Customer Reviews

JVC EXD5 DVD System with Wood Cone Speakers and Wireless USB Input

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This shelf unit ex-d5 is a gem. It is flawless on all counts except perhaps one needs the (included) remote control to preprogram and to hit your preprogrammed radio stations. The sound is superbly rich not only distinguishing between tones of different vocals/instruments but wonderful in separating the highs and lows. The sound is more than sufficient volume wise for one or two rooms.
The DVD has plenty of features e.g. zoom, different angles, differing speeds with a nice surround sound effect. As a matter of fact it played a DVD which two other players previously had failed altogether to play. Also I hooked the video line up to my old tv (circa 1996) and it easily played dvd's through it with the remote.
The wireless feature worked flawlessly enabling one to play mp3's, wma or whatever from your computer thru this unit and it's speakers. CD's played wonderful new ones as well as old with no mechanical noise.
AM radio plays non statically even next to my computer. FM is nice also, but as is normal an additional antenna may be needed for some weaker stations.
The speaker cones truly are wood (spruce soaked in sake?) but the speaker cabinets are of a rich wood (cherry?) appearance and are heavy for their size.
I paid about $350 and consider it well worth every cent.

- BP's dad

This unit had all the features I wanted: DVD/CD player; compact size; and USB connectivity. This is a great unit for small spaces but has many drawbacks:

First, older CDs do not have the best sound on this system. I played The Stooges Fun House and David Bowie and the Spiders From Mars albums and the sound is reduced to transistor radio mode. Also, the wood cone speakers make a lot of music sound odd and "tinny or metallic". Very weird. On the other hand, classical music and DVDs sound terrific (though the dialog is often too quiet).

Second, the unit itself is very noisy during disc play. A whirring noise, like a motor humming, can be heard when a disc is playing. This gets very annoying while you're trying to watch a movie or listen to music on lower volumes. Maybe this was just a lemon and I got unlucky -- but I've had the same problem with another JVC microsystem.

I ended up returning the system, and it will be my last purchase from JVC.

I bought this system mainly because of the wood cone speakers and the wireless connectivity. The sound is amazing; the quality of the system is great. The speaker cones are made out of real wood as well as the boxes.
I am a Mac user and it worked great on my PowerBook. Just plug in the USB wireless transmitter, then go to System Preferences choose: sound - output - USB speaker... and enjoy!

This is a small package that punches well above its weight. Filled with features, that seem to do something noticeable when called-in, wrapped in great design and top materials, EXD5 will fill your space with sound and heart with joy!

The feature set includes the ability to wirelessly stream audio from your computer to the unit (2.4GHz, pure USB plug'n play with W2K and XP), near great connectivity (optical/digital DVD out, sub-woofer out, component/S-Video/normal video out, phones, but lacking any input other than wireless), above average tuner (so sensitive that picks stations you didn't know existed but does not differentiate well), good array of playback formats (lacks SACD, DVD+R), progressive scanning, and a fair attempt to emulate surround sound. Noticeable is the absence of hiss, either from speakers or headphones, so present in PAUSE mode with other equipment.

The design here takes into account the best to date, both in form and implementation. Minimalism and style rule the world of EXD5. The buttons are few, well arranged and unobtrusive. The looks of the main unit and the speakers are nothing less than the pictures you can see for yourself. The layout of the main unit, surprisingly lightweight, is symmetrical, centered volume knob, disc tray, buttons, etc. The sound and power modules are separated, thus less noise/interference. Compared to EXD1, this unit has more power and a Hybrid Feedback Digital Amplifier, which supposedly corrects the signal by comparing the analog and digital outputs to the waveform of the original signal. Based on the assumption of more and better quality power, I decided for this unit. The other great attractor here, at least for the acoustically informed curious, is the speaker. Made out of wood, both cage and cone, is something I'm coming to terms with. It can be argued that the minimalism of the main unit is being achieved at the expense of a busy remote control unit.

The materials are again top grade, and the execution is on a par. The case is aluminum, and the speakers are made of wood and have screw-in connectors. The cables are OFC (oxygen free copper).

I have not (and don't plan to) connected this unit to a TV set so I cannot comment on its video quality. The audio quality varies. The specs recommend this as hi-fi equipment. However, the same specs, and the listening experience, indicate the need for a sub-woofer--acknowledged by the JVC engineers by including a dedicated output. I can say that, at certain volumes and for certain types of music, let's say adequate for your working space, the unit is just fine. It does even wonders with acoustical music (Dire Straits in concert), chamber music (Jacqueline du Pre, The Early BBC recordings).

Especially at sales prices, I fully recommend this unit. For those who care, the unit was made in Malaysia, and, by googling "wood cone speakers," you can learn more from the JVC site. I would like to add that I purchased this unit from VANNS, via Amazon; Outstanding service!!!

Addendum: With some CD's, there is indeed noise coming out of the unit itself. Thus, you may have to reconsider those plans where this unit is installed close to you since its transport could be improved.

I agree with other reviews that do no give high ratings to this unit's sound quality when playing older CDs. The wireless USB input that transmits audio from a computer is a great feature. I play MP3 wirelessly from my laptop out of the unit and the sound is quite satisfying, with better sound spaceness and deeper bass. It seems the components (amplifier, speakers) can deliver quality sound when proper EQ is applied. In this regard, any MP3 player software run on PC does a better job than the unit offers (bass/treble +-5)

However, this USB transmitter interferes with my laptop WiFi connection like the manual says. I tried solutions suggested on the manual but they do not work for me. So it's better used on a wired computer.
(above was review on day one)

After few days of listening, I find the music sounds good from this unit is classic - particularly violin, piano and chamber music. I play Mozart: Violin Sonatas K. 301, 304, 376 & 526 and really enjoy the clean and sweet violin sound it produces. But symphony music that demands a wider sound spectrum handling does not sound as well.

