Sony GX255 User manual

©2005 Sony Corporation
2-580-011-14(1)
Mini HI-FI
Component
System
Operating Instructions
Owner’s Record
The model and serial numbers are located on the rear of the unit. Record the serial number
in the space provided below. Refer to them whenever you call upon your Sony dealer
regarding this product.
Model No. ______________ Serial No. ______________
MHC-GX555/GX355/GX255
MHC-RG575S/RG475S/RG470/
RG270/RG170

2GB
To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock,
do not expose this apparatus to rain or
moisture.
To reduce the risk of fire, do not cover the ventilation
of the apparatus with newspapers, tablecloths, curtains,
etc. And do not place lighted candles on the apparatus.
To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not place
objects filled with liquids, such as vases, on the
apparatus.
Connect the unit to an easily accessible AC outlet.
Should you notice an abnormality in the unit, disconnect
the main plug from the AC outlet immediately.
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. This
marking is located on the
rear exterior.
Don’t throw away the battery with
general house waste, dispose of it
correctly as chemical waste.
NOTICE FOR THE CUSTOMERS IN THE U.S.A.
This symbol is intended to alert the
user to the presence of uninsulated
“dangerous voltage” within the
product’s enclosure that may be of
sufficient magnitude to constitute a
risk of electric shock to persons.
This symbol is intended to alert the
user to the presence of important
operating and maintenance (servicing)
instructions in the literature
accompanying the appliance.
CAUTION
The use of optical instruments with this product will
increase eye hazard.
WARNING
This equipment has been tested and found to comply
with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to
Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference in a residential installation. This
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However, there
is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does cause
harmful interference to radio or television reception,
which can be determined by turning the equipment off
and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
– Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
– Increase the separation between the equipment and
receiver.
– Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit
different from that to which the receiver is
connected.
– Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV
technician for help.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired
operation.
CAUTION
You are cautioned that any changes or modifications
not expressly approved in this manual could void your
authority to operate this equipment.
Note to CATV system installer:
This reminder is provided to call the CATV system
installer’s attention to Article 820-40 of the NEC that
provides guidelines for proper grounding and, in
particular, specifies that the cable ground shall be
connected to the grounding system of the building, as
close to the point of cable entry as practical.
NOTICE FOR THE CUSTOMERS IN CANADA
CAUTION
The use of optical instruments with this product will
increase eye hazard.
Except for European and Russian models
ENERGY STAR®is a U.S. registered
mark. As an ENERGY STAR®partner,
Sony Corporation has determined that
this product meets the ENERGY STAR®
guidelines for energy efficiency.
MPEG Layer-3 audio coding technology and patents
licensed from Fraunhofer IIS and Thomson.
WARNING

3GB
How to use this manual...........................4
Playable discs..........................................4
Getting Started
Hooking up the system............................6
Setting the clock......................................9
CD/MP3 – Play
Loading a disc ....................................... 10
Playing a disc ........................................10
— Normal Play/Shuffle Play
Playing repeatedly.................................12
— Repeat Play
Creating your own program ..................13
— Program Play
Tuner
Presetting radio stations ........................14
Listening to the radio ............................ 15
— Preset Tuning
— Manual Tuning
Using the Radio Data System (RDS)....16
(European model only)
Tape – Play
Loading a tape.......................................17
Playing a tape........................................17
Tape – Recording
Recording your favorite CD tracks on a
tape..................................................18
— CD-TAPE Synchro Recording
Recording on a tape manually...............18
— Manual Recording
Sound Adjustment
Adjusting the sound .............................. 19
Using the sub woofer............................ 19
(MHC-GX555/RG575S/RG475S
only)
Selecting the sound effect..................... 19
Adjusting the graphic equalizer and
storing............................................. 20
Selecting the surround effect ................ 20
Singing along: Karaoke ........................ 21
(Latin American model only)
Timer
Falling asleep to music ......................... 22
— Sleep Timer
Waking up to music.............................. 22
— Play Timer
Timer recording radio programs........... 23
— Rec Timer
Display
Turning off the display ......................... 24
— Power Saving Mode
Viewing information about the disc in the
display ............................................ 25
Changing the Power illuminator........... 26
Viewing the tuner information in the
display ............................................ 26
Optional Components
Hooking up optional components......... 27
Troubleshooting
Problems and remedies......................... 28
Messages............................................... 31
Additional Information
Precautions............................................ 32
Specifications........................................ 34
List of button locations and reference
pages............................................... 40
Table of Contents

