[ZXSpeccy]

Hey,

I searched on here and found no owners thread for the 921 so decided to make it and post any findings I have with this new amp (including settings and bugs etc)

Hopefully we can merge all VSX921 queries into 1 thread to make for easy research and problem solving etc.

So,
I'm about to get mine set up... Does any one have any tips that will help me from making silly mistakes and/or stop me from doing things the hard way

Things you may have learnt etc from when you installed and setup your VSX921, things that perhaps you wish someone had told you before you stated tinkering away

Also does anyone have any quick setup tips such as sky/disable upscaling etc/ how to configure the 5.1 calibration utility In a few easy steps etc

Or just general feed back usage and what you think of this AVR or any questions you may have your self.

[ZXSpeccy]

To start us off...

I've had problems with my old Home Cinema where the voices were quiets from the centre Channel and the sound effect were loud enough to wake the dead.

Does anyone have a good tips that will help me have a quieter setup without loosing to much quality in sound?

What settings and options are working for you, if your in then same boat?

I'm currently trying the auto configuration utility, but i can't help but wonder if there is a flaw in it's design?

It basically fires the sound to the mic and the speakers are adjusted accordingly which means, yea, my speakers are set to the same level and can be acoustly perfect from my listening position... However when I play a bluray with quiet voices I stillhave to turn the volume up to heat the voices, and when I do, the explosions are amplified too? So although they are set to the same volume, the source they pull the voices from is a quiet source and still plays back quietly.

Is there an additional setting I need to use to help stop these loud and quiet moments during certain films? It's not all films, just certain titles (mainly Hollywood action blockbusters)

Any tips?

[wezzywebb]

why not just turn your centre speaker level up to suit? i wouldn't say that the autosetup is the most accurate,what speakers do you have ? did the auto setup set them to large or small ,what crossover setting is it set to?

[PSM1]

Most recievers have a DRC (Dynamic Range Control) or 'night mode' which will raise the volume of the quiet bits and lower that of the loud bits. This should help with your issue or you could just turn the centre up a bit like the above suggestion.

[moonraker2011]

I am thinking of purchasing this amp , does anybody know if the amp supports surround sound from UK Freeview HD transmissions (AAC HE) , I would be connecting the TV (Integrated Tuner) to the amp via HDMI.

thanks in advance for any help

[ZXSpeccy]

Originally Posted by PSM1

Most recievers have a DRC (Dynamic Range Control) or 'night mode' which will raise the volume of the quiet bits and lower that of the loud bits. This should help with your issue or you could just turn the centre up a bit like the above suggestion.

Hey, yea this doesn't have DRC or Night Mode, it does have ALC which is some proprietary volume adjusting stuff, however it has 1 option andcseems to amend the direct passthrough stream more than the flags would do in DRC.

Upping the venter channel works, however the centre carries more than just voice and when I do this gun shots and wheel spins still sound overly loud from the centre chanel

I'll keep tinkering but thanks with the help

[craig2800]

Thinking about purchasing this amp myself ! anyone had any problems with with it to date ? and how good is the airplay ?

[ZXSpeccy]

Air play is flawless ... So good infact that my socks actually blew off my feet within seconds of using it...

We air played a movie on the iPad from bed, to speakers "b" and when we were done switched off the amp (in the other room via the app) and said good night to HAL!

It's easy, functional and flawless... Unlike the myriad of settings on this amp lol

I did find DRC controll and bass and treble controll and I suppose the rest will be found in time, with it being new and not many people having it it's hard to get answers for questions, but after a few weeks I've found thr answers to most ofvmy questions my self.

I highly recommend this amp, the sound is awesome and it's and amazing stereo amp as well as AVR..

It's almost exactly the same spect as the 1021 and infact, other than. Few extra inputs I see no difference what so ever between the 2!

Buy it, you won't regret it... Well you will... Wehrn you can't find a setting and have to wait 2 weeks for an answer... But then you'll love it again

[kfenton]

Originally Posted by ZXSpeccy

Air play is flawless ... So good infact that my socks actually blew off my feet within seconds of using it...

We air played a movie on the iPad from bed, to speakers "b" and when we were done switched off the amp (in the other room via the app) and said good night to HAL!

It's easy, functional and flawless... Unlike the myriad of settings on this amp lol

I did find DRC controll and bass and treble controll and I suppose the rest will be found in time, with it being new and not many people having it it's hard to get answers for questions, but after a few weeks I've found thr answers to most ofvmy questions my self.

I highly recommend this amp, the sound is awesome and it's and amazing stereo amp as well as AVR..

It's almost exactly the same spect as the 1021 and infact, other than. Few extra inputs I see no difference what so ever between the 2!

Buy it, you won't regret it... Well you will... Wehrn you can't find a setting and have to wait 2 weeks for an answer... But then you'll love it again

what speakers you using?

any idea if there is any difference from the the 1020-k other than air play?

