Looking for help w/ setup. I've spent the last few days hooking up a new 56TXi receiver and the 59AVi universal disc player and can NOT get the receiver to recognize the i-Link connection. It's driven me close to the edge. I've even gone so far as starting from the 1st page of the manual and reading every step. When I access the on screen setup menu for the receiver and go to (input selection assignments) I can choose (digital in select) and (component in select) but I can NOT select (i-Link in select) When I arrow down the menu, it simply skips over this option. From the disc players menu, the i-link option when selected is supposed to show you the component that its connected to. It doesn't!
I'm out of ideas. My assumptions at this point is that either the player is defective or the firewire (i-link) cable. On the way home from work tonight I'm going to buy a new cable and eliminate that possibility. BUT, if anyone has these components and has had similar problems I'd love to hear your solutions.
Other than the i-link problem, the analog play back of SACDs is a whole new world of listening, I was expecting an improvement in sound quality, but I wasn't expecting to be amazed, I was amazed!
Do you have the dvd players i-link output selected and active? I believe you have to go into two different sub-menus to activate the output. I jus bought the 47ai and even though I don't use the i-link it took two menus to set this up in order to play sacd's and dvd-audio through the analog cables. If so then all you can do is call Pioneer and good luck. Hope you get this straightened out as the 56 and 59 are terrific units.
I finally figured out my problem and I'm surprised that it took me 3 days to figure it out. The DVD player has a front panel buttom labled "pure direct" that turns off all digital inputs. When the pure direct is on all i-Link options are not selectable in the menus of either the receiver or player. It would have been nice if this was mentioned in the i-Link section of the manual. In any case, after all this I've opted to use the digital coax for my digital connection. I'd like to hear opinions from other owners if they have a coax vs i-Link vs optical preference. Elitefan 1, do you have i-Link capability? BTW when I called Pioneer and told them that my i-Link menu options were light grey and unselectable they had no idea why. Thanks Herb
I have the elite54TX and I'm using a coaxial monster cable. Havent had any problems there. I had tons of other problems from apparent lack of power to setting the MCACC. Both were solved from simply playing it on DVD Direct.
Herb, My Elite 47ai has a i-link output but my receiver, the Elite45 does not have a i-link input. I have no plans on changing receivers for several years as the 45 does everything I need it to do now and for the forseeable future. I-link is just a more convienient connection for sacd and dvd-audio and I really haven't gotten into those formats as much as I thought I might. I don't buy many cd's or the others, maybe 15 a year or so. As to the digital connection from the dvd player to the receiver I have always thought it best and easiest to use whatever the receivers default input is set to. My receiver's dvd input is default to coax so that's what I use. My last receiver[Denon2802] default was optical so I used that. This avoids screwing around in the setup menus and since there is no noticable sonic difference makes the most sense to me. I do prefer coax because it's a better connection and a more durable and cheaper cable but it doesn't really matter. Glad you got the problem straightened out and to you and Chris and any other Elite owners always listen to 2 channel sources in "direct" mode. Much better than stereo mode. Hope you both enjoy your Elite's as much as I have mine.