Pioneer VSX-520-S: Connecting your equipment

Connecting your equipment03

Chapter 3:

Connecting your equipment

Placing the speakers

By connecting the left and right front speakers (L/R), the center speaker (C), the left and right

surround speakers (SL/SR), and the subwoofer (SW), a 5.1 ch surround system can be enjoyed.

Further, by using an external amplifier, you can connect the left and right surround back speakers

(

SBL

/

SBR

) and the left and right front height speaker (

FHL

/

FHR

) to boost your system up to a 7.1 ch

surround system.

• You can also connect one surround back speaker (SB) and enjoy a 6.1 ch surround system.

To achieve the best possible surround sound, install your speakers as shown below.

a. This layout is available only when the additional amplifier is connected to the unit and the surround back

or front height speakers are connected to the amplifier. For details, see Connect the surround back or front height

speakers on page 19.

16

En

VSX-520_SYXCN_En.book 16 ページ ２０１０年４月１２日　月曜日　午後７時１３分

Connecting your equipment 03

17

En

VSX-520_SYXCN_En.book 17 ページ ２０１０年４月１２日　月曜日　午後７時１３分

Hints on the speaker placement

• Try not to place the surround speakers

farther away from the listening position

Where you put your speakers in the room has a

than the front and center speakers. Doing

big effect on the quality of the sound. The

so can weaken the surround sound effect.

following guidelines should help you to get the

best sound from your system.

• Place the left and right front height

speakers at least one meter directly above

• The subwoofer can be placed on the floor.

the left and right front speakers.

Ideally, the other speakers should be at

about ear-level when you’re listening to

them. Putting the speakers on the floor

CAUTION

(except the subwoofer), or mounting them

very high on a wall is not recommended.

• Make sure that all speakers are securely

installed. This not only improves sound

• For the best stereo effect, place the front

quality, but also reduces the risk of

speakers 2 m to 3 m apart, at equal

damage or injury resulting from speakers

distance from the TV.

being knocked over or falling in the event

• If you’re going to place speakers around

of external shocks such as earthquakes.

your CRT TV, use shielded speakers or

place the speakers at a sufficient distance

from your CRT TV.

Important

• If you’re using a center speaker, place the

• To connect the surround back or front

front speakers at a wider angle. If not, place

height speakers, an additional amplifier is

them at a narrower angle.

required. Connect the additional amplifier

to the PRE OUT SURR BACK/FRONT

• Place the center speaker above or below

HEIGHT outputs of this unit and connect

the TV so that the sound of the center

the surround back or front height speakers

channel is localized at the TV screen. Also,

to the additional amplifier (see Connect the

make sure the center speaker does not

surround back or front height speakers on

cross the line formed by the leading edge

page 19).

of the front left and right speakers.

The Pre Out setting must be set if the above

• It is best to angle the speakers towards the

connections are performed. Select

listening position. The angle depends on

SURR.BACK if the surround back speaker

the size of the room. Use less of an angle

is connected and HEIGHT if the front

for bigger rooms.

height speaker is connected (If neither the

• Surround and surround back speakers

surround back speaker nor the front height

should be positioned 60 cm to 90 cm higher

speaker is connected, either setting will

than your ears and titled slight downward.

suffice) (see The Pre Out Setting on

Make sure the speakers don’t face each

page 42).

other. For DVD-Audio, the speakers should

be more directly behind the listener than for

home theater playback.

• If the surround speakers cannot be set

directly to the side of the listening position

with a 7.1-channel system, the surround

effect can be enhanced by turning off the

Up Mix function (see Setting the Up Mix

function on page 35).

Connecting your equipment03

Bare wire connections

Front speaker terminals:

Connecting the speakers

The receiver will work with just two stereo

1 Twist exposed wire strands together.

speakers (the front speakers in the diagram)

2 Loosen terminal and insert exposed wire.

but using at least three speakers is

recommended, and a complete setup is best

3 Tighten terminal.

for surround sound.

Make sure you connect the speaker on the

123

right to the right (R) terminal and the speaker

on the left to the left (L) terminal. Also make

sure the positive and negative (+/–) terminals

on the receiver match those on the speakers.

Center and surround speaker terminals:

If you’re not using a subwoofer, change the

front speaker setting (see Speaker setting on

1 Twist exposed wire strands together.

page 40) to LARGE.

2 Push open the tabs and insert exposed

Be sure to complete all connections before

wire.

connecting this unit to the AC power source.

