance for VSX-AX5i but we recommend using speakers with an impedance

of 8 Ω - 16 Ω (the default setting). If you are using 6 Ω - less than 8 Ω impedance speakers, you need to

change the impedance setting. Use any speaker rated between 6 Ω - 16 Ω .

First put the receiver in STANDBY mode, then

press the power button while holding down the

SPEAKERS button.

The receiver will reset to the new impedance setting.

With this method you can choose the 8 Ω - 16 Ω

setting or the 6 Ω - 8 Ω setting.

(This display indicates a 6Ω -

less than 8Ω impedance

setting.)

(This display indicates an 8Ω

- 16Ω impedance setting.)

VSX-AX5i.book Page 26 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Connecting Your Equipment

PREPARATION

Placing Your Speakers

Proper speaker placement is essential to realize the best sound from your system. It is very important for

speaker placement to read the instructions that come with your speakers so please be sure to do so.

Speaker placement

If you have a multiple speaker arrangement the placement of the speakers is extremely important. To achieve

the best possible surround sound, install your speakers as shown below. Make sure all speakers are installed

securely to prevent accidents and improve sound quality. Some speakers are designed to be floor-standing

but others benefit greatly from speaker stands which raise them off the floor. Be sure to read your speaker

manuals for the best placement of the speakers.

Power Connections (AC IN)

Plug in the power cord to a wall outlet after you have finished hooking up the rest of your equipment.

Power Connections (AC OUTLETS)

(European model only)

[SWITCHED TOTAL 100 W MAX]

Power supplied through this outlet is turned on and off by this unit’s STANDBY/ON button.

Total electrical power consumption of connected equipment should not exceed 100 W.

CAUTION:

When installing the center speaker on top of the TV, be sure to secure it with suitable means.

Memo:

• When installing speakers near the TV,

we recommend using magnetically

shielded speakers to prevent

distortion in the color of the TV screen.

If you do not have magnetically

shielded speakers and notice

discoloration of the TV screen, place

the speakers farther away from the TV.

• Install the center speaker above or

below the TV so that the sound of the

center channel is localized at the TV

screen.

• THX recommends that if you have two

surround back speakers you place

them close together.

Front Speaker

(L) Front Speaker

(R)

Surround

Speaker (L) Surround

Speaker (R)

Surround Back

Speaker (R)

Surround Back

Speaker (L)

Subwoofer

CAUTION!

• Do not connect appliances with high power consumption such as heaters, irons, or television sets to the AC

OUTLET in order to avoid overheating or fire risk. This can cause the receiver to malfunction.

• The equipment should be disconnected by removing the mains plug from the wall socket when not in regular

use, e.g. when on vacation.

CAUTION!

DO NOT CONNECT A MONITOR OR TV SET TO THIS UNIT’S AC OUTLET.

Center Speaker

CAUTION!

Do not use any other power cord than the one supplied with this unit.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 27 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using i.LINK Interface

What is i.LINK?

i.LINK is a trademark name for IEEE1394, a high-speed interface for digital audio, video and other data found

on personal computers, digital camcorders, and other kinds of audio and audio/visual equipment. A single

i.LINK connector can both send and receive data at the same time, so only one cable is required to connect

components for two-way communication.

This receiver is compatible with i.LINK Audio interface. With this interface you can enjoy digital audio from

SACD and DVD-A discs (if the player is compatible with these outputs), as well as digital audio from DVD-

Video, CD and Video CD discs.

When playing CD, SACD or DVD-A discs over an i.LINK connection, the digital audio is jitterless if the

connected player is compatible with PQLS (see page 6). See the operating instructions that came with your

i.LINK components for information on compatibility with these features.

Connecting i.LINK-equipped Components

If you have a component (such as a DVD player) with an i.LINK connector, you can connect it to the i.LINK

connectors on the rear of your receiver as shown below.

The i.LINK interface does not transmit video signals. So when you connect video components with i.LINK

cable, the video signal must be connected with other cables. Hook up the video signal with either component

video, S video, or composite video cords (see page 16) to available VIDEO IN terminals. If you’ve already

hooked up the video signal from the component, assign the i.LINK input to the input function to

which you’ve connected the video signals (see page 91).

The two i.LINK connectors on the rear of your receiver are 4-pin connectors. Use a 4-pin, S400 i.LINK cable to

connect i.LINK-equipped components.

Before making or changing connections, switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from

the AC outlet.

*The arrows indicate the direction of the video signal.

S400

(AUDIO)

(Single)

Video connection

i.LINK component

i.LINK

connection

Using i.LINK Interface

CAUTION:

If your i.LINK connector comes into

contact with metallic parts of the receiver

other than the intended connector an

electrical short may occur. Please take

care to connect it to the proper i.LINK

connector only.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 28 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using i.LINK Interface

PREPARATION

Memo:

• When properly connected, the i.LINK plug will snap

into the connector. If not connected properly the

receiver will not be able to recognize any connected

components.

• After connecting an i.LINK-equipped component to

the receiver, follow the instructions for both assigning

inputs on the receiver (see page 91) and output

settings on the component (see the manual that

came with the component).

• You can connect several i.LINK-equipped components

together in the same way. See Creating an i.LINK

Network below.

• There may be cases where the PQLS/ rate control

function and/or the i.LINK audio does not work

properly even when connected to an i.LINK-Audio-

compatible equipment.

• Do not connect/disconnect i.LINK cables or switch

on/off any components connected using i.LINK while

the receiver is on.

Creating an i.LINK Network

Using the i.LINK interface it is possible to chain up to 17 components together so that the digital audio and

control signals from each component is available to other components in the network. With the addition of an

i.LINK repeater, it’s possible to connect up to 63 components.

i.LINK connectors come in 4-pin and 6-pin configurations. This receiver uses a 4-pin connection, but the two

types can be mixed on a network.

This receiver is compatible with i.LINK Audio (also called “A & M Protocol”) components, such as DVD

players. It may not work properly if connected to i.LINK MPEG-II TS equipment (such as a digital satellite

tuner), i.LINK DV equipment (such as a DVD recorder or DV camcorder), or an i.LINK-equipped personal

computer. Check the operating instructions supplied with your other i.LINK components for capability

information.

Receivers need to be DTCP (Digital Transmission Content Protection) compliant to be able to play DVD-A,

DVD-Video, and SACD i.LINK audio. This receiver is DTCP compliant, so you can use them.

When setting up an i.LINK network, it’s important that the components form an open ended chain (fig. 1), or

a tree (fig. 2).

The system will not work if the connected components form a loop. If a loop is detected, the message LOOP

CONNECT shows in the display. Figs. 3 and 4 show connections that form a loop.

Another consideration when connecting i.LINK devices is the speed of the interface. At present there are

three speeds; S100 (slowest), S200 and S400 (fastest). This receiver uses the S400 type. Although you can use

components with different speeds together, we recommend connecting slower-speed components at the

edge of the network if possible (shown by the shaded boxes in figs. 1 and 2). This will keep the network free of

bottlenecks.

When used within an i.LINK network, this receiver must be on for the i.LINK connection to be maintained.

Other components in the network may or may not maintain the connection in standby (none will when the

power is completely off)—check the operating instructions supplied with individual components. Note that

the audio may be momentarily interrupted if a component in the i.LINK network is switched on/off, or its

i.LINK connection is switched on/off.

 i.LINK connectors

Use a 4-pin, S400 i.LINK cable, less than 3.5 m long,

to connect i.LINK-equipped components.

Be sure to insert the

i.LINK cable straight

into connector. When

properly aligned the

cable can be inserted

with little resistance.

Forcing the cable into

the connector will

damage the connector

pins.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 29 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Displays and Controls

Front Panel

All the controls on the front panel are explained and/or referenced here. To open the front panel push gently

on the lower third of the panel.

1 MULTI JOG dial

You can use this dial for many purposes. When

you press the SET UP button (14), you can use it

to perform SYSTEM SETUP operations; select a

function or a listening mode or do TUNER EDIT

functions (in TUNER mode).

2STANDBY/ON button

Press to switch the receiver ON or into STANDBY

mode.

3OFF ON button

Press to switch the receiver between OFF and

STANDBY mode or ON.

4 Listening mode buttons (page 47)

There are two types of SURROUND modes:

MOVIE: Press to put the receiver into MOVIE

mode (see page 48).

MUSIC: Press to put the receiver into MUSIC

mode (see page 49).

STEREO/DIRECT (see page 47): Switches the

receiver into STEREO mode if it was in a different

sound mode or toggles between DIRECT and

STEREO mode.

5 ENTER button

Use this button to enter information concerning

the SYSTEM SETUP, listening mode or the tuner.

6 STANDBY indicator

Lights when the receiver is in STANDBY mode.

7 Remote sensor

Receives the signals from the remote control.

multi-voltage

model

European model

Displays & Controls

Displays and Controls

VSX-AX5i.book Page 30 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Displays and Controls

PREPARATION

8 Display (see page 35)

9 MCACC indicator (see pages 13 and 51)

Lights when the ACOUSTIC CAL EQ is on. (After

the Auto Surround Sound Setup has been

completed the ACOUSTIC CAL EQ is set on and

this display will light.)

10 i.LINK indicator

Lights when an i.LINK -Audio-equipped

component is selected.

11 MULTI CH IN button

Use this button to select the component you

have hooked up to the MULTI CH IN terminals

(for example, a DVD-Audio player).

12 ACOUSTIC EQ button (see pages 51 and

100)

Press to switch on/off and select the type of

acoustic calibration EQ.

13 MASTER VOLUME dial

Use to raise or lower the volume of the receiver.

14 MULTI JOG CONTROL buttons

SET UP: Press to switch the SYSTEM SETUP

mode.

RETURN: Press to move back one step in the

SYSTEM SETUP process.

15 SIGNAL SELECT button (see page 46)

Press SIGNAL SELECT repeatedly to select one of

the following:

AUTO: If there are analog and digital signals

input, the receiver automatically selects the dig-

ital signal.

DIGITAL: To select an optical or coaxial digital

signal.

ANALOG: To select an analog signal.

16 HI-BIT HI-SAMPLING button

(see page 54)

Use this button to switch the AUDIO SCALER

mode on or off.

17 SB CH MODE button (see page 55)

Use this button to turn the surround back

channels ON/OFF/AUTO or switch the virtual

surround back mode between ON/OFF/AUTO.

18 Tuner control buttons (see page 58)

BAND: Press to select the AM or FM band.

CLASS: Press repeatedly to switch the preset

station classes.

SELECT: Switches the –/+ buttons between

station memory and frequency select modes.

–/+: Selects station memories or frequencies

when using the tuner.

TUNER EDIT: Press to memorize and name a

station for recall using the MULTI JOG and

ENTER buttons.

19 CHARACTER/SEARCH button

(see page 64)

Use to search for different program types in RDS

mode.

20 EON MODE button (see pages 65–66)

Use to search for different programs that are

transmitting traffic or news information.

21 PHONES jack

Connect headphones for private listening (no

sound will be heard through the speakers).

22 SPEAKERS (A/B) button (see page 76)

The use of this button depends on how the

SURRBACK SYSTEM (see page 39) is set. If

NORMAL SYSTEM is chosen this button toggles

between A and OFF. If SECOND ZONE is chosen

this button toggles between A, B, A+B and OFF.

If FRONT BI-AMP is chosen this button toggles

between A+B and OFF.

23 TONE CONTROL buttons (see page 53)

TONE button: This button switches between

TONE on and off, which bypasses the tone

circuitry.

BASS/TREBLE button: Use to select whether the

bass or treble will be adjusted.

–/+ buttons: Use to adjust the frequency levels.

24 SETUP MIC jack (see page 13)

Plug in the setup mic here. This is very important

in order to set up your system and get proper

surround sound.

25 VIDEO INPUT jacks (see page 18)

DIGITAL IN: Digital input for connecting a game

console, DVD player or video camera (etc.), that

has an optical digital connection.

S-VIDEO: Video input for connecting a portable

DVD player or video camera (etc.), that has an S

video out.

VIDEO / AUDIO (L/R): Video input for

connecting a portable DVD player or video

camera (etc.), that has standard video/audio

outputs.

26 MIDNIGHT button (see page 52)

Switches the MIDNIGHT listening mode on or off.

27 LOUDNESS button (see page 52)

Switches the LOUDNESS mode on or off.

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Displays and Controls

Remote Control

This page describes the buttons on the remote control used to operate the receiver.

1 Remote Control Display Screen

2 SOURCE  button

Use this button to turn on/off other components.

You must input the preset code in order to use

this function (see page 67).

TV  button

This is a dedicated TV button. Use it to turn on/

off your TV.

3 MULTI CONTROL buttons

These buttons are the basic controls that switch

the mode of the receiver and the remote control,

which allows you to control your other

components.

TV CONT: Press so that the remote control can

operate the TV control commands.

4 Number buttons

These can be used for many purposes depending

on the mode of the remote control.

When in receiver mode the buttons operate as

below:

DIMMER button (see page 57)

Use to adjust the brightness of the receiver's

display.

LOUDNESS button (see page 52)

Switches the LOUDNESS mode on or off.

TONE button (see page 53)

This button switches between TONE on and off,

which bypasses the tone circuitry.

BASS/TREBLE buttons (see page 53)

Use to select whether the bass or treble will be

adjusted.

(+/–) buttons

Use to adjust the TONE level, effect level,

channel level and sound delay as well as make

Dolby Pro Logic II MUSIC parameter settings.

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Displays and Controls

PREPARATION

EFFECT/CH SEL button

Switches between the different channels so you

can add volume individually to each channel with

the + and – buttons. Also selects EFFECT mode,

Dolby Pro Logic II MUSIC parameters (see

page 50) and sound delay settings (see page 53).

You can then use the + and – buttons to make

these adjustments.

SIGNAL SEL button (see page 46)

Press repeatedly to select one of the following:

AUTO: If there are analog and digital signals

input, the receiver automatically selects the dig-

ital signal.

DIGITAL: To select an optical or coaxial digital

signal.

ANALOG: To select an analog signal.

DNR (DIGITAL NR) button (see page 51)

Switches the DIGITAL NR on or off.

VIDEO SEL button (see page 57)

Use to toggle between the different video input

possibilities.

HI-BIT button (see page 54)

Use this button to switch the AUDIO SCALER on

or off.

5 SYSTEM SETUP button

Use for all system setups, including the speaker

and sound systems. For more information see

“Setting Up for Surround Sound” starting on

page 38. For a DVD player use this button to

bring up the DVD menu and for a tuner use this

button in the same way as the TUNER EDIT

button.

6////ENTER buttons

These buttons can be used for a variety of

operations in the SYSTEM SETUP menu.

These buttons are used to control the menus for

other components when in those modes (DVD,

digital TV tuner, satellite tuner, cable tuner, etc.).

In TUNER mode, they can select a station and/or

a frequency.

7 AUDIO button

Use to switch the audio tracks of a DVD when in

DVD mode.

8 Command button for other components

(see page 71)

Use these buttons to control other components

you selected with the MULTI CONTROL buttons.

You must input the preset code in order use this

function (see page 67).

9 TV CONTROL buttons

The following buttons are used to control the TV

only and can be used once they are preset to

control your TV.

TV INPUT: Press to select the input source for

the TV.

TV CH +/– : Use these buttons to change the

channel of the TV.

TV VOL +/– : Press to control the volume of the

TV.

10 Listening mode buttons (see page 47)

SURROUND buttons (MOVIE, MUSIC, &

ENTER):

MOVIE: Press to put the receiver into MOVIE

listening mode (see page 48).

MUSIC: Press to put the receiver into MUSIC

listening mode (see page 49).

: Use to select the MOVIE or MUSIC

listening mode.

ENTER: Use this button to enter information

concerning the listening modes.

STEREO/DIRECT (see page 47): Switches the

receiver into STEREO mode if it was in a different

sound mode or toggles between DIRECT and

STEREO mode.

11 SB CH MODE button (see page 55)

Use this button to turn the surround back

channels ON/OFF/AUTO or switch the virtual

surround back mode between ON/OFF/AUTO.

12 SYSTEM OFF button (see page 82)

This button turns off components in two ways.

First, when pressed it will turn off all PIONEER

components. Secondly, any component that has

programmed into the SYSTEM OFF settings will

be turned off.

13  RECEIVER (STANDBY/ON) button

Press to turn power of the receiver on or to

standby (off).

14 MULTI OPERATION button

Use this button to start the multi operation

mode. See page 80 for how to program and use

the multi operation mode.

15 RECEIVER button

Use this button to switch the remote control into

receiver mode in order to get certain receiver

functions or do receiver setups.

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Displays and Controls

16 TOP MENU/GUIDE button

Use to find stations or menus on a digital TV

tuner. For a DVD player use this button to bring

up the DVD menu.

17 RETURN button

When you are in a receiver setup operation this

button will go back one step in the SYSTEM

SETUP procedure. When you are using your DVD

menu screen this button acts the same as the

DVD player's "Return" button. When you are

using cable tuners, satellite tuners or digital TV

tuners this button will either exit you from the

menu screen or act like a "Return" button above,

depending on the maker of the unit.

18 INPUT button

Press to select an input source. The button will

cycle through all the possible sources including

USB, PHONO and i.LINK components.

19 VOLUME (+/–) buttons

Use to raise or lower the volume of the receiver.

20 MIDNIGHT button (see page 52)

Switches the MIDNIGHT listening mode on or off.

21 MUTE button

Press to mute or restore the volume.

22 MULTI CH INPUT button (see page 54)

Use this button to select the component you

have hooked up to the MULTI CH IN terminals

(for example, a DVD-Audio player).

23 ACOUSTIC CAL button (see page 100)

Press to switch on/off and select the type of

acoustic calibration EQ.

24 REMOTE SETUP button

Use to customize the remote control functions

and the remote control itself. (See “Setting Up

the Remote Control to Control Other

Components” starting on page 67).

VSX-AX5i.book Page 34 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Displays and Controls

PREPARATION

Display

All the display information is explained and/or referenced here.

1 SIGNAL indicators

Light to indicate the input signal you selected.

AUTO: Lights when the receiver is set to select

the input signal automatically.

DIGITAL: Lights when digital audio signals are

selected.

ANALOG: Lights when analog signals are

selected.

2 Digital format indicators

PRO LOGIC II: Lights during Dolby Pro Logic II

processing.

NEO:6: Lights during NEO:6 processing.

2 DIGITAL: Lights when a Dolby Digital signal

is detected.

DTS: Lights when a DTS signal is detected.

ES: Lights when playing back a DTS ES signal.

EX: Lights when playing back a Dolby Digital EX

signal.

STEREO: Lights during two-channel playback.

3 LOUDNESS indicator

Lights when LOUDNESS is on.

4 MIDNIGHT indicator

Lights when MIDNIGHT is on.

5 TONE indicator

Lights when the TONE control is on.

6 DNR indicator

Lights when DIGITAL NR is on.

7 TUNER indicators

STEREO: Lights when an FM stereo broadcast is

received in the auto stereo mode.

MONO: Lights when the tuner is set to receive

FM broadcasts and when MPX mode is selected.

TUNED: Lights when a broadcast is received.

RF ATT (European model only): Lights when the

RF ATT is on (see page 58).

