Denon AVR-981 manual

A V SURROUND RECEIVER RÉCEPTEUR AUDIO-VIDÉO A VR-2801/981 OPERA TING INSTRUCTIONS MODE D’EMPLOI 2 We greatly appreciate your purchase of the A VR-2801/981. 2 T o be sure you take maximum advantage of all the features the A VR-2801/981 has to offer , read these instructions carefully and use the set properly . Be sure to keep this manual for fut[...]

ENGLISH 2 2 SAFETY PRECAUTIONS CAUTION RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK). NO USER- SERVICEABLE P ARTS INSIDE. REFER SER VICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL. The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the p[...]

3 SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 1. Read Instructions – All the safety and operating instructions should be read before the appliance is operated. 2. Retain Instructions – The safety and operating instructions should be retained for future reference. 3. Heed Warnings – All warnings on the appliance and in the operating instructions should be adhered to.[...]

ENGLISH 4 2 INTRODUCTION 2 ACCESSORIES Thank you for choosing the DENON A VR-2801/981 Digital Surround A / V receiver . This remarkable component has been engineered to provide superb surround sound listening with A V theater sources such as DVD, as well as providing outstanding high fidelity reproductio n of your favorite music sources. As this pr[...]

ENGLISH 5 3 CAUTIONS ON HANDLING 4 FEA TURES • Switching the input function when input jacks are not connected A clicking noise may be produced if the input function is switched when nothing is connected to the input jacks. If this happens, either turn down the MASTER VOLUME control or connect components to the input jacks. • Muting of PRE OUT [...]

ENGLISH 6 IN IN OUT SIGNAL GND DVD EXT. IN ANTENNA VDP TV / DBS VCR - 2/ V.AUX COAXIAL VCR - 2/ V.AUX CDR/ TAPE CDR/ TAPE VCR - 1 VCR - 1 OPT.-1 OPT.-2 OPT.-3 FR LOOP ANT. AM FM COAX. 75 SW SR CD PHONO FL C SL SPEAKER SY STEMS AUDIO DIGITAL C-VIDEO MONITOR S-VIDEO PRE OUT L R L R L R L R L R L R B R L A FRONT SURROUND SURROUND CENTER FRONT FRONT SU[...]

ENGLISH 7 IN IN OUT SIGNAL GND DVD EXT. IN VDP TV / DBS VCR - 2/ V.AUX COAXIAL VCR - 2/ V.AUX CDR/ TAPE CDR/ TAPE VCR - 1 VCR - 1 OPT.-1 OPT.-2 OPT.-3 FR LOOP ANT. AM FM COAX. 75 SW SR CD PHONO FL C SL SPEAKER SY STEMS AUDIO DIGITAL C-VIDEO MONITOR S-VIDEO PRE OUT L R L R L R L R L R L R L R B R L A FRONT SURROUND SURROUND CENTER FRONT FRONT SUB CE[...]

ENGLISH 8 IN IN OUT SIGNAL GND DVD EXT. IN ANTENNA VDP TV / DBS VCR - 2/ V.AUX COAXIAL VCR - 2/ V.AUX CDR/ TAPE CDR/ TAPE VCR - 1 VCR - 1 OPT.-1 OPT.-2 OPT.-3 FR LOOP ANT. AM FM COAX. 75 SW SR CD PHONO FL C SL SPEAKER SY STEMS AUDIO DIGITAL C-VIDEO MONITOR S-VIDEO PRE OUT L R L R L R L R L R L R B R L A FRONT SURROUND CENTER FRONT FRONT SUB CENTER [...]

ENGLISH 9 Connecting the antenna terminals DIRECTION OF BROADCASTING ST A TION 75 Ω /ohms COAXIAL CABLE FM ANTENNA FEEDER CABLE FM INDOOR ANTENNA (Supplied) FM ANTENNA ADAPTER (Supplied) AM LOOP ANTENNA (Supplied) AM OUTDOOR ANTENNA GROUND • An F-type FM antenna cable plug can be connected directly . • If the FM antenna cable’ s plug is not[...]