3 Release the tabs.

18

En

FRONT

RL

CD-R/TAPE

DVR/VCR

SURROUND CENTER

SURR BACK /

FRONT

RL

HEIGHT

L

(

Single

)

OUT

R

PRE OUT

CD

CD-R/TAPE

DVR/VCR

L

IN IN

MONITOR OUT

DVD IN BD IN

SUBWOOFER

PRE OUT

SPEAKERS

A

ADAPTER PORT

AC IN

(

OUTPUT 5 V 100 mA MAX

)

VIDEO

DVR/VCR

TV/SAT

OUT IN

IN

SW

L

RSLSR

C

VSX-520_SYXCN_En.book 18 ページ ２０１０年４月１２日　月曜日　午後７時１３分

Connecting your equipment 03

19

En

CAUTION

Making cable connections

• These speaker terminals carry

Make sure not to bend the cables over the top

HAZARDOUS LIVE voltage. To prevent

of this unit (as shown in the illustration). If this

the risk of electric shock when connecting

happens, the magnetic field produced by the

or disconnecting the speaker cables,

transformers in this unit may cause a

disconnect the power cord before touching

humming noise from the speakers.

any uninsulated parts.

• Make sure that all the bare speaker wire is

twisted together and inserted fully into the

speaker terminal. If any of the bare speaker

wire touches the back panel it may cause

the power to cut off as a safety measure.

Connect the surround back or front

height speakers

Connect the PRE OUT outputs of the unit and

Important

additional amplifier to add a surround back or

front height speaker.

• Before making or changing connections,

switch off the power and disconnect the

• If the surround back speaker or the front

power cord from the AC outlet.

height speaker is connected, set the Pre

Out setting (see The Pre Out Setting on

• Before unplugging the power cord, switch

page 42).

the power into standby.

• You can use the additional amplifier on the

surround back channel pre-outs for a

single speaker as well. In this case plug the

amplifier into the left (L (Single)) terminal

only.

VSX-520_SYXCN_En.book 19 ページ ２０１０年４月１２日　月曜日　午後７時１３分

Connecting your equipment03

HDMI cables

• Input of multi-channel linear PCM digital

audio signals (192 kHz or less) for up to 8

Both video and sound signals can be transmitted

channels

simultaneously with one cable. If connecting the

player and the TV via this receiver, for both

4

•

Input of the following digital audio formats:

1

connections, use HDMI cables.

– Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS,

High bitrate audio (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD

Master Audio), DVD-Audio, CD, SACD

(DSD signal), Video CD, Super VCD

HDMI, the HDMI Logo and High-Definition

Multimedia Interface are trademarks or

registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing, LLC in

Be careful to connect the terminal in the

the United States and other countries.

proper direction.

“x.v.Color” and x.v.Color logo are trademarks of

About HDMI

Sony Corporation.

The HDMI connection transfers

uncompressed digital video, as well as almost

Analog audio cables

every kind of digital audio that the connected

Use stereo RCA phono cables to connect

component is compatible with, including DVD-

analog audio components. These cables are

Video, DVD-Audio, SACD, Dolby Digital Plus,

typically red and white, and you should

Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio (see

connect the red plugs to R (right) terminals

below for limitations), Video CD/Super VCD

and white plugs to L (left) terminals.

and CD.

This receiver incorporates High-Definition

®

Multimedia Interface (HDMI

) technology.

This receiver supports the functions described

2

below through HDMI connections.

• Digital transfer of uncompressed video

(contents protected by HDCP (1080p/24,

1080p/60, etc.))

3

• 3D signal transfer

3

• Deep Color signal transfer

3

• x.v.Color signal transfer

20

En

1 • Set the HDMI parameter in Setting the Audio options on page 35 to THRU (THROUGH) and set the input signal in Choosing

the input signal on page 38 to HDMI, if you want to hear HDMI audio output from your TV (no sound will be heard from this

receiver).

• If the video signal does not appear on your TV, try adjusting the resolution settings on your component or display. Note that

some components (such as video game units) have resolutions that may not be displayed. In this case, use a (analog)

composite connection.

• When the video signal from the HDMI is 480i, 480p, 576i or 576p, Multi Ch PCM sound and HD sound cannot be received.

®

®

2 • Use a High Speed HDMI

cable. If HDMI cable other than a High Speed HDMI

cable is used, it may not work properly.

• When an HDMI cable with a built-in equalizer is connected, it may not operate properly.

