Pioneer VSX-1019AH: Can't get Zone 2 to work, Help please

[WooBah]

Hi all,

I am frustrated. I cannot get sound from Zone 2 (my patio speakers). I have tested the speakers and they work. (I ran the receiver test of the speakers and the outside speakers have sound.) The receiver is working great inside my house. I have the following connections: I have an apple tv hooked up to the BD HDMI input, Cable to HDMI 3, DVD to HDMI 2, and my Xbox to HDMI 1. I have my Sharp LCD and Panasonic Projector hooked up to the HDMI Output via an HDMI splitter.

I want Zone 2 sound for my Apple TV, DVD, and Cable. I have tried everything I can think of, I have read the manual for the past week, and nothing works. Can anyone help?

Thanks.

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum!

Do you have the patio speakers connected to the Surround Back speaker jacks on the back of the receiver? If so, have you set those up to output sound to Zone 2 (how to do that is explained starting on page 94 of the owner's manual)?

Just let us know. I'm sure that we can get you set up with this.

EDIT: Also check out page 69 of the manual for how to use the multi-zone controls.

 

[AVRat]

I'll have to check the manual, but I'm sure that any source that will be fed to zone 2 will also need stereo analog connections to the receiver. Have you tried using the receiver's tuner?

 

[Adam]

I'll have to check the manual, but I'm sure that any source that will be fed to zone 2 will also need stereo analog connections to the receiver.

Are you sure? If the OP was using the pre-amp outputs, then I totally agree. I wouldn't think that was true if someone is using the speaker-level connections, though.

 

[AVRat]

I thought you knew this Adam. Most receivers on the market only route an analog signal to the multi-zones. Only some of the newer higher level receivers will actually do the D-A conversion for the multi-zone. The Denon 5308 and coming 4810 are two that I know of. The 4310 seems it's capable of a PCM (2 channel) signal. I wish these manuals spelled things out better.

 

[Adam]

Nope, I did not know that it applied to the speaker-level connections, too. After reading page 31 of the manual, though, I see that now. Thanks for the heads up!

To the OP - if you don't need to listen to a different source on the patio than what you have in the main room, you could set those speaker jacks to "Speaker B".

 

[AVRat]

Jeez, they scatter the multi-zone info all over the place. No wonder it's so difficult. I know what I'm looking for and it took awhile to find. It was on pg 60 for the 1018.

 

[WooBah]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. I appreciate everyone trying to help. Still no luck. I have the patio speakers connected to the Zone 2 speaker connections on the receiver, which are the Back Surround Speakers. I have selected Zone 2 in the Receiver on screen Menu for the Back Surround as well. So, those bases are covered.

When I select Tuner in Zone 2 I get static as I believe I should, since I have not hooked up an FM antenna or XM. I am really dumbfounded. The manual is terrible, I have back and forth with the thing. I will take any suggestions. And, thanks again for all the help thus far.

 

[Adam]

I suspect that the dialogue between me and AVRat made it a bit unclear.

Because all of your sources are connected using digital connections (i.e. HDMI), your receiver will not play them over any Zone 2 connection (either speaker-level or line-level). You will need to either (a) also connect the sources using analog connections or (b) set those speaker-level connections to "Speaker B" instead of "Zone 2."

I hope that helps a bit.

 

[WooBah]

I suspect that the dialogue between me and AVRat made it a bit unclear.

Because all of your sources are connected using digital connections (i.e. HDMI), your receiver will not play them over any Zone 2 connection (either speaker-level or line-level). You will need to either (a) also connect the sources using analog connections or (b) set those speaker-level connections to "Speaker B" instead of "Zone 2."

I hope that helps a bit.

Doh!! You were exactly correct! Thank you! I now have Zone 2 working and loving it! I really like this receiver, great sound, great video upscaling as well. Sorry for the delay in posting, I am a pubic education administrator and we started school this week, so I have been swamped. Now, just sitting back listening to great tunes inside and outside.

 

[Nasstify]

You guys are great, I was having the same problem with the Zone 2 connection....doesnt work, very frustrating thinking I'm inept (probably) but I see that I need to hook it up to speaker B. My speaker B is the old Polk RM3000 system. I just hate pulling the Pioneer 1126 out and messing with it.

 

[lofmarks]

Zone 2 not working.