RDS (European model only): Lights when an RDS

broadcast is received.

EON (European model only): EON lights when

it has been set. The dot indicator next to it lights

when the station you are currently tuned to

carries the EON data service.

8 Volume level indicator

9 Hi-BIT/SAMPLING indicator

Lights when the AUDIO SCALER mode is on.

10 DSP indicators

MOVIE: Lights when a MOVIE mode is selected.

When a DSP MOVIE mode is selected DSP will

light with a box around it.

MUSIC: Lights when a MUSIC mode is selected.

When a DSP MUSIC mode is selected DSP will

light with a box around it.

11 Speaker indicators (see page 76)

Lights to indicate the current speaker system, A

and/or B.

12 Program Format indicators

For Dolby Digital or DTS sources: These

indicators change according to which channels

are active in the source. When all three LS (left

surround), S (surround) and RS (right surround)

light at the same time it means a source with a

6.1 channel playback flag is being used.

L – Left front channel.

C – Center channel.

R – Right front channel.

LS – Left surround channel.

S – Surround channel or Surround back channel.

RS – Right surround channel.

LFE – Low Frequency Effects channel.

– Lights when LFE signal is input.

13 SB CH indicators (see page 55)

Light to indicate the status of the surround back

channels.

AUTO – Lights when the SB CH MODE or virtual

surround back mode is set to AUTO.

ON – Lights when the SB CH MODE or virtual

surround back mode is set to ON.

OFF – Lights when the SB CH MODE or virtual

surround back mode is set to OFF.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 35 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Displays and Controls

Back Panel

All the terminals on the back panel are explained and/or referenced here.

1 (AUDIO) - i.LINK connectors

4-pin, S400 i.LINK connectors for connection to

i.LINK-equipped players and other components.

Each i.LINK connector acts simultaneously as

both input and output (see page 28).

2 CONTROL IN/OUT terminals

(see page 79)

You can use these jacks to hook up other

PIONEER equipment, that has a CONTROL

terminal, so that you can control them all by

pointing the remote control(s) at one remote

sensor.

3 Radio antenna terminals (see page 24)

Hook up antennas for the radio tuner built into

the receiver here.

4 DIGITAL IN terminals (see page 22)

Use these terminals to input the signal from a

DVD, CD player or any other kind of digital player.

To be able to play Dolby Digital and other

surround soundtracks you need to make digital

connections. To do this use the digital terminals

here. If you don't connect as per the default

settings (see page 23) you need to complete

“Assigning the Digital Inputs” on page 89.

5 MONITOR OUT 1 & 2 terminals (connect

a TV or monitor here, see page 16)

Use either of these terminals to output the video

signal to your TV(s), video projector(s) or

monitor(s). The on-screen displays to setup the

receiver will only be output through MONITOR

OUT 1.

6 DIGITAL OUT terminals (see page 22)

Use these terminals to output a digital signal to a

DVD-R, CD-R, MD recorder or any other kind of

digital recorder.

7 PRE OUT analog terminals (connect an

amplifier here, see page 78)

Use these terminals to output the audio signal

from this amplifier to a different amplifier if that's

how you choose to set up your system.

S400

(AUDIO)

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Displays and Controls

PREPARATION

S400

(AUDIO)

(Single)

8 COMPONENT VIDEO MONITOR OUT ter-

minals

Use these terminals to output the video signal

from the COMPONENT VIDEO IN terminals to

your TV. See page 16 for more information.

9 SPEAKERS terminals (see page 25)

Use these terminals to connect speakers to the

receiver. The FRONT, CENTER and SURROUND

terminals are for the main speaker system and

the SURROUND BACK speakers can be set to

either the main system, the SECOND ZONE, or

the FRONT BI-AMP. See page 39 to set the

SURROUND BACK speakers.

10 TWO VOLTAGE SELECTORS switches

(multi-voltage model only)

Use to match the voltage coming into the

receiver with the voltage in your country or

region (see page 3).

11 AC IN

Hook up the power cord to this terminal.

12 AC OUTLET (European model only)

(switched, 100 W max)

Hook up an external component to the power

supply of this receiver. Only do this with audio or

video components being used in this system

and never hook up heavy equipment (like TVs,

heaters, air conditioners, refrigerators, etc.) to

this receiver.

13 USB AUDIO terminal

Use this terminal to connect a PC to this receiver

(see page 77).

14 Audio input/output terminals (connect

analog components here, see page 20)

Use these terminals to input/output the audio

signal from analog components (like a cassette

deck or turntable). These are analog jacks.

15 Video components input/output termi-

nals

Input/output signals from your video

components (DVD, VCR, TV tuners, SAT tuners,

etc.) here. (see page 17).

16 MULTI CH IN terminals (see page 21)

Use these terminals to input a multichannel

surround signal (for example, a DVD-Audio

signal) in an analog fashion. These are analog

jacks.

17 COMPONENT VIDEO IN terminals

Use these terminals to hook up the video

connections of your video components with this

high quality method. Your components will have

to have the terminals as well to take advantage of

this kind of connection. If you don't connect as

per the default settings (see page 16) you need to

complete “Assigning the Component Video

Inputs” on page 90.

(multi-voltage

model only) (European

model only)

VSX-AX5i.book Page 37 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Setting Up for Surround Sound

To ensure the best possible surround sound, complete the following setup operations. Some of these are the same

(and take precedence over) the settings you made in the Easy Setup Guide, so consider if the ones you made at that

time were adequate. If you feel they were, move on to the next setting in this section.

These setup operations use on-screen displays (OSDs) on your TV to display the settings and choices so be sure

your TV and receiver are properly hooked up and that your TV is set to this receiver. You need to connect the setup

mic to the front panel of the receiver so that it can measure the sound and ensure the proper settings. For more

information on the mic hookup see page 13.

1 Turn on the receiver and your TV.

Press the RECEIVER button on the

remote control.

Make sure your TV is connected and set to the video input

the receiver is using.

2 Press the SYSTEM SETUP button.

The menu possibilities appear on your TV.

3 SURROUND SETUP should be

selected. If it isn’t use the  buttons

to select it. Press the ENTER button.

4 Use the  buttons to navigate

through the menus. When you have

the setting you want in a particular

menu, press ENTER.

In each mode, the current settings are displayed. We sug-

gest you do a basic system setup for surround sound

when you first hook up the receiver. That gets it out of the

way and you won't need to do it again unless you change

your home set up (by adding new speakers, etc.). To do a

basic setup use the SURRBACK menu if necessary and

then choose either the AUTO SETTING or NORMAL setup

procedure and complete that. You don’t need to do both

as they accomplish the same ends. We recommend the

AUTO SETTING method.

To do a more advanced setup for surround sound see

EXPERT setup starting on page 96.

SURRBACK SYSTEM (page 39)

Use to choose options for your surround back speakers.

AUTO SETTING (page 13)

See the Easy Setup Guide Part 2 for an explanation of this

setup.

NORMAL (page 40)

Use this method to manually adjust all the surround

sound functions.

EXPERT (page 96)

Use these settings to fine tune your surround sound and

make it more personalized.

3-4 2

Displays & Controls

Setting Up for Surround Sound

VSX-AX5i.book Page 38 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Setting Up for Surround Sound

SURROUND SETUP

Surround Back System

This setup selects how your surround back system will be used. If you want to use it for surround back speakers in

your main speaker system choose NORMAL SYSTEM. In this case you won’t have any B (or secondary) speaker

system as these speakers fill that role also for the VSX-AX5i. If starting fresh, complete steps 1-3 on page 38.

1 SURRBACK SYSTEM should be

selected. If it isn’t use the  buttons

to select it. Press the ENTER button.

The setup possibilities appear on your TV.

2Use the  buttons to select the

surround back system setting. Press

the ENTER button.

Choose from:

NORMAL SYSTEM: if you want to use these speaker

terminals for your surround back speakers in your

main speaker system (referred to as the A speaker

system).

SECOND ZONE: if you want to use the these speaker

terminals for an independent speaker system (referred

to as speaker system B)

FRONT BI-AMP: Choose this setting if you want to

deliver more power to your front speakers. This setting

will use your surround back speaker terminals so you

will only be able to get 5.1 channel playback. Also, you

will have to bi-wire your speakers to do this (see

page 75).

3 EXIT should be selected. Press the

ENTER button.

You will return to the SURROUND SETUP menu

display. Next, proceed to either AUTO SETTING

(page 13) or NORMAL (page 40).

If you want to change a setting before proceeding

start over from step 1.

1-3

VSX-AX5i.book Page 39 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Setting Up for Surround Sound

NORMAL Setup

This is the manual method to setup your sound parameters for surround sound. You don’t need to do this, however,

if you did the AUTO SURROUND SETUP method on page 13. If you feel the settings in the AUTO SURROUND

SETUP do not suit your personal tastes, the settings you input here will override them and allow you to adjust the

parameters manually.

You only need to do these settings once (unless you change the placement of your current speaker system or add

new speakers, etc.). If starting fresh, complete steps 1–3 on page 38.

1 Use the  buttons to select NOR-

MAL. Press the ENTER button.

The setup possibilities appear on your TV.

2 Use the  buttons to navigate

through the NORMAL setup menus.

When you have the setting you want

in a particular menu, press ENTER.

In each mode, the current settings are displayed. We sug-

gest you adjust all these settings when you first hook up

the receiver. That gets them out of the way and you won't

need to return to this setting mode unless you change

your home set up by adding new speakers (etc.).

SPEAKER SETTING (page 41)

Use to specify the type and number of speakers you con-

nected.

CHANNEL LEVEL (page 43)

Use to balance the volumes of your different speakers.

This is also necessary for the most realistic surround

sound.

SPEAKER DISTANCE (page 44)

Use to select the distance settings for each set of speak-

ers. You must add distance settings to all your speakers

for the most realistic surround sound. Adding a slight

delay to some speakers enhances sound separation and

is particularly important for achieving a surround sound

effect. You need to figure out the distance from your lis-

tening position to your speakers to add the proper delay.

See the next four pages for more information on these

settings.

1-2

VSX-AX5i.book Page 40 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Setting Up for Surround Sound

SURROUND SETUP

Speaker Setting

The information below shows you how to select the correct settings for the type and number of speakers you

connected. Most importantly, you need to decide how to route the sound for all the speakers you connected. To do

this select the size of the front, center, surround and surround back speakers (if you hooked them up). It is important

to make these settings as accurately as possible or, in some cases, you may not get the full soundtrack from a disc.

Use the information below to complete the steps that follow and set up the receiver to match the speakers you have

hooked up.

Complete steps 1–2 on page 40 to start.

FRONT (default setting is SMALL)

Select SMALL to send bass frequencies to the subwoofer. Select LARGE if your speakers will reproduce bass fre-

quencies effectively or if you did not connect a subwoofer. (If you select SMALL for the front speakers the subwoofer

will automatically be switched YES. Also, the center and surround speakers cannot be set to LARGE if the front

speakers are set to SMALL. In this case, all bass frequencies are sent to the subwoofer.)

CENTER (default setting is SMALL)

• Select LARGE if your speaker will reproduce bass frequencies effectively.

• Select SMALL to send bass frequencies to the other speakers or subwoofer.

• If you did not connect a center speaker, choose NO. In this case, the center channel is output from the front

speakers.

SURROUND (default setting is SMALL)

• Select LARGE if your speakers will reproduce bass frequencies effectively.

• Select SMALL to send bass frequencies to the other speakers or subwoofer.

• If you did not connect surround speakers choose NO. In this case, the sound of the surround channels is output

from the front and center speakers.

• If the front speakers are set to SMALL, the surround speakers will automatically be set to SMALL.

SURRBACK (default setting is SMALL X2)

If you chose SECOND ZONE or FRONT BI-AMP in SURRBACK SYSTEM on page 39, or if you chose NO for

SURROUND, you won’t be able to choose this setting.

• Select the number of surround back speakers you have. You can choose one speaker, two, or none.

• If you select one speaker, make sure to hook it up to the SURROUND BACK L terminal.

• Select LARGE if your speakers will reproduce bass frequencies effectively.

• Select SMALL to send bass frequencies to the other speakers or subwoofer.

• If you did not connect surround back speakers choose NO.

• If the front speakers or the surround speakers are set to SMALL, the surround back speakers will automatically be

set to SMALL.

SUBWOOFER (default setting is YES)

• Leave it selected if you connected a subwoofer.

• If you selected SMALL for the front speakers the subwoofer will automatically be set to on (you won’t be able to

choose NO or PLUS).

• If you did not connect a subwoofer choose NO. In this case, the bass frequencies are output from the front or sur-

round speakers.

• Choose the PLUS setting if you want stronger reproduction of deep bass sounds.

• If you select PLUS the bass frequencies that would normally come out the front and center speakers are all

routed to the subwoofer.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 41 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Setting Up for Surround Sound

1 SPEAKER SETTING should be selected.

If it isn’t use the  buttons to select

it. Press the ENTER button.

The setup possibilities appear on your TV.

2 With the  buttons choose the

speakers that you want to set. Press

the ENTER button.

The setup possibilities appear on your TV.

3 Use the  buttons to choose the

number (YES or NO, X1 or X2) and the

size (LARGE or SMALL) for each set of

speakers. Press ENTER.

PLUS is also a possibility for the SUBWOOFER.

4 Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all speakers

channels.

5 Use the  buttons to select EXIT

and press ENTER.

Next, proceed to CHANNEL LEVEL below.

If you want to change a setting before proceeding

start over from step 1.

Memo:

If you have a subwoofer and like lots of bass, it may seem

logical to select LARGE for your front speakers and leave the

subwoofer selected. This may not, however, yield the best

bass results. Depending on the size and shape of your room

you may actually experience a decrease in the amount of

bass due to what is called low frequency cancellations. If you

have a subwoofer, listen to the bass response with the front

speakers set to LARGE and SMALL alternately and let your

ears judge which sounds best.

The safest option is to route all the bass sounds to the

subwoofer by selecting SMALL for the front speakers.

1-5

VSX-AX5i.book Page 42 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Setting Up for Surround Sound

SURROUND SETUP

Channel Level

The following steps show you how to balance the sound output level of your speakers. Proper speaker balance is

essential for obtaining high quality surround sound. If continuing from SPEAKER SETTING go to step 1. If starting

fresh, complete steps 1–2 on page 40.

1 CHANNEL LEVEL should be selected. If it

isn’t use the  buttons to select and

press ENTER.

2 There are two ways to set the

CHANNEL LEVEL: MANUAL or AUTO.

Select a setting mode with the 

buttons and press ENTER.

Test tones will be output.

WARNING: Be prepared! The test tones are output at a

high volume level.

MASTER VOLUME rotates to the reference position (0 dB)

and the display on the receiver flashes TEST TONE. After a

few seconds the test tone is output.

MANUAL: move the test tone manually and adjust the chan-

nel level.

AUTO

the test tone moves by itself and you adjust the levels.

3 Adjust the speaker level with the

instructions below for the method you

chose.

Adjust the channel level from –10 dB to +10 dB in 0.5 dB

increments.

The default setting is 0 dB.

In MANUAL (manual test tone) mode

To switch the test tone between each speaker use the 

buttons and push ENTER. Adjust the level of each speaker

using the  buttons and ENTER. When done go to step 4.

In AUTO (automatic test tone) mode

This mode switches the test tone between each speaker

automatically. The test tone output cycles through the speak-

ers in the following order:

Adjust the level of each speaker using the  buttons as the

test tone is emitted and wait for it to move to the next

speaker. When done go to step 5.

If you want to change a setting before proceeding you

need to complete the procedure and start over from step 1.

4 When you have the levels you want

press ENTER. EXIT should be selected (if

it isn’t select it with the  buttons).

5 Press ENTER.

Next, proceed to SPEAKER DISTANCE next page.

1-5

in AUTO setting

in MANUAL setting

Memo:

• If your subwoofer has a volume control, set it

to the middle position before doing these

operations.

• 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 75dB SPL (C-weighting/

slow reading).

• The volume of the subwoofer test tone tends

to sound lower than it actually is. You may

need to adjust the level after testing your

system with an actual soundtrack.

• You can also set the channel level manually

at any time by pressing RECEIVER then

EFFECT/CH SEL on the remote control. Use

the (+/–) buttons directly below the EFFECT/

CH SEL button to adjust the level.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 43 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Setting Up for Surround Sound

Speaker Distance

Adding a slight delay to some speakers is necessary to achieve proper sound depth, separation as well as an

effective surround sound effect. You need to figure out the distance from your listening position to your speakers to

add the proper delay. The following steps show you how to set the delay time for each channel by specifying the

distances from your listening position to each speaker. Once you specify the speaker distances (or it is done

automatically in the Easy Setup Guide), the receiver calculates the correct delay times automatically. If continuing

from CHANNEL LEVEL go to step 1. If starting fresh, complete steps 1–2 on page 40.

1 The SPEAKER DISTANCE should be

selected. If it isn’t use the  buttons

to select it. Press the ENTER button.

The setup possibilities appear on your TV.

2 Select each speaker channel with the

 buttons and press ENTER.

3 Use the  buttons to add or

subtract the distance in feet that the

speaker is from your normal listening

position. Press the ENTER button.

Adjust the speaker distance in 0.1 m increments from 0.1

to 9.0 m.

The default setting is 2.0 m.

4 Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all speaker

channels.

5 Use the  buttons to select EXIT

and press ENTER.

If you want to change a setting before proceeding

start over from step 1.

6 Press the SYSTEM SETUP button to

leave the SYSTEM SETUP mode.

1-5 6

VSX-AX5i.book Page 44 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Basic Operation

BASIC

Stereo and Multichannel Playback

The following instructions show you how to play sound sources with the VSX-AX5i.

Before doing so be sure to complete the setup procedures described in the “Easy Setup Guide Part 2” (starting on

page 13) or “Setting Up for Surround Sound” (starting on page 38). This is particularly important to achieve a

surround sound effect with Dolby Digital or DTS sources.

1 Turn on the power of the playback

component.

2 Press the OFFON button to put

the receiver in ON mode. Press the

STANDBY/ON button to turn on the

receiver.

Be sure that the STANDBY indicator

turns off on the front panel.

3 Press the MULTI CONTROL (or INPUT)

on the remote control to select the

source you want to playback.

Choose the type of signal input with the SIGNAL SELECT

button.

See the next page for more details, if necessary.

4 Choose a LISTENING MODE one of

two ways.

For SURROUND modes: press MOVIE or MUSIC, use the

buttons to select the mode you want and press

ENTER.

For STEREO/DIRECT: press the button for that mode.

On the front panel, use the MOVIE or MUSIC buttons and

the MULTI JOG dial. Press the button of the mode type

you want and then use the dial to cycle through the possi-

bilities. Press ENTER.

See “MOVIE modes” (page 48) or “MUSIC modes” (page

49) for details on which modes are available and in which

situations they are designed to be used.

When playing DVD-A, SACD or source signals greater

than 88.2kHz over a digital connection (including i.LINK),

MOVIE/MUSIC modes cannot be selected.

5 Start playback of the component you

selected in step 3.

6 Adjust the volume by using the

VOLUME buttons on the remote

control. On the front panel use the

MASTER VOLUME dial.