ENGLISH 10 IN IN OUT SIGNAL GND DVD EXT. IN ANTENNA VDP TV / DBS VCR - 2/ V.AUX COAXIAL VCR - 2/ V.AUX CDR/ TAPE CDR/ TAPE VCR - 1 VCR - 1 OPT.-1 OPT.-2 OPT.-3 FR LOOP ANT. AM FM COAX. 75 SW SR CD PHONO FL C SL SPEAKER SY STEMS AUDIO DIGITAL C-VIDEO MONITOR S-VIDEO PRE OUT L R L R L R L R L R L R B R A FRONT SURROUND CENTER FRONT FRON SUB CENTER WO[...]

ENGLISH 11 IN IN OUT SIGNAL GND DVD EXT. IN ANTENNA VDP TV / DBS VCR - 2/ V.AUX COAXIAL VCR - 2/ V.AUX CDR/ TAPE CDR/ TAPE VCR - 1 VCR - 1 OPT.-1 OPT.-2 OPT.-3 FR LOOP ANT. AM FM COAX. 75 SW SR CD PHONO FL C SL SPEAKER SY STEMS AUDIO DIGITAL C-VIDEO MONITOR S-VIDEO PRE OUT L R L R L R L R L R L R L R B R L A FRONT SURROUND SURROUND CENTER FRONT FRO[...]

ENGLISH 12 6 P ART NAMES AND FUNCTIONS Front Panel • For details on the functions of these parts, refer to the pages given in parentheses ( ). !4 SELECT knob ………………………………………………………(33) !5 TONE CONTROL button …………………………………………(33) !6 CH. VOL button ………………………?[...]

ENGLISH 13 Remote control unit • For details on the functions of these parts, refer to the pages given in parentheses ( ). LEDs (indicators) ..................................(28) SYSTEM CALL buttons ........................(29) Input source selector buttons ..................................................(32) System buttons ...................[...]

ENGLISH 14 TUNING BAND TITLE MENU/GUIDE MODE MEMORY USE/LEARN T.TONE RETURN DVD SET UP STATUS DISPLAY ON SCREEN MUTING AVR/AVC VIDEO DVD TV AUDIO VDP VCR CD CDR/MD DECK SYSTEM SETUP SURROUND PARAMETER CH SELECT SELECT ENTER 7 SETTING UP THE SYSTEM • Once all connections with other A V components have been completed as described in “CONNECTIONS?[...]

ENGLISH 15 Speaker system layout Basic system layout • The following is an example of the basic layout for a system consisting of six speaker systems and a television monitor: Subwoofer Center speaker system Front speaker systems Set these at the sides of the TV or screen with their front surfaces as flush with the front of the screen as possible[...]

ENGLISH 16 3 Set whether or not speakers are connected and, if so, their size parameters. • T o select the speaker • T o select the parameter Center Sp. Front Sp. Subwoofer Surround Sp. 4 ENTER Enter the setting. When “Front” is set to “Large” and “Subwoofer” is set to “Y es” the set switches to the subwoofer mode. NOTE: • Sel[...]

ENGLISH 17 L 1 L 2 L 3 Setting the delay time Input the distances from the listening position to the speakers and set the surround delay time. Preparations: Measure the distances from the listening position to the speakers (L1 to L3 on the diagram at the right). L 1 : Distance from center speakers to listening position L 2 : Distance from front spe[...]

ENGLISH 18 4 5 6 Once “Meters” or “Feet” is selected in step 3, the Delay T ime screen appears automatically . Select the speaker to be set. Set the distance between the center speaker and listening position. The distance changes in units of 1 foot (0.1 meters) each time the button is pressed. Select the value closest to the measured distan[...]

ENGLISH 19 1 2 3 4 ENTER At the System Setup Menu select “Channel Level”. Switch to the Channel Level screen. Select “T est T one Mode”. Select the mode. Select “Auto” or “Manual”. • Auto: Adjust the level while listening to the test tones produced automatically from the different speakers. • Manual: Select the speaker from whic[...]

ENGLISH 20 7 a. If the “Auto” mode is selected: T est tones are automatically emitted from the different speakers. The test tones are emitted from the different speakers in the following order , at 4-second intervals the first time and second time around, 2- second intervals the third time around and on: b. When the “Manual” mode is selecte[...]

