Besides performance when stock, I'd like to know about the mod potential of the new JVCs. I have heard that the older ES1SL had better mod potential than its successor, the F-10, since it had a linear power supply and discrete parts/components. I'd hope that the new 2xx is a great basis for mods. I want a JVC digital receiver for my tv room (I think they will pair very nicely to my Acoustic Reality Avinci bookshelf speakers, which are very warm, musical and have solid mid-bass). Once the verdict is out ...
I find it interesting that people pay hard earned money to modify a $200 receiver. It seems reasonable to guess that $200 street-price 7-channel receivers are engineered & assembled to never be serviced. Shipping, handling & stocking parts for returns, coupled with insanely low, low production costs ($3 per day Asian wages) & the added expense for removable fasteners, mean that when a unit fails in or out of warranty, it is immediately discarded & replaced. These pieces are barely worth paying a semi-professional (youngster at the local A-V mart) to diagnose that it is truly broken, much less anything beyond that. There's a good reason the criminally irresponsible Philips transferred all service to a third party in a foreign country.
It also seems reasonable to assume a $200 receiver is built for low to moderate (at best) longevity. At this price level, two years later people are interested in newer technology. They feel like they got their $200 worth of fun already.
So now you gots a $200 receiver, with $X in upgrades. A year later it breaks & it's trashed.
Just my observation. It's your money to do with what you like, so enjoy whatever you feel is right.
