After having browsed the internet, looked on at least 100 HiFi-selling websites, I hadn't really narrowed my list of options down to little less than 50 or so HiFi's. This is basically because all the HiFi's nowadays have all the same functions.
Before this HiFi, I had a Sharp model, it was a bigger system, with Dolby Pro Logic set up - but two of them broke in a row, and the sound wasn't up to much. It also had a multi-changer, which never got used.
So, back to the JVC. So, having looked on the net, I decided to go to the shops, and test out every single HiFi in the stores. I went to loads - Argos, Index, Curry's, Dixons, Comet, Sony, Panasonic, several local stores,
and richer sounds..
Having looked at over 200 different systems - putting them through vigorous tests:#
- I played two CDs in them. One Dance and One rock - this gave me a good judgement of the sound quality and volume of the different aspects (ie bass, treble etc.)
- I played a tape on it. To check the quality of the tape deck.
- I opened and closed everything possible, at least 10 times - checking for stability, smoothness etc.
- I tried to break off anything possible - again, checking for robustness.
- I looked through the manual and tried out every feature (some shop keepers/assistants got a little upset/angry at me asking for, at time around 50 different manuals!!) - to check how useful, easy-to-use and effective the features are.
- I used all the ports at the back of the machines - using my mindisc player to check quality of the sockets.
- I also tried everything else possible to test the product!!
I found, that the cheaper brands performed worst in this. But its not really suprising. The worst was a system where the power button, when pressed got stuck inside the case, and then the front panel (which is supposed to move upwards when you turn it on) - got stuck halfway, and then fell off completely.
The Sony's - which I expected to be the best, where very well built and were pretty much excellent - but i found the sound quality wasn't very good - very crackly, quiet at high volumes and didn't offer effective bass, without making the treble worse. Also, some of the newer Sony systems, in my opinion look really, really tacky!
Having looked at all the systems - I had narrowed it down to three sytems.
A Sony minisystem, which had gamesync ports, which looked to me just to be standard Phono ports, just at the front. 3-CDs, and RDS - but crap sound.
A JVC large system - very good sound, but no RDS and looked really, really horrid, and felt tacky. It was one of those "sporty-style" systems - yellow, black and silver!
The JVC System - the UX-P5R. An excellently designed system, with RDS?EON; a timer (alarm); CD-R/RW playback; Bass boost (2 levels) - I found this was the best of all the Hi-Fi's I tested - even most seperate systems!; Optical out (for digital recorders, like minidisc); Aux. In; Two-tone display light; removable speaker Grilles; excellent remote; CD-Locking; CD>Tape direct copy - improves sound quality and automatically stops recording and turns over tape when recording from CD to tape.. it also adjusts the sound settings to get the best recording quality; auto-reverse tape deck; simple menu system; equalizer-by-genre (ie Jazz, Rock, Dance)- it optimizes bass levels etc. For the type of music you are listening to. It had 50w speaker output, with an amplifier supporting upto 60w.
By the way, RDS/EON means you can do things like search for radio by genre - ie Sport/news/rock/dance etc.. you can set it to automatically change the radio-channel when something you want comes on, on another station - Ie, you are listening to RockFM, and you've set it to get the news when it comes on.. and the news comes on on BBC Southern Counties Radio - it'll automically change the station. RDS/EON also provides you with the station name, and at a click on the remote - a short description.. for example - Southern FM is displayed... and then I press.. and it'll say - Today's best music... with Danny and Nicky in the morning... where as a normal Stereo radio.. just says "96.9".
In all.. and excellent system.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I like your testing processes and yes it was a good review but to me seemed as if it was lacking a little something.
LostWitness 01.09.2002 11:48
I like the way you described your purchasing process - you did some pretty rigorous testing there! I did a similar thing when I was hunting for some speakers a few years back. Always take your own cds - the shop tends to have such crap ones.
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