Pioneer VSX-C300 manual

Operating Instructions AUDIO/VIDEO MULTI-CHANNEL RECEIVER VSX-C300 VSX-C300-S[...]

2 En RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN CAUTION IMPOR T ANT 1 CAUTION: TO PREVENT THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK). NO USER- SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL. The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and [...]

3 En English Manufactured under license from Dolby Labo- ratories. "Dolby", "Pro Logic", and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. Confidential unpublished works. © 1992-1997 Dolby Laboratories. All rights reserved. “ DTS ” and “ DTS Digital Surround ” are trademarks of Digital Theater Systems, Inc. [...]

4 En Contents 4 Quick Start Guide 5 01 Introductory Information 9 Checking the Supplied Accessories 9 Installing the Receiver 9 When Making Cable Connections 9 Loading the Batteries 10 Operating Range of Remote Contr ol Unit 10 Maintenance of External Surfaces 10 02 Connecting Y our Equipment 11 Connecting a DVD Player & a TV 11 Audio/Video Cor[...]

English 5 En Home Theater: The Basics Most consumers are used to using stereo equipment to listen to music but many people ar e not used to home theater systems that give you many more options when listening to soundtracks. In fact, home theater is not r eally compli- cated and this little guide should give you an understanding of basics. The main [...]

6 En Quick Start Guide DVD IN VCR IN VCR OUT MONITOR OUT TV/ SA T IN DIGIT AL (OPTICAL) AUDIO A UDIO FM UNBAL 75 Ω AM LOOP ANTENNA VIDEO RL 1 2 RL RL SUB WOOFER OUT FRONT RL SURROUND RL CENTER IN OUT CONTROL AC IN SPEAKERS LINE LEVEL DIGIT AL OUT Î 8 7 ¡¢ 41 STANDBY/ON 0 3 DVD PLAYER Before hooking up your speakers affix the color -coded stick[...]

7 En English Quick Start Guide Lastly , hook up your DVD player to the DVD IN VIDEO and your TV to the MONITOR OUT VIDEO terminals as shown above. Automatic speaker setup (receiver automatically configures Front, Center Surround speakers and Subwoofer) Once you have completed the above tasks, the receiver will automatically detect which speakers yo[...]

8 En Advanced/Customized Settings If you want to customize your home theater to your envir onment, equipment or personal tastes, many settings are available. One of the most important advanced settings, called Room Setup, establishes the distances between your speakers and your normal listening position (as well as volume levels, etc.). Making this[...]

9 En English 01 Intr oductory Information When Making Cable Connections Be careful not to arrange cables in a manner that bends the cables over the top of this unit. If the cables are laid on top of the unit, the magnetic field pr oduced by the transformers in this unit may cause a humming noise to come from the speakers. Checking the Supplied Acce[...]

10 En CAUTION: Incorrect use of batteries may r esult 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 accor ding to the marks in the battery case. • Batteries of the same shape may have dif ferent voltages. Do n[...]

English 11 En Optical Cables Commercially available optical cables ar e used to connect digital components to this receiver . When plugging in, match the shape of terminal and the plug. If you have plugged it in incorrectly the cover won’ t be able to close. Make sur e the cover can close after you’ve plugged in the optical cable. Be sure to in[...]

12 En Connecting Y our Equipment DIGITAL OUT AUDIO OUT L R VIDEO OUT DVD IN VCR IN VCR OUT MONITOR OUT TV/ SA T IN DIGIT AL (OPTICAL) AUDIO A UDIO FM UNBAL 75 Ω AM LOOP ANTENNA VIDEO RL 1 2 RL RL SUB WOOFER OUT FRONT RL SURROUND RL CENTER SPEAKERS Digital Set T op Box Optical cable (sold separately , don ’ t pinch or bend cable sharply) Audio c[...]

English 13 En Connecting Y our Equipment Front Front video connections are accessed via the front panel input selector as “ FRONT . ” Portable DVD Player (etc.) AUDIO OUT 1 OUT 2 IN 1 IN 2 VIDEO L R DVD IN VCR IN VCR OUT MONITOR OUT TV/ SA T IN DIGIT AL (OPTICAL) AUDIO A UDIO FM UNBAL 75 Ω AM LOOP ANTENNA VIDEO RL 1 2 RL RL SUB WOOFER OUT FRO[...]

14 En DVD IN VCR IN VCR OUT MONITOR OUT TV/ SA T IN DIGIT AL (OPTICAL) AUDIO A UDIO FM UNBAL 75 Ω AM LOOP ANTENNA VIDEO RL 1 2 RL RL SUB WOOFER OUT FRONT RL SURROUND RL CENTER IN OUT CONTROL AC IN SPEAKERS ANALOG IN Caution: Make sure that all the bar e speaker wire is twisted together and inserted fully into the speaker terminal. If any of the b[...]

