Pioneer VSX-816-K, Operating Instructions Manual

Page 1: ...AUDIO VIDEO MULTI CHANNEL RECEIVER VSX 816 S K Operating Instructions ...

Page 2: ...ead are coloured in accordance with the following code Blue Neutral Brown Live As the colours of the wires in the mains lead of this appliance may not correspond with the coloured markings identifying the terminals in your plug proceed as follows The wire which is coloured BLUE must be connected to the terminal which is marked with the letter N or coloured BLACK The wire which is coloured BROWN mu...

Page 3: ...nt should be disconnected by removing the mains plug from the wall socket when left unused for a long period of time for example when on vacation D3 4 2 2 1a_A_En For Taiwan exclusively Taiwanese two pin flat bladed plug TWO VOLTAGE SELECTORS 220V 110V 240V 120 127V 110V 220V 240V 120 127V D3 4 2 1 5_En Voltage selector You can find the voltage selector switch on the rear panel of multi voltage mo...

Page 4: ... Operating range of remote control 27 06 Listening to your system Auto playback 28 Listening in surround sound 28 Using the Advanced surround effects 29 Setting the effect options 29 Listening in stereo 30 Listening with Acoustic Calibration EQ 30 Using surround back channel processing 31 Using Virtual Surround Back VSB 31 Using Midnight and Loudness 32 Using the Sound Retriever 32 Enhancing dialo...

Page 5: ... 55 Connecting additional amplifiers 56 Using this receiver with a Pioneer plasma display 56 Using the SR mode with a Pioneer plasma display 57 13 Other Settings The Input Assign menu 58 The Other Setup menu 59 Dynamic Range Control Setup 59 Dual Mono Setup 60 LFE Attenuator Setup 60 SR Setup for Pioneer plasma displays 60 14 Additional information Troubleshooting 61 Resetting the main unit 63 Swi...

Page 6: ...light or other excessively hot place such as inside a car or near a heater This can cause batteries to leak overheat explode or catch fire It can also reduce the life or performance of batteries Installing the receiver When installing this unit make sure to put it on a level and stable surface Don t install it on the following places on a color TV the screen may distort near a cassette deck or clo...

Page 7: ...rround sound See Connecting the speakers on page 19 Where you place the speakers will have a big effect on the sound Place your speakers as shown below for the best surround sound effect Also see Hints on speaker placement on page 20 for more on this 3 Plug in and switch on the receiver followed by your DVD player subwoofer and TV Make sure you ve set the video input on your TV to this receiver Ch...

Page 8: ...the table below to find the speaker setup that corresponds with your system 4 Press ENTER 5 Use the MULTI JOG dial to choose your room size Depending on the distance of your speakers from the listening position choose between small medium or large S M or L M being an average sized room 6 Press ENTER 7 Use the MULTI JOG dial to choose your listening position You can cycle between the following choi...

Page 9: ...hone so that it s about ear level at your normal listening position Otherwise place the microphone at ear level using a table or a chair Make sure there are no obstacles between the speakers and the microphone 3 Press RECEIVER on the remote control then press the SETUP button An on screen display OSD appears on your TV Use and ENTER on the remote control to navigate through the screens and select ...

Page 10: ...receiver settings for speaker setting channel level speaker distance and Acoustic Calibration EQ Again try to be as quiet as possible while this is happening It may take 3 to 8 minutes 10 The Auto MCACC Setup has finished Select SKIP to go back to the System Setup menu The MCACC indicator on the front panel will light to show the setup is complete The settings made in the Auto MCACC Setup should g...

Page 11: ...ress RETURN after you have finished checking each screen When you re finished select SKIP to go back to the System Setup menu Other problems when using the Auto MCACC Setup If the room environment is not optimal for the Auto MCACC Setup too much background noise echo off the walls obstacles blocking the speakers from the microphone the final settings may be incorrect Check for household appliances...

