| Reviews : JVC UX-G200 CD Micro Component System |
Technical Details
- 16 W Total Power
- USB Host
- Front Audio Input
- Hyper-Bass Sound
- 4 Sound Modes
Product Description
CD Micro Component SystemSimilar Products
Customer Reviews
By G. O'Connor (Washington Grove, MD United States)
the JVC unit you are looking at is actually pretty nice. I bought it recently primarily for the amplifer with USB drive attachment and it works perfectly. FM seemed reasonably good for performance and sound, I never tried the CD, although I suspect JVC has that down to a science. You will probably feel comfortable with the logic behind the remote control!. The speakers are limited in what they can actually do, so if its big sound you crave for this amount of cash you might be disappointed. I connected the receiver to several different pairs of speakers I had in the house (and planned to use) and was really pleased. Considering the amp, tuner, USB connection and software along with a CD player...even without speakers its a good deal.
By Lance G. Augustine (The Midwest, USA)
With all of the Made For Ipod music systems available today, it's difficult to find a basic, compact shelf system without the dock and all the associated bells and whistles manufacturers have to add to be competitive in this market. I've been looking for an inexpensive stereo to play my CDs and MP3 files with features like random play and a sleep timer for awhile now, and I've finally found my solution with the JVC UX-G200. This model is the 2009 replacement for the similar UX-G28, with just a few changes.
While the visual design won't win any awards, it's an improvement over its predecessor...the front panel layout now includes six solid, shiny metal buttons as well as the rotary volume control. Unfortunately, the remaining buttons are cheap, small and plastic, but you can always use the medium-size remote control instead (you have to for certain functions anyway). And, you can fit this unit almost anywhere...while the speaker cables are permanently affixed to the particle board speakers, at least each speaker can extend out about 4 feet from the main unit.
I knew when considering this purchase what I was dealing with as far as sound quality goes...one look at the specifications is all it took...but because it had the features I needed, I decided to take a chance on it. No, this stereo won't be able to fill your entire home (or apartment) with powerful, high-quality sound, but it may work for you in a small room.
Pros:
- Easy to set up and use.
- Hyper-bass mode and four 'equalizer' effects. The Hyper-bass effect gives the
impression that there's some actual bass response coming out of the low-quality
speakers, and although it can 'muddy' the sound of some source material, I
recommend you keep it on...it even makes the headphone output sound better
than those on some higher-priced stereos.
While the unit doesn't have a true equalizer, the Rock, Pop, Classic and Jazz
sound effects emphasize certain frequencies, and can improve the sound of some
lower quality MP3 files and older CDs. The Rock setting sounds very impressive at
first, but extended listening of already-high-frequency sources may fatigue your ears.
I feel the Pop setting is best for most situations, and sometimes I just turn off the
effects altogether (except for Hyper-bass).
- Random play, program play, sleep timer and a daily 'wake-up' timer that stays in
memory (all of these features I've tested and they work great).
- Plays regular audio CDs without problems (and without noticeable hiss, as reported
with the UX-G28).
- The best feature of all for me - a front-panel USB port so that you can play hundreds
of MP3 or WMA song files using inexpensive USB flash drives (I picked up several
512mb flash drives locally for only 99 cents each!) It can handle even the highest-
quality (320kbps) files flawlessly and displays the I.D. tag info (artist, song title, etc.)
without dropping any words or characters. Sure, there's no easy way to locate a
particular song when you have a fully-loaded flash drive, but for the way I use it
(random play), that's not a big deal.
Cons:
- As mentioned, the power and sound quality could be better...even considering the
price. But I've also heard much worse, and for many people, I believe the sound
may be more than adequate.
- Top-loading CD 'hatch' (removing CDs may be tricky for someone with bigger hands).
- You can't see the clock well (or at all) when the unit is off (in standby). And since
this system draws a little juice even when powered down (to keep the clock running),
cutting the power totally by unplugging it or turning off your power strip won't allow
the daily timer to function.
- The quality of the radio is average at best.
- Not all MP3 players can play through the USB port (my Sansa Fuze won't, but I have
heard a (newer?) Ipod Shuffle work). You can always play them through the front-
panel audio in jack, however. JVC does not supply the cable necessary, though.
- MP3 data CDs can struggle to play correctly. I burned a disc of files downloaded
from Amazon, and while most songs made it, random sound and song dropouts
occurred (128kbps files don't cause any problems). Also, I.D. tag info isn't as
reliable with data discs.
Bottom line: While far from perfect, the UX-G200 may be a viable option for someone on
a budget looking to fill their music needs in a small bedroom or den. I'm generally happy
with my purchase even though this system falls short of ideal in a few areas.
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