To identify what makes the sound short of depth, I hooked up another pair of bookshlef speakers (40 watts versus the original 20 watts) from Yamaha CRX-E150 (BTW, Yamaha just released a new executive system - Yamaha MCR-230BL Micro Component System (Black). It should be a nice one comes with features like playing MP3 directly from a plugged-in USB media) and the sound quality turns out much better!

My conclusion is that: the pair of wood cone speakers look nice and sound sweet in close-up listening on certain music, but unfortunately limit the potential of the entire system! For people like me who would like to listen to various types of music (most people do I guess) would improve their listening experience after upgrading the unit's speakers to a more powerful set.

I've been planning to get a system like this for a long time. Denon makes some nice ones, but they were too expensive. This system has been out for a while, and because of it, it lacks some features. When it was released, I bet it was quite feature rich (but the retail price reflected that). At the current price, I think it's a bit underpriced and a great bargain. There are many systems that are audio only that cost more.

Pros
*Sound quality is pretty good. I use it in my office at home and it's plenty loud. I characterize the sound as bright and not muffled. The bass isn't boomy, but it's a nice compliment to overall sound quality. I don't use the external subwoofer connection, because it doesn't seem to need it.
*Wireless USB Speaker works flawlessly. Had to mess with my settings on my PC, but the JVC part of it was perfect. I have alot of RF around here, and it's had no hint of interference.
*Easy to assemble. Plug it in and connect the speakers.
*High Quality. Build quality is good. Feels and looks good (although my wife is not quite so enamored).
*Price. It's a great bargain. Got it for $199 through Amazon to Vann's. It dropped from $249 for a flash and I was lucky enough to catch it.
*Lots of support...MP3, DVD-Audio, WMA, DVD-Video, VCD, MP3.....although not all the support I was looking for (see Cons below).
*Came quickly and in great condition. Packed well and box was undamaged. Online tracking was spot on with delivery.
*Surround sound decoding.
*Good quality speaker wire.
*I like the TV remote feature. Works fine with my Sony TV.
-On Screen Control
-Program Playlist so you can change the order of the songs you listen to.
-Mute actually takes the volume to min and back to the level. Kind of a neat way to do it.
-DVD Sound level - Normal, Medium, High
-3Phonic - Action, Drama and Theater modes
-Dimmer for the LED screen.
-The speaker wire that came with it had solder on the ends to prevent the wire from unraveling.
-Dual Volume controls for TV and Audio. At first, I thought it was dumb idea, but then it made sense to be able to adjust each volume without having to switch a knob to go between devices.
*On Screen MP3/WMA/JPEG
*Video time search

Cons - All these are knits and really just nice to haves.
*No physical USB to connect a flash drive to play music or video.
*No Divx support like the EX-A10.
*No Raw MPEG Support.
*No SACD support.
*No HDMI. The Component Video is pretty good, but the cable is way thicker.
*AM/FM Reception is a little weak. I have other radios in my house with better reception.
*Remote is a little big.
*No song name on an Audio Disc.
*No radio song names.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the system. It doesn't have all the features I want, but it has 90%. The features it does have are good and the whole system is quality build and the features are engineered nicely. Delivery was efficient.

JVC EXD5 DVD System with Wood Cone Speakers and Wireless USB Input

The good: this system is great for a portable system. I used it in conjunction with a powered subwoofer. The sound is very good. DVD is hooked up to computer LCD monitor. Works very well. Lots of function in a nice little package.
The bad: the receiver lasted a little over a year, then failed. - could play CD or DVD for 10 minutes or so, then the big static noise and would not response further. I used it a lot during the year that it operated, but i expect the thing to last a little longer, and not just fail soon after basic warranty expires.

I bought the ex-d5 as an upgrade to my jvc yx-d1. Although the wood cone speakers in the d5 are terrific, the fm/am reception is terrible. The unit was placed in same spot and same antenna as previous unit, and every station is static-filled. No wonder jvc couldnt sell 'em.

This is the best bookshelf audio (and now video: it plays DVDs) system there ever was. It's my third JVC system. They've all been superb. This one has enough oomph for a home theater app. The bass is astonishing. The wireless input feature is cool for A/V wonks (I probably won't use it much). For me the value is having a TINY stereo unit that sound like a million bucks...everything in one itty-bitty enclosure that will still rattle your windows. JVC: the BEST!

I have owned the JVC EX-D1 for a couple of years. The D1 is the same as the D5 except for the lack of a wireless input capability, which is something I have no use for.

1. Sound Fidelity - In a word, the sound quality is great. Which is astonishing considering the small size of the speakers. When shopping, I also tried small Bose speakers and this JVC unit beat the Bose system hands-down. Bass comes in clear and strong, but not boomy. High frequency comes in bright, without tinniness. Subjective opinion, of course. Still, I love the sound.

2. Features - Has them all. Except for speaker balance adjustment, the lack of which I found strange.

3. USB Input - This is the best feature for an office system where you might hook up the speakers to your computer. Just plug it in to your computer, and it is recognized automatically as a USB sound device. No fuss, no muss.

4. Appearance - In an office, you want a system that does not broadcast "geek". The appearance of this unit is classy and understated. The cherry wood veneer is lovely. I love it.

Highly recommended.