4GB
This manual mainly explains operations using
the remote, but the same operations can also be
performed using the buttons on the unit having
the same or similar names.
You can play back the following discs on this
system. Other discs cannot be played back.
List of playable discs
* Playback is possible only on Mexican model.
Discs that this system cannot
play
•CD-ROMs
• CD-Rs/CD-RWs other than those recorded in
the following formats:
– music CD format
– MP3 format that conforms to ISO96601)
Level 1/Level 2, Joliet or Multi Session2)
• Discs with non-standard shapes (e.g., heart,
square, star) cannot be played on this unit.
Attempting to do so may damage the unit. Do
not use such discs.
• A disc with paper or stickers on it.
• A disc that has the adhesive, cellophane tape,
or a sticker still left on it.
1) ISO9660 Format
The most common international standard for the
logical format of files and folders on a CD-ROM.
There are several specification levels. In Level 1,
file names must be in the 8.3 format (no more than
eight characters in the name, no more than three
characters in the extension “.MP3”) and in capital
letters. Folder names can be no longer than eight
characters. There can be no more than eight nested
folder levels. Level 2 specifications allow file
names and folder names up to 31 characters long.
Each folder can have up to 8 trees.
For Joliet in the expansion format (file and folder
names can have up to 64 characters) make sure of
the contents of the writing software, etc.
2) Multi Session
This is a recording method that enables adding of
data using the Track-At-Once method.
Conventional CDs begin at a CD control area called
the Lead-in and end at an area called Lead-out. A
Multi Session CD is a CD having multiple sessions,
with each segment from Lead-in to Lead-out
regarded as a single session.
CD-Extra: This format records audio (audio CD
data) on the tracks in session 1 and data on the tracks
in session 2.
Mixed CD: This format records data on the first
track and audio (audio CD data) on the second and
subsequent tracks of a session.
How to use this manual
Playable discs
Format of discs Disc logo
Audio CDs
CD-Gs*
(CD-Graphics)
CD-R/CD-RW
(audio data/MP3
files)

5GB
Notes on CD-R and CD-RW
• Some CD-Rs or CD-RWs cannot be played
on this system depending upon the recording
quality or physical condition of the disc, or
the characteristics of the recording device.
Furthermore, the disc will not play if it has not
been correctly finalized. For more
information, see the operating instructions for
the recording device.
• Discs recorded on CD-R/CD-RW drives may
not be played back because of scratches, dirt,
recording condition or the driver’s
characteristics.
• CD-R and CD-RW discs recorded in multi-
session that have not ended by “closing the
session” are not supported.
• The system may be unable to play MP3
format files that do not have the “.MP3”
extension.
• Attempting to play non-MP3 format files that
have the “.MP3” extension may result in noise
or malfunction.
• With formats other than ISO9660 Level 1 and
2, folder names or file names may not be
displayed correctly.
• The following discs take a longer time to start
playback.
– a disc recorded with complicated tree
structure.
– a disc recorded in Multi Session.
– a disc to which data can be added (non-
finalized disc).
Music discs encoded with
copyright protection
technologies
This product is designed to playback discs that
conform to the Compact Disc (CD) standard.
Recently, various music discs encoded with
copyright protection technologies are marketed
by some record companies. Please be aware that
among those discs, there are some that do not
conform to the CD standard and may not be
playable by this product.
Note on DualDiscs
A DualDisc is a two sided disc product which
mates DVD recorded material on one side with
digital audio material on the other side.
However, since the audio material side does not
conform to the Compact Disc (CD) standard,
playback on this product is not guaranteed.
Cautions when playing a disc
that is recorded in Multi
Session
• If the disc begins with a CD-DA session, it is
recognized as a CD-DA (audio) disc, and
playback continues until an MP3 session is
encountered.
• If the disc begins with an MP3 session, it is
recognized as an MP3 disc, and playback
continues until a CD-DA (audio) session is
encountered.
• The playback range of an MP3 disc is
determined by the tree structure of files
produced by analyzing of the disc.
• A disc with a mixed CD format will be
recognized as a CD-DA (audio) disc.