Page 12: ...are the most common type of video connection and are used to connect to the composite video terminals The yellow plugs distinguish them from cables for audio S video cables S video cables give you a clearer picture reproduction than standard RCA video cables by sending separate signals for the luminance and color Component video cables Use component video cables to get the best possible color repr...

Page 13: ...video cable to connect to the composite video jack 4 Note 1 If your DVD player only has an optical digital output you can connect it to the optical input on this receiver using an optical cable When you set up the receiver you ll need to tell the receiver which input you connected the player to see The Input Assign menu on page 58 2 This connection will allow you to make analog recordings from you...

Page 14: ...T PREOUT REC ANTENNA CONTROL DVD 5 1CH INPUT D V D 5 1CH INPUT AUDIO R L IN AUX OUT IN CENTER OUTPUT SUB WOOFER OUTPUT VIDEO OUTPUT SURROUND OUTPUT FRONT OUTPUT R L R L This receiver DVD multi channel decoder with multi channel analog output jacks 2 If you ve already connected your TV to the TV SAT inputs simply choose another input However to receive a signal you ll need to press the input select...

Page 15: ...the CD R TAPE MD analog output jack using a stereo RCA phono cable 4 If your recorder has a digital input connect it to the digital output on the receiver as shown Use an optical cable to make this connection About the WMA9 Pro decoder This unit has an on board Windows Media Audio 9 Professional WMA9 Pro decoder so it is possible to playback WMA9 Pro encoded audio using a coaxial or optical digita...

Page 16: ...r the connection 3 4 If your video component has a digital input connect it to the digital output on the receiver as shown Use an optical cable to make this connection Note 1 For better quality you can also connect with S video using the S VIDEO DVR VCR IN jack If your video component also has a component video output you can connect this too See Using the component video jacks on page 17 for more...

Page 17: ...ry assign the component video inputs to the input source you ve connected This only needs to be done if you didn t connect according to the following defaults COMPONENT 1 DVD COMPONENT 2 TV COMPONENT 3 DVR See Assigning the component video inputs on page 58 for more on this 3 Connect the COMPONENT VIDEO MONITOR OUT jacks on this receiver to the component video inputs on your TV or monitor Use a th...

Page 18: ...ore clipping the loop to the stand Make sure the reception is clear 4 Place the AM antenna on a flat surface and in a direction giving the best reception 5 Connect the FM wire antenna in the same way as the AM loop antenna For best results extend the FM antenna fully and fix to a wall or door frame Don t drape loosely or leave coiled up Using external antennas To improve FM reception Connect an ex...

Page 19: ... terminal Use good quality speaker wire to connect the speakers to the receiver Note 1 If you re not using a subwoofer change the front speaker setting see Speaker Setting on page 42 to LARGE 2 If you are using only one surround back speaker connect it to the surround back left L terminal ASSIGNABLE MONITOR OUT Y PB COMPONENT VIDEO COAX OPT OPT OPT CD ASSIGNABLE DIGITAL IN 1 2 DVD LD DVR VCR IN IN...

Page 20: ...possible interference such as discoloration of the picture when the TV is switched on If you do not have magnetically shielded speakers and notice discoloration of the TV picture move the speakers farther away from the TV If you re using a center speaker place the front speakers at a wider angle If not place them at a narrower angle Place the center speaker above or below the TV so that the sound ...

Page 21: ...r orientation The first diagram fig A shows orientation with one surround back speaker or none connected The second fig B shows orientation with two surround back speakers connected 3 D view of 7 1 channel speaker setup Surround left Surround right Listening position Front left Front right Center Subwoofer Surround back Surround back Single surround back speaker left right 90 to 120 fig A fig B LS...

Page 22: ...the surround modes page 29 ST DIRECT AUTO SURR Selects stereo direct playback page 30 Also selects Auto Surround Auto playback on page 28 UP DOWN MULTI JOG MASTER VOLUME ENTER AUDIO VIDEO MULTI CHANNEL RECEIVER VSX 816 STANDBY ON PHONES DVD LD TV SAT DVR VCR VIDEO CD CD R TAPE MD FM AM STANDARD MIDNIGHT LOUDNESS ADVANCED SURR ST DIRECT AUTO SURR LISTENING MODE QUICK SETUP SETUP RETURN TUNING STATI...