English 15 En Connecting Y our Equipment Hints on Speaker Placement Speakers are usually designed with a particular place- ment in mind. Some are designed to be floor standing, while others should be placed on stands to sound their best. Some should be placed near a wall; others should be placed away from walls. Follow the guidelines on placement t[...]

16 En Connecting Y our Equipment FM wir e antenna Connect the FM wire antenna and fully extend vertically along a window frame or other suitable area. AM loop antenna Assemble the antenna and connect to the receiver . Attach to a wall, etc. (if desired) and face in the direction that gives the best r eception. Antenna connectors T wist the exposed [...]

English 17 En Connecting Y our Equipment SURROUND RL CENTER IN OUT CONTROL AC IN S PEAKERS DVD IN VCR IN VCR OUT MONITOR OUT TV/ SA T IN DIGIT AL (OPTICAL) AUDIO A UDIO FM UNBAL 75 Ω AM LOOP ANTENNA VIDEO RL 1 2 RL RL SUB WOOFER OUT FRONT RL SURROUND RL CENTER IN OUT CONTROL AC IN SPEAKERS Oper ating other Pioneer Components with this Unit ’ s [...]

18 En 03 Front P anel 1 — OFF/ _ ON (Main power) button Press this button to the ON position so that the power button on the remote contr ol will be opera- tional. If the button is OFF ( — ), the power of the receiver is shut of f and the RECEIVER button on the remote contr ol does not function. When this button is ON, the power button on the r[...]

English 19 En Displays & Controls Rear P anel 1 DVD input terminals (connect a DVD player here, see page 11) Use these terminals to input the signal from a DVD player (or another kind of video player , if you choose). Make sure to connect to the video terminals and both the analog and optical digital terminals for audio. T o be able to play Dol[...]

20 En Displays & Controls Remote Contr ol The remote contr ol is divided into roughly thr ee parts for easier understanding: 1) Receiver contr ols; 2) TV controls and 3) Playback controls, sound setup and other component contr ols. All the buttons on the remote contr ol are explained here. 1) Receiver contr ols These controls ar e for the recei[...]

English 21 En Displays & Controls SOURCE (Power) button: Use this button to turn on and off the power of other components. CH SELECT button (see page 29): Use to select a speaker when setting the volume level of each channel. TEST TONE button (see page 29): Use to sound the TEST TONE when setting the volume level of each channel. DIMMER button [...]

22 En 04 Automatic Switching between Analog & Digital Signals This receiver will automatically choose the digital signal when both analog and digital signals are input into the r eceiver . The digital indicator will light when a digital signal is being used by the r eceiver . If the digital indicator doesn‘t light even though you have your DV[...]

English 23 En Basic Playback Playing a Sour ce Here are the basic instr uctions for playing a disc or videotape (or any other sour ce) with your home theater system. The following pages will tell you about refinements you can make to the sound but the below pr ocedure (with the settings you have already made) should allow you to get enjoyable home [...]

24 En 05 Fine T uning Y our Surr ound Sound Room Setup This setup establishes the distances from your speakers to your nor mal listening position. It is important for the receiver to know these distances so it can output pr oper surround sound. Alternatively , you can make more precise speaker distance settings on page 27-28. Y ou don’ t have to [...]

English 25 En 1 Press RECEIVER to turn the power on. The ST ANDBY indicator goes out. 2 Press RECEIVER . This button switches the remote to the receiver control mode. Personalizing Y our Surr ound Sound This receiver will make the necessary speakers settings automatically so you can use it to get enjoyable sur - round sound without doing anything, [...]

26 En Crossover fr equency setting mode Crossover fr equency is the point where the receiver divides the high and low sounds (the frequencies) between the speakers. Since most smaller speakers can ’ t handle deep bass tones, this setting allows you to send those sounds to the subwoofer (or speakers set to “ Lar ge ” ) instead of the speakers [...]

English 27 En Fine T uning Y our Surr ound Sound 10 dB 0 dB LFE OFF CENTER speaker distance setting mode Set the distance from the CENTER speakers to the listening position. Follow steps 1-3 on page 25 (if necessary). Press % or fi to set the distance of the CEN- TER speaker from the main listening position (within a range from 0.3 m to 9.0 m). Pr[...]

28 En Fine T uning Y our Surr ound Sound Dual mono setting Dual mono has two differ ent audio channels in it. Y ou can use it to listen to soundtracks that have one language on one channel and a differ ent language on the other . The dual mono setting can only be used when listening to discs that have dual mono software encoded in them, for example[...]

English 29 En Setting the Volume Level of each Channel (adjusting the speaker volume balance) Use to set the relative volume of each channel as you find necessary . 1 Press RECEIVER to turn the power on. The ST ANDBY indicator goes out. 2 Press RECEIVER . This button switches the remote to the receiver control mode. If a speaker is deselected in th[...]

