Lightweight Cheapo, but Good
Written: Dec 15 '01 (Updated Jan 05 '02)
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Pros: Good sound quality. Fairly easy installation. Good value for money. SMALL!
Cons: Somewhat flimsy cartridge.
The Bottom Line: A great starter unit that can be picked up cheaply and works well..
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| bongi22's Full Review: JVC CH-X1000RF 12-Disc CD Changer |
I bought this unit off an eBay regular. The type of pseudo eBay business that buys enough of a type of item to get low prices, but doesn't really have a storefront. They offered this model repeatedly for $148. plus I think $12. shipping.
$160. to my door was a decent price for any changer with an rf unit.
The unit is even smaller than I pictured, which in my case is a non issue because I mounted it in a metal lock box that I got from work. The box I mounted it in serves two purposes, first it protects the actual unit from getting bumped and banged. Secondly, because I mounted this in a Jeep Cherokee I it was to always be in view from outside the vehicle. I had one friend a few years ago who had one in the back of his Cherokee and would just throw a jacket over the unit to hide it. We both believe that the lack of air flow eventually led to the unit burning out.
This particular JVC unit comes with the modulator, which has a twofold use. It acts as the power supply for the changer and also as the connection to the radio. One connection cord ( supplied ) plugs into the modulator to the changer and thats it. Thats it for the changer, apart from the actual mounting screws. That cord supplies the power, audio signals and controls the functions.
The modular is only about 3"x4"x 1.5". One side has 2 jacks ( one for the cord to the changer and one for the display/control unit ) the other side has the power and ground wires, as well as the antenna connectors. Essentially a very easy to install product. One power lead goes to a constant on, the other goes to one controlled by accessory switch. The Ground obviously goes to ground. The connection to the radio itself involves pulling the antenna from the radio plugging that into the modulator and then plugging the lead from the modulator into the radio. Altogether totalling 7 connections to be made, 4 of which are as simple as plugging something into an outlet.
Even though the modulator is small, I really couldn't find a spot behind the dash of the Cherokee to fit it, and rather than mount it at the bottom of everything else, I chose to actually place it in my otherwise useless glove box. ( if you have ever seen the size of a cherokee glove box you would understand ).
The hardest part of this whole install is figuring out the wire routing and where you want the components, this changer is the smallest 12 disk I have seen, which will help in most cases. But no matter what changer you decide on ( apart from the new RF units that actually send the signal to the antenna over the air, but aren't as clean sounding ) you will have to figure out the routing. It can be a pain in the neck to route it into a trunk, but again thats common for ALL changers and no different for this one.
The wired remote NEEDS to be in a visable place, when I saw this unit came with a wireless control as well, I was thinking I could eithor do without the wired unit altogher or at least hide it out of site. But the wireless works via infrared, and the wired controller has the pickup on it's face. While this doesn't make a difference in my case because of where I put the wired control, it did limit my choices a little.
The controls are basic, including all the standard options, disk up/down, track up/down, random, intro play. Good enough for what most of us need. The display is green led and of a size you can see from the back seat should you be so inclined. It also has the BBE control on the wired unit. I don't recall if it is on the wireless.
BBE is described by JVC to be some super-duper outstanding miracle technology, but essentially it sounds a bit like a loudness button that adds a little treble as well. In my opinion it makes it sound better, but then, not all that much more so than I could have done with my basic bass and treble knobs on my stock radio.
Your install time will vary depending on your skill, how hard it is to get to the back of your radio and how well you want to mount it and run the cables. Obviously most of you aren't going to be mounting it into a lockable metal box as I did, and that added time. On the same note, I didn't mind the 3 inches of exposed wire from the changer to the car moulding, some people would. It would take extra time to cut the carpet and route the cord under it. In my last car there was enough room behind the dash that I could reach the antenna without trouble, instead of taking my dash apart and removing my radio, as was the case here. My install took about 2 hours, very lazy hours. In my old car it would have been about 30 mins total. But again, this unit is very easy to set up and that time is more an issue of you and your car.
The unit sounds better than most of the radio stations that I have around here, the sound is brighter and more vibrant than anything I expected out of a factory Jeep stereo. I have nothing by positives to say about the sound. To date, I have not heard it skip and the ride in my Jeep isn't the smoothest. Unless you drive offroad or on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, you shouldn't have a problem.
This unit can also be used with certain JVC head units, which will then bypass the modulator. This ended up working out perfectly for me, as the stock radio is somewhat underpowered, and I found a JVC unit on eBay that had a broken cassette deck ( I haven't listened to a cassette in over 4 years anyhow ), I will install it tommorow which means simply extend the cord from the changer directly into the new head unit. I can then take the modulator and controller out. While this wasn't my initial plan, I couldn't pass up getting an in-dash changer control and much more power for only $19. inc. shipping.
But the point is that if your on a tight budget and know you want to piece together a new system, you can buy changer now, and replace the head unit at a later date.
They sell extra magazines for this thing, but with 12 disks in it, do you really need another 12 sitting there in case you need to hear something different. I doubt it will be so urgent that I can't just swap out the disks in the one magazine which came with the unit.
The only thing you may need that isn't included is a couple of crimps for connecting the 2 power leads. Other than that, everything is included.
Best of luck with your decision.
I ended up installing the JVC KS-FX11 head unit. While it enabled me to do away with the modulater/control unit ( which I will be using with another JVC changer I just bought for my wifes car ) It can control everything except the BBE feature of the changer. While this isn't a big issue with me, it does bring up the point that even though JVC may claim that certain series of head units will be compatible with this changer, They do not mention that ALL the features will work.
It's worth asking about before hand.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 150.
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Epinions.com ID:
bongi22
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Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 2 members
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