Page 23: ...equency page 45 and station presets page 46 when using the tuner 19 TUNER EDIT Press to memorize and name a station for recall page 46 20 TONE Press this button to access the bass and treble controls which you can then adjust with the MULTI JOG dial page 32 21 QUICK SETUP See Using the Quick Setup on page 8 22 System Setup menu controls SETUP Use with the MULTI JOG dial to access the System Setup ...

Page 24: ... attenuate reduce the level of the analog input signal 9 SLEEP Lights when the sleep mode is active see Remote control below 10 Tuner indicators Lights when the mono mode is set using the MPX button Lights when a stereo FM broadcast is being received in auto stereo mode Lights when a broadcast is being received 11 Speaker indicators Lights to indicate the current speaker system A and or B page 54 ...

Page 25: ... surround back mode page 31 ANALOG ATT Attenuates lowers the level of an analog input signal to prevent distortion SR Switches the SR mode on off page 57 DIMMER Dims or brightens the display MIDNIGHT LOUDNESS Use Midnight when listening to movie soundtracks at low volume Use Loudness to boost the bass and treble at low volume page 32 D ACCESS After pressing you can access a radio station directly ...

Page 26: ...TV power TV VOL Use to adjust the TV volume INPUT SELECT Use to select the TV input signal TV CH Use to select channels 7 Component control buttons The main buttons etc are used to control a component after you have selected it using the MULTI CONTROL buttons The controls above these buttons can be accessed after you have selected the corresponding MULTI CONTROL button for example DVD DVR or TV wh...

Page 27: ...ing preset codes directly on page 49 DIRECT F See Direct function on page 49 RESET See Erasing all of the remote control presets on page 49 READ ID See Confirming preset codes on page 50 13 RECEIVER Switches the remote to control the receiver used to select the green commands above the number buttons DIMMER etc Also use this button to set up surround sound page 9 page 36 14 VOL Use to set the list...

Page 28: ...de If the source is Dolby Digital DTS or Dolby Surround encoded the proper decoding format will automatically be selected and shows in the display With two channel sources you can select from 2 Pro Logic IIx MOVIE Up to 7 1 channel sound especially suited to movie sources 2 Pro Logic IIx MUSIC Up to 7 1 channel sound especially suited to music sources 2 Pro Logic IIx GAME Up to 7 1 channel sound e...

Page 29: ...tain options may not appear Check the table below for notes on this 2 Use the buttons to set it as necessary See the table below for the options available for each setting The defaults if not stated are listed in bold 3 Press EFFECT CH SEL again to adjust other settings Note 1 If you press ADVANCED SURROUND when the headphones are connected the PHONES SURROUND mode will automat ically be selected ...

Page 30: ...e on Acoustic Calibration Equalization While listening to a source press ACOUSTIC EQ Press repeatedly to select between ALL CH No special weighting is given to any one channel F ALIGN All speakers are heard in accordance with the front speaker settings CUSTOM 1 2 Custom settings EQ OFF Switches Acoustic Calibration EQ off The MCACC indicator on the front panel lights when Acoustic Calibration EQ i...

Page 31: ...etter in the format for example 5 1 for which it was originally encoded you can have the receiver only apply this effect to 6 1 encoded sources like Dolby Digital EX or DTS ES 2 The table indicates when you will hear the virtual surround back channel Sound plays through surround speakers Press SB ch SB ch PROCESSING to select a virtual surround back channel option Each press cycles through the fol...

Page 32: ...The Dialog Enhancement feature localizes dialog in the center channel to make it stand out from other background sounds in a TV or movie soundtrack Press DIALOG E to switch dialog enhancement on or off Using the tone controls Depending on what you are listening to you may want to adjust the bass or treble using the front panel tone control 1 Press TONE to select the frequency you want to adjust Pr...