Displays & Controls

Basic Operation

SURROUND SETUP

STANDBY

indicator

VSX-AX5i.book Page 45 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Basic Operation

Selecting the Input Signal

This button selects the type of input signal, AUTO, ANALOG or DIGITAL, sent to the receiver. You need to take special

care to switch to the appropriate input when necessary. For example, the switch would have to be on DIGITAL to

hear digital sources like Dolby Digital or DTS but it would have to be on analog to record from the ANALOG out jacks

on the receiver. The default setting is AUTO which will select from either i.LINK, DIGITAL or then ANALOG, in that

order, depending on what inputs are available.

1 Press the MULTI CONTROL (or INPUT)

on the remote to select a source com-

ponent.

2 Press RECEIVER.

3 Press the SIGNAL SELECT button to

select the input signal corresponding

to the format of the source

component.

Each press switches the signal in the order below:

SIGNAL SELECT is fixed to AUTO for unassigned i.LINK-

equipped components. Also, when you assign i.LINK-

equipped components to AUTO, the i.LINK signal will be

selected (see page 91).

Memo:

• When DIGITAL signal is selected, 2DIGITAL lights when a Dolby Digital signal is input; DTS lights when a DTS

signal is input.

• If no digital inputs are assigned (see page 89) you can only choose ANALOG in the SIGNAL SELECT.

• Because the audio signal from a karaoke microphone and LDs are recorded with analog audio only, they are not

output from the digital outputs. Set SIGNAL SELECT to ANALOG to listen to these formats.

• When an LD with DTS is played back with the SIGNAL SELECT set in ANALOG, digital noise caused by playing

back the DTS signal directly (with no decoding) is output. To prevent noise, you need to make digital connections

(See pages 22 and 23) and set SIGNAL SELECT to AUTO or DIGITAL.

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

DVD player.

• When using DIGITAL IN terminals the following digital signal formats are supported: Dolby Digital, DTS and PCM

(32, 44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96 kHz sampling frequencies). When using i.LINK connectors the following digital formats

are supported: DVD-A (including 192 kHz), SACD and those supported when using DIGITAL IN terminals. If your

source is not one of these supported types, select ANALOG for playback.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 46 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Basic Operation

BASIC

Listening Modes

The three listening mode types on the receiver are explained here (to select listening modes see page 45). The kind

of playback you can get in the three modes depends on what kind of a source (DVD, etc.) you are using. The basic

distinction is between 2 channel sources and multichannel sources. The MOVIE and MUSIC modes that are

available to you will also differ according to your source and which SB CH MODE you choose. This is explained

below as well.

For home theater the MOVIE and MUSIC listening modes are designed to deliver realistic and powerful

multichannel surround sound that recreates the movie theater or concert experience. The first four MOVIE modes

(THX CINEMA, 2PRO LOGIC II (MOVIE), 2PRO LOGIC, NEO:6 CINEMA) and first two MUSIC modes (2PRO

LOGIC II MUSIC, NEO:6 MUSIC) incorporate pure decoding of the signal. That is they present it as it was recorded in

the sound studio. The other modes are DSP modes. They add some type of effect to the signal. You may need to

experiment with these modes to see which suit your home system and personal tastes.

The MUSIC and STEREO modes are designed to be used with music sources but some MUSIC modes are also

suitable for film soundtracks. Again, try different modes with various soundtracks to see which you like but you

must choose one of the MOVIE and MUSIC listening modes in order to get surround sound.

Depending on your setup, in STEREO mode only the front two speakers, and sometimes the subwoofer (if you have

one), are used.

Stereo modes

When a source is played in this mode, it plays 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.

STEREO

In STEREO mode the audio plays according to the surround setup settings and you can still use ACOUSTIC CAL

EQ, DIGITAL NR, MIDNIGHT, LOUDNESS, AUDIO SCALER mode, and TONE Control functions.

DIRECT

In DIRECT mode, the audio bypasses all types of signal processing to remain as close to the source audio quality

as possible.

Memo:

If you switch on ACOUSTIC CAL EQ, DIGITAL NR, MIDNIGHT, LOUDNESS, AUDIO SCALER mode, and TONE Con-

trol when DIRECT is selected, the receiver automatically switches to STEREO.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 47 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Basic Operation

MOVIE modes (SURROUND mode)

The MOVIE mode is a newly designed system for enhancing movie soundtracks and other audio-visual sources that

optimizes its effects in accordance with your source, SB CH MODE and speaker configuration. The first four modes

are for pure decoding of multichannel sound sources. With these modes the receiver will automatically employ the

format of the sound source (for example, Dolby Digital or DTS). With two channel sources these first four modes will

create surround channels. Next, there are six PIONEER original sound modes that use DSP (Digital Signal

Processing) to create different types of sound environments as described below.

THX CINEMA

THX is a set of technical standards created by Lucasfilm Ltd. These standards were designed to emulate a film

sound stage and thus reproduce, with the greatest possible accuracy, the soundtrack intended by the

filmmakers.

2PL II MOVIE (2PRO LOGIC II MOVIE)*

This mode gives 5.1 channel surround sound. It is suitable for movies, especially those recorded in Dolby

Surround. The channel separation and movement of surround effects is comparable to Dolby Digital 5.1. With

sources other than stereo (5.1, etc.) the display will automatically show the type of decoding being employed

(Dolby Digital, DTS-ES, etc.).

2PRO LOGIC*

This mode gives 4.1 channel surround sound. It is less sensitive to the quality of the source material, so may be

useful when 2PRO LOGIC II MOVIE or 2PRO LOGIC II MUSIC modes do not give good results. With sources

other than stereo (5.1, etc.) the display will automatically show the type of decoding being employed (Dolby

Digital, DTS-ES, etc.).

NEO:6 CINEMA*

This mode gives 6.1 channel surround sound and is suitable for movies. The NEO:6 CINEMA mode delivers good

channel separation for movie soundtracks. With sources other than stereo (5.1, etc.) the display will

automatically show the type of decoding being employed (Dolby Digital, DTS-ES, etc.).

ACTION

This mode is designed for action movies, which generally use lots of sound effects. The mode enriches the sound

to make it more realistic and extends the parameters to pick up high and low sound effects.

SCI-FI

This mode is designed for science fiction movies. It creates a broad sound space, separating dialog from sound

effects to heighten the overall impact of the soundtrack.

DRAMA

This mode is designed for movies with a lot of dialog. The elements of dialog are enhanced, making the

characters seem more real. The mode also compresses the dynamic range somewhat so loud sounds do not

overpower softer ones (compare this with the MIDNIGHT listening mode explained on page 52).

MUSICAL

This mode is primarily for music and adds a spacious feeling to the sound. A long delay time of reflected sounds

provides resonant tones which emulate a concert hall.

MONOFILM

This mode is designed for older movies which are recorded with mono soundtracks. The special sound

processing of this mode will allow you to experience these movies in surround sound even though they were not

recorded that way originally.

5/7-D THEATER

This mode is especially designed to give sound depth to stereo sources. The overall effect builds a dynamic and

broad sound space, allowing two-channel (stereo) signals to faithfully imitate a five speaker sound. The mode

should be used in conjunction with Dolby Pro Logic for sources bearing the 3 mark. The display will

show either 5-D THEATER or 7-D THEATER according to the source, SB CH MODE and speaker configuration.

* When you input a multichannel signal the decoding is done automatically so you cannot choose these

modes.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 48 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Basic Operation

BASIC

MUSIC modes (SURROUND mode)

The MUSIC modes allow you to transform your living room into a variety of different sonic environments when

playing either two-channel or multichannel sources. It optimizes its effects in accordance with your source, SB CH

MODE and speaker configuration. The first two modes are for pure decoding of multichannel sound sources. With

these modes the receiver will automatically employ the format of the sound source (for example, Dolby Digital or

DTS). With two channel sources these first two modes will create surround channels. Then there are five PIONEER

original sound modes that use DSP (Digital Signal Processing) to create different types of sound environments as

described below. Lastly, the 5/7-CH STEREO mode simply outputs a stereo signal through all of your speakers.

2PL II MUSIC (2PRO LOGIC II MUSIC)*

This mode gives 5.1 channel surround sound and is suitable for music. Compared to the Movie Mode PRO

LOGIC, the surround effect is more enveloping. With sources other than stereo (5.1, etc.) the display will

automatically show the type of decoding being employed (Dolby Digital, DTS-ES, etc.).

NEO:6 MUSIC*

This mode gives 6.1 channel surround sound and is suitable for music. The NEO:6 MUSIC mode plays the stereo

source as is through the front left/right speakers, and generates a natural, ambient surround and center sound.

With sources other than stereo (5.1, etc.) the display will automatically show the type of decoding being

employed (Dolby Digital, DTS-ES, etc.).

CLASSICAL

Simulates the acoustic effects of a large concert hall. Suitable for classical music. A long delay time of reflected

sounds, coupled with reverb effects, let the listener experience the dynamic and rich sounds characteristic of

concert halls and powerful orchestral performances.

CHAMBER

Simulates the acoustic environment of a very resonant concert hall. Rich reverberation and a full sound create

the impression of a lively performance space.

JAZZ

Simulates the acoustic effects of a jazz club. Reflected sound is virtually below 100 msec so that the listener can

experience a live band effect.

ROCK

Simulates the acoustic effects of a mid-sized concert hall. The listener can experience a live band effect with

good separation of the instruments, a strong bass and the vivid feeling of a live performance.

DANCE

Simulates the acoustic effects of a dance club. Features a strong bass sound. Reflected sound delay time is

virtually below 50 msec, for the listener to experience the visceral power of dance music.

5/7CH STEREO

Simulates the acoustic environment of a regular stereo while using all the speakers in the system to induce a

rich, all-around sound. The display will change to 5-CH STEREO or 7-CH STEREO according to the SB CH MODE

and speaker configuration.

* When you input a multichannel signal the decoding is done automatically so you cannot choose these

modes.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 49 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Basic Operation

Adjusting the Effect of a Listening Mode

The DSP (Digital Signal Processing) listening modes have sound processing added to accentuate a certain kind of

atmosphere or effect (see the preceding pages for explanation). You can choose if you want to strengthen or weaken

this effect in the given mode. The DSP MOVIE modes are: ACTION, SCI-FI, DRAMA, MUSICAL, MONOFILM, 5/7-D

THEATER. The DSP MUSIC modes are: CLASSICAL, CHAMBER, JAZZ, ROCK, DANCE, 5/7CH STEREO.

1 Press RECEIVER.

2 Press the EFFECT/CH SEL button

repeatedly until you see EFFECT in

the receiver’s display.

3 Use the +/– buttons to add or

subtract the amount of effect.

The amount of effect can be adjusted from 10 to 90.

Memo:

• The default setting for 5/7CH STEREO is 90.

• The default setting for other modes is 50.

Adding/Adjusting the Effect in Dolby Pro Logic II Music Mode

The Dolby Pro Logic II Music mode has three settings you can choose from which adjust the spatial feeling of the

surround sound. These settings are best matched to each individual source instead of one setting being left on for

all sources. The three settings and how to apply them are explained here. To start this setup select Dolby Pro Logic ll

(if necessary) with the MUSIC button.

1 Press RECEIVER.

2 Press the EFFECT/CH SEL button

repeatedly and select the setting you

want. They appear in the receiver’s

display.

CENTER WIDTH: With Pro Logic decoding center chan-

nel signals can come only from the center speaker. If no

center speaker is present this channel is split between

the two front speakers, creating a "phantom" channel. The

CENTER WIDTH feature lets you adjust the center chan-

nel so it can heard only from the center speaker, only as a

"phantom" channel or in varying degrees of both.

DIMENSION: This allows you to adjust the soundfield

towards the front or towards the rear of your room.

PANORAMA: This gives the music a wraparound sur-

round feel.

3 Use the +/– buttons to add or

subtract the amount of effect or turn

on/off.

CENTER WIDTH: Strengthen or weaken the effect

between 0–7. The default is 3.

DIMENSION: Move soundfield backward or forward with -

3 being the furthest back and +3 being the furthest for-

ward. The default is 0.

PANORAMA: Turn on or off. The default is off.

Memo:

• Use your CENTER WIDTH setting carefully. If

you set it to 0 all the center channel signal

will go to your center speaker. If you set it to 7

all the center channel signal will go to your

front speakers, creating a “phantom”

channel.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 50 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Basic Operation

BASIC

Listening with ACOUSTIC CAL EQ

You can listen to the soundtrack with the ACOUSTIC CAL EQ you set automatically when you did the AUTO

SURROUND SETUP (page 13) or you set manually on (page 100). To do so follow the instructions below.

1 Press the ACOUSTIC EQ button.

Each press switches ACOUSTIC CAL EQ between ALL CH

ADJUST, FRONT ALIGN, CUSTOM 1, CUSTOM 2 and OFF.

When ACOUSTIC EQ is being applied the MCACC indica-

tor lights.

Memo:

• After completing the AUTO SURROUND SETUP

(page 13) ACOUSTIC EQ ON (ALL CH ADJUST) is set

automatically.

• You can’t turn on ACOUSTIC EQ on in MULTI CH IN or

SACD DIRECT mode.

• If you turn ACOUSTIC EQ on in DIRECT mode, the

receiver automatically switches to STEREO mode.

Digital Noise Reduction (DIGITAL NR Function)

To reduce extraneous noise switch on DIGITAL NR. This feature is effective with sources containing a lot of

background noise like cassette and video tape.

1 Press RECEIVER.

2 Press the DNR button on the remote

control.

Each press switches DIGITAL NR on or off.

When on, DNR lights in the display.

Memo:

• In cases described below, noise may not be reduced

even if DIGITAL NR is on.

· Sudden noise

· Extremely loud noise

· Signals that contain too many high frequencies

· Signals which are very clean to begin with.

• DIGITAL NR is effective at levels shown below for each

source.

STEREO

· Analog input ...................................................... 10-18 dB

· Digital input ....................................................... 10-15 dB

· AM/FM tuner ...................................................... 10-15 dB

MOVIE/MUSIC ....................................................... 6-10 dB

• Depending on the condition of the source, there may

not be a noticeable improvement in the quality of the

sound.

• You can’t use the DIGITAL NR mode with the THX CIN-

EMA, MULTI CH IN modes, DVD-A, SACD or source sig-

nals greater than 88.2 kHz over a digital connection

(including i.LINK).

• If you set the DIGITAL NR on in DIRECT mode the

receiver will switch to STEREO mode.

MCACC indicator

VSX-AX5i.book Page 51 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Basic Operation

Listening in MIDNIGHT Mode

This useful feature makes it possible to get excellent surround sound effects even when listening at low volumes. It

can be used with any surround sound source and play soundtracks so that the quieter sounds are audible even

while playing a soundtrack at low volumes. This feature is applicable only when the master volume is under –20 dB.

1 Press the MIDNIGHT button on the

remote control.

Each press switches MIDNIGHT mode on or off. When on,

MIDNIGHT lights in the display.

Memo:

• The surround effect adjusts itself automatically in accor-

dance with the volume level.

• You can’t use the MIDNIGHT mode with the THX CIN-

EMA, MULTI CH IN, SACD DIRECT or LOUDNESS

modes.

• If you set MIDNIGHT on when in DIRECT mode the

receiver switches to STEREO mode.

• When playing DVD-Audio (192, 176 kHz) discs over an

i.LINK connection, this feature cannot be used.

Listening in LOUDNESS Mode

The LOUDNESS mode boosts the bass and treble in a signal. It is useful for listening to music at low volumes. This

feature is applicable only when the master volume is under –20 dB.

1 Press RECEIVER.

2 Press the LOUDNESS button on the

remote control.

Each press switches LOUDNESS mode on or off. When

on, LOUDNESS lights in the display.

Memo:

• You can’t use the LOUDNESS mode with the THX CIN-

EMA, MULTI CH IN, SACD DIRECT or MIDNIGHT

modes.

• If you set LOUDNESS on in DIRECT mode the receiver

will switch to STEREO mode.

• When playing DVD-Audio (192, 176 kHz) discs over an

i.LINK connection, this feature cannot be used.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 52 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Basic Operation

BASIC

Adjusting Bass and Treble

You can adjust the low (bass) and high (treble) frequencies. The TONE button can also be used to bypass the tone

circuitry.

1 Press RECEIVER.

2 Press the TONE button on the remote

control or the front panel to put the

receiver in tone adjust mode.

Pressing the TONE button changes the mode to either on

or off. When the mode is set to on, TONE appears in the

display.

3 Press the BASS/TREBLE button

repeatedly to select BASS or TREBLE.

If TONE: BYPASS appears, press the TONE button to get

TONE.

4 Use the +/– buttons to adjust the low

or high frequency levels.

A few seconds after you finish adjusting the tone the

receiver will revert to the sound mode it was in at the

beginning of the process.

Memo:

• The tone control can be adjusted in a range of ±6 dB.

• The tone control cannot be set on in THX CINEMA,

MULTI CH IN or SACD DIRECT modes.

• If you set TONE control on in DIRECT mode the receiver

will switch to STEREO mode.

• When playing DVD-Audio (192, 176 kHz) discs over an

i.LINK connection, this feature cannot be used.

Listening with Sound Delay

Some video displays have a slight delay in presentation of the video. Using sound delay you can slow the

presentation of the sound to match the presentation of the video.

1 Press RECEIVER.

2 Press the EFFECT/CH SEL. button

repeatedly until you see DELAY in the

receiver’s display.

3 Use the +/– buttons to add or

subtract the amount of delay.

Memo:

• The amount of delay changes in 0.1 frame steps from

0.0 – 5.0 frame. (However, if the video system type is set

to NTSC as on page 8, the delay range is 0.0 – 6.0

frame.) The default setting value is 0.0 frame.

• When in DIRECT, MULTI CH IN or SACD DIRECT modes,

sound delay cannot be used.

234

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Basic Operation

Listening in Audio Scaler mode

Use to hear CD and DVD, as well as other digital soundtracks, at a wider dynamic range, allowing for finer audio

reproduction.

1 Press RECEIVER.

2 Press the HI-BIT button on the remote

control or HI-BIT/HI-SAMPLING

button on the front panel.

Each press switches AUDIO SCALER mode on or off. HI-

BIT/SAMPLING lights in the display.

Memo:

• This mode cannot be used with MULTI CH IN mode.

• If the receiver is in DIRECT mode and you press the HI-

BIT button the receiver will switch to STEREO mode.

• This feature cannot be used with DVD-A, SACD or

source signals greater than 88.2 kHz over a digital con-

nection (including i.LINK).

Multi Channel In Playback

MULTI CH IN allows you to connect a DVD-Audio/SACD player or an external decoder to enjoy certain multichannel

discs. To use MULTI CH IN playback follow the instructions below.

1 Press the MULTI CH INPUT button on

the remote control or the MULTI CH

IN button on the front panel.

Each press switches the input between the previous

mode and MULTI CH IN.

ON: This is a true playback of the signal from the MULTI

CH IN terminals, output without digital processing. You

can only control each channel level.

OFF: Cancels the MULTI CH IN modes.

Memo:

• You can’t use any kind of sound processing with MULTI

CH IN. Selecting a listening mode, or switching these

modes, cancels the MULTI CH IN.