3 Signal transfer is only possible when connected to a compatible component.

VSX-520_SYXCN_En.book 20 ページ ２０１０年４月１２日　月曜日　午後７時１３分

Analog audio cables

Right (red)

Left (white)

4 • HDMI format digital audio transmissions require a longer time to be recognized. Due to this, interruption in the audio may

occur when switching between audio formats or beginning playback.

• Turning on/off the device connected to this unit's HDMI OUT terminal during playback, or disconnecting/connecting the

HDMI cable during playback, may cause noise or interrupted audio.

Connecting your equipment 03

21

En

Digital audio cables

Commercially available coaxial digital audio

About video outputs

cables or optical cables should be used to

1

connection

connect digital components to this receiver.

This receiver is not loaded with a video

converter. When you use component video

cables or HDMI cables for connecting to the

input device, the same cables should be used

for connecting to the TV.

The signals input from the analog (composite

and component) video inputs of this unit will

Video cables

not be output from the HDMI OUT.

Standard RCA video cables

These cables 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.

Component video cables

Use component video cables to get the best

possible color reproduction of your video

source. The color signal of the TV is divided into

the luminance (Y) signal and the color (P

B and

P

R) signals and then output. In this way,

interference between the signals is avoided.

Coaxial digital audio cable Optical cable

1 • When connecting optical cables, be careful when inserting the plug not to damage the shutter protecting the optical socket.

• When storing optical cable, coil loosely. The cable may be damaged if bent around sharp corners.

• You can also use a standard RCA video cable for coaxial digital connections.

VSX-520_SYXCN_En.book 21 ページ ２０１０年４月１２日　月曜日　午後７時１３分

Connecting your equipment03

Connecting a TV and playback components

Connecting using HDMI

Connecting your component with no

If you have an HDMI or DVI (with HDCP)

HDMI terminal

equipped component (Blu-ray disc player,

This diagram shows connections of a TV and

etc.), you can connect it to this receiver using a

DVD player (or other playback component)

123

commercially available HDMI cable.

with no HDMI terminal to the receiver.

22

En

SUBWOOFER

PRE OUT

CD-R/TAPE

DVR/VCR

SURR BACK /

FRONT

BD

HEIGHT

L

(

Single

)

OUT

R

DVD

PRE OUT

CD

CD-R/TAPE

DVR/VCR

L

COAXIAL

ASSIGNABLE

IN

IN

TV/SAT

IN

1

R

(

CD

)

OPTICAL

TV/SAT

DVD BD

IN

IN

2

OUT

(

DVR/VCR

)

L

IN

IN

IN

1

(

CD-R/TAPE

)

R

ASSIGNABLE

HDMI

1 2

AUDIO

1 If the connection was made using an optical cable, you’ll need to tell the receiver which digital input you connected the TV to

(see Choosing the input signal on page 38).

2 If the connection was made using an optical or a coaxial cable, you’ll need to tell the receiver which digital input you connected

the DVD player to (see Choosing the input signal on page 38).

3 If both TV and player has a component video jacks, you can connect these too. See Using the component video jacks on page 24

for more on this.

VSX-520_SYXCN_En.book 22 ページ ２０１０年４月１２日　月曜日　午後７時１３分

Connecting your equipment 03

23

En

Connecting a satellite receiver

Connecting an HDD/DVD

or other digital set-top box

recorder, VCR and other video

Satellite and cable receivers, and terrestrial

sources

digital TV tuners are all examples of so-called

This receiver has audio/video inputs and

12

‘set-top boxes’.

outputs suitable for connecting analog or

digital video recorders, including HDD/DVD

recorders and VCRs.

• Only the signals that are input to the

VIDEO IN terminal can be output from the

VIDEO OUT terminal.

• Audio signals that are input through the

digital terminal will not be output from the

analog terminal.

1 If the connection was made using an optical cable, you’ll need to tell the receiver which digital input you connected the set-

top box or video component to (see Choosing the input signal on page 38).

2 If the set-top box or video component also has an HDMI or a component video output, you can connect this too. See Connecting

using HDMI on page 22 or Using the component video jacks on page 24 for more on this.