Page 33: ...layback source to the proper output setting For example you might need to set your DVD player to output multichannel analog audio 2 Press DVD 3 Press SIGNAL SEL SIGNAL SELECT to select the multichannel analog inputs DVD 5 1ch shows in the display and the ANALOG indicator lights Note 1 If your source is the TV s built in tuner switch to the channel you want to watch otherwise make sure that the TV ...

Page 34: ... with copy protection or restricted playback 2 Compatible USB devices include external magnetic hard drives portable flash memory particularly keydrives and digital audio players MP3 players of format FAT16 32 It is not possible to connect this unit to a personal computer for USB playback Pioneer cannot guarantee compatibility operation and or bus power with all USB mass storage devices and assume...

Page 35: ...al Rights Management protection compatible Yes DRM protected audio files will not play in this receiver About MPEG 4 AAC Advanced Audio Coding AAC is at the core of the MPEG 4 AAC standard which incorporates MPEG 2 AAC forming the basis of the MPEG 4 audio compression technology The file format and extension used depend on the application used to encode the AAC file This unit plays back AAC files ...

Page 36: ...ker settings and customize the Acoustic Calibration EQ see Manual MCACC speaker setup below Manual SP Setup Specify the size number distance and overall balance of the speakers you ve connected see Manual speaker setup on page 41 Input Assign Specify what you ve connected to the digital and component video inputs see The Input Assign menu on page 58 Other Setup Make customized settings to reflect ...

Page 37: ...anual MCACC from the System Setup menu See Making receiver settings from the System Setup menu above if you re not already at this screen 2 Select the setting you want to adjust If you re doing this for the first time you might want to make these settings in order Fine Ch Level Make fine adjustments to the overall balance of your speaker system see Fine Channel Level below Fine SP Distance Make pr...

Page 38: ...epth and separation with your system it is necessary to add a slight bit of delay to some speakers so that all sounds will arrive at the listening position at the same time The following setting can help you make detailed adjustments that you may not achieve using the Manual speaker setup below 1 Select Fine SP Distance from the Manual MCACC setup menu The volume increases to the reference level 2...

Page 39: ...at suits your tastes Setting the Acoustic Calibration EQ automatically If you have already completed Automatically setting up for surround sound MCACC on page 9 ALL CH ADJUST and FRONT ALIGN below should already be set Therefore if you want to adjust your settings manually you can skip to Setting the Acoustic Calibration EQ manually below 1 Select EQ AUTO Setting from the Manual MCACC setup menu M...

Page 40: ...up above or from Automatically setting up for surround sound MCACC on page 9 to one of the custom settings Instead of just a flat EQ curve this will give you a reference point from which to start see Copying your Acoustic Calibration EQ settings above for how to do this 1 Select EQ CUSTOM1 Adjust or EQ CUSTOM2 Adjust from the Manual MCACC setup menu 2 Select which method you would like to use to a...

Page 41: ...C setup menu 2 Select the setting you want to check It is useful to do this while a source is playing so you can compare the different settings 3 Select the channels you want pressing ENTER when you re finished checking each one 4 When you re finished press RETURN You return to the Manual MCACC setup menu Manual speaker setup This receiver allows you to make detailed settings to optimize the surro...

Page 42: ...uencies effectively or if you didn t connect a subwoofer Select SMALL to send the bass frequencies to the subwoofer 1 Center Select LARGE if your center speaker reproduces bass frequencies effectively or select SMALL to send bass frequencies to the other speakers or subwoofer If you didn t connect a center speaker choose NO the center channel is sent to the other speakers Surr Select LARGE if your...

Page 43: ...ponse with it set to PLUS and YES or the front speakers set to LARGE and SMALL alternatively and let your ears judge which sounds best If you re having problems the easiest option is to route all the bass sounds to the subwoofer by selecting SMALL for the front speakers Crossover Network Default setting 100Hz This setting decides the cutoff between bass sounds playing back from the speakers select...

