The "OFFICIAL" Pioneer Elite VSX-52 / 53 Owner's Thread - Page 41

What? Im not seeing a connection between the power supply and HDCP....very strange...

Im gonna guess youve got some electrical interference somewhere in your in-wall run.

bump.

 

can someone who has applied the pandora firmware fix verify that airplay still works correctly? specifically can you adjust the volume on the pioneer during an airplay stream from your iphone or mac and it maintains its connection? i'd like to know if its just me.

 

thanks

Proud parent of new VSX-53 here! Love it!

Its actually a better idea to have the sound mode showing instead of the source thats being used because if you notice, as you toggle to find what source you want to watch, it shows you as you toggle. But, sometimes the sound mode is different for each source and if you dont have the sound mode staring you dead in your face, nothing will prompt you to see if you can make what your watching sound even better. Atleast, thats the way i like it. I can tell you one thing, ive never seen a smarter device in my life from a stereo component perspective. The trigger component and handshake capabilities are bananaz! My friends battle with airplay using their own iphones when they dont like what the other is playing on their music playlist..The other will simply take airplay over and next thing you know they are having music wars!!! Crazy.. The only thing i do not like about the Pioneer Elite so far, is relative to video gaming. When you have the VSX as the middle man between your TV and your PS3, it creates a very short, but obvious lag when playing multiplayer online games. When an HDMI signal runs direct utilizing wifi there is no secondary hoop to crawl through, but when your going from xbox or ps3, to your vsx and then to your TV, that split mili second of a bridging transfer makes the difference between who see's and kill's who first on a Call of Duty map...

I wish I saw this thread before I asked this question in another thread:

"I have a Harman Kardon AVR 1700 ($349), I have an option to upgrade it to a Pioneer Elite VSX-53 ($499).
Description
Manual
From almost any perspective this is an upgrade to a better component (the Elite is THX certified, multi-zone, more channels, audio encoding algorithms, more power, video enhancement, etc.) But one question which is very important to me I cannot answer without asking an Elite owner first.
In Harman Kardon you can adjust bass and treble in both stereo and surround modes and sound coming from all 5 speakers will produce those extra highs and lows. However, some receivers allow bass and treble equalization ONLY in Stereo mode. What I mean is that once you have switched from straight 2 channel stereo those bass and treble knobs become useless. I have never owned an Elite. Is Elite this kind of a receiver?
I dont know if I buy it it will play my music and videos in 5 channel surround with tone adjustment (that audible +6 bass and +6 treble will come out of the speakers)?
Can anybody an actual owner help me out and actually test this?
Thanks a lot"

Equalization is allowed on all channels.

Fantastic! Thanks.
What about video upconversion? Does it upconvert better than XBOX? In other words, if I connect XBOX to watch netflix will the receiver improve picture even further? I know Elite can't be expected to improve picture as well as dedicated video processors like Crystallio, but will picture difference be noticeable?

From their website:

"Elite Video Processing

Drawing on Elite’s long history as an industry leader in high performance video and tuning techniques, we’ve designed image enhancement and fine-tuning for each video source into the VSX-53 to maximize your TV’s performance.

The VSX-53 converts analog video signals to HDMI and scales both analog and digital signals up to 1080p/24fps to best match your TV’s capabilities. And Marvell® video processing with award winning Qdeo™ technology provides a truly immersive viewing experience, creating natural and noise-free video for maximum performance and flexibility.

Thanks to Elite Advanced Video Adjust, any video signal that goes into the VSX-53 simply comes out better. Video signals are optimized by the type of display you have connected, with video presets for Plasma, LCD and Front Projection TV’s to maximize their performance. And working in conjunction with Elite Advanced MCACC sound tuning, Advanced Video Adjust provides subtle noise reduction and detail enhancements based on the kind of display and your distance from it.

Stream Smoother technology is specifically designed to reduce picture distortion and enhance images while viewing low bit-rate streaming video content from sites that offer it such as YouTube."

The Marvell Qdeo chip is better than what the xbox has and the cheaper Harmon kardon so yes it would be better

Which is better sc 1222 or the vsx 52 ?

I have a follow up question on the VSX-53's video processing ... this is a cross-post from the great found deals thread ...

I have another few questions, and I am having trouble finding answers.