• If any speakers are set to NO the signal for that (those)

channel(s) won’t get output at all.

• You cannot set sound features (pages 51 to 54) on, in

MULTI CH IN mode.

• You cannot listen to the SECOND ZONE in MULTI CH IN

mode.

• If you’re listening to DVD-Audio/SACD but can only get

stereo sound set your DVD player’s 5.1 channel analog

playback to on.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 54 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Basic Operation

BASIC

Surround Back Channel Modes

Surround Back Channel Mode

The SB CH MODE makes available surround back channels through your surround back speakers. You must have

chosen NORMAL SYSTEM in the SURRBACK SYSTEM setting (see page 39) and have SURROUND and

SURROUND BACK speakers set to something other than NO (see page 41) to use this feature. To accomplish the

same settings, you could have had the AUTO SURROUND SETUP automatically set the SURROUND and the

SURROUND BACK speakers on (see page 13).

1 Press the SB CH MODE button on the

remote control.

Each press switches between ON, OFF and AUTO.

ON: surround back channels are available with all SUR-

ROUND modes.

AUTO: same as above except whether SURROUND

BACK channels are available with any of the PRO LOGIC

II (or PRO LOGIC) modes depends on whether the source

has an EX or ES flag or not.

With the NEO:6 modes surround back channels will

always be available.

OFF: SURROUND BACK channels will not be heard.

Virtual Surround Back Mode

The virtual surround back mode emulates surround back channels through your surround speakers. You must have

chosen NORMAL SYSTEM in the SURRBACK SYSTEM setting (see page 39); have SURROUND speakers set to

something other than NO, and have chosen NO for the SURROUND BACK speakers in SPEAKER SETTING (see

page 41) to use this mode. To accomplish the same settings, you could have had the AUTO SURROUND SETUP

automatically set the SURROUND speakers on and the SURROUND BACK speakers off (see page 13) to use this

mode.

1 Press the SB CH MODE button on the

remote control.

Each press switches between VIRTL SB ON, VIRTL SB

OFF and VIRTL SB AUTO.

VIRTL SB ON: virtual surround back sound is available

with all SURROUND modes except THX CINEMA; for a

stereo signal you must choose the NEO:6 MOVIE/MUSIC

SURROUND mode or a Pioneer original sound mode (see

pages 48 and 49).

VIRTL SB AUTO: same as above except whether virtual

surround back sound is available with any of the PRO

LOGIC II (or PRO LOGIC) modes depends on whether the

source has an EX or ES flag or not.

With the NEO:6 modes virtual surround back sound will

always be available.

VIRTL SB OFF: virtual surround back sound will not be

heard.

Memo:

• You can’t use the SB CH MODE with MULTI CH IN or STEREO/DIRECT modes.

• You can’t use the virtual surround back mode with the THX CINEMA, MULTI CH IN, STEREO/DIRECT

modes.

• When playing DVD-A, SACD or source signals greater than 88.2kHz over a digital connection (including i.LINK),

this feature cannot be used.

• When using the virtual surround back mode with the SURROUND modes, +VSB will show in the display.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 55 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Basic Operation

Dual Mono setting and playback

The dual mono setting can only be used when listening to Dolby Digital or homemade discs that have dual mono

software encoded in them. Dual mono software usually is used to put two different mono soundtracks, that you can

listen to together or separately, on one DVD. With this setting you can choose which dual mono setting you want to

listen to. Remember this setting is only applicable if you are using Dolby Digital software with dual mono and want

to isolate one of the channels therein.

1 Press the RETURN button for more

than three seconds to put the

receiver in DUAL MONO mode.

Hold down the RETURN button to cycle through the dif-

ferent DUAL MONO settings. When you find the one you

want release the button. The L (CH1) and R (CH2) indica-

tors in the display light to indicate the playback channel.

The different settings are: DUAL CH1, where you only

hear channel 1; DUAL CH2, where you only hear channel

2; and DUAL CH1/CH2, where you hear both channels,

but independently from different speakers.

Memo:

• The default setting is DUAL CH1.

• You can only use this function with Dolby Digital

sources that have this encoding.

Using Headphones

1 Plug headphones into the PHONES

jack on the front of the receiver.

No sound will be audible from the speakers when head-

phones are plugged in except in MULTI CH IN mode or

when using the pre-outs. In MULTI CH IN mode the sub-

woofer will be audible even if the headphones are

plugged in.

Memo:

• All SURROUND modes will be downmixed to 2 chan-

nels.

• If you’re listening to a 2 channel source there will be no

matrix decoding (i.e. you will not be able to get surround

sound decoding).

• For MULTI CH IN and SACD DIRECT modes, only the

FRONT L and R channels can be heard.

PHONES jack

VSX-AX5i.book Page 56 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Basic Operation

BASIC

Video Select

This function allows you to listen to one sound source while you watch a different video source on your TV. The

sound source is set in the normal fashion as explained on page 45. You then change the video input with the VIDEO

SEL button.

1 Press RECEIVER.

2 Press the VIDEO SEL button on the

remote control to cycle through the

different possible video inputs.

The first press shows the video input you are currently

using. After that pressing VIDEO SELECT cycles though

the possibilities in the following order:

The OFF setting means you are listening without a video

signal. (Also, when you select CD, CD-R/TAPE1, MD/

TAPE2, TUNER, PHONO, USB or unassigned i.LINK com-

ponents the VIDEO SELECT will be set to off.)

Memo:

• The VIDEO SELECT remains set to the input you chose

until you change the audio input.

• If you change audio functions the receiver will reset

itself to make the video and audio inputs correspond.

Also, if you switch the power of the receiver off when

you turn it back on the video and audio inputs will reset

so that they correspond.

Adjusting the Brightness of the Display (DIMMER)

Use the display DIMMER button to adjust the brightness of the fluorescent display.

1 Press RECEIVER.

2 Use the display DIMMER button on

the remote control to alternate

between the different levels of

brightness for the display.

Four levels of brightness ranging from very dim to very

bright can be selected. Also, when set to very dim, the

i.LINK and MCACC indicators will turn off.

Memo:

It is a feature of this unit that the fluorescent display will

be brighter for a few seconds after you choose a function

(like DVD/LD, CD, etc.) and then get softer. This will still

happen when you adjust the brightness but the new

setting will be the one the display softens to.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 57 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using the Tuner

Automatic and Manual Tuning

The following steps show you how to tune in FM and AM radio broadcasts using the automatic (search) and manual

(step) tuning functions. If you already know the exact frequency of the station you want, see “Direct Access Tuning“

on the following page.

1 Press the TUNER button.

On the remote, this selects the tuner function on the

receiver and sets the remote to the tuner operation mode.

2 Press the BAND button to select the

band (FM or AM).

Each press switches the band: FM AM

3 Tune in the station.

For Automatic Tuning

Press and hold TUNING –/+ for about one second, then

release.

The tuner starts searching the selected band and stop

automatically at the first station it locates. Repeat to

locate other stations.

For Manual Tuning

• To change frequencies one step at a time, press TUN-

ING –/+ repeatedly.

• To change frequencies quickly, hold down TUNING –/+

and release when you reach the frequency you want.

MPX Mode

If the TUNED or STEREO indicators do not light when tuning

an FM station, because the station is too far away or the

broadcast signal is weak, press MPX on the remote control to

switch to MONO reception. This should improve reception

enough for you to enjoy the broadcast.

RF ATT Mode (European model only)

If the radio signal is too strong and/or the sound is distorting

press the RF ATT button to attenuate (lower) the radio signal

input and reduce the distortion (for FM stations only).

When on, RF ATT lights in the display.

123

MPX

button

RF ATT

button

multi-voltage model

European model

Using the Tuner

VSX-AX5i.book Page 58 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using the Tuner

BASIC

Channel Step Setting (multi-voltage model only)

The unit has been factory preset to the channel allocation value for the area in which it is to be sold. If this value is

set incorrectly, the tunes in frequency may be wrong, or sound may be distorted, resulting in an inability to

reproduce reception signals at their proper sound quality. For this reason, be sure to confirm that the values are set

correctly before first using the unit.

FM 50 kHz, AM 9 kHz:

Set to this position, for areas with an FM reception step of 50 kHz and AM 9 kHz.

FM 100 kHz, AM 10 kHz:

Set to this position for areas with an FM reception step of 100 kHz and AM 10 kHz.

Memo:

When unsure about the channel allocation for your area, consult your dealer for correct

information.

To Change Channel Steps

1Turn the power off (standby mode).

2While holding down the TONE – button press the STANDBY/ON button.

You will see STEP 9K/50K or STEP 10K/100K appear in the display.

Direct Access Tuning

The following steps show you how to tune directly to a specific frequency using the remote control.

1 Press the TUNER button.

This selects the tuner function on the receiver and sets

the remote to the tuner operation mode.

2 Press the BAND button to select the

band (FM or AM).

Each press switches the band: FM AM

3 Press the DIRECT ACCESS button to

activate the direct access tuning

mode.

The cursor blinks in the display on the front panel.

4 Use the number buttons to enter the

frequency of the station you want.

Example:

To tune station 106.00 (FM), press: 1 0 6 0 0

To cancel before inputting the frequency

Press DIRECT ACCESS, and enter the frequency again.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 59 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using the Tuner

Memorizing Frequently Used Stations

The following steps show you how to memorize up to 30 radio stations in 3 classes (each holding 10 stations). When

memorizing FM frequencies, the receiver also memorizes the MPX mode (STEREO or MONO) and the RF ATT mode

(European model only).

1 Tune in the station you want.

See “Automatic and Manual Tuning” on page 58 or “Direct

Access Tuning” on page 59.

2 Press the TUNER EDIT button to

activate the memory function.

3 Press the CLASS button repeatedly to

select a class number.

Each press switches the display:

4 Press the STATION –/+ buttons

repeatedly (or use the MULTI JOG) to

select a channel (0~9) within the

respective class.

5 Press the ENTER button to input your

choice.

To continue, repeat steps 1-5.

(3-4)

5342

(3-4)

multi-voltage model

European model

542

CLASS A CLASS B CLASS C

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Using the Tuner

BASIC

Naming Memorized Stations

You can input a name of up to four characters for each preset station in the receiver’s memory (see the previous

page). This name can be anything you choose. For example, you could input JAZZ for that station and when you

listen to it the name, rather than the frequency number, will appear on your display.

1 Press the TUNER button on the

remote control.

2 Press CLASS repeatedly to select the

class.

Repeatedly pressing this button cycles through the three

available classes, A, B and C.

3 Press STATION + or STATION – to

select the preset channel.

4 Press TUNER EDIT to select the station

name mode.

5 Enter the station name you want.

Names can be up to four characters long.

• Use the MULTI JOG dial (front panel) or the  but-

tons (remote) to select characters.

• Press ENTER to confirm a character. If no character is

input, a space is input.

To erase a station name, simply repeat steps 1-4 and input

four spaces instead of a name.

The possible selections are shown below.

6 Press ENTER when you have got the

characters you want to enter.

Repeat steps 2 to 5 to memorize up to 30 preset broadcast

station names.

Memo:

To change a station name, enter a new name over the top of

the existing one.

1,5 5,6 234

European model

multi-voltage model

,5 5,6 23

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

0123456789

!”#$%&’()*+,–./:;<=>?@[ \ ]ˆ_{|} [space]

VSX-AX5i.book Page 61 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using the Tuner

Recalling Memorized Stations

1 Press the TUNER button.

This selects the TUNER function on the receiver and sets

the remote to the TUNER operation mode.

2 Press the CLASS button repeatedly to

select a class number.

Each press switches the display:

3 Use the number buttons to select the

channel you want.

To select channel 7, press 7.

To select channel 0, press 0.

For example: If 99.50 MHz (FM) was memorized in class

B at channel 7.

To step through each channel in order

Press the STATION –/+ buttons repeatedly.

European model

multi-voltage model

CLASS A CLASS B CLASS C

VSX-AX5i.book Page 62 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using the Tuner

BASIC

An introduction to RDS (European model only)

Radio Data System, or RDS as it’s usually known, is a system used by FM radio stations to provide listeners with var-

ious kinds of information—the name of the station and the kind of show they’re broadcasting, for example. This

information shows up as text on the display, and you can switch between the kind of information shown. Although

you don’t get RDS information from all FM radio stations, you do with most.

Probably the best feature of RDS is that you can search automatically by type of program. So, if you felt like listening

to jazz, you could search for a station that’s broadcasting a show with the program type, JAZZ. There are around 30

such program types, including various genres of music, news, sport, talk shows, financial information, and so on.

The receiver lets you display three different kinds of RDS information: Radio Text, Program Service Name, and Pro-

gram Type.

Radio Text (RT) is messages sent by the radio station. These can be anything the broadcaster chooses—a talk radio

station might give out it telephone number as RT, for example.

Program Service Name (PS) is the name of the radio station.

Program Type (PTY) indicates the kind of program currently being broadcast.

The receiver can search for and display the following program types:

Using the RDS display

To display the different types of RDS information available,

press TUNER button on the remote control and use the

DISPMODE button to cycle through the types of RDS

information.

Each press changes the display as follows:

Memo:

• If any noise is picked up while displaying the RT scroll,

some characters may be displayed incorrectly.

• If you see NO RADIO TEXT DATA in the RT display, it

means no RT data is being transmitted from the broad-

cast station. If you have entered a name for the station,

it is displayed instead of RT data. If you haven’t, the

display will automatically switch to the PS data dis-

play. If no PS data is transmitted from the station, the

frequency will be displayed.

• In the PTY display, there are cases where NO DATA or

NO TYPE is shown. If this happens, the PS display is

shown after a few seconds.

• This unit converts lower case characters transmitted

by broadcast station to upper case characters.

NEWS News

AFFAIRS Current affairs

INFO General information

SPORT Sports

EDUCATE Educational material

DRAMA Radio drama

CULTURE Arts and culture

SCIENCE Science and technology

VARIED Usually talk-based material,

such as quiz shows

or interviews.

POP M Pop music

ROCK M Rock music

EASY M “Middle of the road” music

LIGHT M ‘Light’ classical music

CLASSICS ‘Serious’ classical music

OTHER M Other music not fitting any of

the above categories

WEATHER Weather reports

FINANCE Finance and business

CHILDREN Children’s entertainment

SOCIAL Social affairs

RELIGION Religious programming

PHONE IN Phone-in talk shows

TRAVEL Travel

LEISURE Leisure interests and hobbies

JAZZ Jazz music

COUNTRY Country music

NATION M Popular music in a language

other than English

OLDIES Popular music from the ’50s

FOLK M Folk music

DOCUMENT Documentaries

In addition, there is a program type called

ALARM, used for exceptional emergency

announcements. You can’t search for this, but

the tuner will switch automatically to this RDS

broadcast signal.

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Using the Tuner

Searching for RDS programs (European model only)

One of the most useful features of RDS is the ability to search for a particular kind of radio program. You can search

for any of the program types (listed on page 63).

1 Tune into an FM station.

Refer to “Automatic and Manual Tuning” or “Direct

Access Tuning” on pages 58 and 59.

2 Use the BAND button to select the FM

band.

RDS is only broadcast on FM.

3 Press the CHARACTER/SEARCH

button.

SEARCH shows in the display.

4 Press the +/–buttons or use the

MULTI JOG dial to select the program

type you want to hear.

5 Press ENTER to search for the

program type.

The system starts searching through the station presets

for a match. When it finds one, the search stops and the

station plays for five seconds.

6 If you want to keep listening to the

station, press ENTER within the 5

seconds.

If you don’t press ENTER, searching resumes.

If NO PTY is displayed it means the tuner couldn’t find

that program type at the time of the search.

Memo:

• RDS searches memorized stations only. If no stations

have been (see page 60 to do this), NO PTY is dis-

played.

• FINISH means the search is complete.

1,4 5-6 243

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Using the Tuner

BASIC

Memo:

• The EON mode is canceled if you switch to

AM reception while setting EON. It starts

once again when you return to FM recep-

tion.

• You can’t search for traffic announce-

ments and news at the same time.

• You can’t operate the TUNER EDIT and

CHARACTER/SEARCH buttons while the

EON indicator is lit.

• If you want to change to a function other

than the tuner, press the EON MODE but-

ton and turn the EON mode off.

Basics of EON (Enhanced Other Network information)

(European model only)

When EON is turned on, the receiver jumps to an EON-linked broadcast when it begins, even if a receiver function

other than the tuner is being used. It cannot be used in areas that EON information is not transmitted and when FM

broadcast stations do not transmit PTY data. When the broadcast ends, the tuner returns to the original frequency

or function.

There are two types of EON you can set:

1TA (Traffic Announcement)

This mode will set the tuner to pick up traffic information when it’s broadcast.

2NEWS

This mode will set the tuner to pick up news when it is broadcast.

Memo:

EON does not work when the tuner is in the AM band.

Using EON (European model only)

Use the front panel controls to do this.

1 Press the BAND button to select the

FM band.

EON is only broadcast on FM.

2 Tune into an EON FM station.

The indicator lights to inform you that the currently

tuned station carries the EON data service. See pages 58 -

59 for more on tuning into radio broadcasts.

3 Press the EON MODE button to select

the mode you want.

These modes are explained above.

Each press changes the display as follows:

If EON information is being transmitted, the receiver

jumps to the type of broadcast you selected. When the

EON mode is set, the EON indicator lights, but during

actual reception of an EON broadcast the EON indicator

will flash.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 65 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using the Tuner

Clearing all stations from the RDS or EON search

(European model only)

The receiver will automatically register an identifying marker (called a PI code) for any station you input into the

memory classes which can receive RDS or EON data. If you want to remove the currently memorized stations from

RDS and EON searches, you can do it by erasing the PI codes.

1 Press and hold EON MODE (front

panel) for about two seconds.

ERASE PI will be displayed.

2 Press ENTER.

ERASE PI flashes for two seconds to indicate the PI codes

have been erased.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 66 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Remote Control of Other Components

BASIC

Setting Up the Remote Control to Control Other

Components

In addition to controlling the receiver, the supplied remote control can operate your other components (VCR, TV,

DVD, CD, etc.) after you program it to do so. If your component(s) are listed in the remote control's memory, simply

follow the steps below. If your component(s) are not listed, or if you want the remote to learn additional operations,

you can use the learning mode to input the information from the remote controls supplied with your other

components.

Recalling Settings Stored in the Remote Control

The following steps show you how to recall the setting stored in the remote control. Once a setting is recalled and

the component assigned, you can use this remote to easily operate the component.

Memo:

•To exit from the remote control setup mode at any time, press REMOTE SETUP.

•See “Using Remote Control with Other Components” on page 71 to operate your other components.

•The display will disappear after one minute or so if no new commands are entered. Press any button to

wake up the remote and continue the process.

1 Press the REMOTE SETUP button for

three seconds.

The REMOTE SETUP menu appears on the remote dis-

play.

2 PRESET should be selected (if it isn't

use the  buttons to select it) and

press ENTER.

SELECT FUNCTION flashes in the display.

3 Press the MULTI CONTROL button (for

example, DVD/LD) you want to set.

The TUNER button cannot be assigned.

4Use the  buttons to select the

component you want to set up. Press

ENTER.

