Pioneer VSX-520-S: Listening to your system

Listening to your system05

• EXT.STEREO – Gives multichannel sound

to a stereo source, using all of your

Using Front Stage Surround

speakers.

Advance

The Front Stage Surround Advance function

allows you to create natural surround sound

Listening in stereo

effects using just the front speakers and the

When you select STEREO you will hear the

subwoofer.

source 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.

• While listening to a source, press

STEREO/

In the Auto level control stereo mode (ALC),

A.L.C.

to select Front Stage Surround Advance

this unit equalizes playback sound levels if

modes.

each sound level varies with the music source

• STEREO – See Listening in stereo above for

recorded in a portable audio player.

more on this.

• ALC – See Listening in stereo above for

AUTO/

STEREO/

BD MENU

DIRECT

A.L.C.

STANDARD

ADV SURR

more on this.

• F.S.S.ADVANCE – Use to provide a rich

surround sound effect directed to the

• While listening to a source, press

center of where the front left and right

STEREO/A.L.C.

for stereo playback.

speakers sound projection area converges.

Press repeatedly to switch between:

• STEREO – The audio is heard with your

surround settings and you can still use the

Midnight, Loudness, Phase Control, Sound

Retriever and Tone functions.

• ALC – Listening in Auto level control stereo

mode.

• F.S.S.ADVANCE – See Using Front Stage

Surround Advance below for more on this.

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Listening to your system 05

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Using Stream Direct

Better sound using Phase

Use the Stream Direct modes when you want

Control

to hear the truest possible reproduction of a

This receiver’s Phase Control feature uses

source. All unnecessary signal processing is

phase correction measures to make sure your

bypassed.

sound source arrives at the listening position

in phase, preventing unwanted distortion and/

or coloring of the sound (see illustration

below).

• While listening to a source, press

AUTO/

During multichannel playback, LFE (Low-

DIRECT

to select Stream Direct mode.

Frequency Effects) signals as well as low-

• AUTO SURROUND – See Auto playback on

frequency signals in each channel are

page 30.

assigned to the subwoofer or other the

subwoofer and the most appropriate speaker.

• DIRECT – Sources are heard according to

At least in theory, however, this type of

the settings made in the Surround Setup

processing involves a group delay that varies

(speaker setting, channel level, speaker

with frequency, resulting in phase distortion

distance), as well as with dual mono

1

where the low-frequency sound is delayed or

settings.

You will hear sources according

muffled by the conflict with other channels.

to the number of channels in the signal.

With the Phase Control mode switched on, this

• PURE DIRECT – Analog and PCM sources

receiver can reproduce powerful bass sound

are heard without any digital processing.

without deteriorating the quality of the original

sound (see illustration below).

Using the Sound Retriever

When audio data is removed during the

compression process, sound quality often

suffers from an uneven sound image. The

Sound Retriever feature employs new DSP

technology that helps bring CD quality sound

back to compressed 2-channel audio by

restoring sound pressure and smoothing

2

jagged artifacts left over after compression.

• Press

S.RETRIEVER to switch the sound

retriever on or off.

1In the DIRECT mode, Phase Control, Sound Delay, Auto Delay, LFE Attenuate and Center image functions are available.

2 The Sound Retriever is only applicable to 2-channel sources.

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P

H

Front speaker

Listening

A

S

position

E

C

?

O

N

T

R

O

L

O

Sound

F

F

source

Subwoofer

Front speaker

Listening

P

H

position

A

S

ADAPTER

TUNER

EQ

E

C

O

N

PHASE

S.RETRIEVER SIGNAL SEL

VOL

T

R

O

L

Sound

O

source

Subwoofer

N

Listening to your system05

Phase Control technology provides coherent

sound reproduction through the use of phase

Using surround back channel

1

matching

for an optimal sound image at your

processing

listening position. The default setting is on and

we recommend leaving Phase Control

You can have the receiver automatically use 6.1

switched on for all sound sources.

or 7.1 decoding for 6.1 encoded sources (for

example, Dolby Digital EX or DTS-ES), or you

can choose to always use 6.1 or 7.1 decoding

(for example, with 5.1 encoded material). With

5.1 encoded sources, a surround back channel

will be generated, but the material may sound

better in the 5.1 format for which it was

•Press

PHASE

to switch on phase to switch

originally encoded (in which case, you can

the Phase Control on or off.

simply switch surround back channel

processing off).

