4-233-738-13(2) Mini Hi-Fi Component System Operating Instructions MHC-S3 © 2001 Sony Corporation
WARNING The MHC-S3 consists of the following components: To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose the unit to rain or moisture. To avoid electrical shock, do not open the cabinet. Refer servicing to qualified personnel only. Do not install the appliance in a confined space, such as a bookcase or built-in cabinet. This appliance is classified as a CLASS 1 LASER product. The CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT MARKING is located on the rear exterior. The following caution label is located inside the apparatus.
Table of Contents Parts Identification Main unit ............................................... 4 Remote Control ..................................... 6 Getting Started Hooking up the system .......................... 7 Inserting two size AA (R6) batteries into the remote ................................ 9 Setting the time ...................................... 9 Saving the power in standby mode ...... 10 CD Loading a CD ......................................
Parts Identification The items are arranged in alphabetical order. Refer to the pages indicated in parentheses ( ) for details.
CD player 1 ek 2 3 ej m M . > H S es ed x eh eg ef Parts Identification e; ea wj wkwl DISC 1–3 ek (11, 12, 18) DISC 1–3 indicators ej DISC 1–3 Z (eject) wl (11) PLAY MODE wj (11, 12, 18) REPEAT wk (11) N (play) eh (11, 12) X (pause) eg (11) x (stop) ef (11, 17) . (go back) ed (11, 12, 18) > (go forward) es (11, 12, 18) m (rewind) e; (11) M (fast forward) ea (11) Cassette deck th tg tf td ts ta > .
Remote Control 1 wk wj wh wg wf wd ws wa H hH hH . > x m M X O P p 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 o w; ql qk qj qh qg CD H wk (11, 12) CHECK 3 (12) CLEAR 4 (12) CLOCK/TIMER SELECT qg (19, 27) CLOCK/TIMER SET qh (9, 18, 26) DBFB qd (20) DISPLAY qk (10, 13, 15, 26, 32) D.
Getting Started Hooking up the system Getting Started Do the following procedure 1 to 5 to hook up your system using the supplied cords and accessories. Before connecting, place the system as described below.
Hooking up the system (continued) 1 Connect the CD player and the tuner with the optical cable. Connect from the OPTICAL OUT jack on the CD player to the OPTICAL IN jack on the tuner. 1 Remove the cover of the jack. 3 Connect the front speakers. Connect the speaker cords to the FRONT SPEAKER jacks. Insert only the stripped portion. R L + – Red/Solid (3) OPTICAL IN FROM CDP-S3 Black/Stripe (#) 4 Connect the FM/AM antennas. Set up the AM loop antenna, then connect it. 2 Connect the optical cable.
Tip You can place the components as described below. In this case, place the components first, then connect the components. Tuner CD player Setting the time Getting Started 1 Turn on the system. 2 Press CLOCK/TIMER (or CLOCK/TIMER SET on the remote). When you set the time for the first time, proceed to step 5. 3 Press O or o repeatedly to select “CLOCK SET”. A/V amplifier Cassette deck Note Keep the speaker cords away from the antennas to prevent noise.
Saving the power in standby mode Press DISPLAY repeatedly when the power is off. Each time you press the button, the system switches cyclically as follows: Demonstration t Clock t Power Saving Mode To cancel the Power Saving Mode Press DISPLAY once to show the demonstration, twice to show the clock display. Tips • ?/1 indicator lights up even in the Power Saving Mode. • The timer functions during the Power Saving Mode.
CD 3 Press N (CD) (or CD H on the remote). Loading a CD Tip You cannot change the play mode during playback. 1 Press one of the DISC 1–3 Z buttons. Other operations The disc tray slides out. 2 Place a CD with the label side up on the When you play a CD single, place it on the inner circle of the tray. 1 2 3 m M . > H S To Do this Stop playback Press x (CD). Pause playback Press X. Press again to resume playback.
Programming the CD tracks — Program Play You can make a program of up to 25 tracks from all the CDs in the order you want them to be played. To Check the program CHECK on the remote repeatedly. After the last track, “CHECK END” appears in the display. Clear a track CLEAR on the remote when the playback is stopped. Each time you press the button, a track is cleared from the end of the program. 1 Turn FUNCTION to select “CD”, then place a CD.
Using the CD display You can check the remaining time of the current track or that of the CD. CD When a CD TEXT disc is loaded, you can check the information stored on the disc. When the unit detects CD TEXT discs, the “CD TEXT” indication appears in the display. Press DISPLAY. Each time you press the button, the display changes cyclically as follows: During normal playback Playing time on the current track t Remaining time on the current track t Remaining time on the current CD (“1 DISC” mode) or “--.
Tuner Presetting radio stations Listening to the radio — Preset Tuning You can preset 20 stations for FM and 10 stations for AM. Preset radio stations in the tuner’s memory first (see “Presetting radio stations”). 1 Press TUNER/BAND repeatedly to 1 Press TUNER/BAND repeatedly to select FM or AM. 2 Press and hold TUNING + or – until “AUTO” appears in the display. select the band you want. 2 Press PRESET + or – repeatedly to tune in the preset station you want.
