# Pioneer's Sonic Center Control??



## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

After looking over some new headunits I've noticed Pioneer has come up with this new "Sonic Center Control". Now in thinking this is just a new fancy term for the normal "balance" on every headunit I read one of the manuals to find that it is apparently separate from the Sonic Center Control. Okay, then what the heck does it do? Is it some sort of limited time alignment with presets that you choose by the same left/right adjustments like balance?


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

sounds like a new name for an old circuit.

my DEH-8MP had time alignment like that, you could do three settings.

left, center and right.

each setting locked in the center at the appropriate position, the left setting was directly above the driver's wheel, you could set it "right" and it would be in front of the passenger.

it says "time alignment" right on the box, but there are no other user-settings than those three.

this might be a re-gurge of that old circuit design, or it may be something new under the sun.


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## trumpet (Nov 14, 2010)

Based on how I've heard it in a customer's vehicle, it's time alignment in the most simple way to present it. It makes a subtle difference.


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

trumpet said:


> Based on how I've heard it in a customer's vehicle, it's time alignment in the most simple way to present it. It makes a subtle difference.


In a good or useless way?


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## Icefsh (Jan 20, 2013)

Just installed a Pioneer AVH-X5500BHS in my truck last week. Just at the beginning of my build. The sonic control seems to work ok. You can adjust it to either side. Just played with it earlier today. I only have the stock comps installed now and no sub yet. 

It is more than just changing the balance. Does sound good to me. But I have never heard a great sounding time aligned system before. You can't enter any measurements.


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## trumpet (Nov 14, 2010)

Bayboy said:


> In a good or useless way?


It's better than nothing, but not as good as manual time alignment. I can imagine a lot of people not even hearing what it's doing.


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

I'd say that's not good. You should definitely be able to tell something other than the same effect that a balance control would do. Then again, there's no way I could see it doing anything legit according to the standards of most in here unless the drivers on each side are in close proximity. As for anything in the rear, well....


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## amalmer71 (Feb 29, 2012)

I have a similar setup on my Sony unit. It's basically generic time alignment, too.

The settings are Off, Front, Front L, Front R, and ALL. They do make things sound different, but it's certainly less than optimal. 

It also has a setting for the sub placement. Near, Far and Normal. I'm guessing it shifts the phase 90* out compared to the other setting (Reverse phase) which basically just switches the output 180* at the RCA jacks.

In addition, there's also an adjustment that will allow me to bias the time alignment of each of the Front, Front L, Front R and ALL settings from Center to + or - 3 ticks. I don't know if it's 3 milliseconds or what it is, but I don't mess with it, either. I do have it set for Front, which does seem to pull the imaging up to the dash better than just using the fader, but having it set to Front L just seems to put more emphasis on the FL speaker. At least to me it sounds that way. 

But then again, I've been in this game for 25 yrs and never really messed with time alignment, so I'm used to the sound coming from the "middle" of the car, not from over the steering wheel. Sometimes it's not what about what it should sound like, it's about what we're used to. LOL


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

Sounds similar to the time alignment the new AC products are using.


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

the no-name circuit that Pioneer included with it's DSP EEQ and BMX, that was three position time alignment, made a huge difference.

You literally had the stage center move from under the rear view mirror, to above the steering wheel. 

Not subtle at all.


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

cajunner said:


> the no-name circuit that Pioneer included with it's DSP EEQ and BMX, that was three position time alignment, made a huge difference.
> 
> You literally had the stage center move from under the rear view mirror, to above the steering wheel.
> 
> Not subtle at all.


Had several Pioneers back in the day. Don't remember the circuit you're talking about.


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

Bayboy said:


> Had several Pioneers back in the day. Don't remember the circuit you're talking about.


the one I'm talking about is included in the DEH-P8MP which was the one that kicked off the rotary encoder era for Pioneer.

It had 6.5V pre-outs, 60W/ch Mosfet.

It wasn't as sophisticated as the 860, lacking the three way crossover and other features but it did have as part of it's pre-amp DSP, that time alignment circuit.

keeping it off, or center position, was the way I always ran it but for someone who likes to have the singer stare them in the face, it was a pronounced effect.


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