Page 44: ...he receiver can then add the proper delay needed for effective surround sound 1 Select Speaker Distance from the Manual SP Setup menu 2 Adjust the distance of each speaker using You can adjust the distance of each speaker in 0 1 meter increments 3 When you re finished press RETURN You return to the Manual SP Setup menu Tip For best surround sound make sure the surround back speakers are the same d...

Page 45: ...nt Improving FM stereo sound If the tuned or stereo indicators don t light when tuning to an FM station because the signal is weak press the MPX button to switch the receiver into mono reception mode This should improve the sound quality and allow you to enjoy the broadcast Tuning directly to a station Sometimes you ll already know the frequency of the station you want to listen to In this case yo...

Page 46: ... then a blinking cursor at the first character position 3 Input the name you want Choose a name up to four characters long Use the MULTI JOG dial front panel or the ST buttons remote to select characters Press ENTER to confirm a character If no character is input a space is input The name is stored when ENTER is pressed after choosing the fourth character Tip To erase a station name simply repeat ...

Page 47: ...ut signal corresponding to the source component see page 33 for more on this 3 Prepare the source you want to record Tune to the radio station load the CD video DVD etc 4 Prepare the recorder Insert a blank tape MD video etc into the recording device and set the recording levels Refer to the instructions that came with the recorder if you are unsure how to do this Most video recorders set the audi...

Page 48: ...cturer in the remote control will not work for the model that you are using 2 Note You can cancel or exit any of the steps by press and hold RECEIVER for two seconds To go back a step press RETURN After one minute of inactivity the remote automatically exits the operation Note 1 If you want to control all your components using this receiver s remote control refer to Controlling the rest of your sy...

Page 49: ...ets This will erase all preset remote control preset codes 1 While pressing the RECEIVER button press the SETUP button The remote LCD display shows SETUP 2 Use to select RESET then press ENTER 3 Press and hold ENTER for about two seconds The LCD shows OK to confirm the remote presets have been erased 4 Press and hold RECEIVER for about two seconds to exit the SETUP Direct function Default setting ...

Page 50: ...ss ENTER The brand name and preset code appears in the display for three seconds Controls for TVs This remote control can control components after entering the proper codes or teaching the receiver the commands see Operating other Pioneer components on page 48 for more on this Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons to select the component The TV CONTROL buttons on the remote control are dedicated to contro...

Page 51: ...TV TV DTV DTV MENU Press to display the DTV menu DTV RETURN Use to select closed captioning with DTV DTV Number buttons Use to select a specific TV channel Cable TV Satellite TV TV DTV 10 button Use to add a decimal point when selecting a specific TV channel DTV ENTER DISC Use to enter a channel Cable TV Satellite TV TV DTV MENU Select different menus from the DTV functions DTV Select the menu scr...

Page 52: ...CR Pause playback or recording CD MD CD R VCR DVD LD DVR player Cassette deck Start playback CD MD CD R VCR DVD LD DVR player Cassette deck Hold down for fast forward playback CD MD CD R VCR DVD LD DVR player Cassette deck Hold down for fast reverse playback CD MD CD R VCR DVD LD DVR player Cassette deck Stops playback on some models pressing this when the disc is already stopped will cause the di...

Page 53: ...the tape Cassette deck Stops the tape Cassette deck ENTER Starts playback Cassette deck Fast rewinds fast forwards the tape Cassette deck ENTER Navigates DVD menu options DVD DVR Player GUIDE Press to access the DVD player setup screen DVD DVR Player CH Selects channels VCR DVD DVR Player Selects tracks CD MD CD R Cassette deck AUDIO Changes the audio language or channel DVD DVR Player SUBTITLE Di...

Page 54: ... room 2 Select Second Zone from the Surr Back System menu See Surround back speaker setting on page 36 to do this Switching the speaker system If you selected Second Zone in Surround back speaker setting on page 36 three speaker system settings are possible using the SPEAKERS button If you selected Normal SB or Front Bi Amp the speaker system is fixed as SP A or SP AB respectively The options belo...