Is the Marvell Qdeo performing all video processing duties, or is it just a scaler? I know the Qdeo chipset is well regarded. I currently have my old Denon AVR-2807 paired up with a DVDO Edge (which performers all the HDMI switching duties and robust video processing with its Anchor Bay VRS 2015 chips performing all scaling, de-interlacing, noise control, etc.). It's a good setup -- especially since the 2807 is just performing audio processing and pre-amp duties (since I also use a Rotel RMB-1075 for amplification).

But -- like many of you -- I have upgrade/smoking deal-itis, and this unit interests me. But if I got it -- the plan would be to retire and sell both the 2807 and DVDO Edge -- and use the VSX-53 as a pre/pro for the Rotel.

OK -- with that background -- I am having real trouble figuring out how robust this Qdeo implementation is. All it says in the literature is that the Qdeo is a "scaler" ("Video Scaler Marvell Qdeo up to 1080p / 24fps"). Is a lower quality chipset performing the rest of the video processing (i.e. contrast control, noise control, etc.)? Also -- on the Edge you can set different HDMI sources to different settings. So I can pump up noise control, sharpness, and contrast when the source is my DirecTV box, and leave everything on "0" when using my blu-ray player, and have it on "game mode" bypassing processing altogether when using my Xbox 360. Can you do similar setups for individual sources on the VSX-53?

I applied the Pandora firmware fix to both my VSX-53s today and can confirm that airplay still works correctly and maintains the connection while adjusting the volume.

thanks much.

Hey all, I need some help!

Well I wish my first post was about something more positive than this. I've owned a VSX-53 now for a few months and I updated to the most recent firmware 1-204-087-119-093, which apparently covers several other Pioneer receivers. I double checked before updating via usb and now I can't get the MCAAC setup to complete, the receiver powers off and the little blue iPod light blinks. Other than that, it appears that the receiver is functional. Is there a link on this forum for previous firmware updates? I need to find a previous version that works. Of course the Pioneer website only has the latest firmware that is causing this issue! I can't even manually adjust the levels with the mic attached without the unit shutting off.

Thanks!

Update - turns out I had the speaker wiring hooked up all wrong. And the receiver was shutting down because of it. All fixed. Though I am getting a "phase" error now on the front right, which I've always had. I guess it's worth checking the banana plugs on it too.
Edited by mtbsteve - 3/5/13 at 12:16am

Thanks to this thread I came to mys senses, returned my two weeks old Harman Kardon AVR 1700 and got Pioneer Elite VSX-53. Huge difference. First shock during self calibration is that my left, center and right speakers were out of phase all along, even with the HK and that thing had no clue during its self-calibration.
I have a problem with the Elite though. I run self calibration detects my speakers as LARGE, tests my subwoofer and in the end, when the test is over no LFE or L/R+LFE is sent to my sub. It is dead silent, letting the speakers handle all the load. That is not what I want. I am a bass junkie. I want to send whatever is below 80Hz or 100HZ to subwoofer.
How do I do that in the VSX-53?
Thanks

Hello guys,

I am thinking about getting the VSX-53 at BB for $499 but I am not sure if I will notice a different in quality from my current setup;


Denon AVR-591
Polk CSi3 Center Channel
Polk RTi4 Fronts
Polk OMW3 sides
Velodyne VX-11 Subwoofer

My source is primarily an HTPC

I don't need Airplay, multiple zones, or multiple HDMI output. I am just trying to see if the audio/video quality will improve going to my Panasonic 60" Plasma (TC-P60U54) and speakers.

Thank you for any feedback.

I bought the VSX-53 yesterday. You have to try it to decide if it is something you want to keep. Hurry up because Best Buy is cleaning up the shelves (see the recent press about BB's future this year). Sound-wise I can't imagine a system (including yours) where VSX wouldn't shine. From video enhancement perspective dont expect miracles. May be I have not read the whole manual, but if you are already using a couple of years old HDTV with all the standard filters, Dynalight, auto-contrast, noise reduction, Gamma correction - this receiver isn't going to be much help. It is not a Crystallio or Oppo or another VP.

Correct me if I am wrong, please
Edited by grigorianvlad - 3/5/13 at 10:50am

Not to derail the thread, but I don't really follow the news on BB. What's happening this year? A quick google search didn't seem to turn up anything of interest.

So they're closing 20-25% of Amazon showrooms. Got it.