MAKER appears in the remote control display.

5Use the  buttons to select the

name of the company that makes

your component (see page 116).

The company names appear in the remote control display.

If there is more than one component type for that com-

pany that makes your component then –1, –2, etc., will

appear in the display. Choose one of the types and see if

that works.

Displays & Controls

Remote Control of Other Components

VSX-AX5i.book Page 67 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Remote Control of Other Components

6 Point the remote control at the

component you want set and press

ENTER.

OK? will appear in the remote control display.

If the component you are trying to control turns on/off you

have set it correctly. Use the  buttons to select YES

and go on to step 7.

If the component you are trying to control does not turn

on/off the correct preset code has not been selected. In

this case, use the  buttons to select NO, press ENTER

and go back to step 5. Try another preset code for that

maker. (If the component you are trying to setup doesn't

have a standby/on mode it won't turn on even if the cor-

rect preset code is entered. In this case select YES and go

on to step 7.)

If you can't seem to get the component you are trying to

set to turn on or off you can still set up your remote con-

trol by using the LEARNING mode (on the next page).

7 Press ENTER. The preset code has

been entered.

COMPLETE will appear in the display.

Naturally it's easiest and most logical to assign the button

that has the same name as the component you are set-

ting up (for example, choose the DVD/LD button for your

DVD player).

You may find you have components which do not corre-

spond to the name on any MULTI CONTROL button (for

example a cable TV tuner) or you have two components

where only one button is provided (for example, CD-R/

TAPE 1). In this case, use step 3 to assign any available

MULTI CONTROL button to the component you want to

remote control.

For example, you may have both a CD-R and a tape deck

in your system but only one video deck. It would make

sense to assign the CD-R/TAPE 1 MULTI CONTROL button

to the CD-R and the VCR 2 MULTI CONTROL button to

your tape deck. To do this choose VCR 2 in step 3 when

you want to set up the tape deck. Then choose TAPE in

step 4 and proceed as above. The only practical difference

in this method is that you have to remember the VCR 2

MULTI CONTROL button is actually your tape deck.

In this case, you would need to hook up your tape deck to

the input jacks marked VCR 2 on the back of the receiver.

8 Repeat the process from step 2 for all

of your components.

9Use  to select EXIT and press

ENTER.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 68 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Remote Control of Other Components

BASIC

Programming Signals from Other Remote Controls (LEARNING Mode)

If preset codes are not available for your component(s), or the available preset codes do not operate correctly, you

can use this procedure to program in signals from the remote control(s) of your other component(s). These steps

can also be used to add further operations to the remote control that were successfully set with the stored settings

(see page 67).

Memo:

•To exit from the remote control setup mode at any time, press REMOTE SETUP.

•You can also program the /// and ENTER buttons with the LEARNING mode.

•The display will disappear after one minute or so if no new commands are entered. Press any button to

wake up the remote and continue the process.

1 Press the REMOTE SETUP button for

three seconds.

The REMOTE SETUP menu appears on the remote dis-

play.

2Use the  buttons to select

LEARNING and press ENTER.

SELECT FUNCTION flashes on the remote control display.

3 Press the MULTI CONTROL button for

the component you want to control.

SELECT KEY flashes in the display.

The TUNER button cannot be assigned.

4 Choose the command you want to

teach the remote control and press

the corresponding button. The word

LEARN will flash in the remote

control display.

For example, choose the  (play) button to program this

remote control to play your DVD player.

• The TV POWER, TV FUNC, TV CH +/– and VOL +/– but-

tons are only available for learning when programming

TV CONT button.

Buttons that

are able to

learn new

commands

VSX-AX5i.book Page 69 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Remote Control of Other Components

5 While LEARN continues to flash, point

the two remote controls toward each

other. Press the button on the other

remote control corresponding to the

operation you want to program.

After the process is complete and the command has

been learned, OK will appear in the remote control dis-

play. If NG (no good) appears, it means that for some rea-

son the command was not learned. In this case, repeat

steps 4 and 5.

CONTINUE? appears in the remote's display. If SELECT

KEY is flashing go back to step 4.

6 If you want to program in more

commands use the  buttons to

select YES. Press ENTER.

Repeat steps 4 and 5 to teach the remote control of the

VSX-AX5i all the commands from the other remote con-

trol.

7 If you want to program in commands

for another MULTI CONTROL button

use the  buttons to select NO.

Press ENTER.

8 Repeat the process from step 2 for all

of your components.

Start again to program other components in this manner.

9 When you're done use the 

buttons to select EXIT.

You will return to the REMOTE SETUP menu.

10Use  to select EXIT and press

ENTER.

Memo:

•If FULL appears in step 5 it means that

there isn't enough capacity to learn this

command. If you want to clear other

buttons to make room for this one follow

the procedure on page 86.

•If there isn't enough capacity, an incorrect

signal has been sent or, in some cases, the

command from another remote control

simply cannot be learned, NG (no good)

will appear in the display in step 5.

•In some NG cases the remotes just need to

be moved closer together or farther apart.

Buttons that are able

to learn new

commands

VSX-AX5i.book Page 70 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Remote Control of Other Components

BASIC

Using Remote Control with Other Components

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/DVD Recorder/Cassette Deck operations

Button(s) Function Components

SOURCE Press to switch the components between STANDBY and ON. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/

LD/DVD recorder/

Cassette deck

Press to return to the start of the current track or chapter. Repeated

presses skips to the start of previous tracks or chapter. CD/MD/CD-R/DVD/LD

Go back channels (channel –). VCR/DVD recorder

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

Press to advance to the start of the next track or chapter.

Repeated presses skips to the start of following tracks or chapter. CD/MD/CD-R/DVD/LD

Go forward channels (channel +). VCR/DVD recorder

Pause playback or recording. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/

LD/DVD recorder/Cassette

deck

Hold down for fast forward playback. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/

LD/DVD recorder/Cassette

deck

Hold down for fast reverse playback. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/

LD/DVD recorder/Cassette

deck

Start playback. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/

LD/ DVD recorder/Cassette

deck

Stop playback (on some models, pressing this when the disc is

already stopped will cause the disc tray to open).

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

LD/ DVD recorder/Cassette

deck

Starts recording MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD

recorder/Cassette deck

SUBTITLE/

DISP MODE

button Displays/changes the subtitles on multilingual DVDs. DVD/DVD recorder

Change the display mode. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/LD

Directly access tracks on a program source. CD/MD/CD-R/LD

Number buttons Directly access chapter on a program source. DVD/DVD recorder

Directly select a channel. VCR/DVD recorder

+10 button Select tracks or chapter higher than 10. Press this button and the

remaining number to get the track or chapter (+10 Button + 3= track

or chapter 13). Some components may operate differently.

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

DVD recorder

Press to start Search mode. DVD

Takes you to the disc navigator. DVD recorder

ENTER/DISC

button Changes between sides A & B of the disc. LD

Press to enter the selected channel. VCR

Selects a disc in a multi-disc CD player. CD

MENU Displays menus concerning the current DVD, DVR or VCR you are

using. DVD/DVD recorder/VCR

Changes the audio track of discs with more than one audio track. DVD/LD/DVD recorder

AUDIO Changes between the tuner in the TV and the tuner in the VCR. VCR

Play the reverse side of the tape on a reversible cassette deck. Double cassette 2nd deck

Displays the top menu of the current DVD, LD or DVR you are using. DVD/LD/DVD recorder

TOP MENU/

GUIDE button Takes you to the guide menu of that system. VCR

Press to select a track CD

VSX-AX5i.book Page 71 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Remote Control of Other Components

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV operations

Memo:

•The above operations are available from the receiver's remote control after you program it (see

“Setting Up the Remote Control to Control Other Components” on page 67).

•To perform these operations, press the MULTI CONTROL button for the component you want to control.

•For more information on individual commands consult the manual that came with the component.

•The first four buttons on the table “Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV operations” are dedicated to control the TV

assigned to the TV CONT button. Thus if you only have one TV hooked up to this system, assign it to the TV

CONT button. If you have two TVs, assign the main TV to the TV CONT button. If you hook up your system

this way, the first four TV controls will always be accessible.

•Depending on the maker and individual model, there are some buttons that may not be able operate some

equipment or may operate it in a different way.

RETURN/EXIT

button Takes you to the previous menu. DVD/LD/VCR/DVD recorder



& ENTER Navigate menus/options. DVD/LD/DVD recorder/VCR

Basic playback options. Double cassette 2nd deck

Button(s) Function Components

TVPress to switch the TV, Satellite TV or Cable TV between STANDBY

and ON. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV

TV INPUT Press to switch the TV input. TV

TV CH

(+/–) Select channels. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV

TV VOL

(+/–) Adjust the TV volume. TV

MENU Takes you to the TV menu of that system. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV

GUIDE Takes you to the guide menu of that system. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV

RETURN Exits the menu you are viewing. Cable TV/Satellite TV

A/Cyan Satellite TV/TV

B/Press to switch the TEXT ON. Satellite TV/TV

C/RED Satellite TV/TV

Use to move back a page in the menu. Cable TV

D/GREEN Satellite TV/TV

E/YELLOW Satellite TV/TV

Use to move forward a page in the menu. Cable TV

Use to move back channels. TV/Cable TV

Use to move back a page in the menu. Satellite TV

Use to move forward channels. TV/Cable TV

Use to move forward a page in the menu. Satellite TV

Use to show the TEXT OFF. TV

Number buttons Use to select a specific TV channel. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV

ENTER/DISC

button Use this button to immediately enter a new channel. Cable TV/TV



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

Button(s) Function Components

VSX-AX5i.book Page 72 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Remote Control of Other Components

BASIC

Setting up the Direct Function

The direct function is designed in case you have an external video source connected to your TV (a video source that

is not going through the VSX-AX5i). For this explanation we'll call this the external video deck. You'd like to control

external video deck with this unit's remote control so you've assigned it a function button (for example purposes, the

VCR 2 button). Yet, if you put the receiver in VCR 2 mode you'll get no picture on your TV because the external video

deck signal is not going through the VSX-AX5i. To get around this problem you set the direct function for VCR 2 to

OFF. Now when you press VCR 2 function button you can control the external video deck with the remote but the

receiver does not go into VCR 2 mode.

1 Press the REMOTE SETUP button for

three seconds.

The REMOTE SETUP menu appears on the remote

display.

2Use the  buttons to select

DIRCTFNC and press ENTER.

SELECT FUNCTION will flash in the remote control

display.

3 Press the MULTI CONTROL button of

the component whose direct function

you want to turn on or off.

DIRECTFUNC appears on the remote control display.

The TUNER button cannot be assigned.

4Use the  buttons to select ON,

OFF, or EXIT and press ENTER.

ON: The direct function is on.

OFF: The direct function is off.

EXIT: Leaves the direct function settings and

returns you to the REMOTE SETUP menu.

After you press ENTER, if you chose one of the first

two settings, COMPLETE will appear in the display.

5 Repeat steps 2-4 to set the direct

function for as many components as

you want.

6 Press the REMOTE SETUP button to

return to the previous mode.

Memo:

•To exit from the REMOTE SETUP mode at

any time, press REMOTE SETUP.

•The default setting for all direct functions

is ON.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 73 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using Other Functions

Recording from Audio/Video Components

The following explanations show you how make a recording from one component to another connected to this

receiver. Note that an analog recorder (such as a VCR) cannot record from a source that is connected using only a

digital connection. Likewise, a digital recorder (such as a CD-R) cannot record digitally from a component that is

connected using only analog connections. In both of these cases, make sure that the digital component also has

analog connections to the receiver, and that the SIGNAL SELECT is set to ANALOG.

When recording from one digital component to another, bear in mind that the digital signal output from this receiver

mirrors the input from the source. So if the input is, say, Dolby Digital, the output will also be Dolby Digital. Before

recording, make sure that the recorder is compatible with the source digital audio format.

See page 20 for more on analog audio connections and page 22 for digital audio connections.

Memo:

• The receiver's volume, channel level, balance, TONE, DIGITAL NR, MIDNIGHT, LOUDNESS, ACOUSTIC EQ and

surround effects have no effect on the recorded signal, except in PHONO. Thus when recording in PHONO

function DIRECT is best used.

• In some cases, digital recordings have copy guard protections and making a digital copy is not possible. In this

case you can only copy them in an analog manner.

• Some video recordings are copy-protected; these sources cannot be recorded.

• When recording video, the source must be connected to the receiver using the same type of video cord

(composite, or S video) as you used to connect the recorder to the receiver.

1 Turn on the receiver.

2 Press the MULTI CONTROL (or INPUT)

on the remote to select a source com-

ponent.

3 Press RECEIVER.

4 Press the SIGNAL SELECT button to

select the input signal (ANALOG or

DIGITAL).

5 Start recording (tape deck, CD

recorder, VCR, etc.)

6 Playback the source to be recorded.

Using Other Functions

VSX-AX5i.book Page 74 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using Other Functions

EXPERT

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.

Caution!

Do not allow any speaker wire from any

terminal to touch a wire from a different

terminal.

FRONT Speaker

rear side

SPEAKERS B Setup

Stereo playback in another room (SECOND ZONE)

This setup enables you to listen to a pair of stereo speakers independently of the main speaker system (A speakers)

hooked up to the receiver. You can choose SECOND ZONE, and use the speakers hooked up to the surround back

terminals as a B speaker system, that is, playing the same source as the main speaker system but from

independent stereo speakers.

1 Connect a pair of speakers to the surround back speaker terminals.

2 Select SECOND ZONE in the SURRBACK SYSTEM setup (see page 39).

Memo:

Please use speakers with a nominal impedance rated 8 Ω - 16 Ω .

Bi-amping the front speakers (FRONT BI-AMP)

For bi-amp playback you can connect both the A and B speaker terminals to your front speakers. To do this your

speakers must be bi-wireable (that is they must have separate terminals for the high and low frequencies).

Bi-amping delivers more power to the front speakers, but disables the surround back speakers, so you will be

limited to 5.1 channel playback.

1 Connect your speakers as shown.

Since both Front A and B speaker terminals output the

same audio, it doesn’t matter which set (A or B) is

powering which part (HI or LOW) of the speaker.

2 Select FRONT BI-AMP in the

SURRBACK SYSTEM setup

(see page 39).

The surround back channel amplifier is now used to

power the B set of speaker terminals and the A+B

(SPAB) speaker setting is automatically selected. The

speaker setting in this case can only be A+B or OFF.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 75 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using Other Functions

SPEAKERS Button

If you selected NORMAL SYSTEM in the SURRBACK SYSTEM setup (see page 39) your surround back speakers will

be used as part of your A speakers (main speaker system) and this button will simply switch it off or on. If you

selected SECOND ZONE in the SURRBACK SYSTEM setup (see page 39) this button will cycle through the A (main)

speaker system, the B speaker system (the surround back speakers acting as a separate second zone), both

speaker systems, and off.

1 Press the SPEAKERS button (on the

front panel) to switch speakers on/

off or cycle through the different

speaker systems if SECOND ZONE or

FRONT BI-AMP has been selected in

the SURRBACK SYSTEM setup (see

page 39).

A(SPA): Sound is output from speaker system A and the same signal is output from the pre out

terminals.

B(SPB): Sound is output from the two speakers in speaker system B (the surround back speakers).

Multichannel sources will be downmixed to two channels.

A+B(SPAB):Sound is output from speaker system A and the B speakers. Also, use for FRONT BI-AMP

playback.

OFF(SP): No sound is output from the speakers. Depending on the input signal and settings in

SPEAKER SETTING sound may be output from the subwoofer. The same sound is output from

the pre out terminals as when selecting speaker system A (above).

Memo:

• What is output from the subwoofer depends on the SPEAKER SETTING settings and the type of source.

• Depending on the settings in SPEAKER SETTING and the MULTI CH IN SELECT, output from the SURROUND

BACK pre out terminals may change.

• When using headphones the speakers are switched off.

• Please use speakers with a nominal impedance rated 8 Ω - 16 Ω .

VSX-AX5i.book Page 76 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using Other Functions

EXPERT

Setting up and Using the USB Audio Connection

The USB Audio Connection feature allows you hook up a PC to this receiver. In this way you can hear soundtracks

from your computer. To use this feature follow the steps below. The USB port can only receive 2 channel

soundtracks. USB device controls on the computer (such as volume) may or may not work. In either case, we

recommend leaving all volume controls on max and controlling the volume from the receiver. This function has

been confirmed to work with Windows® 98, Windows® 2000, Windows® Me and Windows® XP operating systems

(OS). 1 Connect your PC to the USB terminal.

You need to use a full speed USB cable (not supplied) for

this connection.

2 Turn on your PC and start up your OS.

Some operating systems may or may not work with this

USB port.

If the computer was previously running quit all

applications.

3 Switch on the receiver.

4 Use the INPUT button on the remote

control or the MULTI JOG dial on the

front panel to select the USB input.

5 Play back a music file on your PC.

Make sure the volume on both the computer and the

receiver is turned up.

Memo:

• The maximum power for the USB connection is 100 mA.

• Do not disconnect the USB cable while installing the

drivers. Also, do not disconnect the USB cable while the

your PC is recognizing the receiver, which takes a few

seconds every time you turn on your PC and it is hooked

up the receiver.

• If your PC does not recognize the receiver try

disconnecting the USB cable and connecting it again. If it

still does not recognize it restart the computer.

• Do not disconnect the USB cable while playing a

soundtrack from the computer.

• When you're using the USB connection no signal will be

output from the DIGITAL OUT 1 and 2.

• Some software may be incompatible with this

configuration.

• The sound may be interrupted, degraded or played back

incorrectly due to your PC settings and PC specifications.

Consult your PC manual concerning USB devices.

• When listening to your PC through this USB connection

you will also hear computer alert sounds through the

receiver. If you don't want to hear these alert sounds turn

them off in the computer's control panels.

• Don't use other applications on your computer when

playing back through this USB connection.

• Pioneer cannot be held responsible for damage to your

computer system, software crashes or failures or any

other possible computer problems due to this

configuration.

B typeB typeB typeB type

B typeB typeB typeA type

USB cable

Microsoft Windows® 98, Windows®

2000, Windows® Me and Windows®

XP are registered trademarks of the

Microsoft Corporation.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 77 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using Other Functions

Connecting Additional Amplifiers

This receiver has more than sufficient power for any home use, but it is possible to add additional amplifiers to every

channel of your system. Make the 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.

*The arrows indicate the direction of the signal.

Memo:

• You can use the additional amplifier on the surround back channels for a single speaker as well. In this case

plug the amplifier into the L (SINGLE) terminal only.

• The sound from the surround back terminals will depend on how you have set up the SURRBACK SYSTEM (see

page 39).

S400

(AUDIO)

(Single)

Powered subwoofer

Front channel

amplifier

Surround channel

amplifier

Surround back

channel amplifier

Center channel

amplifier (mono)

VSX-AX5i.book Page 78 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using Other Functions

EXPERT

The PIONEER SR System: Operating other PIONEER

components

Connecting an optional control cord allows you to operate other PIONEER components simply by pointing the

receiver's remote control at the remote sensor on the front panel of the receiver. The receiver then sends the remote

control signals to the other devices via the CONTROL OUT terminal.

