JVC does not get much respect

Anybody else had good experiences with JVC?

Charlie

When we met, my late wife had a JVC component system. Receiver, Cass deck. CDP , EQ but no turntable. Had 4 Bose speakers hooked to it. I got the speakers and the audio rack when she passed. The son took the components. The components had good sound and had quality tactile feedback through the controls.

I myself have JVC Super VHS Hi-FI that is a wonderful piece that has been trouble free for over 20 years. Remember VHS was a JVC invention. It even has reverse slo-mo and frame by frame. It is used mostly now as a audio recorder.
On either speed it makes wonderful recordings.
 
Wow, just for poos and giggles, I just took a voltage reading on those batteries and one was completely dead, but the other read 1.25 volts! lol o_O


That's quite impressive... most batteries have a 10year shelf life, that hit the 30 year mark.... wonder if it would actually power anything... cool either way!
 
Just goes to show, don't judge a book by it's BPC cover!

For sure. I've had my biases and preconceived notions humbled more than a few times with some pieces that were supposed to be "crap". Like you say, don't always judge a book by it's cover, and never allow other people to influence your own purchasing decisions or your own personal exploration of gear. Even if it might be frowned upon by the 99.999%. What I've discovered over the years is that once you are able to let preconceived notions about gear fall to the wayside, you will then be able to look for and discover some gems that were "supposed" to be utter garbage, but are far from it, sonically. You'd be surprised at what I've found, and what anyone else can find, if only they allow themselves to not conform the doubters and naysayers. I own, and have owned some well-known pieces, I own some rare pieces, as well as others that are supposed to be crap, and I can tell you that some of those "crappy" gems can sound better than some of the more valuable and collectible stuff. They certainly aren't a dime a dozen, but they do exist. You just have to be open to finding them. It's all about knowing (and discovering) what you like and then finding those gems that cater to that. My eyes are always wide open. ;) :)

That's quite impressive... most batteries have a 10year shelf life, that hit the 30 year mark.... wonder if it would actually power anything... cool either way!

Yeah, no kidding. To hold roughly 85% of its charge over 33 years is pretty amazing. "They don't make 'em like they used to!" :D
 
Okay, I'm sticking my neck, and my reputation and "relevancy" out there a bit with this post...

Still listening to the R-X300 I bought the other day (above), and now I have it hooked up to my main system for a full shakedown. I hate to go against the many "BPC" naysayers out there (not necessarily you), but I'm sorry, this thing is not a piece of crap. I have also had a few other JVC pieces in the past, and this is a nice unit. It just is. No matter what kind of music I throw at it, and no matter how much I try to find a way to say that this 15 pound tin can "should" be no good, I just cannot say that. In fact, I refuse to. Again, is it as good as some of the other pieces I own? No. But in some instances, and in some respects, it comes damn close. More than I think most people would ever give it a chance to prove itself.

Right now I am listening to Brubeck through it. This disc in particular:

51q3jcDZOUL.jpg


This is just a cheap compilation disc of dubious quality that I picked up for peanuts. It's certainly not the last word in finite re-engineering and sound quality though. I have heard many of the tracks on this disc rendered better on other discs. This one tends to have slightly messy and muddled basslines with the last bit of overall clarity and detail rolled off ever so slightly. It also tends to get a little busy and overlapped-sounding during more complex portions of certain tunes. However, why do I still own it? Because believe it or not, it's actually turned out to be an absolutely essential demo disc. With all it's imperfections, played through capable gear, it has the unique ability to be able to sound better than the sum of its relatively crappy parts. Play this disc through subpar equipment and you'll get all the negatives I mentioned above. Play it through something of good quality, and many of these negative qualities are greatly reduced. It's as clear as night and day. You might think that it has more to do with the equipment, and it does (obviously). However, this disc has the unique ability to find and highlight capable-sounding amps and receivers more than any other disc I own. Play the exact same tracks with a better engineered disc and you simply won't be able to decipher these differences as easily. That's why this disc has been such an essential and convenient diagnostic tool is because it allows the capabilities (or lack thereof) of amps and receivers to shine through (or not). It just don't get the same effect with the same tracks on better quality discs.