Using the Radio Data System (RDS) (European model only) What is the Radio Data System? Note RDS may not work properly if the station you are tuned to is not transmitting the RDS signal properly or if the signal is weak. Receiving RDS broadcasts Simply select a station from the FM band. When you tune in a station that provides RDS services, the station name appears in the display. To check the RDS information Press DISPLAY.
Tape Tip When you want to reduce the hiss noise in low-level high-frequency signals, press DOLBY NR so that “DOLBY NR” appears in the display. Loading a tape 1 Press Z (Deck A or B). 2 Insert a tape in deck A or B. Insert with the side you want to play/record facing forward. h AUTO REVERSE H Searching for the beginning of a track (AMS*) During playback, press . or > (Deck A or B) repeatedly for the number of songs you want to skip forward (or backward). M > m .
Recording to a tape — CD Synchro Recording/High-Speed Dubbing/Recording Manually/Program Edit You can record from a CD, tape, radio or other connected component. You can use TYPE I (normal) or TYPE II (CrO2) tapes. The recording level is adjusted automatically. Steps Recording from a CD (CD Synchro Recording) Recording from a tape (High-Speed Dubbing) Recording manually Insert a recordable tape into deck B. 2 Turn FUNCTION to select “CD”. Turn FUNCTION to select “TAPE A”.
Recording to a tape (continued) Recording a CD by specifying track order — Program Edit When programming, make sure the playing times for each side do not exceed the length of one side of the tape. 1 Insert a CD and a recordable tape into deck B, then turn FUNCTION to select “CD”. 2 Press PLAY MODE repeatedly when the playback is stopped until “PROGRAM” appears in the display. 3 Press one of the DISC 1–3 buttons to select a CD.
5 Set the time to stop recording following step 4. The start time appears, followed by the stop time, the preset radio station to be recorded (e.g., “TUNER FM 5”), then the original display appears. 6 Insert a recordable tape into deck B. 7 Turn off the power. When the recording starts, the volume level is set to the minimum. Do this Check the setting Press TIMER SELECT (or CLOCK/TIMER SELECT on the remote) and press O or o repeatedly to select “REC SELECT”, then press ENTER (A/V amplifier or remote).
Sound Adjustment After pressing MOVIE MODE*: To reinforce bass (DBFB*) SEMI C.EX A y SEMI C.EX B y SEMI C.EX C y V.SEMI M.D. y V.ENHANCE.A y V.ENHANCE.B y SEMI C.EX A... Press DBFB on the remote. * The MOVIE MODE button lights up. Adjusting the sound Each time you press the button, the display changes as follows: DBFB ON y DBFB OFF * Dynamic Bass Feedback For a powerful sound Press GROOVE.
x DISCO/CLUB Reproduces the acoustics of a discotheque/ dance club. x CHURCH Reproduces the acoustics of a stone church. x LIVE HOUSE Reproduces the acoustics of a 300-seat live house. x ARENA Reproduces the acoustics of a 1000-seat concert hall. x STADIUM x GAME Obtains maximum audio impact from video game software. x Semi Cinema Studio EX. A (SEMI C.EX A)* Reproduces the sound characteristics of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s classic editing studio using the 3D sound imaging of V.
Understanding the multi channel surround displays L C R SL S SR VIRTUAL dts 3 4 1 VIRTUAL: Lights up when the sound field with virtual speakers is selected. 2 dts: Lights up when DTS signals are input. 3 ; DIGITAL: Lights up when the unit is decoding signals recorded in the Dolby Digital format. 4 Playback channel indicators: The letters (L, C, R, etc.) indicate the channels being played back.
x Effect level (EFFECT) x Front balance (FRONT) Lets you adjust the “presence” of the current surround effect. Lets you adjust the balance between the front left and right speakers. x Wall type (WALL) x Subwoofer level (SUB W.) Lets you control the level of the high frequencies to alter the sonic character of your listening environment by simulating a softer (S) or harder (H) wall. The midpoint designates a neutral wall (made of wood). Lets you adjust the level of the subwoofer.
Customizing sound fields (continued) Adjusting the equalizer The EQ menu lets you adjust the equalization (low, mid, and high frequencies) of the front speakers. The equalizer settings are stored individually for each sound field. 1 Start playing a program source encoded with multi channel surround sound, then select a sound field. When the selected sound field contains adjustable equalizer parameters, the EQ button lights up. 2 When the EQ button lights up, press EQ.
To reset the settings of all the customized sound fields 1 Press SET UP. 2 Press P or p repeatedly to select “RESET MENU”. 3 Press ENTER (A/V amplifier or remote). 4 Press P or p repeatedly to select “ALL F. RESET”. 5 Press ENTER (A/V amplifier or remote) again. All the surround, equalizer, and speaker level parameters are reset to the factory settings. Sound Adjustment To cancel Press SET UP.