30 En 06 Listening Modes There are thr ee types of listening modes, one for two channel (stereo) outputs, one for multichannel sources and one that automatically selects STEREO or ST ANDARD (multichannel) mode according to whether you’re using a two channel or multichannel sour ce. Intrinsic to home theater , surround sound delivers a realistic a[...]

English 31 En Sound Modes Automatic Listening mode (automatically selects 2 channel or multichannel outputs. This is the receiver’ s default mode) AUTO This mode automatically detects what kind of signal is being input and employs the pr oper listening mode of the receiver (switching between STEREO and ST ANDARD depending on the source). If you d[...]

32 En Sound Modes 1 Press RECEIVER . This sets the remote control to the r eceiver control mode. 2 Press FL A T or QUIET , S .B ASS . Choose the sound effect that suits that sound you want. MEMO: • The default setting is FLA T . • Each playback component can be set independently and retains its sound mode when another component is being used. M[...]

English 33 En 07 Using the T uner Finding a Station The following steps show you how to tune in to FM and AM radio broadcasts using the automatic (sear ch) and manual (step) tuning functions. If you already know the exact frequency of the station you want to listen to, see “T uning Directly to a Station” on page 34. Once you ar e tuned to a sta[...]

34 En T uning Dir ectly to a Station Sometimes, you'll already know the frequency of the station you want to listen to. In this case, you can simply enter the frequency directly using the number buttons on the remote contr ol. 1 Press the TUNER button on the remote control. 2 Press the B AND button to select either FM or AM. Each press switche[...]

English 35 En Using the T uner Recalling Memorized Stations Having memorized up to 30 stations (see the previous explanation for how to do this), preset stations can be easily recalled. 1 Press the TUNER button on the r emote control. 2 Press CL ASS to select the class in which the station is stored. Repeatedly pressing this button cycles thr ough [...]

36 En Using the T uner An Intr oduction to RDS Radio Data System, or RDS as it ’ s usually known, is a system used by FM radio stations to pr ovide listeners with various kinds of information — the name of the station and the kind of show they ’ re br oadcasting, for example. This information shows up as text on the display , and you can swit[...]

English 37 En When the tuner finds a program type you sear ched for , the frequency display will blink for about 5 seconds and then the display will show FINISH briefly . B d B d If NO PTY is displayed it means the tuner couldn ’ t find that program type at the time of the sear ch. B d MEMO • This function searches RDS stations pr eset in the 3[...]

38 En 08 Using Other Functions Muting the Sound Use this feature to mute the volume. Changing the Display Brightness (DIMMER button) The display on the receiver has four brightness settings. Use the instructions below to adjust the brightness of the display . VOLUME CHANNEL DVD TV/SA T RECEIVER REMOTE SETUP INPUT SELECT INPUT SELECT MASTER VOLUME R[...]

39 En English Using Other Functions Resetting the System Use this feature to r eset the system to its factory default settings. 1 Press the TV/SA T button and the FRONT button at the same time for five seconds to return all of the settings to their default mode. MEMO: • If the receiver is disconnected fr om a power source for more than a month, o[...]

40 En SPEAKERS (Front, Center , Sur r ound) setting Page SUBWOOFER ON/PLUS/OFF Crossover frequency LFE attenuator FRONT speakers distance CENTER speakers distance SURROUND speakers distance Dynamic range contr ol Dual mono Input Attenuator T one Effects MIDNIGHT Listening Mode Listening Mode Setting the Volume Level of each Channel INPUT MASTER VOL[...]

41 En English 09 Controlling the Rest of Y our System Changing the Remote Contr ol Mode The remote contr ol that comes with this receiver is very flexible and can be switched from controlling this r eceiver to contr olling other components, even components not made by Pioneer . Y ou can set up the remote to control so it will be able to control eve[...]

42 En Recalling Pr eset Codes The following steps show you how to recall pr eset codes for each INPUT/Control Mode Select button. Once the preset code is assigned, pr essing the button will automatically set the remote to operate the r espective component. MEMO: • Refer to “ Preset Code List ” on pages 46 to 48 for the components and manufact[...]

43 En English Contr olling the Rest of Y our System Direct Selection T urning the direct selection off is a useful featur e which allows you keep the receiver in one function (for example, DVD) while putting the remote contr ol in a different function. This could let you, for example, use the remote control to set up and watch a DVD and then use th[...]

44 En CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/DVD r ecorder/Cassette Deck Contr ols This remote contr ol can control these components after entering the proper codes or teaching the r eceiver the commands (see page 41-42). Use MUL TI CONTROL buttons to put the remote contr ol in the stated mode. ) s ( n o t t u Bn o i t c n u Fs t n e n o p m o C E C R U O Sn e e w [...]

