Just Set Up My Pioneer Elite VSX-45TX: My thoughts on this receiver

John B. Holbrook · 03-25-2003, 11:51 AM

Had to replace my refirbed 24tx which I got about 4 years ago (sob). Guess I won't buy refirb again...

This is a $1400.00 list receiver which I got online for $840.00 delivered. Not great, but not bad. I set it up last night so I'm just begining to break it in.

The remote that came with this unit isn't bad at all. I have a Pronto, but I really did need something easier to use for when my girlfriend is over or when my father visits (both can be described as technologically challenged...).

Set up was fairly simple...it has some fancy-shmanzy auto speaker optimization feature which I haven't played with much yet. I think I need to get a microphone to use this feature. Loved the individual channel adjustment features...you can even delay the individual channels based on their distance from the listener.

On the input side of things, one big plus this receiver has is a couple of component in slots...my Sony 61" TV only has one, so now I can run my Xbox in true HD Widescreen as well as my DVD.

Tonight I plan on really tweeking and optimizing, but so far it sounds really nice....it seems to support ever compression scheme and speaker set up under the sun, so I think I'm in pretty good shape from an upgrade perspective. I'd like to get 5 years out of this one at least. .

Anyone else have any thoughts on this model? Any tweeking tips?

MikeRP · 03-25-2003, 12:15 PM

John:

There's a bunch of info here on this forum about setups and there is also more over on www.avsforum.com. Just search for my name or Brae or WanMan or of couse the 45 TX. We also have a manufacture date thread going on over on AVSForum. Please levase your info there.

Thanks and welcome to the club.

Mike

Brian Burgoyne · 03-25-2003, 04:54 PM

there should be a microphone included, look through the stuff in the box and hope you didn't throw it away. it is small.

Steve Schaffer · 03-25-2003, 07:03 PM

By all means find that microphone and the little foam disc it fits into. Place it as close to possible to where your ears are when sitting in the "sweet spot" and select auto setup under surround setup.

It may set all your speakers to "large" but you can manually set them to small later. If your sub setting comes out at -10db, turn down the volume on the plate amp on your sub and repeat the auto setup until you get an auto setup sub setting of about 0db.

Let us know what you think after doing auto setup.

Brae · 03-25-2003, 07:45 PM

John, as Brian stated, there is a microphone included. Follow his lead, and MikeRP's suggestion

, and use the amount of information available on this forum and on AVS.

**HTF Ads**

John B. Holbrook · 03-26-2003, 05:47 AM

Hunh...what do you know! There was indeed a mirophone in the box...it was in with the FM antanea....didn't think anything else was there... :b

I'm tinking with it now and will report back...THANKS GUYS!!!!

Brad Newton · 03-26-2003, 06:57 AM

Quote:

It may set all your speakers to "large" but you can manually set them to small later. If your sub setting comes out at -10db, turn down the volume on the plate amp on your sub and repeat the auto setup until you get an auto setup sub setting of about 0db.

Could someone please tell me what this is?

Brae · 03-26-2003, 09:18 AM

Brad, you quoted a paragraph with two topics contained within it. Do you need explanation on both, or just one of the two topics?

When a user uses the auto-MCACC (Multi-Channel Acoustical Calibration Circuit), the line-levels, delays, and equalization of the speakers attached to the 45TX (or other MCACC-equipped AVR). Also, MCACC will try to determine the best description of the speakers in terms of being full-range (small being not full-range, large being full-range).

The MCACC seems to like placing most speakers in the classification as full-range, meaning they are capable of reproducing low-frequencies (bass) according to some minimum threshold. Thus, some people find their speakers sounding a lot better manually forcing the speaker classification to small (which is also a THX requirement, IIRC).

Additionally, some have experienced that the sensitivity of the MCACC to subwoofer-produced bass volume to be excessive, and through the MCACC calibration reduces the LFE lin-level to effectively lower the volume. By lowering the volume knob on the subwoofer itself, the line-level reading resulting from MCACC will bee closer to 0dB than far away on the negative scale.

Now, let's hope I didn't confuse you or unintentionally provide any misinformation.

Brad Newton · 03-26-2003, 10:00 AM

Thanks,
I understood basically the auto calibration, but I was wonder about the plate volume knob. I assumed that it was the volume control on the sub, but since I am just learning the ht lingo, I wasn't sure.

Brae · 03-26-2003, 11:54 AM

You got it. It's the volume control on the subwoofer.