Other Features Changing the spectrum analyzer display Press and hold DISPLAY for more than 2 seconds. To Press Check the remaining time SLEEP once. Change the time to turn off SLEEP repeatedly to select the time you want. Cancel the Sleep Timer SLEEP repeatedly until “SLEEP OFF” appears. Each time you press the button, the display changes as follows: SPECTRUM ON y SPECTRUM OFF To adjust the brightness of the display 1 Press SET UP. 2 Press P or p repeatedly to select “DIMMER”.
5 Set the time to start playback. Press O or o repeatedly to set the hour, then press ENTER (A/V amplifier or remote). The minute indication flashes. Press O or o repeatedly to set the minutes, then press ENTER (A/V amplifier or remote). The hour indication flashes again. Notes • If the power is on at the preset time, the Daily Timer does not work. • When you use the Sleep Timer, the Daily Timer will not turn on the system until the Sleep Timer turns it off.
Hooking Up the Optional Components Notes Connecting audio components To connect audio components, connect to the jacks on the rear panel of the tuner. To the digital input jack of an MD deck or DVD player To subwoofer To the analog output jacks of a VCR To the digital To the analog To the analog output jack of an input jacks of output jacks of MD deck or DVD an MD deck an MD deck player To Do This Make a digital recording from CD to MD Connect an optional optical cable. Press DIGITAL.
Additional Information Notes on CDs Precautions On operating voltage Before operating the unit, check that the operating voltage of your unit is identical with the voltage of your local power supply. On safety • The unit is not disconnected from the AC power source (mains) as long as it is connected to the wall outlet, even if the unit itself has been turned off. • Unplug the unit from the wall outlet (mains) if it is not to be used for an extended period of time.
Precautions (continued) General Before placing a cassette in the tape deck The display starts flashing as soon as you plug in the power cord even though you haven’t turned on the power. Take up any slack in the tape. Otherwise the tape may get entangled in the parts of the tape deck and become damaged. When using a tape longer than 90 minutes The tape is very elastic. Do not change the tape operations such as play, stop, and fast-winding etc. frequently. The tape may get entangled in the tape deck.
“DAILY 1”, “DAILY 2”, or “REC SELECT” does not appear when you press TIMER SELECT (or CLOCK/TIMER SELECT on the remote). • Set the timer correctly. • Set the clock. The remote does not function. • There is an obstacle between the remote and the unit. • The remote is not pointing in the direction of the unit’s sensor. • The batteries have run down. Replace the batteries. There is acoustic feedback. • Decrease the volume level.
Troubleshooting (continued) Tuner There is severe hum or noise (“TUNED” or “STEREO” flashes in the display). • Adjust the antenna. • The signal is too weak. Connect an external antenna. A stereo FM program cannot be received in stereo. • Press STEREO/MONO so that “MONO” disappears. If other troubles not described above occur, reset the system as follows: 1 While holding down DIGITAL, press DISPLAY. 2 Press ?/1 to turn on the power. The unit is reset to factory settings. All the settings are cleared.
Tuner section FM stereo, FM/AM superheterodyne tuner FM tuner section Tuning range Antenna Antenna terminals Intermediate frequency 87.5 – 108.0 MHz FM lead antenna 75 ohm unbalanced 10.7 MHz AM tuner section Tuning range Antenna Antenna terminals Intermediate frequency 531 – 1,602 kHz (with the interval set at 9 kHz) AM loop antenna External antenna terminal 450 kHz Speaker SS-S3 Speaker system 15 cm, cone type 15 cm, cone type 2.8 cm, dome type 6 ohms Approx. 235 x 470 x 265 mm Approx. 7.
Table for the settings using SUR, EQ, and SET UP buttons SUR parameters (Press SUR) Press P or p Press O or o Initial setting Page EFFECT [XX] depends on sound field depends on sound field 22 WALL S/H [X] S (–8) to H (+8) midpoint REVERB S/L [X] S (–8) to L (+8) midpoint S.DEPTH [XXX] OFF, M, D M VIR.SP. [XXX] ON, OFF ON EQ parameters (Press EQ) FRONT BASS MID GAIN Press P or p Press O or o Page BASS [XXX] dB –8 dB to +8 dB 24 FREQUENCY BASS [XXX] kHz 99 Hz to 1.
Adjustable parameters for each sound field The adjusted SUR and EQ parameters are stored in each sound field. The adjusted SP. LEVEL parameters are applied to all of the sound fields. < SUR >< SP. LEVEL > EFFECT LEVEL WALL TYPE REVERB SCREEN VIRTUAL FRONT SUB WOOFER LFE* D.COMP.
Adjustable parameters for each sound field (continued) < EQ > FRONT BASS (dB) FRONT BASS (Hz) FRONT MID (dB) FRONT MID (Hz) FRONT TREB (dB) FRONT TREB (Hz) 2CH STEREO z z z z z z SMALL HALL z z z z z z LARGE HALL z z z z z z OPERA HOUSE z z z z z z JAZZ CLUB z z z z z z DISCO/CLUB z z z z z z CHURCH z z z z z z LIVE HOUSE z z z z z z ARENA z z z z z z STADIUM z z z z z z GAME z z z z z z SEMI C.