Anyway, what I am I hearing with this disc being played through the R-X300? Many of the negatives I mentioned are greatly reduced playing this disc through it. Most of the sloppy basslines I hear with so much other gear is being rendered with less bloat, and more clarity and separation while allowing more individual notes to come through. There is more control with much less overhang and overlap of each bass note, particularly in much quicker passages where the pace really picks up. With this disc, it is still far from perfect, but only good amps/receivers are able to take the slop out of what is a messily engineered CD. Out of the literally innumerable amount of amps and receivers I have owned, this little tin can receiver untangle the bottom end of this disc better than 90% of them. Is it a bass definition/detail and bass speed/output monster? No. But it does have the ability to sort out the basslines of this disc in a way that always seems to trip up so much other gear.

Also, the midrange has nice clarity, and as I've found in other JVC gear I've owned, it tends to nail midrange tonality better than most pieces in my subjective, yet humble opinion. I can overlook other smaller misgivings in a piece of gear's sound quality, but if it doesn't have good midrange timbral qualities, no matter how good all the other aspects of its sound may be, it just won't cut it. But this little tin can just has a nice timbral quality. No matter how much I try to look for a reason to say otherwise, it just does. Whether it be classic rock, blues, jazz, bluegrass, or classical, it just does a nice job of presenting midrange tonality in a pleasing way.

And while it may not be the most absolutely transparent amp/receiver I have ever owned, I have also heard some musical details come forth from this disc in a way that is quite surprising for what this receiver is. Through it, I am hearing the texture of felt hammers on piano strings, the subtle clacking of a woodwind's keys, the fretting sounds and string slapping noise against the fingerboard of the double bass, the textured brush strokes against the head of a drum, small background shuffles, dialog, etc. They are all coming through cleanly and clearly in a way that adds to the human touch of a performance. Ultimately, that's a pretty good showing for a "crappy" little receiver and a CD of questionable quality in my humble opinion.

With the treble, again, while not the most transparent and über detailed, it is still enjoyable. Cymbals are brassy and shimmery without being brash, splashy, or etched-sounding, and the treble also has a surprising lack of annoying sibilance and overall "glare" which is always welcome in any piece of gear, regardless of price. I could go into more about its overall sound, but I digress.

Anyway, I don't want to make it seem like I am waxing poetic over this thing, but all I can say is that given it's a 15 pound BPC tin can that "should" sound like garbage in a way that most people would want it to...it just doesn't. Is it a perfect-sounding unit? Not by a long shot. But it gets so many more things right that any sins of omission are overshadowed by what it does well. In fact, that is another curious thing about this receiver is that normally, some of the things it doesn't do quite as well, would normally annoy the hell out of me with other units with the same misgivings. But again, it just somehow manages to present its faults in a way that is a non-issue for the most part. While some things may be missing from what I am used to hearing, it has the uncanny ability to not highlight them and cause them to grate on you.

Overall, (like I said in initial post) above all else, it's just a nice, listenable unit. A receiver that hits most of the high points without calling much negative attention to itself otherwise. I could honestly listen to it all day and not be unhappy by doing so. We all have our favorite pieces of gear that we prefer, but to be able to listen to this thing and not have it be a chore is when you know you have something that's worthwhile listening to, despite any misgivings it may have. Given that I paid $5 for this thing, I am left shaking my head that it is even listenable at all...but it is. Instead of thinking about what I may be missing, I am thinking about what to play next. This thing makes me want to look for more powerful models of the same era now. Damn you, JVC.

Oh, and just a word of note: I am playing it with the loudness on, the SEA switch engaged, and the EQ contoured with the mids and lower-bass boosted a bit. I just found it sounds much better that way. Your mileage may vary.
 
Last edited:
Maybe you just have the right combo of equipment, I've put systems together that should have sounded great, and didn't and likewise put systems together that should have sounded like nails on a chalkboard and didn't.
It's really funny how synergy works!!
I am a JVC believer though< :)
 
I picked up a R S77 yesterday at a Goodwill for $20. It was fairly dirty inside but I cleaned the pots and blew it out and it sounds and runs fine. I bought one through eBay a few months ago and sent it back since it had problems. This example is in much better shape than the other one and I rather like it. One thing I dont like about it is how crappy the case is, especially for a unit near or at the top of the JVC receiver line up. I would probably keep it if had a nicer case but since I am up to my ears in vintage stuff, I think it is going on CL. I have two other vintage receivers from almost exactly the same year (1980), a MCS 3248 (45wpc) and a Realistic STA 95 (45wpc) and I cant imagine buying the JVC over either one of them if I was in the market back then. The JVC does have the built in EQ and quartz lock tuner and that probably was a good selling feature but the case and feel of the controls are not nearly as nice on the JVC. But hey, I am glad I found it and that it works and sounds so nice and that I finally found a decent example of a JVC units to judge them better by. I would not buy one any newer than this but if I found a good deal on an older one I would snap it up.