[krash]

I am unable to play 3D Blu Ray content when my DVD player is ran through this receiver. Standard Blu Ray movies play without an issue. All of my HDMI cables are the 1.4 standard. I believe the problem is with the receiver because 3D content plays fine when the player is connected directly to the TV.

When a 3D Blu Ray is played, the television informs me that 3D content is being played, then the screen goes black. This happens repeatedly. Any suggestions?

Also, I have been unable to get audio return channel to work. My TV specs says that HDMI2 port supports ARC.

Here are my specs:

• SamSung un55d8000 Television
• Pioneer VSX-921-k receiver
• Panasonic DMP-BDT210P Blu Ray Player

Thank you

[matman]

Hi Krash, the receiver is 3d compatible I have a similar set-up

Samung ue46d8000, samung bdc5900 3d blu-ray and pioneer vsx-1021, hardly any difference between 1021 and 921.

My bluray works fine without changing anything but are there any settings on the panasonic that need can be changed. Have you tried turning control off under hdmi set-up on the amp?

[krash]

Hi Matman,

THanks for the reply.

There are a few settings on the Panasonic Blu Ray Player.

• An option to have it automatically play 3D content in 3D or allow you to choose each time. I have tried both with some success starting in 2D and switching to 3D later.
• 3D type that is set to Full HD, the other options are check board or side by side
• 3D playback precaution message that can be turned off or on to warn users about being dizzy
• Pop out level which i have set to the default setting
• screen type, flat or round. I have it set to flat

I do have the control option on the receiver disabled.

I think it may be a HDCP hand shake issue. I think I will have to exchange the receiver for a different brand this weekend unless I am able to figure out a solution.

[matman]

Hi Krash, does not sound like there is anything wrong with the settings. It could be a handshake issue.

Just a thought have you tried both hdmi cables from the blu-ray to the tv in case one of them is faulty.

The other thing I would suggest is try contacting pioneer customer relations. Unfortunately they are only open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

Another thought if you go into hdmi set-up is the bd input definitly set-up for hdmi and nit component? Also you could try running the wiring navi app on the cd or on the iPad of you have one.

[Purplefrodo]

I purchased this unit last week, and for the three hours it was working it was awesome. However, it suddenly went into a shut down and is now not functioning at all. When I plug power back in all I get is a red flashing MCACC LED on the front panel. The store I purchased it from will replace it when they have more in stock, hopefully next week. But I'm now concerned, have I just been unlucky or does the VSX-921 have a problem?

Has anyone else come across this?

[krash]

Hi Matman. Thanks for all of the suggestion but I was unable to get it to work. I exchanged the receiver for a Denon AVR-1712 last night and my problems went away. The new Denon even has Standby pass through which I like. However, I am disappointed to lose the Anchor Bay Technology in the Pioneer.

Purplefrodo, do you have adequate ventilation around the receiver. AV receivers tend to get hot and this can cause them to shut down. I believe that I had read a similar complaint while researching this model.

[Purplefrodo]

Hi Matman,

Plenty of ventilation - it was sat totally open on a small coffee table. Saving (and negotiating) for a better stand, but there was nothing above the unit at all so plenty of ventilation.

[MrJoeSoap]

Hi all,

Thinking of purchasing this, my only other alternative that I might swing towards is the Yamaha RX-V471. The only reason I'd go for that is the 100 quid saving though. Is this worth the €450 (about £400STG)? I have an iPad so the option of Air Jam and iControl AV2 is a big selling point. Has anyone used these with the VSX921?

I'll probably be getting the Boston Soundwave XS V5.1 to accompany.

Regards,
Mark

[ZXSpeccy]

Midnight Listening Mode?

Hey, I'm looking through the manual and the online documentation and they all state that there is a "Midnight Listening Mode" as well as DRC and ALC.

Can anyone advise me where this mode is found? I can't fond it anywhere?

@joesoap
I use my iPad and iPhone with AirPlay and I have to say it's awesome. It works perfectly and bizarrely is one of the most user friendly items on this amp.

It sounds great, is perfect for speaker B and displays info on the screen. I usually watch stuff on the iPad and send the audio (via AirPlay) to the amp. It's very impressive and worth a £100 in my opinion.


The remote app is ok, basic ... But very useful for quickly tinkering and checking MCACC data

[okjones]

Was thinking about buying this amp. Do you have to buy the bluetooth or some kind of wireless device for airplay to work, or does it work right out of the box?

[wezzywebb]

Originally Posted by okjones

Was thinking about buying this amp. Do you have to buy the bluetooth or some kind of wireless device for airplay to work, or does it work right out of the box?

just connect it to your router via ethernet,easiest way

[matman]

Okjones, agree connect via Ethernet, nothing to configure for AirPlay should just appear on you iDevice as a speaker. If the amp is set-up for network standby it will even power it on.

Beware does not work with bt homehubs routers.

