JVC UX-P 5 R

I decided to buy the JVC UX-P5R after an age of looking and comparing various hi-fis made by various manufacturers. I thought that a Sony would be best as they have a reputation for quality. However, this hi-fi would hopefully follow me after I leave school and home, so I wanted a powerful system. The only systems with comparable RMS (the power of the system) are usually either more expensive or are larger mini systems. The JVC has a RMS of 50 watts.
...same price. I bought my JVC for £160, after initially wanting the Panasonic. The main difference between the two is the fact that the Panasonic has a 5 capacity CD-changer, and a stereo radio tuner. The JVC has a 1 capacity CD drawer, and a RDS tuner. Otherwise, these two CD players are very similar. However, I changed my mind once I saw the two side-by-side. I really thought that a 5 capacity CD-changer would be a great bonus, as it probably is, ... more

I decided to buy the JVC UX-P5R after an age of looking and comparing various hi-fis made by various manufacturers. I thought that a Sony would be best as they have a reputation for quality. However, this hi-fi would hopefully follow me after I leave school and home, so I wanted a powerful system. The only systems with comparable RMS (the power of the system) are usually either more expensive or are larger mini systems. The JVC has a RMS of 50 watts.

The Panasonic SCPM-11 is the only hi-fi with the same RMS at the same price. I bought my JVC for £160, after initially wanting the Panasonic. The main difference between the two is the fact that the Panasonic has a 5 capacity CD-changer, and a stereo radio tuner. The JVC has a 1 capacity CD drawer, and a RDS tuner. Otherwise, these two CD players are very similar. However, I changed my mind once I saw the two side-by-side. I really thought that a 5 capacity CD-changer would be a great bonus, as it probably is, but it was obvious that all of the quality had gone into the manufacture of the CD-changer. The build of the Panasonic seemed much less solid than the JVC, with the volume control for example seeming flimsy by comparison. This is probably a praise of the JVC rather than a criticism of the Panasonic. But the real clincher in favour of the JVC is the inclusion of the optical digital output at the back. This is essential if you have a portable minidisc recorder, as I do, as it allows perfect copying of CD’s to minidisc.

The main advantage is this power that comes from having 50 watt RMS (basically, the higher the RMS, the more powerful the speakers will be). At top volume, I can feel my guts moving around, and my room starts shaking. You will almost never need to use the top volume, unless you are either deaf or trying to make your house fall down! It really is very powerful, and this power seems very strange in a micro system. The power seems more appropriate in a mini system.

Also, the features in the JVC are very good. It has all the usual radio and cassette features, and you can save up to 30 favourite FM radio stations, and 15 AM radio stations, to save you from having to search through the airwaves every time you want to change stations. The quality of the radio reception is very good, and I can even pick up Irish and French stations! RDS is enabled on the JVC, which allows you – on FM stations – to view information that the broadcaster includes, such as what DJ is on Radio 1, or numbers you can call to vote for a song, for example. It can also show information such as the name of a play that is on. It’s a shame that this isn’t used on AM stations, though I think that that’s the limitation of the technology, not the hi-fi.

There is also a function called EON, which will turn to another radio station that starts broadcasting information such as traffic announcements, or the news. Once this ends, the hi-fi will turn the station back to the original one. I haven’t ever needed to use this before, but it seems very useful, especially if you are planning a trip and are listening out for a traffic announcement. This will stop you having to spend ages looking for the relevant information through all the stations.

The cassette also has the usual play, rewind, etc, but you can set it to automatically change the side when it gets to the end of a side. Not revolutionary, but nice to have. However, the mechanical sounds made by the JVC seem very loud when playing a cassette. I’m not sure if this is usual, but you soon get used to it and it isn’t usually much of a problem. It’s only really evident when changing sides, when all sorts of clunks are given off, which last for a few seconds. There’s also a handy little flashing light, which shows which direction the tape is being played.

