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:
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.