21082820_1632023066817634_756536500480021499_o.jpg

19054885_1548226678530607_2324072210740243480_o.jpg

18622463_1530586986961243_4774083837261086961_n.jpg
 
Maybe you just have the right combo of equipment, I've put systems together that should have sounded great, and didn't and likewise put systems together that should have sounded like nails on a chalkboard and didn't.
It's really funny how synergy works!!
I am a JVC believer though< :)

Yeah, it very well could be a synergy thing. I was thinking that could very well be the case too. It still has to have the goods to be able to do some of the things it does though, and I am still surprised at what it is able to do given the sum of its parts, or lack thereof. lol I think this little thing definitely has a place in my ever-shrinking collection though. More than anything it'll be used for demo'ing gear because of it's built in EQ, but there is no question that I am enjoying it at the moment, and that's pretty surprising. :)

I still have a JVC VN-700 integrated amp that I bought in 1974 for $245. Seemed like a lot of money to me then, but it was worth it, because 43 years later, it still works, and still gets used nearly every day. Looks like this:

http://www.thevintageknob.org/jvc-VN-700.html

Nice. While tons of JVC stuff was sold here in Canada, not a lot of integrated amps were sold it seems. Probably about 90% of them were receivers. I don't see many integrateds come up for sale here, and when they do come up, they are usually late-70's, 80's, and 90's units. I think I've only seen one or two JVC integrated from the mid-70's or earlier up here. I'd be nice to see a VN-900 come up for sale. I wouldn't mind checking one of those out.
 
I installed an old JVC JR-S301 and my spare pair of KEF 104/2's over at my GF's a while back. The receiver is all original with the exception of a power supply pass transistor (2SD330D?) that I replaced when I first got it many years ago. The build and sound quality is astonishingly good. It often runs for a couple of hours per day,and on weekends it's crank it up REAL loud for the backyard pool tunes. Sheesh,sometimes that thing is running hotter than my ARC tube gear; bulletproof!!!

We've also have a much-used JVC 25'' tv from the early 1990's. Every couple of years,like clockwork,I have to dig in and replace a couple of electrolytics in the vertical section. Pretty cheap to keep running,and it's a technology I can still work on;)
 
I've been running a Marantz SR 7300 OSE for many years, and recently got bitten by the quadraphonic bug. A local record store has a JVC 5456 that they run all day long, and I could help but take a fancy to it. It was their TOTL monster quad receiver of the day. The store wouldn't sell theirs, so I found one online, which I've been enjoying for the last week, through some Energy C-2 speakers. Part of the fun is playing with all those knobs, switches, and sliders! So far I've got plenty of respect for this 40 year old unit.
 

Attachments

  • My JVC 5456.jpg
    My JVC 5456.jpg
    47.8 KB · Views: 30
I picked up a nice JVC A-X2 amp the other day. It needs the power chord replacing and a bit of a clean but I'm hoping it will be rocking soon.

On a different note, @Charles LP , I had an Akai quad receiver a while back and it was a nightmare to get going due to the complexities involved with all the quad decoding stuff. I hope your JVC quad lives long and goes strong !
 
...A local record store has a JVC 5456 that they run all day long, and I could help but take a fancy to it. It was their TOTL monster quad receiver of the day. The store wouldn't sell theirs, so I found one online, which I've been enjoying for the last week, through some Energy C-2 speakers. Part of the fun is playing with all those knobs, switches, and sliders! So far I've got plenty of respect for this 40 year old unit.
Welcome to AudioKarma. That looks like a very nice receiver. :thumbsup:
 
Very difficult to get your hands on high end anything jvc in North America
Some made it to the U.S. It's around, it seems those who own the high end gear don't sell it much. It took me several years to find the amps I have. Keep looking, daily, it will eventually show up.
 
Back
Top Bottom