• With a 7.1-channel surround system, audio

Listening with Acoustic

signals that have undergone matrix

Calibration EQ

decoding processing through surround

You can listen to sources using the Acoustic

back channel processing to which the Up

Calibration Equalization set in Automatically

Mix function is added are output from the

setting up for surround sound (MCACC) on

surround back speakers.

page 27. Refer to these pages for more on

Acoustic Calibration Equalization.

• Press , then press SB CH

repeatedly to cycle the surround back

• While listening to a source, press EQ to

channel options.

switch the Acoustic Calibration EQ on or

Each press cycles through the options as

off.

follows:

The MCACC indicator on the front panel lights

• SB ON –

Matrix decoding processing for

2

when Acoustic Calibration EQ is active.

generating the surround back component

from the surround component is turned on.

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1 Phase matching is a very important factor in achieving proper sound reproduction. If two waveforms are ‘in phase’, they crest

and trough together, resulting in increased amplitude, clarity and presence of the sound signal. If a crest of a wave meets a

trough (as shown in the upper section of the diagram above) then the sound will be ‘out of phase’ and an unreliable sound

image will be produced.

• If your subwoofer has a phase control switch, set it to the plus (+) sign (or 0°). However, the effect you can actually feel when

PHASE CONTROL is set to ON on this receiver depends on the type of your subwoofer. Set your subwoofer to maximize the

effect. It is also recommended you try changing the orientation or the place of your subwoofer.

• Set the built-in lowpass filter switch of your subwoofer to OFF. If this cannot be done on your subwoofer, set the cutoff

frequency to a higher value.

• If the speaker distance is not properly set, you may not have a maximized PHASE CONTROL effect.

• The PHASE CONTROL mode cannot be set to ON in the following cases:

– When the PURE DIRECT mode is switched on.

– When the headphones are connected.

2 You can’t use Acoustic Calibration EQ with Stream Direct mode and it has no effect with headphones.

HDD

1

2

RECEIVER

TV

SOURCESLEEP

CONTROL

4

5

MIDNIGHT

SPEAKERS

LEV

RECEIVER

INPUT SELECT

DTV/TV

7

8

INPUT

DIMMER

DVD

VCR

3

DISP

SB CH

CH SELECT

6

CH

9

CH

SHIFT

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Listening to your system 05

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• SB AUTO – Matrix decoding processing for

2 While holding down the

PRESET 

on

generating the surround back component

the front panel, and hold the

 STANDBY/

from the surround component is switched

ON

for about two seconds.

automatically. Matrix decoding processing

UP MIX: OFF appears and the Up Mix function

is only performed when surround back

turns off. If you want to turn this function on,

channel signals are detected in the input

perform steps 1 and 2 again.

signals.

• When set to ON, the (Up Mix) indicator

• SB OFF – Matrix decoding processing for

on the front panel lights.

generating the surround back component

from the surround component is turned

off.

Setting the Audio options

There are a number of additional sound

settings you can make using the AUDIO

Setting the Up Mix function

PARAMETER menu. The defaults, if not

In a 7.1-channel surround system with

stated, are listed in bold.

surround speakers placed directly at the sides

of the listening position, the surround sound of

Important

5.1-channel sources is heard from the side. The

Up Mix function mixes the sound of the

• Note that if a setting doesn’t appear in the

surround speakers with the surround back

AUDIO PARAMETER menu, it is

speakers so that the surround sound is heard

unavailable due to the current source,

1

from diagonally to the rear as it should be.

settings and status of the receiver.

