"OFFICIAL" Pioneer SC-1222-K Owners Thread - Page 6

I could not resist newegg's price and I ordered two days ago. I arrived today!

So here is my initial reaction which of course means nothing .

Setup was easy. The first time I ran MCACC it didn't seem to detect my speakers correctly. Second time the results are very reasonable. The levels however are a little different then I had manually set it with an SPL meeter on my old receiver. That said the first movie sounds pretty good!

I also flashed the firmware and setup pandora. I am using wired Ethernet so no connectivity drop outs. I works great. I like the song titles on the display. However I will probably never use it as I will typically use AirPlay.

I also really like how HDMI pass through works. I like being able to switch inputs without turning on the receiver. I also like the use model: turn the receiver off: sound comes from the TV. Turn the receiver on, sound comes through the receiver and no sound from the TV. The only minor quibble is the delay/blackout when turning on/off the receiver.

The app for controlling it with an iPad or iPhone is also pretty nice. No delay at all really. Very responsive and it looks like most settings are available. The MCACC report is pretty cool to look over and provide a sanity check too.

All in all my initial impression is very positive.

I also bought a BDP-150 at the same time. I am not as impressed with it. I feels very cheap, the drive is not very quiet, it doesn't have all the modern streaming services and it has already locked up on me once. I knew most of this when I bought it but I thought I would benefit more from using all one brand. It can be controlled by the iPad app but it doesn't provide detailed access like it does for the 1222. It should probably be priced at 80$.

I will post back when I get some more miles on it .
Salem

Just wanted to note that I as well am the very pleased owner of a new SC-1222. Acquired from NE last week for the, almost criminal, price of $549. No tax, no shipping.

My background is that I finally joined the 1080P HDTV crowd and as a result decided that now I could fully appreciate the video resolution of BR I had every reason to upgrade my audio processors as well. Pre-1222 I was running my nOrh 4.0 Marble 5.0 setup through a '97 vintage Denon AVR-3300. In all honesty, sound quality wise, I was not expecting to really hear much discernible difference. In my mind, a $1000-ish amplifier using late 90's technology should be pretty equivalent to a $1000-ish amp using 2010 vintage tech. BOY WAS I WRONG!!

After simply hooking up the Pioneer, running the calibration software once and then streaming some mp3's to it. #*$ Damn did things sound instantly better. Same room, same cables, same power, same speaker placement, same every damn thing. I'm am now hearing things in songs that simply were not there before while running through the Denon (which I've loved for over a decade). I don't fully understand what these D3 amps are doing, but I sure as hell approve of it. Then considering the performance versus price metric, I can't say enough nice things about this receiver.

Naturally being able to finally sample full lossless HD audio from BR is a tremendous treat as well. Heaven. Thank you Pioneer!

Edit...
Forgot to mention, mine as well showed up from NE in a seemingly original factory box and w/o any of the marketing stickers affixed to the front bezel. There was the one piece of blue tape keeping the front access door closed. IIRC it was mfr'd August 2012 in Mexico. I'll double check that last fact, I could be mixing it up with my new Sammy 60" plasma mfr's stamp.
Edited by icelt - 2/15/13 at 1:48pm

Just as a datapoint mine was packaged the same way: complete with the one piece of blue tape .

Sorry I don't really have any recommendation yet. I plan on running my own test tones and seeing what my SPL meeter says but I have not had the chance yet. But I would say try the dialog enhancement first and see what you think! There probably is not a right answer .
Salem

Finally got my 1222 updated and thought I'd share my experience in case it might help someone else. I also took some screen shots for those without access to a 1222. ( In 1222 Manual, see - Software Update - page 88 )

After downloading, extracting and then copying the update files to my flash drive, I thought I was ready to update. With the 1222 in off / standby, I inserted the flash drive, then powered up the 1222 and went to the Home Menu ...

Selected - System Setup ...



Selected - Other Setup ...



Selected - Software Update ...



Selected - Update via USB Memory ...



1222 accesses the Flash drive ...



Finds the update and I select OK ...



Selected - YES ...



And the 1222 begins to update ...



Or so I thought ...



At this point, the manual says to power off the 1222, then power on and try again. I did this with the same result.

Next, I tried a different flash drive. No joy but I got a different message ...



Now I tried something I had read on this thread. Instead of COPYING the files to the flash drive, I EXTRACTED DIRECTLY TO THE FLASH DRIVE. I did this with both drives, then I tried to update again.

With the first drive I got the "ERROR 6" message as before. I then tried the second drive and success ...





After completing the update, the 1222 does just shut itself off - no update completed, successful or any other message.

About the two flash drives. Both are SanDisk drives. The one that worked is an older 1GB drive. The one that did not work is a 16GB ( FAT32 ) drive. The 1222 will play music files from both - so I do not think formatting is the problem. Also, both drives had folders on them. I did not delete everything else or reformat the drives.

Perhaps those of you who know more than I can explain why one drive worked and the other did not. What is the difference between extracting directly to the flash drive versus extracting and then copying to the drive? Are there hidden files that do not get copied?
Edited by happy2Lurk - 2/15/13 at 6:41pm

I also got standby pass-through working on my 1222. This wasn't a big priority for me so I hadn't spent a lot of time trying to find out why it wasn't working. When I tried to look into it before, I could not find it in the manual. Today I just went through the different menus until I found it ...

From the Home Menu, Select - System Setup ...