ENGLISH 21 3 4 ENTER Select the digital input jack to be assigned to the input source. • T o select the input source • T o select the digital input jack Select “OFF” for input sources for which no digital input jacks are used. * If “Y es” is selected for “Default”, the settings are automatically reset to the default values. Enter th[...]

ENGLISH 22 Auto tuner presets Use this to automatically search for FM broadcasts and store up to 40 stations at preset channels A1 to 8, B1 to 8, C1 to 8, D1 to 8 and E1 to 8. NOTE: • If an FM station cannot be preset automatically due to poor reception, use the “Manual tuning” operation to tune in the statio n, then preset it using the manua[...]

ENGLISH 23 8 REMOTE CONTROL UNIT • The included remote control unit (RC-881) can be used to operate not only the A VR-2801/981 but other remote control compatible DENON components as well. Furthermore, it is equipped with a function for learning the control signals of remote control units of oth er manufacturers, so it can also be used to operate[...]

ENGLISH 24 Operating DENON audio components • T urn on the power of the different components before operating them. 1 2 3 Set mode switch 1 to “AUDIO (A VR/A VC)”. Set mode switch 2 to the position for the component to be operated. Operate the audio component. • For details, refer to the component’ s operating instructions. * While this r[...]

ENGLISH 25 Preset memory (Audio component) • DENON components can be operated by setting the preset memory for CDR or MD. Operation is not possible for some models, however . In this case use the learning function (see page 28) to store the remote control signals. • For instructions on clearing the presettings stored in the preset memory , see [...]

ENGLISH 26 HIT ACHI A — — “VCR” (DIRECT) MITSUBISHI A P ANASONIC A JVC (VICTOR) A SONY A PIONEER TOSHIBA A SANYO A SHARP A NEC A PHILIPS A RCA A GENERAL ELECTRIC A NAGNA VOX A (STEREO) — HIT ACHI B MITSUBISHI B P ANASONIC B JVC (VICTOR) B SONY B — TOSHIBA B SANYO B SHARP B NEC B PHILIPS B RCA B GENERAL ELECTRIC B NAGNA VOX B (EXT . IN) [...]

ENGLISH 27 Operating a video component stored in the preset memory 1 Set the slide switch to “VIDEO”. AVR/AVC VIDEO AUDIO 2 Set the slide switch to the component to be registered (DVD, VDP , VCR or TV). DVD TV VDP VCR CD CDR/MD DECK DVD START LEARNED/TX SPEAKER TUNING BAND TITLE MENU/GUIDE MODE MEMORY USE/LEARN T.TONE DVD SET UP RETURN STATUS D[...]

ENGLISH 28 Learning function • If your A V component is not a DENON product or it cannot be operated with the preset memory codesets, you can “teach” the A VR-2801/981’ s remote control to “learn” the codes from the component’ s original remote control. • The buttons that can be “learned” are the CD, DECK and CDR/MD system butto[...]

ENGLISH 29 System call function • The included remote control unit is equipped with a system call function for transmitting multiple remote control signals when a single button is pressed (this is often referred to as a “macro” function). This function can be used to turn on the amplifier’ s power , select the input source, turn on the moni[...]

ENGLISH 30 (3) Storing signals (4) Clearing system call settings DVD START LEARNED/TX SPEAKER TUNING BAND TITLE MENU/GUIDE MODE MEMORY USE/LEARN T.TONE DVD SET UP RETURN STATUS DISPLAY ON SCREEN DOLBY / DTS SURROUND DIRECT DSP SIMULATION 5CH STEREO STEREO INPUT MODE ANALOG EXT.IN MUTING MASTER VOL. VOLUME DISC SKIP+ SYSTEM CALL POWER VDP TUNER SHIF[...]

ENGLISH 31 Clearing “learned” remote control signals 1 Press the USE/LEARN selector button with the tip of a pen, etc., to set the learn mode. 2 T o clear “learned” remote control signals, set the slide switch to the position at which the signals were “learned”. AVR/AVC VIDEO AUDIO 3 Set the slide switch to the position at which the sig[...]