• Using the Up Mix function is effective when

the speakers in the 7.1-channel surround

system are set up as recommended in the

example on page 26.

• Depending on the positions of the speakers

and the sound source, in some cases it

may not be possible to achieve good

results. In this case, set the setting to OFF.

1 Press on the remote control,

then press

AUDIO PARAMETER

button.

2Use

/

to select the setting you want to

adjust.

Depending on the current status/mode of the

receiver, certain options may not be able to be

selected. Check the table below for notes on this.

3Use

/

to set it as necessary.

See the table below for the options available for

each setting.

1 Switch the receiver into standby.

4 Press RETURN to confirm and exit the

menu.

1• Set to ON regardless of this setting when playing DTS-HD signals.

• May automatically be set to OFF even when set to ON, depending on the input signal and listening mode.

TV

SOURCESLEEP

CONTROL

INPUT SELECT

INPUT

BD DVD

TV

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RECEIVER

RECEIVER

DTV/TV

RECEIVER

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Listening to your system05

Setting What it does Option(s)

EQ

Switches on/off the effect of Acoustic Calibration EQ. ON

(Acoustic Calibration

OFF

EQ)

S.DELAY

Some monitors have a slight delay when showing video, so

0.0 to 9.0 (frames)

(Sound Delay)

the soundtrack will be slightly out of sync with the picture.

1 second = 25 frames

By adding a bit of delay, you can adjust the sound to match

(PAL)

the presentation of the video.

Default: 0.0

a

Allows you to hear effective surround sound of movies at

M/L OFF

MIDNIGHT

low volumes.

MIDNIGHT

a

Used to get good bass and treble from music sources at

LOUDNESS

low volumes.

LOUDNESS

b

When audio data is removed during the compression

OFF

S.RTV

process, sound quality often suffers from an uneven sound

(Sound Retriever)

ON

image. The Sound Retriever feature employs new DSP

technology that helps bring CD quality sound back to

compressed 2-channel audio by restoring sound pressure

and smoothing jagged artifacts left over after

compression.

c

Specifies how dual mono encoded Dolby Digital

CH1 –

DUAL MONO

soundtracks should be played.

Channel 1 is heard only

CH2 –

Channel 2 is heard only

CH1 CH2 –

Both channels heard

from front speakers

DRC

Adjusts the level of dynamic range for movie soundtracks

d

AUTO

(Dynamic Range

optimized for Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby

Control)

TrueHD, DTS-HD and DTS-HD Master Audio (you may

MAX

need to use this feature when listening to surround sound

MID

at low volumes).

OFF

LFE ATT

Some Dolby Digital and DTS audio sources include ultra-

0 (0 dB)

(LFE Attenuate)

low bass tones. Set the LFE attenuator as necessary to

5 (–5 dB)

prevent the ultra-low bass tones from distorting the sound

from the speakers.

10 (–10 dB)

The LFE is not limited when set to 0 dB, which is the

15 (–15 dB)

recommended value. When set to –15 dB, the LFE is

limited by the respective degree. When OFF is selected, no

20 (–20 dB)

sound is output from the LFE channel.

** (OFF)

e

Brings out detail in SACDs by maximizing the dynamic

0 (dB)

SACD G.

range (during digital processing).

(SACD Gain)

+6 (dB)

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Listening to your system 05

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Setting What it does Option(s)

HDMI

Specifies the routing of the HDMI audio signal out of this

AMP

(HDMI Audio)

receiver (amp) or through to a TV. When THRU is selected,

THRU

no sound is output from this receiver.

A.DLY

This feature automatically corrects the audio-to-video delay

OFF

(Auto Delay)

between components connected with an HDMI cable. The

ON

audio delay time is set depending on the operational status

of the display connected with an HDMI cable. The video

delay time is automatically adjusted according to the audio

f

delay time.

g

Spreads the center channel between the front right and left

0 to 7

C.WIDTH

speakers, making it sound wider (higher settings) or

Default: 3

(Center Width)

narrower (lower settings).