Pioneer vsx-30

DVR - HDMI
Apple TV - HDMI video, Optical sound

I need Zone 2 for my new Brookstone Wireless to run out on my new pool deck.

http://www.brookstone.com/indoor-outdoor-wireless-speakers?bkiid=main_banner_zone|hmpg|a|banner|1|497362p

Connected RCA from Transmitter to the ZONE 2 RCA

No audio from DVR or APPLE TV!

Checked VSX-30 settings and even reset, but no output from that RCA ZONE 2 output.

Thoughts?
Thanks all! I'm mixed and matched non stop. I do have a speaker B setup else-where, working fine.

lofmarks

 

[lofmarks]

Up please.
Any suggestions??
Thanks

 

[j_garcia]

Up please.
Any suggestions??
Thanks

Did you read the thread at all? It clearly states you must use ANALOG for zone 2 to work with most current AVRs. Digital will not work and you are using all digital connections.

 

[slanovich]

I suspect that the dialogue between me and AVRat made it a bit unclear.

Because all of your sources are connected using digital connections (i.e. HDMI), your receiver will not play them over any Zone 2 connection (either speaker-level or line-level). You will need to either (a) also connect the sources using analog connections or (b) set those speaker-level connections to "Speaker B" instead of "Zone 2."

I hope that helps a bit.

I have a SC-1222 and was having the same problem. Thanks for clearing up the issue!
I still have one question:
Can I connect the same device to my receiver via using BOTH HDMI and analog? I'd have to use a HDMI splitter and then a converter to get both signals, but I'm not sure if the Pioneer can handle two inputs for the same device.
It seems counter-productive to have such a nice receiver utilizing analog-only inputs.

 

[Adam]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

I know that my Pioneer can have both digital and analog connections for the same source, and based on your owners manual, I'm pretty confident that the SC-1222 can, too. My suggestion is to connect analog cables for one of the sources that you're interested in (the analog source can come from anywhere, so you don't need the converter right away) and see if it works. The "SIGNAL SEL" button on the remote will toggle between analog and digital inputs (which is why I'm pretty confident that you can connect both), and you'd use that to try to get sound from both on the same input.

The reason that I'm "pretty" confident (and not totally confident) is a table in the owners manual that discusses possible input assignments, and it's not clear to me that you'll be able to do what you want for any source.

 

[herbu]

Can I connect the same device to my receiver via using BOTH HDMI and analog?

Yes, but you have to connect them to different inputs on your receiver.
For example, I have HDMI from my BluRay player to the AVR "BluRay" input.
I also have analog outputs from my BluRay player, but connected to the AVR "CD" input.

When I play a BluRay movie on the main HT system, I select "BluRay" for the AVR input.
When I play a CD over the main HT system, I also select "BluRay" for the AVR input.
BUT, if I want the movie OR CD to play over my Zone-2 wireless headphones, I turn the AVR Zone-2 on to the "CD" input.

The BluRay player, (OPPO), sends both the digital signal over HDMI and the analog signal at the same time. But the AVR is not smart enough to understand sending digital to your HT and analog to your Zone-2. So you simply connect them to different AVR inputs and select them separately.

I can turn them both on, and often do. If I'm watching a movie or TV, and want to walk out on the porch to smoke, I turn on Zone-2 while the HT is playing inside, put on the headphones, and walk outside. I can see the TV through the window, and hear the audio without pausing the show and making my wife wait for me to come back in.

 

[Vita Powlison]

Did you read the thread at all? It clearly states you must use ANALOG for zone 2 to work with most current AVRs. Digital will not work and you are using all digital connections.

I too am having this problem with zone 2 not working. I understand i need to use analog and not digital but what is this ? a cable? i do not see any place to tune to analog.
I have a pioneer vsx-52

 

[Adam]

Hi, Vita. If you connect using HDMI, digital optical, or digital coax cables - then that is a digital connection. The other connections (RCA input jacks) are analog connections. The remote for your VSX-52 has a button labeled "SIGNAL SEL" that will let you toggle between using a digital input or analog input for a source if you have both of types connected.

 

[Vita Powlison]

Hi, Vita. If you connect using HDMI, digital optical, or digital coax cables - then that is a digital connection. The other connections (RCA input jacks) are analog connections. The remote for your VSX-52 has a button labeled "SIGNAL SEL" that will let you toggle between using a digital input or analog input for a source if you have both of types connected.

Hi Adam
Thank you I'm sure my problem is ANALOG and lack there of.
Guess it's off to best buy to buy an analog cable, YIPES wish me luck.