The CD player has the option of track programming, and it can play up to 20 tracks in a selected order. This would be good for playing the loud tracks on a CD for example, and could also be useful in compilations. This feature is very easy to use, and you can easily view the track order.

The normal random and repeat options are also here, and work well, showing which is being used on the display.

The display itself also works well, showing track number, which features are being used, such as random or repeat, bass level, etc. The light is strong, easily strong enough to see what the display is showing in the dark. There is the option of a dimmer as well, though I think it doesn’t dim it enough, and can still be quite bright in darkness, e.g. in your room at night.

The bass can be very strong, and there are 3 levels of it to choose from (Off, 1 or 2). There is the inclusion of sound modes, which will change the sound being produced to something more suitable to the music being played. The options are: Rock, Pop, Classic, and Jazz, and each sound mode will give a different feeling, emphasising bass, or giving a feeling of a live atmosphere, for example. This is a good addition, and makes your CDs sound better.

An original inclusion is the option of locking your disc tray, so that it can’t be opened. I’m not sure what use this has, but I suppose it would stop people changing the CD (are you reading Tom? ;-) ) or stealing it. This could become confusing for someone who has accidentally done it, and it unable to unlock it. However, a quick look at the manual will reveal how to unlock it (Hold Stop and Off together)

There is timer option, which basically acts as an alarm, and can be set to come on at the time set. It can be set to play a CD, play a tape, or listen to the radio. The radio station can be set, and also the timer option can be used to record to a cassette from the radio. A useful part here is the option of the wake-up volume, so it can be set to come on louder than what it was when you turned it off, for example. The exact volume can be set. I use the timer as my alarm in the morning, as it is nicer than waking up to the dreaded BEEPBEEPBEEP that makes me shudder. The recording timer function can be useful if you want to record a radio program when you are out, or if you are likely to forget it.

There is also a sleep timer, which can be set to turn the hi-fi off after either 10, 20, 30, 60, 90, or 120 minutes, and I use this to go to sleep, so the hi-fi won’t waste electricity when I’m not using it.

The manual is also very useful, with many diagrams making it easy to set up the hi-fi, and also help solve any problems with. The explanations are very clear. It is also large and easy to read, with no foreign languages in it.

The speaker grilles are also removable, depending on personal preference. I think it looks better with them on, but it’s up to you.

There is also a 24-hour clock, but the settings for it are lost if the power is lost, meaning you have to reset the clock if there is a power cut. The radio settings are lost after a few days without power to the hi-fi, but they can also be simply re-entered.

It makes a CLICK as it is turned off. I don’t know if this is intentional, but it allows you to press off and go out of the room, and know if the hi-fi is turned off or not without having to look at it. I find this useful.

The remote is very well made. It fits well into your hand, and the most used buttons have the back of the remote in blue, making it easy to see. The Power button has a little bump on it, so you can feel if you are about to turn it off accidentally. It requires two AA batteries, which are supplied. I got the JVC back in December, and the batteries are still working fine, and it’s June now. It is very light, so you won’t mind if you have to hold it for a while. It has most of the available functions on it, such as play, pause, search, and volume. The only functions that have to be performed at the amplifier are the Clock, the Timer function, and recording to cassette. This is probably because they need the display, because there is room for them on the remote. There are 27 buttons on the remote, and they are all easy to press, so you won’t find yourself pressing two or three accidentally. The remote also has a wide range, so you also don’t have to point it directly at the amplifier. You won’t have to go right up to the amplifier for the remote to work, as well.

The size of the hi-fi is quite good as well, as it is not too large. The dimensions are (from the manual):

Amplifier:

505mm x 256mm x 295mm (W/H/D)
10 kg

Speakers:

160mm x 256mm x 213mm (W/H/D)
2.3 kg

Overall, I think that this micro hi-fi is very good value for money, and is very powerful. It has a very solid build, and is easily of the same quality of a Sony. Don’t be afraid of the brand, as it has very few faults, and it is very reliable.

Thanks for reading. 

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