Pioneer SX-315, Can't adjust bass without remote

[Jake.]

Ok,
issue #2. A little back story to explain what's going on. For years I just ran a simple setup. Advent Prodigy Towers, and a Sony receiver. It worked well enough to sound better than the television alone. However, a week or so ago I was at a thrift store and saw a pair of old Audiolab speakers that appeared to be in good shape. I decided these might do well for an office sound system, so I picked them up and took them home. I put them in place of the Advents to see how well they worked and my untrained ear was happy with what it heard. So I did a little research on them, and the next thing you know, a Pioneer sx-315 has joined the family (soon to be followed by a bunch of other stuff, but that's another story). I'm thinking this Pioneer can be paired with the Advents or Audiolabs to go in my office, while the other setup remains at home for the time being.

So now to my issue. The Pioneer I picked up works just fine, but I do not have a remote for it and cannot adjust the bass without the remote (according to the manual). In factory settings, the bass from this receiver is very weak. Not a big deal if it's going in an office, but I'd at least like to be able to make some adjustments. Does anyone have any insight? Can I adjust bass/treble from the receiver? If not, would a universal remote do the trick? Do I need to buy a OEM remote?

Sorry for the rambling post.

Thanks
Jake

 

[j_garcia]

A universal is what I would try first. The problem is, you typically don't get specific codes for a particular unit, just generic ones for a brand. So you may or may not get that exact feature for a universal, but you can try a variety of codes to see if one has them with the better universals. OR you can try to find the exact codes for that model somewhere like Welcome to Remote Central: Universal Remote Control Reviews & More! but you'll still need a universal remote. If you can find a used OE remote, that is the quickest sure way to solve it, but not always the least expensive - depends on the model, as some OE remotes are dirt cheap and others can be pretty expensive.

 

[hizzaah]

The user manual makes it seem like you really have to have the remote to change the channel levels. If you've tried the System Setup button on the front and can't get to the channel levels, then yes, you'll need a remote. A quick search suggests that original replacement remotes are fairly expensive, so I would just invest in a good universal remote if you plan to start adding/changing gear

 

[Jake.]

Thanks for the suggestions. I don't need this set up for a couple of months, so maybe I'll see if I can find a deal on an original replacement in the interim. If not, I'll go for the universal route. Pretty annoying that you can't make these adjustments at the receiver itself. Thanks again

 

[jplinville]

Logitech Harmony is a great line of universal remotes. They are simple to program from your computer, and the 650 isn't too badly priced at around $60 from most places. I'm sure it would allow you to adjust the bass as needed.

 

[Jake.]

Update: On the way home from work I stopped in at the used goods store where I picked up the receiver. There, looking abandoned and tucked in the back on a bottom shelf, was the missing remote. Brought it home and used it to adjust the output levels. The bass is still fairly weak. No matter, this will go in the garage and serve as a nice upgrade over the little bookshelf system I had there. Thanks to all for your help. Great site. I'll be posting another question soon.