ENGLISH 32 Playing the input source 1 Select the input source to be played. FUNCTION Example: CD CD 8 (Main unit) (Remote control unit) * When the tape input (CDR/T APE MON) is selected, the input indicator lights. * T o select the input source when REC SELECT or TUNING PRESET is selected, press the SOURCE button then operate the input function sel[...]

ENGLISH 33 LOCK SIGNAL DIGITAL LOCK SIGNAL DIGITAL LOCK SIGNAL DIGITAL ANALOG DIGIT AL DIGIT AL DIGIT AL ANALOG AUTO PCM DTS INPUT AUTO PCM DTS INPUT AUTO PCM DTS INPUT AUTO PCM DTS INPUT 3 Select the play mode. Press the SURROUND MODE button, then turn the SELECT knob. Example: Stereo SURROUND MODE STEREO (Main unit) (Remote control unit) 4 Start [...]

ENGLISH 34 NOTE: T o prevent hearing loss, do not raise the volume level excessively when using headphones. [3] T urning the sound off temporarily (muting) 1 Use this to turn off the audio output temporarily . Press the MUTING button. * Cancelling MUTING mode. Press the MUTING button again. MUTING SPEAKER DOLBY / DTS SURROUND DIRECT DSP SIMULATION [...]

ENGLISH 35 Recording using the REC OUT selector 1 REC SELECT 2 With “REC OUT SOURCE” displayed, turn the FUNCTION knob to select the source you wish to record. • The “REC” indicator and the indicator of the selected source light. FUNCTION 3 Set the recording mode. • For operating instructions, refer to the manual of the component on whi[...]

ENGLISH 36 10 SURROUND Before playing with the surround function • Before playing with the surround function, be sure to use the test tones to adjust the playback level from the different speakers. This adjustment can be performed with the system setup (see page 19) or from the remote control unit, as described below . • Adjusting with the remo[...]

ENGLISH 37 Fader function • This function makes it possible to lower the volume of the front channels (FL, C and FR) or the rear channels (SL and SR) toge ther . Use it for example to adjust the balance of the sound from the different positions when playing multi-channel music sources. 1 Select “F ADER”. CH.VOL CH SELECT ENTER (Main unit) (Re[...]

ENGLISH 38 Dolby Digital mode (only with digital input) and DTS Surround mode (only with digital input) 1 Select the input source. Playback with a digital input q Select an input source set to digital (COAXIAL/OPTICAL). (see page 20). FUNCTION VDP 2 (Main unit) (Remote control unit) w Set the input mode to “AUTO” or “DTS”. INPUT MODE INPUT [...]

ENGLISH 39 4 5 6 NOTES: • When “Default” is selected and the cursor button is pressed, “CINEMA EQ.” and “D.COMP .” are automatically turned off, “LFE” is reset and the tone is set to the default value. • With this model, Dolby Digital encoded signals can only be played in the Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Digital, DIRECT and STEREO mod[...]

ENGLISH 40 11 DSP SURROUND SIMULA TION • The A VR-2801/981 is equipped with a high performance DSP (Digital Signal Processor) which uses digital signal processing to synthetically recreate the sound field. One of six preset surround modes can be selected according to the program source and the parameters can be adjusted according to the condition[...]

ENGLISH 41 DSP surround simulation 1 Select the surround mode for the input channel. • T o operate the surround mode and surround parameters from the remote control unit. The surround mode switches in the following order each time the DSP SIMULA TION button is pressed: DOLBY / DTS SURROUND DIRECT DSP SIMULATION 5CH STEREO STEREO 1 MONO MOVIE 1 RO[...]

ENGLISH 42 • Operating the surround mode and surround parameters from the main unit‘s panel. 1 T urn the SELECT knob to select the surround mode. SELECT • When turned clockwise 1 DIRECT 1 STEREO 1 DOLBY PRO LOGIC 1 5CH STEREO 1 MONO MOVIE 0 MA TRIX 0 VIDEO GAME 0 JAZZ CLUB 0 ROCK ARENA • When turned counterclockwise 0 DIRECT 0 STEREO 0 0 5C[...]