Page 55: ...part Hi or Low of the speaker Make sure that the connections are properly inserted 2 Select the Front Bi Amp setting from the Surr Back System menu See Surround back speaker setting on page 36 to specify how you re using the surround back speaker terminals Caution Most speakers with both Hi and Low terminals have two metal plates that connect the Hi to the Low terminals These must be removed when ...

Page 56: ...the left L Single terminal only The sound you hear from the surround back terminals depends on the Surround back speaker setting on page 36 To hear sound only from the pre outs simply disconnect any speakers that are connected directly to the receiver If you re not using a subwoofer change the front speaker setting see Speaker Setting on page 42 to large DVD LD IN CENTER PB PR TV SAT IN FRONT SURR...

Page 57: ... front panel display shows SR ON or OFF Note 1 The 3 ringed SR cable from Pioneer is commercially available under the part number ADE7095 Contact the Pioneer Cus tomer Support division for more information on obtaining an SR cable you can also use a commercially available 3 ringed mini phone plug for the connection If you connect to a Pioneer plasma display using an SR cable you will need to point...

Page 58: ...numbers correspond with the numbers beside the inputs on the back of the receiver 3 Select the component that corresponds with the one you connected to that input Select between DVD TV CD CD R DVR or OFF Use and ENTER to do this 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 switched off 4 Wh...

Page 59: ...you may want to adjust these settings in order DRC Setup Specify the amount of dynamic range adjustment to Dolby Digital soundtracks see Dynamic Range Control Setup below Dual Mono Setup Isolate one channel when listening to discs with dual mono encoding see Dual Mono Setup below LFE ATT Setup Choose the attenuator level for the LFE channel LFE Attenuator Setup on page 60 SR Setup Specify how you ...

Page 60: ...p from the Other Setup menu 2 Select the PDP Volume Control setting you want OFF The receiver does not control the volume of the plasma display ON When the receiver is switched to one of the inputs that use the plasma display DVD LD or another function below the volume on the plasma display is muted so only sound from the receiver is heard 3 Assign any input source connected to the plasma display ...

Page 61: ...t a minute you won t be able to switch the unit on during this time switch the receiver back on If the message persists call a Pioneer authorized independent service company No sound is output when a function is selected Make sure the component is connected correctly refer to Connecting up on page 12 Press MUTE on the remote control to turn muting off Press SPEAKERS to select the proper speaker se...

Page 62: ...output or a noise is output when software with DTS is played back Set the digital volume level of the player to full or to the neutral position Make sure the player s settings are correct and or the DTS signal out is on Refer to the instruction manual supplied with the DVD player Set the input signal type to DIGITAL see Choosing the input signal on page 33 During a playback search noise is output ...

Page 63: ...ton The display shows the new setting PAL or NTSC The SR cable is connected but the connected components can t be operated with the remote Reinsert the SR cable making sure it s connected to the right jack see Using this receiver with a Pioneer plasma display on page 56 Make sure an analog connection has been made between the units This feature only works with Pioneer products The display is dark ...

Page 64: ...at 1 W 1 kHz CD DVR VCR CD R TAPE MD DVD LD TV SAT 79 dB Video Section Input Sensitivity Impedance DVR VCR DVD LD TV SAT 1 Vp p 75 Ω Output Level Impedance DVR VCR MONITOR OUT 1 Vp p 75 Ω Frequency response DVR VCR DVD LD TV SAT MONITOR 5 Hz to 7 MHz dB Signal to Noise Ratio 55 dB Crosstalk 50 dB Component video section Input Sensitivity DVD LD TV SAT DVR VCR 1 Vp p 75 Ω Output Level Impedance MON...

Page 65: ...he power cord by the plug Do not pull out the plug by tugging the cord and never touch the power cord when your hands are wet as this could cause a short circuit or an electric shock Do not place the unit a piece of furniture etc on the power cord or pinch the cord Never make a knot in the cord or tie it with other cords The power cords should be routed such that they are not likely to be stepped ...

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