birchoak
Hi-Fi Nut
1967 JVC 5010
16 watts RMS (8 Ω)
After reading many amp reviews at select45rpm.com, curiosity overwhelmed common sense and I purchased a filthy, neglected 14 watt JVC-Nivico 5010 receiver from a PA pawnshop. The 5010 looks like a Reader’s Digest reward for renewing your subscription, or something you'd find at the dump. The graphic equalizer practically shouts, “Keep walking,” and the anemic PRE/MAIN jumpers and awkward screw posts complete the bad impression. Mine had bent control shafts, a missing knob, and the interior was caked with so much dust I dubbed it the Lost City of Nivicolopolis.
I donned a respirator, then exfoliated the interior with a soft paint brush and a hepa vac, unearthing an ancient electronic civilization. I flooded controls with CRC & Deoxit. Compressed air removed stubborn specks. While the face plate was off I cleaned it with warm, soapy water, then polished the rear RCA jacks as best I could (I load up an old male RCA plug with toothpaste and twist it off and on a bunch of times. At the very least, the jacks now have minty fresh breath).
After powering up via DBT, I took a deep breath and tried the little guy out on my crappy 8 ohm test speakers.
What the what?! No static, no scratchiness, no hum, no smoke or flames. I did not expect a successful launch, given the age, condition, and conspicuous neglect. All the lights worked and FM came in clean and strong without an antenna, in the basement. Playing a random CD through AUX was the next surprise: powerful, clean sound—about as good as any receiver I have ever heard--through tiny test speakers.
Ok, says I, let's see what this little guy does with these slightly less crappy 3-way Layfayette speakers I pulled out of a dumpster last year.
Oh my. Oh. My. How is this ugly, under-powered 52 year old receiver putting out this kind of sound? This is like Elmer Fudd dead-lifting 500 lbs with a hangover. This does not make sense.
All right, onto some home-brew 4 ohm speakers not all that much better than the crappy test speakers and never good with bass.
Lord, how is that much bass coming out of these? What the what?
A day elapsed, and I found I couldn't sleep until I'd introduced the senior citizen to a large pair of ADS L620s, well-made, efficient speakers that encourage even the wimpiest amplifier to go on a sonic rampage. The best match I'd found for them so far was a Scott 380R, a massive thing in comparison, Frankenstein's monster vs. Pee Wee Herman.
After some tedious soldering to make up new speaker wires for the JVC's screw terminals (12 gauge Monoprice--I happen to have a lot of it), I heaved the Scott off the dresser and replaced it with the JVC. FM sounded good, but nothing to write home about. Plus, I was already home. Then I hooked up the laptop. On a whim, I played "Sugar Sugar" by the Archies (it's actually one guy who sings it, even the lyrics that sound like a girl). "Sugar Sugar" tends to sounds only so good, on any system, due to the technical limitations at the time it was recorded, but it sounded the best it's ever sounded with the JVC. Next up, "Man with the Hex," by the Atomic Fireballs. This is a modern recording, with husky, shouted vocals leading up to a punishing drum beat that leaves no doubt as to whether your amp is up to the task of replicating dynamic passages.
Holy. Mother. Of. God. This 52 year old receiver (multiply by 3 for human years) spanked those L620s until their 10 inch woofers were positively rosy. The JVC kicked ass and took names. It blew the Scott out of the water, at least at moderate listening levels. There was no need to turn up the JVC much past 7 o'clock, such was the wall of sound presented at normal volume. The Scott outruns it at top volume, but it needs all of its 85 watts (including a pair of massive filter caps, brand-new Nichicon Gold Tunes) to master the JVC.
"Man with a Hex" segues into a bunch of Badly Drawn Boy songs, which are superbly recorded and offer equally impressive dynamics. The music is extremely diverse, with all kinds of percussion, beats, and acoustic parlor tricks to please the ear and challenge the fidelity of your hi-fi system.
In 34 years of listening to and owning many different amplifiers and receivers, including a Luxman R-117, a Pioneer SX-980, a Harman Kardon A-300 tube amp, a Marantz 2230, a Yamaha CR-800, a Sansui 800, a Proton D1200, and others, only three other classic, low-wattage receivers have impressed me as much with their sound: the Sherwood S-7100A, the Sansui 800, and the Concept 2.0. Yes, it's possible that some of those receivers may have needed recapping, bias adjustments, etc., and evaluating something as subjective and fleeting as sound is fraught with peril, but I cannot stop listening to this wonderful ugly duckling.
Wide shot of the interior. There is literally nothing in there to explain the sound that comes out. No TO-3 output devices. No big output caps. The power supply dates back to the Paleozoic Era. There are some tiny power transistors -- smaller than beans (but magic beans!) -- strapped to a heat sink the size of a playing card. If folks are interested, I will post recent pics of the orphan, cleaned and somewhat presentable.
