JVC MX-J500 Compact Stereo System

Rating:
Summary: No Blue, Thank you.
Review: Based on Consumer Reports recommendation, I was ready to buy this unit, when I noticed that the speakers are blue and not black. Good solid quality is a must, but this unit would have been going in my bedroom, and blue is not a color I prefer.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic sound and quality build, but frustrating...
Review: Frustrating... are you confused by the last word in my title? I'll explain, but I won't get to it 'til later.

First of all, I've got to comment on how ass-ugly this thing is. It's not that bad in comparison to other mini-systems, but apparantly these days it's a general rule that a mini system has to meet a standard of ugliness. It's not so much the system itself, but the speakers. It looks like it was taken from a bad sci-fi flick.

That said, while being ugly, it still manages to retain it's charm. The front rolling panel, while one could do without it, provides an interesting spin on old concepts, and however ugly the speakers are, they fit the all-around style of the system, and they're not reall that bad after you get used to them. The only other complaint I have is the brightness of the display. Even when off, the thing shines like a beacon, making sleep near impossible if the system is facing your way. Of course, turning it away is the easiest solution to that problem. Other than that, I'm unhappy with the remote, but that's not the fault of the manufacturer (boycott Radio Shack, they gave me the remote to a different model on which only certain functions work, and they didn't give me the FM antannea it was supposed to come with).

Of course, all that isn't that important. Beyond the looks of the thing, it's got sound of pure gold. This being my fifth system in less than three years-I'm beginning to get a tad pissed off at manufacturers whose products I know damn well aren't going to last (*cough* RCA Koss *cough*). But I have the feeling that this one is a keeper. It offers three seperate disc trays, something I prefer over a carousel, as I have found the latter to be vastly unreliable. It may take longer to switch discs and such, but in the end I feel it will end up being far more reliable.

The sound, of course, is the most important feature of a stereo, and this thing has oodles of it. While not as powerful as the higher end MXJ700 - 900s, this thing has more than enough sound to easily overpower a large master bedroom. While I know more about stereo components than most, I won't pretend that I'm a genius on the subject, so I'll just say that this thing KICKS. Easily the best of my five stereo purchases. It blows the Koss and RCA into the water. The bass is great as well, but it's not as noticeable as you'd think on a unit with such powerful speakers. The bass becomes more powerful the farther you are from the system, really. However, with the bass cranked, close range listening is also excellent and enjoyable (of course people in other parts of the house might start complaining about that constant vibration). The highs are clear, the mids are well pronounced, and as I said the bass is great as well.

The three timers are also good features. Not only can you set the system to wake you up, unlike most systems, you can set the system to wake you up to a specific CD and track. Wanna' wake up to 'Nighttrain' instead of 'Welcome To The Jungle?' No problem.

A word of warning to a prospective buyer though: this thing will overpower a room if the room is too small-no doubt about it. It fills my entire basement (25 x 25) without any effort at all-so if you're room is exceptionally small, you might want to stick with one of the lower MX models (the 300 or 200 is my suggestion). That said, if you love you music with a passion, but just can't afford a seperate components system then this thing is your best bet. Even with my unremastered Black Sabbath disc, it kicks!

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic sound and quality build, but frustrating...
Review: Frustrating... are you confused by the last word in my title? I'll explain, but I won't get to it 'til later.

First of all, I've got to comment on how ass-ugly this thing is. It's not that bad in comparison to other mini-systems, but apparantly these days it's a general rule that a mini system has to meet a standard of ugliness. It's not so much the system itself, but the speakers. It looks like it was taken from a bad sci-fi flick.

