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JVC JR-S201 still works...

HeezDeadJim

Entrope Weasel
I gave my friend a set of the Andrew Jones Pioneer bookshelf speakers (the first edition) because I didn't like how they sounded. I have too many unused speakers so off they went. I told him that he'd need a receiver before he gave me money in return for them. I have a Pioneer SX-3700 (before I got my SX-D5000 twins), but I didn't want to part from that because I like that receiver.

So he tells me that his friend moved and he had an old JVC stereo he was given. I told him to bring it by since we were going to watch movies. I was happily surprised to see a "silver face" instead of a modern black plastic receiver. While it doesn't look all that great, it does have a few features that I liked:

JVCjr201.jpg



I know Marantz is known for their tuner wheels that you spin to dial, but this guy has the biggest wheel I've ever seen to dial the radio. It's too bad those aren't VU meters, and I don't like the volume slider. I've always felt volume sliders are just "dangerous" because you could accidentally bump it with something and max out the sound instead of a knob or "feather touch" buttons that require a bit more turn/presses to damage the speakers.

JVCjr201B.jpg



It's missing two of the "caps" for the SEA EQ, but I actually like EQ's. This idiot.....he puts it in a "W" and then tries to "learn" me that by having it that way (instead of the "V" or "U" that I tend to do) compresses it and brings out more detail....or something. He's always high when he comes over so I take what he says with a grain of salt (annoying salt), but since it's his receiver, he obviously can put the EQ the way he wants.

Now I will say, this thing sounds good. I was actually really surprised HOW well it sounded. No static. Lights all seemed to work (from what I can tell) and that EQ really makes a difference. In fact, you can see my Pio SX-D5000 in the background and I have Polk RTi-A3's hooked up to them. I used some JBL Northridge E30's (6 1/4" 2-ways) and I really thought they sounded good. I love how my A3's sound more than my "laid back" tweeters on the JBL's, but with the EQ, the JVC really made them shine.

I'm almost, ALMOST jealous for this receiver. While I still think my Pio would sound better (because I couldn't do an elaborate sound test because he had to leave), I do think it has some similar imaging and soundstage that my Pio does very well. I guess it's only 35wpc and it's no where near as heavy as my Pio, but even still, it sounded really good.
 
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I have never owned any of the JVC JR-Sx01 series, but they are well-regarded and still fly under the radar it seems. They may be an ugly duckling, but I have read good things about them. If you were ever interested in checking one out, look for a JR-S501. At over 46 pounds and 120 WPC, it is supposed to be a monster. If I saw one come my way for the right price, I'd certainly pick one up. That first pic is nice BTW. Cheers. :)
 
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Bought one of those brand new. I enjoyed it immensely. It wont rattle the walls but definitely has some snort for a 35 wpc receiver. SQ and build quality is excellent for what it is. I always liked the Star Wars-zy look, BTW there are a couple of lights out. That's the smallest one of that series, the larger ones are still sleepers and can really cook.
 
I don't think it looks that ugly. I mean, it's not minimalistic, but it doesn't have a bunch of nonsense grids/info on the "screen" to be distracting. The EQ is about the only part that gets a bit noisy, but the rest is just a little unconventional. You could do far worse.
 
I own a JR-S400 mkII that absolutely rocks. 80 watts/channel, built like a tank and sounds fantastic. I think this series looks great, and they seem fairly rare (or maybe nobody is selling theirs because of how good it is).
 
Just got done repairing a JVC jr s 501. Took me a while to figure out what was wrong, but with the help of the great members on audiokarma I was able to finally get to the problem.
image.jpg
 
I've got a working and reasonably nice '201 in the garage, and an "in-progress" '201 in the basement, which worked but had zero front panel lighting (except the LEDs) and all the pushbutton switches on the lower panel were sticky as all get-out. The switches cleaned-up nicely, but I ran out of time and ambition before I got to the lighting problem. For all I know, every light bulb is popped. I also parted-out my first '201, still have the heat sink with the two Darlington modules, the transformer, and some other bits. That one did not survive a fire.

Yes, they kick ass considering the 35-watt rating. I won't promise they'll do so well into a 4-ohm load, though.

I always thought the "FM Det Out" was just an output jack for the FM tuner. Guess I was wrong all this time.
 
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