Memo:

• You can also control PIONEER components (and those made by other manufacturers) by pointing the receiver's

remote control directly at the respective component. This type of operation does not require control cords. All

you have to do is recall the appropriate stored settings (see page 67).

• If you use a remote control hooked up via the CONTROL IN jack with a control cord, you won't be able to use this

unit's remote control.

• If you use this feature make sure an analog (audio and/or video) connection has been made between the units.

Receiver

Remote

ontrol

NEER component

with a CONTROL

terminal

NTR

L IN

terminal of another

PIONEER component

with a CONTROL

terminal

VSX-AX5i.book Page 79 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using Other Functions

Multi Operations

Multi operations allow you to tell the receiver and your other components to do a number of things with the push of

only two buttons on the remote control. For example, you can program the unit to turn on your TV, turn on your DVD

player and start playing the loaded DVD. This allows you to freely decide which operations you want performed as

well as the order in which you want them performed. The steps below show you how to program a string of up to 5

different operations for each MULTI CONTROL button. You don't need to program power commands for this receiver

or any other Pioneer components. They will automatically turn on when a multi operation is performed.

(Programming Pioneer video components automatically turns on Pioneer TVs.)

Memo:

Be sure to set up each component before programming multi operations (see “Setting Up the Remote

Control to Control Other Components” on page 67).

1 Press the REMOTE SETUP button for

more than three seconds.

The REMOTE SETUP menu appears on the remote display.

2 Use the  buttons to select MULTI

OPE and press ENTER.

SELECT FUNCTION flashes in the remote display.

3 Press the MULTI CONTROL button for

the component you want to start the

multi operations with. MULTI OPE

appears in the display.

For example, DVD/LD

4 Use the  buttons to select first

command. "1st Cmmnd" appears in

the display. Press ENTER.

This tells the receiver this will be the first command.

To erase a command

Select CLEAR and press ENTER. Then go to step 8.

To go back one step

Select EXIT and press ENTER.

5 To setup a command select CHANGE

and press ENTER.

FUNCTION flashes in the display.

6 Select the component whose

command you want to input (for

example, a DVD player), and press

the MULTI CONTROL button for it.

KEY will flash in the display.

7 Select a button for the command you

want to input (for example,  [play]).

COMPLETE appears in the display.

8 Repeat steps 4-7 to program a

sequence of up to five commands.

You can assign multi operations for up to 5 commands for

each MULTI CONTROL button.

Buttons that

can be

programmed

with Multi

Operations

Memo:

• To exit from the REMOTE SETUP mode at

anytime press the REMOTE SETUP button.

• The display will disappear after one minute or

so if no new commands are entered. Press

any button to wake up the remote and

continue the process.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 80 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using Other Functions

EXPERT

9 When done select EXIT and press

ENTER.

You will return to the REMOTE SETUP menu. Start again

from step 2 if you want to set do another MULTI CONTROL

button.

10Select EXIT and press ENTER again.

You will exit the REMOTE SETUP menu and return to

normal operation.

Performing Multi Operations

Do the following to use the multi operations.

1 Press the MULTI OPERATION button.

SELECT FUNCTION flashes in the display,

2 Press the MULTI CONTROL button for

the component that has been set up

with multi operations.

The power of the receiver (and any Pioneer components

use in the program) goes on and the programmed multi

operations are performed automatically.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 81 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using Other Functions

System Off

The SYSTEM OFF feature allows you to tell the receiver and your other components to stop and/or turn off with the

push of only one button on the remote control. The steps below show you how to program a string of up to 5

different SYSTEM OFF operations. Be sure to set up each component before programming the SYSTEM OFF

function (see “Setting Up the Remote Control to Control Other Components” on page 67).

1 Press the REMOTE SETUP button for

more than three seconds.

The REMOTE SETUP menu appears on the remote display.

2 Use the  buttons to select SYS OFF

and press ENTER.

SYSTEM OFF appears in the remote display.

3 Use the  buttons to select first

command. "1st Cmmnd" appears in the

display. Press ENTER.

This tells the receiver this will be the first command.

To erase a command

Select CLEAR and press ENTER. Then go to step 7.

To go back one step

Select EXIT and press ENTER.

4 To setup a command select CHANGE

and press ENTER.

FUNCTION flashes in the display.

5 Select the component whose command

you want to input, and press the

MULTI CONTROL button for it.

KEY will flash in the display.

6 Select a button for the command you

want to input.

COMPLETE appears in the display.

7 Repeat steps 3-6 to program up to five

commands.

You can assign SYSTEM OFF information for up to 5

commands.

8 When done select EXIT and press

ENTER.

You will return to the REMOTE SETUP menu.

9 Select EXIT and press ENTER again.

You will exit the REMOTE SETUP menu and return to normal

operation.

Using SYSTEM OFF

Press the SYSTEM OFF button. All Pioneer components and all components programmed into the SYSTEM OFF

mode will stop and/or go off.

Memo:

• To exit from the REMOTE SETUP mode at

anytime press the REMOTE SETUP button.

• The display will disappear after one minute or

so if no new commands are entered. Press

any button to wake up the remote and

continue the process.

Buttons that

can be

programmed

to do

SYSTEM OFF

Operations

SYSTEM OFF

VSX-AX5i.book Page 82 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using Other Functions

EXPERT

Editing Remote Control Display Names

Use this capability to rename the display on the remote control for different MULTI CONTROL buttons (DVD/LD,

etc.). For example, you could change TV to DVD2. In this way you can personalize your system. This is similar to the

feature on page 93 but that feature changes the display on the receiver.

1 Press the REMOTE SETUP for more

than three seconds.

The REMOTE SETUP menu appears on the remote

display.

2Use the  buttons to select

FUNCNAME and press ENTER.

SELECT FUNCTION will flash in the display.

3 Press the MULTI CONTROL button for

the component you want to rename.

For example, TV

4Use the  buttons to select the

letters and/or numbers you want to

enter and use the  buttons to

move the cursor to the next position.

Here are the possible letters/numbers.

You can input up to eight letter/numbers.

5 When you're finished press ENTER,

END will flash, press ENTER again.

The COMPLETE appears in the display.

6 Go back to step 2 to input as many

function names as you want.

7 Select EXIT and press ENTER.

You will exit the REMOTE SETUP menu and return to

normal operation.

Memo:

• To exit from the REMOTE SETUP mode at

anytime press the REMOTE SETUP button.

• The display will disappear after one minute or

so if no new commands are entered. Press

any button to wake up the remote and

continue the process.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

0123456789

!#%&'()*+–./:;<=>?

@[\]\^_`{|}~ •(space)

VSX-AX5i.book Page 83 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using Other Functions

Editing Button Names (KEY LABEL)

Use the KEY LABEL capability to rename the display on the remote control for different buttons (keys). You would

want to do this if you taught a specific button a new operation.

1 Press the REMOTE SETUP for more

than three seconds.

The REMOTE SETUP menu appears on the remote

display.

2 Use the  buttons to select KEY

LABEL and press ENTER.

SELECT FUNCTION will flash in the display.

3 Press the MULTI CONTROL button for

the component whose button you

want to rename.

For example DVD/LD

SELECT KEY flashes in the display.

4 Press the buttons whose name you

want to change.

For example, 

The name-changing screen appears in the display.

5 Use the  buttons to select the

letters and/or numbers you want to

enter and use the  buttons to

move the cursor to the next position.

Here are the possible letters/numbers.

You can input up to eight letter/numbers.

6 When you're finished press ENTER,

END will flash, press ENTER again.

COMPLETE appears in the display.

7 Go back to step 2 to input as many

button names as you want.

8 Select EXIT and press ENTER.

You will exit the REMOTE SETUP menu and return to

normal operation.

Memo:

• To exit from the REMOTE SETUP mode at

anytime press the REMOTE SETUP button.

• The display will disappear after one minute

or so if no new commands are entered. Press

any button to wake up the remote and

continue the process.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

0123456789

!#%&'()*+–./:;<=>?

@[\]\^_`{|}~ •(space)

VSX-AX5i.book Page 84 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using Other Functions

EXPERT

Adjusting the Light on the Remote Control

This feature allows you to adjust the brightness of the light on the remote control.

1 Press the REMOTE SETUP button for

three seconds.

The REMOTE SETUP menu appears on the remote

display.

2Use the  buttons to select LIGHT

and press ENTER.

3Use the  buttons to select HIGH,

LOW, or EXIT and press ENTER.

HIGH: The brightest setting

LOW: A dimmer setting

OFF: Turns the remote control light off.

EXIT: Leaves the LIGHT setting and returns you to the

REMOTE SETUP menu.

After pressing ENTER in the first three cases, COMPLETE

will appear in the display and you will be returned to the

REMOTE SETUP menu.

4 Select EXIT and press ENTER.

You will exit the REMOTE SETUP menu and return to

normal operation.

Memo:

• To exit from the REMOTE SETUP mode at any time press

the REMOTE SETUP button.

• The display will disappear after one minute or so if no new

commands are entered. Press any button to wake up the

remote and continue the process.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 85 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using Other Functions

Clearing Remote Control Settings You Have Input

This feature allows you to clear a particular setting, or all of the settings from a function in the REMOTE SETUP

menu.

1 Press the REMOTE SETUP button for

three seconds.

The REMOTE SETUP menu appears on the remote

display.

2 Use the  buttons to select CLEAR

and press ENTER.

CLEAR appears in the display.

3 Use the  buttons to select one

setting, or all of the settings, and

press ENTER.

The choices in this feature include:

LEARNING CLEAR: Allows you to clear one command you

have set in the LEARNING function. After pressing ENTER

SELECT FUNCTION flashes in the display. Go to step 4.

KEYLABEL CLEAR: Allows you to clear one button name

you have set in the KEYLABEL function. After pressing

ENTER SELECT FUNCTION flashes in the display. Go to

step 4.

ALL CLEAR: Allows you to clear all the REMOTE SETUP

settings. After pressing ENTER, CLEAR? appears in the

display. Go to step 6.

EXIT: Returns you to the REMOTE SETUP menu.

4 Press the MULTI CONTROL button for

the component whose command or

key label you want to clear.

SELECT KEY flashes in the display.

5 Press the button you want to clear.

The button chosen will appear in the display. CLEAR? will

appear in the display.

6 Use the  buttons to select YES, NO

or EXIT and press ENTER.

YES: clears the setting.

NO and EXIT: leaves the setting as is and returns you to

the REMOTE SETUP menu.

If you select YES and press ENTER then COMPLETE

appears in the display and you are returned to the

REMOTE SETUP menu.

7 Select EXIT and press ENTER.

You will exit the REMOTE SETUP menu and return to

normal operation.

Memo:

• To exit from the REMOTE SETUP mode at

anytime press the REMOTE SETUP button.

• The display will disappear after one minute or

so if no new commands are entered. Press

any button to wake up the remote and

continue the process.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 86 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Using Other Functions

EXPERT

Resetting the Main Unit

The following operations allow you to reset the unit to the default settings.

Put the receiver in the STANDBY mode.

1 While holding down the TONE button

press the STANDBY/ON button for

about three seconds.

2 When you see RESET? appear in the

display, press the TONE – button. OK?

appears in the display, press TONE +.

When OK appears in the display all the settings,

including the speaker, surround sound settings and tuner

settings, will be reset in the unit to the default settings.

Memo:

If the receiver is disconnected from a power source for

about a month or longer it will reset to the default settings.

VSX-AX5i.book Page 87 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Fine Tuning Your System

THX CINEMA Setup

This setup lets you choose which decoding method for 2 channel sources the receiver will use for THX CINEMA. For

more information on the decoding (playback) formats see "Techno Tidbits" starting on page 106.

1 Turn on the receiver and your TV,

press RECEIVER on the remote con-

trol.

2 Press the SYSTEM SETUP button.

3 Looking at the on-screen display on

your TV, use the  buttons to select

THX CINEMA SETUP. Press the ENTER

button.

4 Use the  buttons to choose either

PRO LOGIC ll MOVIE, PRO LOGIC or

NEO:6 CINEMA as the decoding

method. Press the ENTER button.

The default is PRO LOGIC ll MOVIE.

5 EXIT should be selected (if not, use

the  buttons to select it). Press

ENTER.

6 Use the  buttons to select EXIT

and press ENTER, again.

This exits the SYSTEM SETUP mode and returns to

normal operation.

3-6

Fine Tuning Your System

VSX-AX5i.book Page 88 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Fine Tuning Your System

EXPERT

Assigning the Digital Inputs

If you did not hook up your digital equipment in accordance with the default settings for the digital inputs (see

pages 17, 19 and 22) you need to complete the procedure below. You have to do this in order to tell the receiver what

digital equipment is hooked up to which terminal so the buttons on the remote correspond to what you have hooked

up.

1 Turn on the receiver and your TV,

press RECEIVER on the remote con-

trol.

2 Press the SYSTEM SETUP button.

3 Looking at the on-screen display on

your TV, use the  buttons to select

INPUT ASSIGN. Press the ENTER

button.

4 DIGITAL–IN SELECT should be

selected, if not use the  buttons to

select it. Press the ENTER button.

5 Use the  buttons to move through

the different digital inputs and press

the ENTER button.

6Use the  buttons select the

component that you hooked up to

that digital in. Press the ENTER

button.

If you're not sure which component is connected to which

digital in, look on the back of the receiver and check the

cables you connected.

7 When you're finished use the 

buttons to select EXIT and press

ENTER.

This exits the DIGITAL–IN SELECT mode.

8Use the  buttons to select EXIT

and press ENTER. Then, use the 

buttons to select EXIT and press

ENTER again.

This exits the SYSTEM SETUP mode and returns to

normal operation.

Memo:

• The possible digital inputs that can be

assigned are: DVD/LD, TV/SAT, VCR1, VCR2,

CD, CD-R, MD.

• If you assign a digital input to a certain

function (for example DVD/LD) then any

digital inputs previously assigned to that

function will automatically be set to OFF. This

is because one function cannot be assigned

to two different places.

3-8 2

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Fine Tuning Your System

Assigning the Component Video Inputs

This receiver has two component video inputs. Their default settings are video inputs for the DVD/LD (COMPONENT

VIDEO IN 1) and TV/SAT (COMPONENT VIDEO IN 2) functions, but you can reassign them if you want to use them

as video inputs for other receiver functions (for example a VCR).

See pages 16 and 17 for more on connecting equipment using component video cords.

1 Turn on the receiver and your TV,

press RECEIVER on the remote con-

trol.

2 Press the SYSTEM SETUP button.

3 Looking at the on-screen display on

your TV, use the  buttons to select

INPUT ASSIGN. Press the ENTER

button.

4 Use the  buttons to select

COMPONENT–IN SELECT then press

ENTER.

5 Use the  buttons to select the

component video input you want to

reassign. Press the ENTER button.

6 Use the  buttons to assign a

receiver function.

Choose between DVD/LD, TV/SAT, VCR1 and VCR2.

7 When you're finished use the 

buttons to select EXIT and press

ENTER.

You will leave the COMPONENT–IN SELECT mode.

8 Use the  buttons to select EXIT

and press ENTER. Then, use the 

buttons to select EXIT and press

ENTER again.

This exits the SYSTEM SETUP mode and returns to

normal operation.

Memo:

If you connect any source component to the receiver using a

component video input, you should also have your TV

connected to this receiver's component video output.

3-8 2

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Fine Tuning Your System

EXPERT

Assigning i.LINK Inputs

With this function you can assign i.LINK-equipped components to a function, for example DVD/LD. By assigning

i.LINK inputs you will be able to select both audio and video signals from i.LINK-equipped components by turning

the MULTI JOG.

Memo:

If no i.LINK-equipped components are connected i.LINK Input cannot be selected.

1 Turn on the receiver and your TV,

press the RECEIVER on the remote

control.

2 Turn on your i.LINK compatible com-

ponents (i.e. DVD player).

3 Press the SYSTEM SETUP button.

4 Looking at the on-screen display on

your TV, use the  buttons to select

INPUT ASSIGN. Press the ENTER

button.

5Use the  buttons to select i.LINK

INPUT. Press the ENTER button.

6Use the  buttons to select an

i.LINK-equipped component. Press

the ENTER button.

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Fine Tuning Your System

7 Use the  buttons to select the

source you want. Press the ENTER

button.

When you assign an i.LINK-equipped video component,

select the input source to which you have connected the

video signal from the component. TUNER, PHONO and

USB inputs cannot be assigned.

If you want to change the ports for additional i.LINK

components

Start again from step 6.

• i.LINK is displayed after unassigned device names

such as DV-47Ai [i.LINK].

• When connected devices are not i.LINK-Audio compat-

ible source components, [----] is displayed after the

input device name such as DV-47Ai [----]. Non-compati-

ble devices cannot be assigned to inputs.

• When the cables for an assigned input device become

loose or the power is cut to the device, a * appears

before the device name (i.e. *DV-47Ai [CD]).

• If you assign an i.LINK input to a certain function (for

example DVD/LD) then any digital inputs previously

assigned to that function will automatically be set to

i.LINK (not assigned). This is because one function

cannot be assigned to two different places.

8 When you’re finished use the 

buttons to select EXIT and press

ENTER.

You will leave the i.LINK INPUT mode.

9 Use the  buttons to select EXIT

and press ENTER, again. Then, use the

 buttons to select EXIT and press

ENTER.

Memo:

When a number of i.LINK-equipped components are

connected to your receiver, the i.LINK-equipped

component you are looking for might be listed on

additional display screens. When the top or bottom input

is selected, pressing  button or  will display any

previous or next display screen. When you press ENTER

the cursor moves to EXIT.

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Fine Tuning Your System

EXPERT

Function Rename

Use the FUNCTION RENAME capability to rename the display on the receiver and your OSD for different functions

(DVD, etc.). For example, you could rename VCR1/DVR as DVR-7000. For this particular setup using the controls on

the front panel is more convenient than using the remote control. Use the MULTI JOG dial instead of the 

buttons and use the ENTER button on the front panel. You can also use the display on the front panel as opposed to

the OSD. 5 Use the MULTI JOG to cycle the

cursor through the letters,

numbers and symbols. Use the

ENTER button to enter one of the

possibilities or move forward a

space.

The possible selections are shown below.

6 Repeat step 5 until you get the

name as you want it.

You can input up to ten characters.

7 Press ENTER repeatedly to exit the

name. The new function name is

set.

8 Repeat steps 4-7 to change other

function names. Use the MULTI

JOG to select EXIT and press

ENTER.

9 Use the MULTI JOG to select EXIT

and press ENTER.

This exits the SYSTEM SETUP mode and returns to

normal operation.

Memo:

Use the RETURN button to move the cursor back one

character when entering a name.

1 Turn on the receiver and your

TV. (If you want to use the

remote control for this setup,

press the RECEIVER button.)

2 Press the SET UP button.

This display appears on the receiver.

3 Looking at the display on your

receiver, use the MULTI JOG to

select FUNCTION RENAME. Press

the ENTER button.

4 Use the MULTI JOG to select the

name of the function (for

example, DVD/LD) you want to

change. Press ENTER.

Either the cursor underline bar or a character

(depending on which is selected) will blink.