45 En English Contr olling the Rest of Y our System Cable TV/Satellite TV/Digital TV/TV Controls This remote contr ol can control these components after entering the proper codes or teaching the r eceiver the commands (see page 41-42). Use MUL TI CONTROL buttons to put the remote contr ol in the stated mode. MEMO: • The first four buttons are ded[...]

46 En Contr olling the Rest of Y our System DVD Manufacturer Code TOSHIBA 001 SONY 002 P ANASONIC 003 JVC 004 SAMSUNG 005 SHARP 006 AKAI 007 RCA 009, 011 DENON 003, 010 HIT ACHI 012 PHILIPS 013 ZENITH 014 THOMSON 015 SONY (video game) 016 LOEWE 013 GOLDST AR 014 PIONEER 000, 003, 008, 111 LD Manufacturer Code SONY 101, 102 PHILIPS 104 HIT ACHI 109 [...]

47 En English Contr olling the Rest of Y our System SCHAUB LORENZ 642 SEG 642, 646 SEI 632, 640, 649 SELECO 631, 642 SIAREM 632, 649 SINUDYNE 632, 639, 640, 649 SKANTIC 643 SOLA VOX 631 SONOKO 607, 644 SONOLOR 631, 635 SONTEC 607 SOUNDW A VE 607 ST ANDARD 641, 644 STERN 631 SUSUMU 641 SYSLINE 607 T ANDY 631, 641, 648 T ASHIKO 634 T A TUNG 607, 648 [...]

48 En Contr olling the Rest of Y our System DVD Recorder Manufacturer Code PIONEER 456 T APE Manufacturer Code AKAI 82 9 ARCAM 8 1 0 DENON 810, 827 FISHER 813 GRUNDIG 821 JVC 8 0 2 KENWOOD 804, 807, 822 LUXMAN 8 1 5 MARANTZ 8 21 MEMOREX 8 25 MITSUBISHI 82 9 NAKAMICHI 816 ONKYO 817, 819 PHILIPS 821 SANSUI 824 SHERWOOD 818 SONY 814, 823 T ANDBERG 820[...]

49 En English 10 Additional Information T r oubleshooting Incorrect operations are often mistaken for tr ouble and malfunctions. If you think that there is something wr ong 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 t[...]

50 En Symptom No sound from surr ound or center speakers. No sound from subwoofer Sound is produced fr om analog components, but not from digital ones (DVD, LD, CD-ROM etc.). No sound is output or a noise is output when Dolby Digital/DTS soft- ware is played back. When a search is per - formed by a DTS compat- ible CD player during play- back, nois[...]

51 En English Additional Information Symptom The sound distorts. Y ou can only hear treble from speakers. No image is output when an input is selected. The settings have all been cleared. OVERLOAD blinks in the display and the power turns off automatically . Y ou can't set the crossover frequency . The display is dark or off. After making an a[...]

52 En 11 T echno Know How Dolby Digital and Dolby Surr ound Dolby Digital is the most widely used system to recor d soundtracks on DVDs and other media. It's a sound compression format which r ecords the sound of 6 channels of the theater surround system (Dolby Digital) on a movie film digital track. Of the 6 channels, the subwoofer channel is[...]

53 En English T echno Know How MPEG-2 This is a standard audio format used on V ideo CDs, some DVD discs and, importantly , most digital satellite TV br oadcasting. It's advantages include a low bit rate that still affords good sounds quality for multichannel soundtracks. This is a patented system in the USA. PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) This i[...]

54 En T echno Know How Playback Formats This receiver is equipped with many dif ferent playback formats and this flexibility should allow you to get ster eo or surround sound playback (depending on the kind of sour ce you're using) with all speaker configurations. 2 Channel Ster eo Playback (STEREO indicator lights) This is conventional stereo[...]

55 En English Amplifier Section Continuous Power Output (STEREO MODE) FRONT ...... 25 W + 2 5 W (DIN 1 kHz, THD 1 %, 8 Ω ) Continuous Power Output (SURROUND MODE) FRONT ..................... 30 W/ch (1 kHz, THD 1 %, 8 Ω ) CENTER ....................... 30 W (1 kHz, THD 1 %, 8 Ω ) SURROUND ............. 30 W/ch (1 kHz, THD 1 %, 8 Ω ) Input ([...]

<TNGZW/01F00001> Published by Pioneer Corporation. Copyright © 2000 Pioneer Corporation. All rights reserved. <ARB7247-A> PIONEER CORPORATION 4-1, Meguro 1-Chome, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8654, Japan PIONEER ELECTRONICS [USA] INC. P.O. BOX 1540, Long Beach, California 90801-1540, U.S.A. PIONEER ELECTRONICS OF CANADA, INC. 300 Allstate Park[...]