(Applicable only when

using a center speaker)

g

Adjusts the surround sound balance from front to back,

–3 to +3

DIMEN.

making the sound more distant (minus settings), or more

(Dimension)

Default: 0

forward (positive settings).

g

Extends the front stereo image to include surround

OFF

PNRM.

speakers for a ‘wraparound’ effect.

(Panorama)

ON

h

Adjust the center image to create a wider stereo effect with

0 to 10

C.IMG

(Center image)

vocals. Adjust the effect from 0 (all center channel sent to

Default: 3

(Applicable only when

front right and left speakers) to 10 (center channel sent to

(NEO:6 MUSIC),

using a center speaker)

the center speaker only).

10 (NEO:6 CINEMA)

H.GAIN

Adjusts the output from the front height speaker when

L (Low)

(Height Gain)

listening in DOLBY PLIIz HEIGHT mode. If set to H, the

M (Mid)

sound from the top will be more emphasized.

H (High)

a. You can change the MIDNIGHT/LOUDNESS options at any time by using MIDNIGHT button.

b. You can change the Sound Retriever feature at any time by using S.RETRIEVER button.

c. This setting works only with dual mono encoded Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks.

d. The initial set AUTO is only available for Dolby TrueHD signals. Select MAX or MID for signals other than

Dolby TrueHD.

e. You shouldn’t have any problems using this with most SACD discs, but if the sound distorts, it is best to

switch the gain setting back to 0 dB.

f. This feature is only available when the connected display supports the automatic audio/video synchronizing

capability (‘lip-sync’) for HDMI. If you find the automatically set delay time unsuitable, set A.DLY to OFF and

adjust the delay time manually. For more details about the lip-sync feature of your display, contact the

manufacturer directly.

g. Only available with 2-channel sources in DOLBY PLII MUSIC mode.

h. Only when listening to 2-channel sources in NEO:6 CINEMA and NEO:6 MUSIC mode.

Listening to your system05

Choosing the input signal

Using the headphone

On this receiver, it is possible to switch the

• Insert the headphone into the PHONES

input signals for the different inputs as

1

jack.

described below.

The sound is heard from the headphone and no

•Press

SIGNAL SEL

to select the input

sound is heard from the speakers connected to

signal corresponding to the source

this receiver. The listening mode when the

component.

sound is heard from the headphone can be

When DIGITAL (C1/O1/O2) or HDMI (H) is

selected only from STEREO or ALC.

selected and the selected audio input is not

provided, A (analog) is automatically selected.

Each press cycles through the following:

• A – Selects the analog inputs.

• DIGITAL – Selects the digital input. The

coaxial 1 input is selected for C1, and the

optical 1 or 2 audio input is selected for

O1 or O2.

• HDMI – Selects an HDMI signal. H can be

selected for BD, DVD or TV/SAT input. For

2

other inputs, HDMI cannot be selected.

When set to DIGITAL or HDMI, 2 lights when

a Dolby Digital signal is input, and DTS lights

when a DTS signal is input.

When the HDMI is selected, the A and

DIGITAL indicators are off (see page 12).

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1 • When digital input (optical or coaxial) is selected, this receiver can only play back Dolby Digital, PCM (32 kHz to 96 kHz) and

DTS (including DTS 96 kHz / 24 bit) digital signal formats. The compatible signals via the HDMI terminals are: Dolby Digital,

DTS, SACD (DSD 2 ch), PCM (32 kHz to 192 kHz sampling frequencies), Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-EXPRESS, DTS-

HD Master Audio and DVD Audio (including 192 kHz). With other digital signal formats, set to A (analog).

• You may get digital noise when a LD or CD player compatible with DTS is playing an analog signal. To prevent noise, make

the proper digital connections (page 22) and set the signal input to C1/O1/O2 (DIGITAL).

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

2 When the HDMI option in Setting the Audio options on page 35 is set to THRU, the sound will be heard through your TV, not

from this receiver.