Jvc Jr-s301

[ozmoid]

Look what followed me home!

The first thing my wife said was "That is ugly!" :sigh: and I had to remind her she's used to our 'merrylandered' Yamaha, which is a unique thing of beauty.

Ugly or not, this thing is monstrous huge, and heavy. BIG transformer in the back, and the output caps are as tall as beer cans, and about half the diameter. For reference, the tuning wheel in the photo below (circled in red) is 3.5" in diameter.

The inside is terribly dirty, and once it warmed up there is a definite animal smell. Good news is the dc offset reads less than 10mv both channels, and she sounds great! The little EQ works well, and the sound is pretty open without being harsh on the top end. At 60 wpc, it will certainly drive anything in my house right now! I'll try to give it a better listen after I get the hair and dust cleaned out, and let it get some air.

If anybody has tips on accessing/cleaning the switches on this thing, I'll listen .

 

[jeffn]

I have a JR-S300 but haven't had the need to work on it. I have opened it up for nude shots but thats it.'

There are a few cosmetic differences between our two models, but if the internals are the same then you've got a workhorse of an amp there with decent sound also. From my amateurs point of view, they look heavily-engineered on the inside.

 

[SoCal Sam]

I thought about getting the 120 watt version of this series but I couldn't get over the looks. It too had a monster transformer and 63v 18,000 uF Elna caps. $30 was cheap but it was missing the EQ caps.

 

[ozmoid]

I have a JR-S300 but haven't had the need to work on it. I have opened it up for nude shots but thats it.'

There are a few cosmetic differences between our two models, but if the internals are the same then you've got a workhorse of an amp there with decent sound also. From my amateurs point of view, they look heavily-engineered on the inside.

Thanks for the info, Jeffn! Several of the push-switches are sticking, and the bodies all look sealed, no access. I'm not sure at this point if there's an access I'm not seeing, or if maybe I need to replace the little springs that return the control mechanism. :scratch2: Whatever it is, I'm gonna clean the board surfaces first, and get it smelling a little better then I'll see what I can do for the switches. Right now it is only mildly aggravating, but I know it will get worse.

 

[fotno]

You know what the deal is dontcha Oz? Everybody knows you're the 2ch man now, so you've become like the old lady with all the cats... The offically dropoff point for every kitty for 100 miles.

 

[ozmoid]

You know what the deal is dontcha Oz? Everybody knows you're the 2ch man now, so you've become like the old lady with all the cats... The offically dropoff point for every kitty for 100 miles.

:lmao: Let's don't let this turn into another "Computer Rescue Aid Society"!

Actually, this one kind of called out to me from the thrift store shelf. I made a trip back to the computer to check it out on AK (of course!) before I dropped the cash. Little feller was right where I left it when I got back, waiting patiently like a good little receiver. $19.99 :thmbsp: was the final talk down at the register. What caught my eye originally was the 590 watt power draw. I knew this thing HAD to be on the radar over here.

 

[Sansui Louie]

Oooooh, nice find! The looks are definately 'you either love it or hate it', and I always liked these JVC's, especially the earlier JR-X00's with the blue backlit meters.

But the X01's were lusted after by me also back in the day. Enjoy!

 

[tentoze]

I use its little brother, the S201, hooked to the computer and a pair of Dynaco A-10's. I like it.

 

[bully]

The JVC are very well built. The JR-S301 is rated at 60 wpc and also into 4 ohms with 80 wpc IIRC.
I had the TOTL JR-S501 when it was new. The looks are unique, you like it or you don't.
They sound great.

 

[fotno]

Definantly has a "George Takei was here" look to it...

 

[bully]

The S.E.A. is a true equalizer, not simply tone controls. You can use it to pre-equalize when taping (it you still tape record).

 

[SoCal Sam]

Definantly has a "George Takei was here" look to it...

I've met George Takei (not at a convention) and he is a nice guy.

 

[ozmoid]

The S.E.A. is a true equalizer, not simply tone controls. You can use it to pre-equalize when taping (it you still tape record).

Bully, do you know if the "S.E.A. record" switch inserts the EQ into the path before the tape out, or behind the tape in? Just curious. :scratch2:

 

[Brian]

I have the 301 also. Yes, either love or hate the looks; no middle ground with this one. As for sound quality it has balls and a macho sound, not refined but at the same time not objectionable even by my standards, not a main system unit but, has sufficient punch to work well with my Advents (original). Not a receiver for the Klipsch Heresy or my Wharfedale W70s but will affect the sound of my Symphonys to make them sound more like something like an older AR.

Rated at 60 watts. Yeah bit I suspect from the delivery that is a bit conservative. I'm not a high power amp person, epecially with receivers but the 301 is interesting enough that if I happened across a 501 @ 120 watts, I'd probably give it a 2nd look or even take it home. The unit has something that really drives me nuts - a tone control system that really can be used, the S.E.A. When the FTC mandated the power rules, it should have also mandated all makers had to use the S.E.A. for tone controls.

Clean it up and mate it with a set of speakers that has the synergy for the units sound and it will deliver. I've been thinking about using it with the television to kick it up a notch.

 

[tad8]

I have a 401. I picked it up for next to nothing and it was in great shape.

These units are very well built. Quality parts. As for sound I preffer it to my marantz or sansui units. This serries of JVC receivers should cost a lot more that they do...

 

[jeffn]

The unit has something that really drives me nuts - a tone control system that really can be used, the S.E.A. When the FTC mandated the power rules, it should have also mandated all makers had to use the S.E.A. for tone controls.
.

So what does S.E.A stand for and why is it so special?

 

[reggaenaut]

I have a 400 which surprised me for its punch and head room especially at low volumes. It has a good tuner and blue power meters. The unit is heavy and in my opinion over built. These JVC-jr receivers are real bargains.

 

[bully]

Yes, with the SEA you are able to "pre equalize" the recording. I never used that function with the JR-S501, but then I mostly didn't have a cassette deck while I had the big JVC (turntable and the tuner section is what I used for sources).
I may still have the owners manual for the S501, remind me later and I'll take a look in the file box for it and get the skinny on using the SEA to best effect.
BTW, the JR-S501 was new in 1978, and I compared the 120 wpc S501 with the closeout Pioneer SX-1250. I took the JVC home.

 

[Brian]

Jeff, not sure what it stands for but it is a 5 band active equalizer similar to a Soundcraftsman and others rather than the usual tone controls that are all but useless unless you are very lucky and mostly negatively affect the sound; the reason why many never use them. Think of it as a receiver with an equalizer added in through the processor loop. The stand alone S.E.A. that JVC sold was 1 of the better small equalizer add-ons. The critical thing with it is judicious use to prevent clipping.