That said, while being ugly, it still manages to retain it's charm. The front rolling panel, while one could do without it, provides an interesting spin on old concepts, and however ugly the speakers are, they fit the all-around style of the system, and they're not reall that bad after you get used to them. The only other complaint I have is the brightness of the display. Even when off, the thing shines like a beacon, making sleep near impossible if the system is facing your way. Of course, turning it away is the easiest solution to that problem. Other than that, I'm unhappy with the remote, but that's not the fault of the manufacturer (boycott Radio Shack, they gave me the remote to a different model on which only certain functions work, and they didn't give me the FM antannea it was supposed to come with).

Of course, all that isn't that important. Beyond the looks of the thing, it's got sound of pure gold. This being my fifth system in less than three years-I'm beginning to get a tad pissed off at manufacturers whose products I know damn well aren't going to last (*cough* RCA Koss *cough*). But I have the feeling that this one is a keeper. It offers three seperate disc trays, something I prefer over a carousel, as I have found the latter to be vastly unreliable. It may take longer to switch discs and such, but in the end I feel it will end up being far more reliable.

The sound, of course, is the most important feature of a stereo, and this thing has oodles of it. While not as powerful as the higher end MXJ700 - 900s, this thing has more than enough sound to easily overpower a large master bedroom. While I know more about stereo components than most, I won't pretend that I'm a genius on the subject, so I'll just say that this thing KICKS. Easily the best of my five stereo purchases. It blows the Koss and RCA into the water. The bass is great as well, but it's not as noticeable as you'd think on a unit with such powerful speakers. The bass becomes more powerful the farther you are from the system, really. However, with the bass cranked, close range listening is also excellent and enjoyable (of course people in other parts of the house might start complaining about that constant vibration). The highs are clear, the mids are well pronounced, and as I said the bass is great as well.

The three timers are also good features. Not only can you set the system to wake you up, unlike most systems, you can set the system to wake you up to a specific CD and track. Wanna' wake up to 'Nighttrain' instead of 'Welcome To The Jungle?' No problem.

A word of warning to a prospective buyer though: this thing will overpower a room if the room is too small-no doubt about it. It fills my entire basement (25 x 25) without any effort at all-so if you're room is exceptionally small, you might want to stick with one of the lower MX models (the 300 or 200 is my suggestion). That said, if you love you music with a passion, but just can't afford a seperate components system then this thing is your best bet. Even with my unremastered Black Sabbath disc, it kicks!

Rating:
Summary: mini jvc system
Review: I have had this system for 2 days now, and i love it already. The features are great. The 3 cd trays that are stacked on top of one another is great because you can listen to a cd and put a new cd in at the same time. The rolling face panel gives the system a great high tech look. The system has a nice blue shade which is pretty rare on any sound system. There are great timer options like a daily timer, recording timer, and sleep timer. When you are in the cassette mode, this system is able to locate the begining of a song instead of you having to search for it.

Personally, I have not encountered any problems with this system, or have I disliked anything about this system. But why not 5 stars? because the extended bass is not strong enough.

Rating:
Summary: Almost perfect
Review: My system arrived last night and I had it set up in less than an hour. The sound quality is great. The system is attractive, which is a bonus. I only have two quibbles. First, the unit does not offer high-speed dubbing, which I will miss. And the control panel slides out of sight when you shut the unit off. If this feature doesn't work, the unit would be unable to function at all, presumably. Still, these are minor points compared to the system's many virtues. Much bang for the buck here.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: This stereo is great! I love the different sound modes and the three cd changer. You can even create and store up to three of your own, customized sound modes. The timer features are great. You can wake up in the morning to your favorite cd, or the radio. Or go to sleep to your favorite music and have your stereo shut off after a certain amount of time. It is fairly simple to use and requires minimum knowledge of electronic thingies. This stereo is great for that kind of price!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: This stereo is great! I love the different sound modes and the three cd changer. You can even create and store up to three of your own, customized sound modes. The timer features are great. You can wake up in the morning to your favorite cd, or the radio. Or go to sleep to your favorite music and have your stereo shut off after a certain amount of time. It is fairly simple to use and requires minimum knowledge of electronic thingies. This stereo is great for that kind of price!