JVC MX-GT90 CD Mini Audio System
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Similar in Audio Shelf Systems
- Number of Discs: 3
- Sound Type: Stereo
- Functions: CD Player
- Output Power: 460 Watt PMPO
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My, What A Big Loud Hole You Have!
Pros
Extremely Powerful and Clean
Cons
One Auxillary Input
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
This system, for the price, is truly a gem. It covers the whole frequency spectrum with authority, and doesn't slack at any time
How many of you right now can say that you like JVC Audio Components? Those of you who said that you do right now, can you say that you did back when their equipment wasn't even considered third-rate? Neither can I, but I guess sometimes even a zebra can change his stripes.
I was walking around my section at Sears again with one of my co-workers and together we came up with the idea of testing out all of our audio equipment, I mean, there aren't any customers in the store so why not have some fun, right?
We had walked playing around with each of the Mini Shelf Systems until we came to the JVC MX-GT90. At this point we both wanted to see what this miniature beast of a shelf system could do. Since I am into Car Audio competition I happened to have one of my Bass Test albums in the car. This album plays frequencies that not even the human ear can audibly hear.
Installation:
Truly there isn't much in the way of installation for this system. You pull the three (3) pieces out of the box ( Left Speaker, Right Speaker, and Main Console ) place them where you want them and hook up the wire which are color coded into the proper speaker terminals.
As for added outside equipment such as the audio from a DVD/CD player, or a TV, you have only one Auxillary Input for this, so if you plan to hook up multiple components to this you will need to use a combiner or switch box, I prefer the use of a switch box.
Power:
As for power, this system boasts some strength. With 460 watts of power, this system screams, groans, yells, and does about anything you want to grab attention. The subwoofers are power by 170 watts a piece which is by itself amazing, and considering that they are only eight inch subwoofers, they really produce. The other speakers are powered by 60 watts of power each, so they do not lack in the power area area. Until you reach the volume level of 25 of the control knob, you should not notice much in the way of audible distortion, but you may smell the coils of the subwoofer working hard.
NOTE* After about 30 minutes of play at 25 on the volume control the voice coils of the subwoofers began to overheat, but this was only noticeable during the playing of the bass test. Nothing else.
Appearance:
As for appearance, this is not one of those systems for the professional, or for someone who wants to be the elite of the high class society ring. This is for that person that wants the newest, coolest, and loudest technology.
This system is not small, or sleek, but rather this system is mildly large, and a tad bit heavy. As for its physical appearance, the ports look like firing cannons, and the system is focused around the bandpass physical appearance, with the subwoofers being behind plexiglass fronts. The main colors of the system are gray, black, red, blue and green. If this is not your style, then you may want to consider another system.
Sound:
Now, before I really get into the rest of the review let me assure you that I am not just stuck on the huge amount of bass that this puts out, I do plan to tell more about it than just that, but that will be a topic that I will cover.
The bass is amazing. I could not believe how low this shelf system could play. I guess I would attribute the ability of this system to the fact that it is in the configuration of a bandpass system. Most audio enthusiasts will know that a bandpass system can be both loud and low if properly tuned and adjusted, and this is exactly what happened.
To give you an idea of what kind of bass this monster can produce, here goes. After placing the album in the tray, we decided to turn it to 15 which is half of what the maximum volume is. At this point there were items on the shelf with it that were rattling around, but that wasn't where we stopped. We wanted more. At this point we really turned it up, as a matter of fact, all the way to 30 which is the maximum volume. At this point we received a call from the office of the store which is about 1500 feet across the store. They were complaining because they could both hear the system and feel it.
Now as for the mid-range and treble part, it doesn't lack either. I decided that for this test I would place an older album that I had into the tray. This album was Planet Trip Hop 2, a good combination of old techno and dance beats. The highs were very accurate and crisp, easy to hear and understandable, as well as the mid-range covering the vocals and many of the lower ranged instruments.
It didn't take long to fully understand the capacity of this system. We had been using the Car Audio section in our department to play music, but after using this system that idea was out the door. We had customers come in and ask tons of question concerning whether or not we had other equipment hooked up to, and to their surprise we did not. Now don't get me wrong, their are plenty of other systems around that can play some really sweet music, but I haven't heard a system that was so truly full-range as this one.