The functions are divided into three different on-

screen displays so you may have to move through

them to find the function you want to rename.

3-9 2RETURN button

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

0123456789

!”#$%&’()*+,–./:;<=>?@[ \ ]ˆ_{|} [space]

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Fine Tuning Your System

SACD Setup

The SACD setup allows you to enjoy 1-bit (Direct Stream Digital) high quality sound directly from an SACD

component bypassing the DSP circuitry.

1 Turn on the receiver and your TV,

press RECEIVER on the remote con-

trol.

2 Press the SYSTEM SETUP button.

3 Looking at the on-screen display on

your TV, use the  buttons to select

SACD SETUP. Press the ENTER button.

4 Select SACD DIRECT and press ENTER.

5 Use the  buttons to select the ON

or OFF. Press ENTER.

ON: Use to playback SACD sources without any digital

processing.

OFF: Use to playback SACD sources with DSP

processing.

6 EXIT should be selected (if not, use

the  buttons to select it). Press

ENTER.

7 Use the  buttons to select EXIT

and press ENTER, again.

This exits the SYSTEM SETUP mode and returns to

normal operation.

Memo:

• The default is OFF.

• When set to ON and playing an SACD over an i.LINK

connection, the following settings are not applicable:

SPEAKER SETTING (page 41)

SPEAKER DISTANCE (page 44)

3-7 2

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Fine Tuning Your System

EXPERT

PHONO/LINE Setup

The PHONO/LINE setup allows you to decide whether you'll hook up a turntable or a line level component (most

components, like CD players and DVD players, are line level).

1 Turn on the receiver and your TV,

press RECEIVER on the remote con-

trol.

2 Press the SYSTEM SETUP button.

3 Looking at the on-screen display on

your TV, use the  buttons to select

PHONO/LINE SETUP. Press the ENTER

button.

4Use the  buttons to select the

PHONO or LINE. Press ENTER.

PHONO: Use this setting for turntables (without a built-in

equalizer or pre-amplifier).

LINE: Use this setting for all audio components other

than a turntable and for turntables with a built-in phono

equalizer.

5 EXIT should be selected (if not, use

the  buttons to select it). Press

ENTER.

6Use the  buttons to select EXIT

and press ENTER, again.

This exits the SYSTEM SETUP mode and returns to

normal operation.

Memo:

The default is PHONO.

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Expert System Settings

EXPERT Setup

The settings here can only be done if you've performed the more basic preliminary setups. Thus, before doing these

settings do either AUTO SETTING on page 13 or NORMAL setup page 40. These settings are to further heighten your

surround sound. They are not absolutely necessary but may give more defined and enjoyable surround sound. You

can decide if you want to make these settings or not. You only need to make these settings once (unless you change

the placement of your current speaker system, add new speakers or components to your system, etc.). These setup

operations use your TV to display the settings and choices so be sure your TV and receiver are properly hooked up.

1 Turn on the receiver and your TV,

press RECEIVER on the remote con-

trol.

Make sure your TV is set to the receiver.

2 Press the SYSTEM SETUP button.

The menu possibilities appear on your TV.

3 SURROUND SETUP should be selected

(if it's not use the  buttons to

select it). Press the ENTER button.

4 Select EXPERT with the  buttons.

Press the ENTER button.

5 Follow the order below to make

expert settings. Use the  buttons

to navigate through the menus.

When you have the setting you want

in particular menu, press ENTER.

In each mode, the current settings are displayed on the

screen.

CROSSOVER NETWORK (page 97)

This feature determines which frequencies will be sent to

the subwoofer (or large speakers).

FINE CHANNEL LEVEL (page 98)

This feature balances the sound output level of your

speakers more finely than in the NORMAL setup.

FINE CHANNEL DELAY (page 99)

This feature adjusts the delay level of your speakers more

finely than in the NORMAL setup.

ACOUSTIC CAL EQ (page 100)

This feature allows you to adjust the amount of a certain

frequency in a soundtrack, acting as a kind of room

equalizer for your speakers.

BASS PEAK LEVEL (page 104)

Dolby Digital and DTS audio sources include ultra-low

bass tones. Set the bass peak level as needed to prevent

the ultra-low bass tones from distorting the sound from

the speakers.

D-RANGE CONTROL (page 105)

This feature makes possible excellent surround sound

effects when listening to Dolby Digital and DTS sources at

low volumes.

3-5

Expert System Settings

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Expert System Settings

EXPERT

Crossover Network

Crossover frequency is the point where the receiver divides the high and low sounds (the frequencies) between the

speakers. Certain bass sounds will play back from the subwoofer if you selected it as YES (or PLUS) or from the front

speakers if you selected them as LARGE. This setting decides where the cutoff will be between those bass sounds

playing back from the speaker selected as above and the bass sounds for the entire soundtrack, which play back

from all speakers used.

If all speakers are set to LARGE (see page 41) this setup is unnecessary.

Follow steps 1-5 on page 96, if necessary, to get to the

starting point mentioned here.

1 CROSSOVER NETWORK should be

selected, if it isn’t use the  buttons

to select and press ENTER.

2Use the  buttons to select

frequency cut off point. Press ENTER.

Frequencies below the cut off point will be sent to the

subwoofer (or large speakers). For example, choosing 50

Hz sends bass frequencies below 50 Hz to the subwoofer

(or large speakers).

3 EXIT should be selected (if it's not use

the  buttons to select it). Press

ENTER.

Next, proceed to FINE CHANNEL LEVEL.

If you want to change a setting before proceeding

start over from step 1.

Memo:

The default is 80Hz.

1-3

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Expert System Settings

Fine Channel Level

The following steps show you how to balance the sound output level of your speakers more finely than in the

NORMAL setup (see page 40). Proper speaker balance is essential for obtaining high quality surround sound and

the better the speaker balance the better surround sound you can get.

Follow steps 1-5 on page 96, if necessary, to get to the

starting point mentioned here.

1 FINE CHANNEL LEVEL should be

selected, if it isn’t use the  buttons

to select and press ENTER.

2 Use the  buttons to adjust the

level of the left channel. Press ENTER.

Test tones will be output.

WARNING: Be prepared! The test tones are output at

a high volume level.

MASTER VOLUME rotates to the reference position (0 dB)

and after a few seconds the test tone is output.

3 Use the  buttons to select the

subsequent channel. Press ENTER.

4 Adjust the level of the channel using

the  buttons.

Adjust the channel level from -10 dB to +10 dB in 0.5 dB

increments.

The default setting is 0 dB.

Try to get the volume level of the target speaker to match

that of the front left speaker, which is the reference level.

Adjust so that you hear both tones at the same volume.

When you press ENTER you will automatically go to the

next channel.

5 Press ENTER to select a new channel.

Repeat step 3 for every channel.

If you want to change a setting before proceeding

Use the  buttons to go back to the channel you want

to adjust and press ENTER. Then follow step 3.

6 When done select EXIT (if it's not

already selected) and press ENTER.

Next, if you want, proceed to FINE CHANNEL DELAY.

1-6

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Expert System Settings

EXPERT

Fine Channel Delay

The following steps show you how to adjust the delay level of your speakers more finely than in the NORMAL setup

(see page 40). Adding a slight delay to some speakers is necessary to achieve proper sound depth, separation as

well as an effective surround sound effect.

Follow steps 1-5 on page 96, if necessary, to get to the

starting point mentioned here.

1 FINE CHANNEL DELAY should be

selected, if it isn’t use the  buttons

to select and press ENTER.

2Use the  buttons to adjust the

distance of the left channel. Press

ENTER.

This channel will be the target reference which you use to

measure the other channels.

3Use the  buttons to select the

subsequent channel. Press ENTER.

Test tones will be output for the channel you want to

adjust and a reference channel.

Listen to the reference channel and use it to measure the

target channel.

4 Adjust the distance of each channel

using the  buttons.

Listen to the reference channel

and use it to measure the

target channel. Stand facing

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. The distance can be set within a range of 0.1 to 9.0

m in 0.1 m steps.

When you press ENTER you will automatically go to the

next channel.

5 Press ENTER to select a new channel.

Repeat step 4 for every channel.

If you want to change a setting before proceeding

Use the  buttons to go back to the channel you want

to adjust and press ENTER. Then follow step 3.

6 When done select EXIT (if it's not

already selected) and press ENTER.

Next, if you want, proceed to ACOUSTIC CAL EQ.

1-6

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Expert System Settings

100

Acoustic Calibration EQ

This receiver lets you choose between two types of ACOUSTIC CAL EQ equalizer curves: ALL CH ADJUST and

FRONT ALIGN, with the former equalizing the speakers individually and the latter equalizing the speakers in

accordance with the front speakers. Features here allow you to put in your own equalizer preferences. To do this use

the DATA COPY feature to copy the settings in ALL CH ADJUST and FRONT ALIGN modes and paste them into

CUSTOM 1 or CUSTOM 2. You then choose between the ALL CH ADJUST and FRONT ALIGN types of curves and

increase the amount of a certain frequency in each speaker in accordance with your preferences. When you

playback a source you can choose CUSTOM 1 or CUSTOM 2 to apply your preferences to playback. When setting up

using the ALL CH ADJUST mode you can adjust each speaker individually. With the FRONT ALIGN mode the front

speakers will serve as the reference so you cannot adjust them.

The DATA CHECK feature allows you to see how the settings in ALL CH ADJUST and FRONT ALIGN currently stand.

When you use ACOUSTIC CAL EQ function (see page 51) you can toggle between the two basic settings, ALL CH

ADJUST and FRONT ALIGN, and the variations you set yourself, CUSTOM 1 and CUSTOM 2.

To use the EQ AUTO SETTING feature follow the step

here.

Follow steps 1-5 on page 96, if necessary, to get to the

starting point mentioned here.

Memo:

If you have already performed AUTO SETTING (page 13), this

setting is not necessary.

1 ACOUSTIC CAL EQ should be selected.

If it isn’t use the  buttons to select

and press ENTER.

2 EQ AUTO SETTING should be

selected. If it isn’t use the  buttons

to select and press ENTER.

3 Select START and then press ENTER to

start EQ AUTO SETTING.

Make sure you have hooked up the microphone and

moved obstacles to the speakers out of the way. If you

have a subwoofer make sure it is turned on and has the

volume turned up.

WARNING: The test tones are very loud!! Make sure there

are no infants or small children in the room and that no

one who will be scared, upset or injured by loud noise is

present. You yourself may want to wear earplugs. It is

possible to lower the volume of test tones, but this could

result in incorrect speaker settings.

When done !! FINISH !! will appear on the screen. After

they have finished, move to the next step.

DATA COPY: You can store the settings in CUSTOM1 or

CUSTOM2 by selecting DATA COPY and pressing ENTER.

(For information on subsequent operations, see step 3 on

the following page.)

CHECK: If you like to view the settings, select CHECK and

then press ENTER. By selecting NEXT repeatedly, you can

view the settings for each channel.

4 When done select EXIT (if it’s not

already selected) and press ENTER.

Leave the setup by using the  buttons to select EXIT

and pressing ENTER. You can now go to another

ACOUSTIC CAL EQ setting by using the  buttons and

pressing ENTER. The MCACC indicator will light.

1-4

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Expert System Settings

101

EXPERT

To start the process use DATA COPY to paste the ALL CH

ADJUST or FRONT ALIGN settings into CUSTOM 1 or CUS-

TOM 2.

Follow steps 1-5 on page 96, if necessary, to get to the

starting point mentioned here.

1 ACOUSTIC CAL EQ should be selected,

if it isn’t use the  buttons to select

and press ENTER.

2Use the  buttons to select DATA

COPY. Press ENTER.

3Use the  buttons to select

CUSTOM 1 or CUSTOM 2 as the

destination you want to copy the

data to. Press ENTER.

4Use the  buttons to select ALL CH

ADJUST or FRONT ALIGN as the type

of curve you want to copy. Press

ENTER.

When you press ENTER the data is copied to the

destination you chose.

After you have done this process once you can also copy

data in CUSTOM 1 or CUSTOM 2.

5 When done select EXIT (if it’s not

already selected) and press ENTER.

You can now adjust the settings in CUSTOM 1 or

CUSTOM 2.

1-5

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Expert System Settings

102

This explanation is for CUSTOM 1 or CUSTOM 2.

1 Use the  buttons to select CUSTOM 1 or

CUSTOM 2. Press ENTER.

2Use the  buttons to select ALL CH

ADJUST or FRONT ALIGN and press ENTER.

The test tones will sound.

WARNING: the test tones are very loud!! Make sure there are

no infants or small children in the room and that no one who will

be scared, upset or damaged by loud noise is present. You your-

self may want to wear earplugs.

Here the terms ALL CH ADJUST and FRONT ALIGN represent two

types of equalizer methods that emphasize different

characteristics of the sound.

ALL CH ADJUST: In this method all the speakers (except

for the subwoofer) are independent. The settings that were

input when you did the AUTO SURROUND SETUP (see

page 13) will be present but you can adjust each speaker

individually to suit your taste. The test tones for each

channel will sound individually.

FRONT ALIGN: In this method all speakers (except for the

subwoofer) are set in accordance with the settings of the

FRONT speakers. The settings that were input when you

did the AUTO SURROUND SETUP (see page 13) will be

present but you can adjust each speaker individually to

suit your taste. This setting allows the listener to enjoy a

sound balance defined by the front speakers. The front left

speaker will serve as the reference tone. The front left tone

and the target speaker (the one you are trying to adjust)

will sound in turns, so you can judge which needs to be

louder.

3Use the  buttons to select the channel

that you want to adjust. Press ENTER.

For FRONT ALIGN you won't be able to adjust the FRONT

speakers.

4Use the  buttons to select the fre-

quency you want to adjust. Press ENTER.

For the speakers you set to SMALL (see page 41) you won't be

able to adjust the 63 Hz setting.

5Use the  buttons to adjust the

frequency. When you have it at the level

you want press ENTER.

Set the frequencies within the –6 dB to +6 dB range in steps of

0.5 dB. If OVER appears in the display you have set the levels too

high. Reduce them until OVER disappears.

6 The cursor automatically goes to the next

frequency. Press ENTER and repeat steps 4

and 5 to adjust all the frequencies.

For explanation purposes

the illustrations use ALL

CH ADJUST.

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Expert System Settings

103

EXPERT

7 TRIM should be selected (if it isn’t use

the  buttons to select it) and press

ENTER.

8 Use the  buttons to adjust the TRIM

and press ENTER.

TRIM will balance the volume level of each frequency in the

overall volume of that speaker.

9 EXIT should be selected (if it isn’t use

the  buttons to select it) and press

ENTER.

10The cursor automatically goes to the

next channel. Press ENTER and repeat

steps 3 – 8 to adjust all the channels.

11EXIT should be selected (if it isn’t use

the  buttons to select it) and press

ENTER.

Leave the setup by using the  buttons to select EXIT and

pressing ENTER. You can now go to DATA CHECK or leave the

ACOUSTIC CAL EQ setting by using the  buttons to select

EXIT and pressing ENTER.

To use the DATA CHECK feature follow the steps here.

1 Use the  buttons to select DATA

CHECK. Press ENTER.

2 Select either ALL CH ADJUST or FRONT

ALIGN as the data you want to check.

Press ENTER.

3 Use the  buttons to select the

channel that you want to check. Press

ENTER.

That channel appears so you can check the setting.

4 When that channel has been checked,

use the  buttons to select the EXIT

and press ENTER.

5 Repeat step 3 and 4 to check all the

channels.

6 When all channels have been checked

select EXIT (if it's not already selected)

and press ENTER.

Leave the setup by using the  buttons to select EXIT and

pressing ENTER. You can now go to another ACOUSTIC CAL

EQ setting by using the  buttons and pressing ENTER.

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Expert System Settings

104

Bass Peak Level

The LFE (Low Frequency Effect) channel in Dolby Digital and DTS program sources can produce heavily

concentrated ultra-low bass tones that may exceed the capabilities of your speaker system. The following steps

show you how to limit the peak level for the LFE channel. If continuing from the preceding page the BASS PEAK

LEVEL should be selected.

Follow steps 1-5 on page 96, if necessary, to get to the

starting point mentioned here.

1 BASS PEAK LEVEL should be selected,

if it isn’t use the  buttons to select

and press ENTER.

2 Use the  buttons to select SETTING

START or SETTING CANCEL. Press

ENTER.

SETTING START: The MASTER VOLUME is set to -80, a

test tone plays back and you make the setting (go to step

3).

SETTING CANCEL: This setting won't limit the peak level

of the LFE channel.

If you selected SETTING CANCEL go to step 4.

3 Use the buttons to adjust the test

tone and specify the bass peak level.

1 Raise the level gradually.

2 Set the bass peak level at the point just before the tone

starts to distort.

Be careful! Test tones play back at loud volumes.

Make sure there are no infants or small children in

the room.

You can leave this setup any time by pressing ENTER.

If the YES or PLUS setting on the subwoofer is selected

the test tone will only play back from the subwoofer. If not,

the test tone will play back from all speakers set to LARGE

except for the subwoofer.

4 Press ENTER.

The display on the receiver will show FADE and then

RESUME while the MASTER VOLUME returns to its

original position.

5 EXIT should be selected (if it isn’t use

the  buttons to select it), press

ENTER.

If you want to change a setting before proceeding

Start over from step 1.

Next, if you want, proceed to D-RANGE CONTROL.

1-5

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Expert System Settings

105

EXPERT

Dynamic Range Control

This feature makes it possible to enjoy full surround sound effects on Dolby Digital and DTS sources even at low

volumes. It does this by compressing the dynamic range. Dynamic range is the difference between the loudest and

the softest sounds in any given signal. Compressing the range plays sounds so the quieter ones are audible and the

louder ones don’t get distorted or become overpowering. This feature only applies to Dolby Digital and DTS sources

but the MIDNIGHT mode (see page 52) accomplishes the same end for a variety of sources. If continuing from

BASS PEAK LEVEL, D-RANGE CONTROL should be selected.

Follow steps 1-5 on page 96, if necessary, to get to the

starting point mentioned here.

1 D-RANGE CONTROL should be

selected, if it isn’t use the  buttons

to select and press ENTER.

2Use the  buttons to choose either

OFF, MID or MAX. Press ENTER.

Dynamic Range Control is set.

OFF: No Dynamic Range Control

MID: A moderate amount of Dynamic Range Control is

applied.

MAX: The most Dynamic Range Control available is

applied.

3 EXIT should be selected (if it isn’t use

the  buttons to select it), press

ENTER.

If you want to change a setting before proceeding

Start over from step 1.

4 You are now finished with EXPERT

SETUP, EXIT should be selected (if it

isn’t use the  buttons to select it),

press ENTER.

5 EXIT in SURROUND SETUP menu

should be selected (if it isn’t use the

 buttons to select it), press ENTER.

6Use the  buttons to select EXIT in

the SYSTEM SETUP menu, press

ENTER.

The receiver returns to normal operation.

Memo:

The default is OFF.

OFF

1-6

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Techno Tidbits and Problem-solving

106

Dolby

Dolby Digital

Dolby Digital is a discrete digital surround format used for multichannel surround sound. It was developed after the

Dolby Surround System and Dolby Pro Logic Surround System. Dolby Digital is a high quality digital sound format

that is used by many theatrical film releases.