[DjIcet]

I just bought a vsx-921. And I'm trying to set it up so I can watch movie or tv-show which I have on my Macbook pro. I tried hooking up video through the minidisplay port with a adapter to dvi and a dvi to hdmi cabel. And hook that to the dvr input on the receiver. For audio I'm using a optical cabel (sp/dif), hooked up to the opt-2 input on the 921. I have assigned the opt-2 input to DVR, the same as video. But the receiver won't take audio from the sp/dif when there is a hdmi cabel connected to the same "input". Anybody know of a way to get the receiver to take audio from the sp/dif and video from hdmi? Or any other way toget it to work without moving the hdmi cabel from the receiver to the tv?

[kevin_Fozzy]

Hi, I have limited knowledge here so please be kind !

I have just purchased this Receiver and am very impressed with it however I am having trouble with the HDMI standby pass through. I have played around with the settings and tried a few things but when watching SKY I turn the receiver off, then the tv stays on and the the tv speakers kick in for about 4 or 5 seconds but then the picture dissapears and no sound.

However if the blu ray player is switched on and I do the same (watch the SKY input, then turn the receiver off) the tv speakers kick in again and the picture stays on for longer (prob about 20 minutes) but then turns off.

Has anybody got the pass through to work or is anybody else having any problems?!

Cheers

[coasterkid]

Originally Posted by kevin_Fozzy

Hi, I have limited knowledge here so please be kind !

I have just purchased this Receiver and am very impressed with it however I am having trouble with the HDMI standby pass through. I have played around with the settings and tried a few things but when watching SKY I turn the receiver off, then the tv stays on and the the tv speakers kick in for about 4 or 5 seconds but then the picture dissapears and no sound.

However if the blu ray player is switched on and I do the same (watch the SKY input, then turn the receiver off) the tv speakers kick in again and the picture stays on for longer (prob about 20 minutes) but then turns off.

Has anybody got the pass through to work or is anybody else having any problems?!

Cheers

This model doesn't come with standby passthrough

[kevin_Fozzy]

Hi, now you have confused me!

The feature is explained in the instruction manual as "Standby Through" but I dont seem to be able to get it to work!

Im beginning to wonder if its because I have the sound via an optical cable and not an HDMI cable in order to get the 5.1 from SKY.

[DjIcet]

Originally Posted by DjIcet

I just bought a vsx-921. And I'm trying to set it up so I can watch movie or tv-show which I have on my Macbook pro. I tried hooking up video through the minidisplay port with a adapter to dvi and a dvi to hdmi cabel. And hook that to the dvr input on the receiver. For audio I'm using a optical cabel (sp/dif), hooked up to the opt-2 input on the 921. I have assigned the opt-2 input to DVR, the same as video. But the receiver won't take audio from the sp/dif when there is a hdmi cabel connected to the same "input". Anybody know of a way to get the receiver to take audio from the sp/dif and video from hdmi? Or any other way toget it to work without moving the hdmi cabel from the receiver to the tv?

I found the answer to my own question. The opt-2 or other sound inputs can be choosen through the signal sel button on the remote.

[kevin_Fozzy]

Originally Posted by kevin_Fozzy

Hi, I have limited knowledge here so please be kind !

I have just purchased this Receiver and am very impressed with it however I am having trouble with the HDMI standby pass through. I have played around with the settings and tried a few things but when watching SKY I turn the receiver off, then the tv stays on and the the tv speakers kick in for about 4 or 5 seconds but then the picture dissapears and no sound.

However if the blu ray player is switched on and I do the same (watch the SKY input, then turn the receiver off) the tv speakers kick in again and the picture stays on for longer (prob about 20 minutes) but then turns off.

Has anybody got the pass through to work or is anybody else having any problems?!

Cheers

According to Pioneer, as the SKY box is not CEC compliant the standby pass through cant be used for the SKY. So when I switch off the amp the picture disappears as well.

So to get around it I now I have it wired up direct by HDMI from sky to tv and by optical cable from sky to the amp. I have HDMI control on so that when switching the amp off the tv speakers kick in and vice versa.

However when I put on a film from sky it plays in 2.1 and not automatically in 5.1. If you try to change the control settings so that the 5.1 automatically kicks in then the tv speakers and the amps system play at the same time. I know its just a case of muting the tv but im trying to make it as easy a system for the wife and little one as well !

Really sorry if I have not explained it very well, but hoping somebody else might have come across this as well.

Thanks

[kryten22uk]

I foolishly thought that AirPlay ready, meant wireless. So now as I don't have Ethernet cable near the AVR I need to presently buy the Pioneer wireless adaptor. Anyone gone this? And why is it so big?!

Bit gutted that it's not wireless enabled; Xbox dont seem to have a problem getting this built in

[kryten22uk]

Bump.

Anyone use the wireless functionality on this AVR?

[nath69uk]

Ive just got one of these myself not even checked what I've got or not got. How much is the Wireless for it?