Mini systems have truly evolved from the simple 5 1/4" woofer with only 15 watts of total power, to these huge behemoths we have now. If you have ever noticed though, we tend to go the big stuff for a while, and then we fade back to the small, and then back to the big, and so forth. Eventually, this won't be the "COOL" thing, but for the time, this is definitely a worthwhile investment that does actually provide a decent and enjoyable amount of entertainment.
I was walking around my section at Sears again with one of my co-workers and together we came up with the idea of testing out all of our audio equipment, I mean, there aren't any customers in the store so why not have some fun, right?
We had walked playing around with each of the Mini Shelf Systems until we came to the JVC MX-GT90. At this point we both wanted to see what this miniature beast of a shelf system could do. Since I am into Car Audio competition I happened to have one of my Bass Test albums in the car. This album plays frequencies that not even the human ear can audibly hear.
Installation:
Truly there isn't much in the way of installation for this system. You pull the three (3) pieces out of the box ( Left Speaker, Right Speaker, and Main Console ) place them where you want them and hook up the wire which are color coded into the proper speaker terminals.
As for added outside equipment such as the audio from a DVD/CD player, or a TV, you have only one Auxillary Input for this, so if you plan to hook up multiple components to this you will need to use a combiner or switch box, I prefer the use of a switch box.
Power:
As for power, this system boasts some strength. With 460 watts of power, this system screams, groans, yells, and does about anything you want to grab attention. The subwoofers are power by 170 watts a piece which is by itself amazing, and considering that they are only eight inch subwoofers, they really produce. The other speakers are powered by 60 watts of power each, so they do not lack in the power area area. Until you reach the volume level of 25 of the control knob, you should not notice much in the way of audible distortion, but you may smell the coils of the subwoofer working hard.
NOTE* After about 30 minutes of play at 25 on the volume control the voice coils of the subwoofers began to overheat, but this was only noticeable during the playing of the bass test. Nothing else.
Appearance:
As for appearance, this is not one of those systems for the professional, or for someone who wants to be the elite of the high class society ring. This is for that person that wants the newest, coolest, and loudest technology.
This system is not small, or sleek, but rather this system is mildly large, and a tad bit heavy. As for its physical appearance, the ports look like firing cannons, and the system is focused around the bandpass physical appearance, with the subwoofers being behind plexiglass fronts. The main colors of the system are gray, black, red, blue and green. If this is not your style, then you may want to consider another system.
Sound:
Now, before I really get into the rest of the review let me assure you that I am not just stuck on the huge amount of bass that this puts out, I do plan to tell more about it than just that, but that will be a topic that I will cover.
The bass is amazing. I could not believe how low this shelf system could play. I guess I would attribute the ability of this system to the fact that it is in the configuration of a bandpass system. Most audio enthusiasts will know that a bandpass system can be both loud and low if properly tuned and adjusted, and this is exactly what happened.
To give you an idea of what kind of bass this monster can produce, here goes. After placing the album in the tray, we decided to turn it to 15 which is half of what the maximum volume is. At this point there were items on the shelf with it that were rattling around, but that wasn't where we stopped. We wanted more. At this point we really turned it up, as a matter of fact, all the way to 30 which is the maximum volume. At this point we received a call from the office of the store which is about 1500 feet across the store. They were complaining because they could both hear the system and feel it.
Now as for the mid-range and treble part, it doesn't lack either. I decided that for this test I would place an older album that I had into the tray. This album was Planet Trip Hop 2, a good combination of old techno and dance beats. The highs were very accurate and crisp, easy to hear and understandable, as well as the mid-range covering the vocals and many of the lower ranged instruments.
It didn't take long to fully understand the capacity of this system. We had been using the Car Audio section in our department to play music, but after using this system that idea was out the door. We had customers come in and ask tons of question concerning whether or not we had other equipment hooked up to, and to their surprise we did not. Now don't get me wrong, their are plenty of other systems around that can play some really sweet music, but I haven't heard a system that was so truly full-range as this one.
Mini systems have truly evolved from the simple 5 1/4" woofer with only 15 watts of total power, to these huge behemoths we have now. If you have ever noticed though, we tend to go the big stuff for a while, and then we fade back to the small, and then back to the big, and so forth. Eventually, this won't be the "COOL" thing, but for the time, this is definitely a worthwhile investment that does actually provide a decent and enjoyable amount of entertainment.