Other features include:

1) Downmixing on playback for compatibility with mono, stereo, Dolby Pro Logic and 5.1 channel audio.

2) A wide range of bitrates and channels.

3) Decoding dynamic range information and adjusting the dialog level in the soundtrack (called Dialog

Normalization, see below for more information).

Dialog Normalization

When a Dolby Digital soundtrack is played back the Dialog Normalization function of the receiver activates

automatically. Dialog Normalization is a Dolby Digital function that establishes the average dialog level for the

program source being played. If the receiver's level does not match the average dialog level, first you see "DIAL

NORM" and "OFFSET +4 dB" (as an example) appear in the receiver's display. In this example, the number +4 dB is

the difference between the receiver's gain structure and the Dolby Digital average dialog level. To match the average

dialog level, subtract or add the OFFSET level. For example, if the OFFSET level is +4 dB, the amplifier's output is 4

dB over the average recorded level.

Dolby Pro Logic II

Dolby Pro Logic II is an improved version of Dolby Pro Logic technology with extended matrix decoding technology

that can create 5.1 channel sound from two channel sources. Dolby Pro Logic II creates basic 5 channel sound by

using the innovative "steering logic" circuit. Therefore when listening to typical two-channel sources like CD, the

listener can enjoy a richer spatial effect. When using software encoded with Dolby Surround, this decoding system

affords the listener an improved surround experience with greater sound detail.

Chart Comparing Dolby Pro Logic and Dolby Pro Logic II

Dolby Digital Surround EX

This new recording technology is able to play 6.1 channel sound and was developed in a collaboration between

Dolby Laboratories and Lucasfilm, Ltd. for the film "Star Wars: The First Episode", the first movie ever to be made

with Dolby Digital Surround EX technology. In a movie theater this format affords the listener vivid surround sound

experience replete with the effect of sounds flying overhead, even for those seated towards the sides of the theater.

Dolby Digital Surround EX contains surround back channels which are dubbed into the soundtrack in studio. The

channels are encoded into the left and right channels of the soundtrack so this format can be compatible with

Dolby Digital 5.1 channel decoding. For a list of movies that contain Dolby Digital Surround EX soundtracks see

Dolby website at: http://www.dolby.com

DTS

In this system, 6 channels of digital sound are recorded on CD-ROM. DTS adopts a simultaneous playback format.

With a low rate of compression of sound signals and a high rate of transmittance, a higher sound quality format is

produced. For this reason, the format is being introduced in more and more movie theaters, and is being adopted

for home use as DTS Digital Surround. When used with movies it's called DTS-LD DVD and for music software (5.1

channel CD) as DTS-CD.

Pro Logic Pro Logic II

Effective sound source Dolby Surround encoded sources All two channel stereo sources

Surround Sound Mono Stereo

Frequency Range Surround within 7kHz All Channels/Full Range

Techno Tidbits and Problem-solving

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Techno Tidbits and Problem-solving

107

EXPERT

DTS-ES

DTS launched a new surround format in November 2000. This has come to be known as DTS Extended Surround or

simply DTS-ES. The technology has been advanced to include two new home formats DTS-ES Discrete 6.1 format,

and DTS-ES Matrix 6.1 ch format, both are able to playback discrete, 6.1-channel content from DVDs and CDs. Both

of these formats are compatible with a conventional DTS 5.1 ch decoder. In this system each channel is encoded

and decoded individually, adding to the separation of the channels. Since DTS adds a third surround channel, the

surround back channel, the realism and all-encompassing nature of the sound reaches levels not seen before in

home theater. This unit is equipped with a DTS-ES decoder.

DTS Neo:6

This is a matrix decoding technology that transforms two-channel sources into 6.0 channel surround sound. There

are two modes, CINEMA mode and MUSIC mode.

DTS 96/24

For compatibility with equipment that was produced before this format was made, DVD players can play this

software using a conventional DTS 5.1ch decoder. This unit is equipped with a DTS 96 kHz/24 bit decoder to take

advantage of the higher sound quality available.

THX

THX is a Lucasfilm, Ltd. program dedicated to maximum accuracy in movie presentation. Movie sound tracks are

recorded in large movie dubbing stages using movie theater equipment. For a sound track to be presented

accurately in your home, special technologies are required. In your home the room is much smaller and has a

bright sound, the speakers are very different and there are only six-eight of them, plus, you sit much closer to each

one of those speakers. Because of these differences we often miss the power and emotion that thrills us in a good

movie. Now Pioneer and THX have teamed up to bring the full glory of accurate cinema sound to the comfort and

convenience of your home.

Re-Equalization™ : In a theater the room is very large and dead sounding, you sit a long way back from the

speakers and the speakers themselves are very specialized. Because a sound track recorded in this dead sounding

space when it is played at home it sounds overbright. THX Re-Equalization adjusts for this difference in a very

precise way.

Adaptive Decorrelation™ : When a sound track sends mono sound to the surround speakers it often seems to be

coming come from one side instead of from all around you as it would in a theater. Adaptive Decorrelation helps to

correct this inaccuracy.

Timbre Matching™ : When recording a sound track it is very important that the surround sounds move smoothly

and seamlessly around the theater. It is very distracting when sounds seem to jump from speaker to speaker. Timbre

Matching helps to smooth the movement of the surround sounds even though you are using only two speakers.

Bass Peak Level Manager™ : Some Dolby Digital sound tracks can produce bass peaks that are undesirable in a

home theater environment. The Bass Peak Level Manager allows you to set the maximum peak levels appropriate to

your system. Set this function according to the Bass Peak Level instructions (page 104).

Loudspeaker Position Time Synchronization™ : This feature allows you to adjust for the difference in the

distance from each individual loudspeaker to the listening position. Doing this ensures that all the speakers operate

in precise synchronization improving the seamless nature of the soundfield. Set this function according to the

Speaker Distance instructions (page 44) or Fine Channel Delay instructions (page 99).

THX Surround EX™ : THX Surround EX–Dolby Digital Surround EX is a joint development of Dolby Laboratories

and the THX division of Lucasfilm Ltd.

This product may also engage the "THX Surround EX" mode during the playback of 5.1 channel material that is not

Dolby Digital Surround EX encoded. In such case the information delivered to the Surround Back channel will be

program dependent and may or may not be very pleasing depending on the particular soundtrack and the tastes of

the individual listener.

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Techno Tidbits and Problem-solving

108

i.LINK Related Messages

You may see the following messages displayed in the front panel display when using the i.LINK interface.

PQLS OFF

Displayed when PQLS turns off during playback. The

sound may be interrupted momentarily when this

happens.

PQLS ON

Displayed when PQLS turns on during playback. The

sound may be interrupted momentarily when this

happens.

UNKNOWN

UNKNOWN is displayed instead of an

i.LINKequipped component name. The name of the

component isn’t recognized.

BUS FULL

The i.LINK bus has reached its capacity and cannot

transmit any more data.

CANNOT LINK 1

The interface between the receiver and the selected

i.LINK-equipped component is unstable. If the i.LINK

cables appear to be connected properly and both the

receiver and i.LINKequipped component are on,

switch the receiver and the component off and on

again to reestablish the interface between them.

CANNOT LINK 2

The receiver can’t identify the selected

i.LINKequipped component. For example, the

receiver may not be able to identify an i.LINK-

equipped personal computer.

LINK CHECK

The receiver is checking the i.LINK network. It does

this, for example, when components are added or

removed from the network. The sound may be inter-

rupted if this happens during playback.

LOOP CONNECT

The i.LINK network cannot function because it is

connected in a loop. Break the loop (see page 29).

NO NAME

NO NAME is displayed instead of an i.LINKequipped

component name. The component has no name.

NO SIGNAL

A component is outputting an i.LINK signal that the

receiver that cannot reproduce. This receiver can

reproduce signals from i.LINK-Audio-equipped com-

ponents (see page 28).

This product complies with the following i.LINK

interface specifications:

1) IEEE Std 1394a-2000, Standard for a High

Performance Serial Bus

2) Audio and Music Data Transmission Protocol 2.0

Following the standard for AM824 sequence

adaptation layers, the product is compatible with

IEC60958 bitstream, DVD-A and SACD.

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Techno Tidbits and Problem-solving

109

EXPERT

Troubleshooting

Incorrect operations are often mistaken for trouble and malfunctions. If you think that there is something wrong

with this component, check the points below. Sometimes the trouble may lie in another component. Investigate the

other components and electrical appliances being used. If the trouble cannot be rectified even after exercising the

checks listed below, ask your nearest PIONEER authorized service center or your dealer to carry out repair work.

i.LINK indicator flashes, but no

sound is output. • An output signal is not produced from

the i.LINK connector on the source

player.

• The selected component is not compati-

ble with i.LINK Audio.

• The selected component does not corre-

spond to DTCP.

• Refer to the manual that came with the

source player.

• Refer to the manual that came with the

source player.

• The unit corresponds to DTCP. Refer to

the manual for the selected compo-

nent.

i.LINK indicator does not light

up even when an i.LINK-

equipped component is

selected.

• The i.LINK cable is dislocated.

• The i.LINK cable is too long.

• The selected component does not corre-

spond to the i.LINK AUDIO format.

• The component between the unit and

the source player is turned off.

• Check all connections.

• Use a cable less than 3.5m long.

• Refer to the manual for the selected

component.

• When the source player is turned off or

in the standby mode, the output signal

is not produced. Refer to the manual

for the selected component.

The program format

indicators don’t disappear

when SACD/DVD-A playback

stops.

• The program format indicators remain lit

until another format source is input.

PQLS OFF or PQLS ON is

displayed temporarily and the

sound output is discontinued.

• During playback through an i.LINK con-

nection, if you change the settings for

other i.LINK components, the sound will

be discontinued momentarily.

After upgrading a component

and then connecting it

through an i.LINK connection,

the name for the component

is not displayed and the

component is not selected.

• Depending on the upgrade process, cer-

tain components may not be recognized

by the unit.

• Initialized all the information stored in

the unit in the order as follows:

1. When the unit is in the standby

mode, press and hold STEREO/DIRECT

and then press STANDBY/ON.

2. When “DB CLEAR?” is displayed,

press MULTI CH IN.

3. When “DB CLEAR OK?” is displayed,

press ACOUSTIC EQ.

4. Make sure “DB CLEAR SET” is

displayed to end initialization.

5. If “DB ERROR” is displayed, step

through the procedure again.

The power does not turn on • The power plug is disconnected.

• The protection circuit may have been

activated.

• Connect the power plug to the wall out-

let.

• Disconnect the power plug from the

outlet, and insert again.

Power

i.LINK interface

Cause Remedy

Symptom

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Techno Tidbits and Problem-solving

110

During loud playback the

power suddenly switches off. • The protection circuit has been activated

because the lowest actual impedance of

the speakers (as opposed to the speak-

ers’ rated impedance) is dangerously

low.

• Turn down the volume.

• When it’s convenient go to ACOUSTIC

CAL EQ (see page 100) and lower the

63 Hz and 125 Hz equalizer levels using

manual setting.

• Turning DIGITAL SAFETY on may allow

you to turn up the volume a little more.

(From the Standby mode, and while

holding down the MULTI JOG CON-

TROL SET UP button press the

STANDBY/ON button. Each action

switches SAFETY ON or OFF.)

The unit does not respond

when the buttons are pressed. • Static electricity caused by dry air. • Switch the unit off, then on again.

• Disconnect the power plug from the

outlet, and insert again.

During operation, the unit

suddenly switches off. • The speaker wires are frayed or sticking

out of the jack, and are touching the

back of the receiver or another set of

wires.

• Reinsert the speaker wires, making

sure there are no stray strands of wire

and that they are inserted fully (see

page 25).

AMP ERR blinks in the display

and the unit turns off. The

STANDBY indicator will blink

and the unit cannot be turned

on.

• The receiver probably has a serious

problem. • Don't try to turn on the receiver. Call a

Pioneer-accredited repair center to

look at the problem.

FAN STOP blinks in the display

and the unit turns off. • Something is stuck in the fan and/or the

fan is broken. • Remove the foreign object from the

fan. If you can't do this and/or the fan is

broken call a Pioneer-accredited repair

center to look at the problem.

OVERHEAT blinks in the

display and no sound is

output.

• The receiver has gotten too hot. • Turn the receiver off and allow it to cool

down with good ventilation. It is very

likely that you have a heat dispersal

and ventilation problem so please fol-

low the instructions in “Installing the

Receiver” on page 2 carefully.

THDCT NG blinks in the

display and the unit turns off. • The thermistor (temperature sensor) is

broken. • Turn the receiver off, unplug from wall

and call a Pioneer-accredited repair

center to look at the problem.

The setup screen doesn't

appear. • The output jacks haven't been con-

nected properly.

• The TV hasn't been connected to the

MONITOR OUT 1 jack.

• You connected your TV to the MONITOR

OUT 2 jack instead of the MONITOR OUT

1 jack.

• The PAL/NTSC setting is incorrect.

• Some TVs connected to the receiver with

component video cords do not display

the Setup Screen when color burst is on.

(In the NTSC format only)

• Check all connections (see pages 16,

17, 20 and 22).

• Connect the TV to the MONITOR OUT 1

jacks (see page 16).

• Connect the TV to the MONITOR OUT 1

jacks (see page 16).

• Select the correct PAL/NTSC setting

(see page 8).

• Turn the color burst off (From the

Standby mode, and while holding

down the MULTI JOG CONTROL

RETURN button press the STANDBY/

ON button. Each action switches the

color burst on or off.)

Every time AUTO SURROUND

SETUP is attempted, there is

some kind of error, or the

settings seem incorrect.

• The room environment is not optimal for

auto setup (too much ambient noise;

obstacles blocking the speakers from

the microphone; the monitor noise is

interfering with the setup; etc.).

• Make sure the room environment is in

line with the guidelines for auto setup

in this manual (see page 13 and Memo

on page 15).

Cause Remedy

Setup

Symptom

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Techno Tidbits and Problem-solving

111

EXPERT

The LARGE and SMALL

settings for speakers after the

Auto Surround Sound Setup

are incorrect.

• There are other frequencies in the room

that are affecting the auto setup. • Check for household appliances (air

conditioner, fan, etc.) that may be

affecting the environment and switch

them off if necessary.

After the proper settings have

been made, there still seems

to be something wrong with

the sound.

• The speakers have been incorrectly con-

nected (left and right connections are

reversed).

• Check all connections. Be sure match

the right channel on the speaker with

the right channel on the speaker termi-

nals (see page 25).

No sound is output when a

function is selected. • Improper connections.

•Sound is muted.

• The volume is turned down.

• Speakers are turned off.

• DIGITAL/ANALOG setting is incorrect.

• MULTI CH IN mode is on.

• Make sure the component/speakers

are connected correctly (see pages 16,

17, 20, 22, 24 and 25).

• Press MUTING on the remote control.

• Adjust MASTER VOLUME.

• Press SPEAKERS (A/B) to select the

speakers you connected (see page 76).

• Select the proper signal with the SIG-

NAL SELECT button (see page 46).

• Turn MULTI CH IN mode off (see

page 54).

No sound output from the

front speakers. • The front speakers aren't connected

properly. • Check all connections (see page 25).

No sound output from

surround or center speakers. • Speaker settings are incorrect.

• The surround or center speakers aren't

connected properly.

• The listening mode is STEREO.

• See SPEAKER SETTING on page 41 to

check the speaker settings.

• Check all connections (see page 25).

• Choose a surround listening mode

(see page 45).

No sound output from the

subwoofer. • The subwoofer setting is NO.

• The subwoofer output setting is too low.

• The bass peak level setting is too low.

• There is very little low frequency informa-

tion in your source.

• The crossover frequency is set too low.

• There is a problem with the subwoofer.

• The subwoofer isn't connected properly.

• Change the setting to YES or PLUS

(see page 41).

• Adjust the output setting to the level

you want (see pages 43 and 98).

• Adjust the bass peak level setting to

the level you want (see page 104).

• Change your subwoofer setting to one

of the following (see page 41):

Front: SMALL Subwoofer:YES

Front:LARGE Subwoofer:PLUS

• Raise the frequency level to match

your speakers' characteristics (see

page 97)

• Check the three following points:

1. Check the power.

2. Check the subwoofer volume

control.

3. Check the subwoofer hasn't

automatically switched to standby

mode (check the subwoofer manual).

• Check all connections (see page 25).

Cause Remedy

No audio

Symptom

VSX-AX5i.book Page 111 Friday, May 23, 2003 6:33 PM

Techno Tidbits and Problem-solving

112

No sound output from the

surround back speakers. • The SB CH MODE is set to OFF.

• The source is not a 6.1 channel playback

source.

• The surround back speakers aren't con-

nected properly.

• The surround back channel is set to 1

speaker setting only, and the speaker is

connected to the right channel output.

• Set the SB CH MODE to ON or AUTO

(see page 55).

• Set the SB CH MODE to ON or AUTO

(see page 55) and choose one of the

SURROUND listening modes (see

pages 48 and 49).

• Check all connections (see page 25).

• Connect the speaker to the surround

back left channel output (see page 25).

No sound output from one

(set of) speaker(s). • The speaker system setting is NO.

• The speaker isn't connected properly.

• The source has no sound output for that

channel.

• The speaker output level is set too small.

• Change the speaker setting to YES

(see page 41).

• Check all connections (see page 25).

• If you choose one of the SURROUND

listening modes, a channel may be

created for the speaker (see page 45).

• Increase the speaker output level.

Sound is produced from some

components, but not from

digital components.

• SIGNAL SELECT is set incorrectly.

• The digital inputs are assigned incor-

rectly, or not at all.

• The digital components aren't connected

properly.

• The player is not compatible with the

source you're using, or the player set-

tings are incorrect.

• The MULTI CH IN mode has been

selected.

• The digital output level has been turned

down on a CD player or other compo-

nent equipped with digital output level

adjustment capability.

• Set SIGNAL SELECT to AUTO or

according to the type of connections

made (see page 46).

• Set the digital input settings correctly

(see pages 12, 23, and especially 89).

• Check all connections.

• Choose a compatible source, or check

the player's manual for the correct set-

tings.

• Choose one of the listening modes

(see page 47). The MULTI CH IN

switches off automatically.

• Set the digital volume level of the

player to full, or to the neutral position.

Subwoofer output is very low. • Settings route signal away from sub-

woofer. • To get more signal to the subwoofer

set it to PLUS or choose SMALL for the

front speakers (see page 41).

During multichannel playback,

there is no sound output from

one speaker.

• That speaker is set to NO. • Set the speaker to YES.

A multi channel DVD source

appears to be downmixed

from 2 channels during

playback.

• The source is coming from something

other than the MULTI CH IN jacks (for

example, digital PCM output, etc.)

• Check the MULTI CH IN connection

(see page 21) and select the type of

playback with the MULTI CH IN button

(see page 54).

Considerable noise in radio

broadcasts. • Incorrect frequency.

• The antenna is not connected.

• Digital cables are near the antenna ter-

minals and wires.

• Tune in the correct frequency.

• Connect the antenna (see page 24).

• Route digital cables away from the

antenna terminals and wires.

Cause Remedy

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