Exactly! But in VSX-53's case Amazon is actually $100 more expensive ($599 vs $499). For me it was the opposite - I researched on Amazon and purchased in a BB store because it was cheaper. This is unusual because Amazon usually turns out to be less expensive. I loved the reference to showrooms. Funny.
Edited by grigorianvlad - 3/5/13 at 12:23pm

Hi all,

I also picked up VSX-53 from BB the other day. I can't get the HDMI pass-thru to work when the Rx is off. I couldn't find any info on HDMI pass-thru in the manual. Do you guys know if this Rx has this feature or if I need to connect the input HDMI to a certain HDMI port for it to work?

Thank you!

I've never been able to get the HDMI pass thru to work either, though I did find the only setting for it buried in the menu, it has a "standard" and an "eco" setting. And it would make zero sense for it to be "eco" but it might make sense on some level (eco meaning the receiver is off!) to get the HDMI to pass through. So I might try that setting and see.

And I got the MCAAC setup to complete, turns out the red and black wires where touching, which shut down the receiver! Don't mess up your wiring people!

I picked up a VSX-53 from Best Buy, and regrettably am probably packing it up and taking it back.

Likes:
1. The price (with the BB sale)
2. Looks (aluminum front, amber display)
3. Sounds great
4. Ability use the rear surround outputs to instead bi-amp the fronts
5. Pre-outs...although with the bi-amp feature I don't really need them.

Dislikes:
1. Android app broken on 4.1.1
2. Networking quirky; had to set a fixed IP to avoid drops...and the PC app detection never worked
3. Extremely cumbersome login info entry method - and plugging in a USB keyboard did not help
4. Firmware update for Pandora only available via USB key method, online method says "up to date"
5. Negative phone support experience

So, I will be researching alternatives. Marantz is off the list, too...a failure of an SR5600 is what prompted the new purchase, and have had other issues with Marantz stuff...so looking elsewhere this time.

Any recommendations appreciated.

With all your speakers set to large, nothing should be sent to your subwoofer. You must have at least one speaker set to small for the AVR to send any info to the sub. Unless, of course, you use whatever setting in the VSX-53 that gives you "double bass" (i.e. LFE+Main). I couldn't find it in a cursory look at he manual, so I'm not sure what it would be called or where you would find it.

Same here, I can't get it to work on any of our Android phones, 4.0, 4.1. or 4.2 (Nexus) I am on the fence regarding returning it as well, I hate to just because of an app not working but it was a feature I was looking forward to. the sound is much better that the Harmon Kardon AVR 3600 i replaced. Are there any suggestion on an alliterative to the 53? Close to the best buy sale price would be nice. or should I keep it and hope they fix the app.

note: I did have it working on the nexus for a short time. the volume did not work but a lot of other features did. Now nothing. also I have read that this will only work with one device on the network at a time i.e. a second phone will not work unless you have the other one turned off. Is this true?


5.1 system
paradigm Studio 40 v2 (bi-amp with the 53)
paradigm 12 " Sub v3
paradigm special edition center
paradigm wall mount surrounds
oppo bdp-83 Blu ray
X-box
Sonnos Connect

There is a third party app, "VSX Remote", that does work. There is free light version and a $2.99 full version. I don't know how it compares in capabilities to iControlAV2 (a hypothetical one that works, that is).

Does anyone know if there is a better way to enter login info (for Pandora, for example) besides the incredibly cumbersome going through the entire ASCII character set with arrows, for each letter, method? There just has to be, and I am missing it, somehow.

And of course, the firmware upgrade erased the login info.

What does this AVR lack from a 2012 or 2013 model?

Maybe video via airplay? Does that exist in current AVR's? I know my VSX=52 has air play but only audio.

Answering my own question about the Pandora login setup...

After the firmware update, and using the front panel to navigate rather than the remote and OSD, I was prompted to log into Pandora at pandora.com/pioneer and enter a code. Said code does not appear on the front panel--it looks like the message is intended to scroll there, but it did not. The code is on-screen, and also appears in the telnet session I had connected. On the Pandora site there is the option to bind to an existing account.

Doing telnet to the receiver on the standard port (23) is interesting. Commands can be entered--google VSX-1120-K-RS232.PDF--and receiver actions and display info can be seen.

I've decided to keep the unit.

RJ, I could never understand why would people use USB or Android/IPhone to listen through the VSX or any other receiver. Navigation is cumbersome, you dont see much information about the artwork, etc. Why not use the XBOX360 connected via an HDMI input? All your music and video will be instantly at your fingertips without having to navigate between Windows95-like folders in USB and Airplay connections. With new XBOX coming the next year this will be the paradigm anyway.