16 watts RMS (8 Ω)
After reading many amp reviews at select45rpm.com, curiosity overwhelmed common sense and I purchased a filthy, neglected 14 watt JVC-Nivico 5010 receiver from a PA pawnshop. The 5010 looks like a Reader’s Digest reward for renewing your subscription, or something you'd find at the dump. The graphic equalizer practically shouts, “Keep walking,” and the anemic PRE/MAIN jumpers and awkward screw posts complete the bad impression. Mine had bent control shafts, a missing knob, and the interior was caked with so much dust I dubbed it the Lost City of Nivicolopolis.
I donned a respirator, then exfoliated the interior with a soft paint brush and a hepa vac, unearthing an ancient electronic civilization. I flooded controls with CRC & Deoxit. Compressed air removed stubborn specks. While the face plate was off I cleaned it with warm, soapy water, then polished the rear RCA jacks as best I could (I load up an old male RCA plug with toothpaste and twist it off and on a bunch of times. At the very least, the jacks now have minty fresh breath).
After powering up via DBT, I took a deep breath and tried the little guy out on my crappy 8 ohm test speakers.
What the what?! No static, no scratchiness, no hum, no smoke or flames. I did not expect a successful launch, given the age, condition, and conspicuous neglect. All the lights worked and FM came in clean and strong without an antenna, in the basement. Playing a random CD through AUX was the next surprise: powerful, clean sound—about as good as any receiver I have ever heard--through tiny test speakers.
Ok, says I, let's see what this little guy does with these slightly less crappy 3-way Layfayette speakers I pulled out of a dumpster last year.
Oh my. Oh. My. How is this ugly, under-powered 52 year old receiver putting out this kind of sound? This is like Elmer Fudd dead-lifting 500 lbs with a hangover. This does not make sense.
All right, onto some home-brew 4 ohm speakers not all that much better than the crappy test speakers and never good with bass.
Lord, how is that much bass coming out of these? What the what?
A day elapsed, and I found I couldn't sleep until I'd introduced the senior citizen to a large pair of ADS L620s, well-made, efficient speakers that encourage even the wimpiest amplifier to go on a sonic rampage. The best match I'd found for them so far was a Scott 380R, a massive thing in comparison, Frankenstein's monster vs. Pee Wee Herman.
After some tedious soldering to make up new speaker wires for the JVC's screw terminals (12 gauge Monoprice--I happen to have a lot of it), I heaved the Scott off the dresser and replaced it with the JVC. FM sounded good, but nothing to write home about. Plus, I was already home. Then I hooked up the laptop. On a whim, I played "Sugar Sugar" by the Archies (it's actually one guy who sings it, even the lyrics that sound like a girl). "Sugar Sugar" tends to sounds only so good, on any system, due to the technical limitations at the time it was recorded, but it sounded the best it's ever sounded with the JVC. Next up, "Man with the Hex," by the Atomic Fireballs. This is a modern recording, with husky, shouted vocals leading up to a punishing drum beat that leaves no doubt as to whether your amp is up to the task of replicating dynamic passages.
Holy. Mother. Of. God. This 52 year old receiver (multiply by 3 for human years) spanked those L620s until their 10 inch woofers were positively rosy. The JVC kicked ass and took names. It blew the Scott out of the water, at least at moderate listening levels. There was no need to turn up the JVC much past 7 o'clock, such was the wall of sound presented at normal volume. The Scott outruns it at top volume, but it needs all of its 85 watts (including a pair of massive filter caps, brand-new Nichicon Gold Tunes) to master the JVC.
"Man with a Hex" segues into a bunch of Badly Drawn Boy songs, which are superbly recorded and offer equally impressive dynamics. The music is extremely diverse, with all kinds of percussion, beats, and acoustic parlor tricks to please the ear and challenge the fidelity of your hi-fi system.
In 34 years of listening to and owning many different amplifiers and receivers, including a Luxman R-117, a Pioneer SX-980, a Harman Kardon A-300 tube amp, a Marantz 2230, a Yamaha CR-800, a Sansui 800, a Proton D1200, and others, only three other classic, low-wattage receivers have impressed me as much with their sound: the Sherwood S-7100A, the Sansui 800, and the Concept 2.0. Yes, it's possible that some of those receivers may have needed recapping, bias adjustments, etc., and evaluating something as subjective and fleeting as sound is fraught with peril, but I cannot stop listening to this wonderful ugly duckling.
Wide shot of the interior. There is literally nothing in there to explain the sound that comes out. No TO-3 output devices. No big output caps. The power supply dates back to the Paleozoic Era. There are some tiny power transistors -- smaller than beans (but magic beans!) -- strapped to a heat sink the size of a playing card. If folks are interested, I will post recent pics of the orphan, cleaned and somewhat presentable.
