Please bear in mind that this review only reflects my personal opinions and taste. As always, you are advised to be your own judge. I am evaluating the RX-10 for stereo use only.
INTRO.
Nearly all experienced audiophiles have been conditioned to believe that to experience true hi-fi sound would require writing one big check. A rack of large components is not only a mark of pride, it is a crowning mark of achievement. Besides, who doesn’t like having big beefy amplifiers to show off to both neighbors / friends and fellow audio enthusiasts?
Word on the virtual street is that there is a change in the winds. That change lies within the maturity of chip amplification. There have been many claims of these inexpensive economy receivers replacing those racks of equipment, and all for a price of around or under 1k! While more products are being introduced to the home audio market, most are either exotic (ranging in the thousands), or inexpensive economy based receivers (typically never going past $400 USD). My pockets are not all too deep these days, so I decided to focus my sights on the latest economy receiver, the RX-F10 from JVC. The claims I read online, topped with a very affordable price tag ($300 USD, currently $249 at
www.jandr.com) made the decision a no-brainer. Reports indicated this new JVC unit was a bit special. How could I resist? I placed the order as soon as I could.
For the past two months, I have been using and evaluating the JVC RX-F10 Audio/Video home theater receiver. Being no stranger to inexpensive products that sport chip amplifiers, I was none too reluctant to give this newcomer a try in my personal second audio system. My previous experiences with chip amplifiers were the Sony AVD-S50 ES dvd-player / home theater receiver, and the Griffin Power Wave USB amplifier. While both brought value that was utterly stunning, the product limitations left much to be desired. Such is the case with most budget pieces, let alone pieces that were never even designed with hi-fi in mind. I patiently waited for the package to arrive in preparation for another extensive listening test.
RIGHT OUTTA’ THE BOX NOTABLES.
You can have any color you like, as long as it’s silver. For those of you who just have to have it black, tough luck! Weighing in at 15 lbs, the RX-F10 doesn't instill the kind of faith and comfort most would like to have after spending some cash on a receiver. The clip-type speaker terminals on the back only accepts bare speaker wire. I found a comfortable limitation at 15 gauge speaker wire. Those with banana hooks may still be able to use terminated ends, the rest of you are just SOL. The thin power cord is not detachable, so for you tweakers out there, start busting out the soldering iron if you want some big beefy power cable. Phono fans will be let down, as there is no phono input stage. There is however, a headphone jack, fm/am loops, TV/Direct capabilities and inputs for multi-channel audio (DVD-A in particular). Unlike many other receivers in its price range, there is a built in Digital EQ (which has calibration options for: 63hz, 250hz, 1khz, 4khz, and 16khz). It is also nice to see a product in this range giving the user an option to set the cross-over down to 80hz, or to bypass it completely. The ability to run the 6 discrete amplifiers at once in "all stereo surround" is a great feature, especially if desire to bi-amp your speakers. Being in a small space, I am more than used to getting off my butt to make adjustments, but I understand that some just don't have the desire to do the same. Rest assured, for those lazy folk out there, the remote is very well thought out and designed. You typically don't get this type of remote with a receiver this inexpensive. The corners cut on this unit were to be expected for anything in this price range. I feel the "tweakability" JVC offered in the RX-F10 counter balanced its short-comings.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS.
I really tried to enjoy the unit out of the box, truly I did, but I just couldn't find it in me. The highs were harsh, the bass was un-controlled and turning it up past 20 resulted in very audible strain and distortion. In fact, this experience is polar opposite of the two other chip amplifier based products I owned (never mind the others I have heard in stores). The bright Blue LED stripe across the unit definitely was distracting and added to the "cheap" feel of the unit. Thankfully JVC had the foresight to not only allow it to be dimmed, but turned off entirely! I wish other exotic companies would incorporate this very simple feature. The fan-noise is also something that could be an issue for anyone who plans on using this piece in a relatively quiet environment. In my own room, I find it inaudible at about 6ft away. Despite this unit having a fan (where there are already reports of fans not operating or being blocked), the RX-F10 runs very warm on the left hand side of the unit. While the lack of vents on the top allow for equipment stacking, you will have to make sure you have room to the left and right of this piece to operate safely. Disabling the fan will cause this unit to go into protection mode with very little output.
ENOUGH ALREADY, HOWS IT SOUND?
I mine as well get this out of the way. I won’t be reviewing my listening results by providing details of an album or a song listened to. The truth is, this system is hooked up to the PC where there are hundreds, if not thousands of songs that run the entire genre gamut. My comments will instead be more along the lines of generalities. It is also worth mentioning that I am running an analog to the JVC, not digital coax or fiber optic. With that being said, let us move on.
I decided to get the ball rolling by hooking up a pair of Polk Audio LSi-7 bookshelf speakers. The low impedance (tested between 6 - 4 ohms) of this speaker would serve as a great way to test the chip amps capability. I hooked things up, leaving the speakers set to default (large), with no sub switched on. After firing up a few tracks (mostly jazz and modern rock), I felt neutral. I was taken back by its very warm and engaging mid-range, which some refer to as a "tube-like" sound. This is a stark contrast from the very dry and almost analytical nature of the Sony AVD S-50 ES and the Griffin Power Wave. In turn, I was very disappointed by what I would consider to be sloppy bass with a sibilant top end. The bass sounded like it was catered more towards theater and pop (or young kids wif' 12's in da trunk). I was again disappointed by the lack of balls on the RX-F10. Pushing the volume past the "20"mark would result in audible strain and distortion. This is yet another sharp contrast to the previous chip amp pieces I have experience with, as even out of the box, both were very balanced, detailed, and had almost complete control over the cones, with gobs of power to boot. So far, the buzz around the net was right about one thing, this isn't like all the other digital amps out there. Keeping in mind the insurances of a remarkable improvement through time, I decided to remain patient and played on.
While in the process of cooking his little light-weight, I decided to give the FM/AM a try. Normally I get a poor signal in this particular space, so I was not expecting much. Perhaps that was just as well, as I received next to no reception. Having just used a vintage Sansui G-5500 receiver (with a great built in tuner), I knew that information was at least reaching the area. This may be a big deal for those who love their radio, thankfully (or maybe not); local stations here rarely play anything worth listening to. Not completely discouraged, I decided to try the headphone output. I hooked up a loaned pair of Sennheiser HD 570's for a few songs, and I just couldn't bear it. Bad, JVC, bad!!! That has to be the worst head out I have ever heard. While I rarely ever listen with cans, this just seemed like a final blow that had all but convinced that this unit just is not up to snuff with the hype.