Selected - HDMI Setup ...



Check - Standby Through ...



If OFF, change it to LAST or whatever option meets your needs. After I knew where to look, I found it in the Manual - page 59 - HDMI Setup, see #8.

If yours is not working, check your setting - mine was set to OFF. The manual does say that it increases standby power consumption. Just FYI.

I have played with channel levels. What I do is copy the MCACC Memory that was generated by setup to a different memory - i.e. M1 copy to M2. Then you can use one to experiment with.

While listening to whatever input, you can press "CH LEVEL" on the remote - each press cycles through the channels/speakers you have connected. Select the one you want to adjust and then use the "<-- / -->" arrow buttons to increase / decrease the level.

You can also use the "MCACC" button on the remote to switch between the different Memories.

You can repeat this with other MCACC Memories and rename them for easier identification.

is there a standby mode for receiver or just off position

If you "turn it off" but do not unplug it, it is in standby. As long as it is connected / plugged-in, it is in standby. At least that is my understanding.

I've been researching new receivers for about a month. This is the one.

But here's what's going to happen. Newegg is going to sell out and I'm going to be screwed unless I do this. $549 free shipping.

(My current receiver is a H/K AVR65 vintage 1998, worked perfectly for the past 15 years..... until... I think it fried a cap... Anyway, I've read all 160 posts (and a lot more) and this is the one.

Okay..?

Just picked up this receiver from NewEgg a few days ago. So far i like what i hear with one exception. On my old Yamaha it had a sound mode that up-converts 2 channel audio to all 7 channels (7 Channel Stereo) I only used it for music but really miss it. I play my music through XBMC and have tried every sound mode without luck. Any ideas on how to do this?

Saturday & Sunday 2/16 and 2/17, Newegg, $529 with promo code EMCYTZT2951.

Just did it!!! Pretty stoked, it's been a while since I had any new Home Theater stuff!

There is a mode that does exactly this. Look for "Ext. Stereo". To get to it use the "Advanced Surround" button on the front panel or "Adv Surr" on the remote or "Extended Stereo" from the phone app.

I've been using this mode for 2ch music since I received it and it sounds great!

can i run my 1222 as a 2.1 system using front left and right with a sub anybody ?

I don't know how I missed this before. I agree sounds great. Now off to add a button on my Harmony to change modes. Thanks so much.

Yes, and if you have it in "auto" mode it will choose this for you whenever you use a stereo source like Pandora.
Salem

Just my $.02 but upgrading from my pioneer vsx 919 which seems to have the same MCACC...amazing improvement in the detail from CDs and bluray....I would have never believed amps could make such a difference

Maybe one drive is defective. Maybe the copying of one of the files was imperfect, and if you had done the exact same thing again, the second time it would have worked. Maybe during one of the file transfer processes, you made a mistake of some sort that you are unaware of and will never find out about. That is to say, I suspect there are no interesting answers to your questions.

Thanks a lot for these sequences of screen shots -- they're very helpful.

+1.

@Happy - Thanks for the explanation on how to get the HDMI pass through to function. Was scratching my head over that one the other day.

No problem, glad I could help.

I do not want you to feel like you are being, "blown off," here. I do not know the preamp voltage of the SC-1222. If you need to know, contact Pioneer.

I am using the front pre-out. I too wondered about the output level before buying. Like you, I could not find that spec anywhere. I did not try to ask Pioneer. I decided to buy without knowing - just figured it would likely work.

Basically, I can get the same listening levels with the 1222 that I had with my old preamp - just at different volume positions. My old preamp maxed-out at 0db, the SC-1222's volume goes to +12db - but I do not know what, if anything, 0db references. Good question for another post . . .

Wondering about the 1222's volume ...

On my old preamp, 0db was the maximum amplification.

The Volume Control of the SC-1222 goes to +12db.

Does anyone know what, if anything, 0db references on the 1222?

Along the same line, does anyone know why, when MCACC sets the channel levels, no speaker is set to 0db? I have run MCACC a number of times, due to changing / moving speakers. Each time, the channel levels range from a low of -2db to as much as -8.5db. Is this due to the non-linear db scale?

Even if MCACC needs a 6-to-7 db range to balance my speakers, why are they all -db?

The channel level adjustment range is -12db to +12db. Has anyone had MCACC set a speaker at + anything?

I realize, all that really matters, is that I can reach the sound level I desire - but I am curious!

I just ordered my 1222 today and I'm wanting to know the same thing... With my old Harman Kardon at -15 I'm shakin' the walls!

The biggest reason I didn't buy this receiver was no subwoofer calibration and that you can't set separate crossovers for front speakers and back speakers.
Am I correct about this?
Edited by tential - 2/16/13 at 7:08pm

Set mine up today. Is a hard copy manual supposed to come with, or is it on the disc?

That is the EXTENDED STEREO listening mode of the SC-1222K

Of course ir dotes sub calibration. Regarding the crossover, it is a single one as per Dolby Labs recommendations. I completely agree with that, you won't get more quality unless you had very bad surrounds. In that case separate crossover won't help.

My denon 3311 is supposed to have subeq with Audessey XT. My 1222 sub kicks denon's a$$.most people say it dont but im pretty sure it does some subEq. Anyway you can tweak your sub with a feature called s-wave. And there is no need to have individual crossover unless your surrounds cant handle 150hz or less. I have ro say this 1222 blows away my denon 3311. And trust me I really loved my 3311.