ENGLISH 43 T one control setting • Use the tone control setting to adjust the bass and treble as desired. • T o operate the tone control from the remote control unit. 1 Display the surround parameter screen on the monitor . * The screen for the selected surround mode appears. “TONE” cannot be selected in the Direct mode. MENU/GUIDE SURROUND[...]

ENGLISH 44 Surround parameters w ROOM SIZE: This sets the size of the sound field. There are five settings: “small”, “med.s” (medium-small), “medium”, “med.l” (medium-large) and “large”. “small” recreates a small sound field, “large” a large sound field. EFFECT LEVEL: This sets the strength of the surround effect. The le[...]

ENGLISH 45 Manual tuning 1 Set the input function to “TUNER”. 2 Watching the display , press the BAND button to select the desired band (AM or FM). BAND 3 Press the MODE button to set the manual tuning mode. Check that the display’ s “AUTO” indicator turns off. MODE 4 Press the TUNING UP or DOWN button to tune in the desired station. The [...]

ENGLISH 46 Checking the preset stations 1 Use the “Auto tuning” or “Manual tuning” operation to tune in the station to be preset in the memory . 2 Press the MEMORY button. MEMORY 3 SHIFT Press the SHIFT button and select the desired memory block (A to E). 4 CHANNEL Press the PRESET UP or DOWN button to select the desired preset channel (1 t[...]

ENGLISH 47 Recalling preset stations • T o call out out preset stations from the remote control unit. 1 Watching the display , press the SHIFT button to select the preset memory block. SHIFT CHANNEL (Remote control unit) 2 Watching the display , press the PRESET UP or DOWN button to select the desired preset channel. (Remote control unit) 13 LAST[...]

ENGLISH 48 15 TROUBLESHOOTING If a problem should arise,first check the following. 1. Are the connections correct ? 2. Have you operated the receiver according to the Operating Instructions ? 3. Are the speakers, turntable and other components operating proper ty ? If this unit is not operating properly , check the items listed in the table below .[...]

ENGLISH 49 Speaker setting examples Here we describe a number of speaker settings for different purposes. Use these examples as guides to set up your system accord ing to the type of speakers used and the main usage purpose. (1) Basic setting Use this setting if your main purpose is to listen to movie music and when using one set (two speakers) of [...]

ENGLISH 50 2 Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic Comparison of home surround systems Dolby Digital Dolby Pro Logic No. recorded channels (elements) 5.1 ch 2 ch No. playback channels 5.1 ch 4 ch Playback channels (max.) L, R, C, SL, SR, SW L, R, C, S (SW - recommended) Audio processing Digital discrete processing Dolby Digital (AC-3) encoding/decoding[...]

ENGLISH 51 DTS Digital Surround Digital Theater Surround (also called simply DTS) is a multi-channel digital signal format developed by Digital Theater Systems . DTS offers the same “5.1” playback channels as Dolby Digital (front left, front right and center , surround left and surround right) as well as the stereo 2-channel mode. The signals f[...]

ENGLISH 52 System setup items and default values (set upon shipment from the factory) Surround modes and parameters C : Signal/adjustable D : Selected by speaker configuration setting B : T urned on or off by speaker configuration setting E : No signal/not adjustable Signals and adjustability in the different modes Channel output Parameter (default[...]

ENGLISH 53 17 SPECIFICA TIONS 2 Audio section • Power amplifier Rated output: Front: 90 W + 90 W (8 Ω /ohms, 20 Hz ~ 20 kHz with 0.05% T .H.D.) 135 W + 135 W (6 Ω /ohms, 1 kHz with 0.7% T .H.D.) Center: 90 W (8 Ω /ohms, 20 Hz ~ 20 kHz with 0.05% T .H.D.) 135 W (6 Ω /ohms, 1 kHz with 0.7% T .H.D.) Surround: 90 W + 90 W (8 Ω /ohms, 20 Hz [...]

Printed in Japan 511 3662 000 14-14, AKASAKA 4-CHOME, MINATO-KU, TOKYO 107-8011, JAPAN Telephone: (03) 3584-8111[...]