JVC EX-A1 Compact DVD Audio/Video System with Wood Cone Speakers

Other products by JVC

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 17.6 x 9.1 inches ; 100 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 18 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00021MX0C
• Item model number: EXA1
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #60,217 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 15, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
There's a reason most musical instruments are made of wood--it projects natural acoustics better than most other materials. JVC used this blueprint as inspiration when designing its EX-A1 stereo system, which comes with the world's first pair of wood cone speakers. Whereas many speakers feature wooden casings, none had previously offered wooden diaphragms until these JVC units, which are made of birch. The 30-watt speakers produce a remarkably clear and natural sound, with bass tones that are normally unachievable without a subwoofer. The speakers work in harmony with the rest of the system to give music and movies the rich, multifaceted sound they deserve--all this in a compact, easy-to-store package.

And make no mistake, the EX-A1 is more than just an audio system. It includes a built-in DVD player that's compatible with DVD-Audio, DVD-Video, DVD-R/RW, Super Video CD, Video CD, CD-R/RW, and MP3 formats. It also displays JPEG images recorded on CD-Rs and CD-RWs so families can sit down and enjoy their digital photos through the TV. Home theater buffs will appreciate the progressive scan output, which doubles the scan lines of DVDs for a crisper picture, along with the Dolby Digital/DTS decoder that ensures multichannel sound. The system also includes a 192 kHz/24-bit audio DAC and a 10-bit/54 MHz video DAC for quality signal transfer.

In addition to the aforementioned features, the system's digital amplifier is equipped with an AM/FM tuner (30 FM and 15 AM presets), a fluorescent display, a sleep timer, and electronic bass and treble controls. The DVD player offers such added favorites as slow motion, zoom, multi-angle playback, chapter and time search, still frame, and resume functions. As with most good modern systems, the EX-A1 is compatible with a host of other components through its component, S-video, and composite outputs, along with optical and subwoofer outputs and an analog audio input. The unit also includes a headphone jack for people who want to enjoy their music in private.

What's in the Box
Amplifier/DVD player, two bass reflex speakers, remote control, batteries, user's manual.

Product Description
The JVC EXA1 is the World's First Wood Cone Speaker - Raising the Speaker to the Level of a Musical Instrument. A popular material for violins, pianos, guitars and many other musical instruments, wood is blessed with superior acoustic characteristics not found in other materials. This is the reason why many speaker enclosures are made of wood. Then why not make a speaker diaphragm out of wood? The sound from the EXA1's wood cone speaker is astonishingly clear and natural with dynamic bass that is usually impossible without a subwoofer. The superior acoustic characteristics of wood are working in synergy with the high-grade parts and devices that JVC has chosen carefully for the EXA1.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars JVC EX-A1 - an elegant stero for small spaces, February 3, 2005

By	jdp3g (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

So far, my opinion of this stereo is a mixed bag.

Aesthetically, it couldn't be more perfect. It is exactly what I wanted.
-very compact
-minimalist controls and buttons
-packs lots of features and functionality into a tiny box

Its performance so far hasn't been as good as I hoped.
-The power/volume hasn't been an issue. The speakers are rated to 30W each. In my small apartment, this has been enough. It probably wouldn't rock the walls, but my musical tastes and habits are pretty tame.
-The sound from the wood speakers is great, a rich, warm sound. Somehow even in the low ranges it manages to sound balanced and even without undo emphasis on certain frequencies over others. This is good because there is not much you can do to tweek the sound. Controls on the remote allow adjustment of the bass or treble up or down, that's it.
-You must not lose the remote to this stereo. Having such a minimalist interface on the box means that all the control is placed in the remote. Very little can be done on the box itself except turning music on and adjusting volume. If you don't like using a remote, this ain't for you.
-I can't comment on any of the video features, because I have not yet hooked this up to a television.
-A major complaint has been the radio reception. I purchased this stereo as a replacement to a standard receiver, cd, tape deck component system, wanting something to be the all around audio hub for my house. I live in a city so signal strength shouldn't be an issue, but I have not been able to get clear reception of many channels. I have tried the supplied wire antenna, television rabbit ears, and a cheap dipole wire antenna; all to no avail. The reception is decent if the antenna is adjusted with one particular station in tune, but has mysterious overlap from distant channels.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Does exactly what it's meant to do, with style., February 23, 2005

By	Idoru69 (NY United States) - See all my reviews

This compact stereo is really small, fitting on a bookshelf. The style of the unit is great - rich heavy wood speakers and brushed metal main unit, minimal display, cool volume knob. The remote is a little crowded, but I guess out of necessity. As noted by the other reviewers, the sound is deep and full; sufficent for a room or possibly small apartment, but not house-shaking. All in all a great little package. I have not tried the video functions yet, as I got it primarily for music. The price may be high in comparison to similar mini-stereos, but you are getting a very well designed and solidly built unit which lives up to the executive title. Recommended.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Sound! Rated best by CR., February 19, 2005

By	C. M. Pyles - See all my reviews

CR (Dec. 04) loved this micro system. Rich sound and deep bass. I thought no way would it sound good when I took it out of its box because of how tiny it is. But to my surprise this thing rocks and easily beats the bose executive radio in both sound and features! Easy to hook up my Ipod. Great price with free shipping at amazon!