SUBWOOFER

PRE OUT

CD-R/TAPE

DVR/VCR

SURR BACK /

ADAPTER PORT

FRONT

(

OUTPUT 5 V 100 mA MAX

)

HEIGHT

L

(

VIDEO

Single

)

OUT

DVR/VCR

TV/SAT

OUT IN

IN

R

PRE OUT

CD

CD-R/TAPE

DVR/VCR

L

COAXIAL

ASSIGNABLE

IN

IN

MONITOR OUT

DVD IN BD IN

IN

1

ANTENNA

P

R

P

B

Y

MONITOR

MONITOR

R

(

CD

)

FM

OUT

OUT

UNBAL

OPTICAL

TV/SAT

DVD BD

75

IN

2

L

IN

2

DVR/VCR

(

)

(

DVD

)

IN

IN

AM

IN

1

CD-R/TAPE

R

LOOP

IN

1

(

)

(

BD

)

ASSIGNABLE

ASSIGNABLE

1 2

AUDIO

COMPONENT VIDEO

1 2

VIDEO IN

OPTICAL

RL

PLAY

DIGITAL

RL

REC

AUDIO OUT

ANALOG AUDIO OUT

ANALOG AUDIO IN

VIDEO OUT

VSX-520_SYXCN_En.book 23 ページ ２０１０年４月１２日　月曜日　午後７時１３分

Connecting your equipment03

Important

Using the component video jacks

• If you connect any source component to

Component video should deliver superior

the receiver using a component video

picture quality when compared to composite

input, you must also have your TV

video. A further advantage (if your source and

connected to this receiver’s COMPONENT

TV are both compatible) is progressive-scan

VIDEO OUT jacks.

video, which delivers a very stable, flicker-free

picture. See the manuals that came with your TV

and source component to check whether they

Connecting other audio

are compatible with progressive-scan video.

components

• If necessary, assign the component video

The number and kind of connections depends

inputs to the input source you’ve connected.

1

on the kind of component you’re connecting.

This only needs to be done if you didn’t connect

Follow the steps below to connect a CD-R, MD,

according to the following defaults:

2

DAT, tape recorder or other audio component.

• COMPONENT VIDEO IN 1 – BD

• COMPONENT VIDEO IN 2 – DVD

See The Input Assign menu on page 42 for

more on this.

• For the audio connection, refer to

Connecting your component with no HDMI

terminal

on page 22.

24

En

SURR BACK /

FRONT

BD

HEIGHT

L

(

Single

)

OUT

R

CD

DVR/VCR

L

IN

IN

R

TV/SAT

DVD BD

IN

L

IN

IN

R

1 Note that you must connect digital components to analog audio jacks if you want to record to/from digital components (like

an MD) to/from analog components.

2 If the connection was made using an optical or a coaxial cable, you’ll need to tell the receiver which digital input you connected

the component to (see Choosing the input signal on page 38).

SUBWOOFER

PRE OUT

CD-R/TAPE

DVR/VCR

ADAPTER

(

OUTPUT 5 V

DVD

PRE OUT

CD-R/TAPE

COAXIAL

ASSIGNABLE

TV/SAT

IN

1

ANTENNA

(

CD

)

FM

UNBAL

OPTICAL

75

IN

2

OUT

(

DVR/VCR

)

AM

IN

1

LOOP

(

CD-R/TAPE

)

ASSIGNABLE

HDMI

1 2

AUDIO

VSX-520_SYXCN_En.book 24 ページ ２０１０年４月１２日　月曜日　午後７時１３分24

Connecting your equipment 03

25

En

Using external antennas

Connecting antennas

To improve FM reception

Connect the AM loop antenna and the FM wire

Use a PAL connector (not supplied) to

antenna as shown below. To improve reception

connect an external FM antenna.

and sound quality, connect external antennas

(see Using external antennas below).

To improve AM reception

Connect a 5 m to 6 m length of vinyl-coated

wire to the AM antenna terminal without

disconnecting the supplied AM loop antenna.

For the best possible reception, suspend

horizontally outdoors.

1 Push open the tabs, then insert one wire

fully into each terminal, then release the tabs

to secure the AM antenna wires.

2 Fix the AM loop antenna to the attached

stand.

To fix the stand to the antenna, bend in the

direction indicated by the arrow (fig. a) then

clip the loop onto the stand (fig. b).

3 Place the AM antenna on a flat surface

and in a direction giving the best reception.

4 Connect the FM wire antenna into the FM

antenna socket.

For best results, extend the FM antenna fully

and fix to a wall or door frame. Don’t drape

loosely or leave coiled up.

VSX-520_SYXCN_En.book 25 ページ ２０１０年４月１２日　月曜日　午後７時１３分25