Home > Consumer Reviews > JVC EXD1 DVD Audio/Video System with Wood Cone Speakers

I just bought this system a few days ago and I am very pleased with it. It is a true bookshelf system because it is small, yet quite elegant. There are "bookshelf" systems out there that you couldn't fit on a bookshelf for a million bucks. There are some "small" systems for which you need to find the room for a big, hulking subwoofer. Not so with this system. The beautiful wood cone speakers really do the job of providing a rich, warm, vibrant sound for my cds and mp3 player. I use this system in the bedroom. It fits beautifully in the armoire and sounds wonderful!

I love that a dvd player is bundled with this system. It works great with the flat screen tv, especially with the progressive scan option. I have been able to play commercial dvds with absolutely no problems. The picture is crystal clear and the sound is terrific, especially with the 3DPhonic option. Another great feature is the number of ports included on the back of the system. You can hook up your tv directly to the dvd player via composite, s-video, or component outputs. JVC has really made this system easy to set up since you can completely bypass your cable/satellite system. If you have ever tried to integrate a dvd player with an existing cable/satellite hookup before, you know what I mean.

Other really nice features include 45 presets for radio stations, sleep timer, 3 alarm functions and a remote that works from any point in the room.

Here are my (relatively minor) quibbles to which I must confess in spite of my 5 star rating: The FM/AM tuner could definitely be stronger. There are 3 stations in my area (to which I regularly listen) that I had no trouble picking up on my old system. I have really had to fiddle with the FM/AM antennas to get reception for these same stations with this system. And of course there is the inevitable ambient hissy noise which comes with the not-so great reception. Also, I think for the price of this system, it should have a port for an mp3 player. Now, I do use a cable with the audio ports in the back of my JVC system for my mp3 player, which is why I call this a minor quibble. However, I have seen systems priced for less that come mp3 player-ready.

Other than that, I have to say I love that this system is truly small, yet produces beautiful sound. I love the all-around use I can get out of this system between radio/cd/dvd -- even mp3 player. I love how beautiful this system is, especially the wood cone speakers. So, I would heartily recommend this system to anyone. All-in all, JVC did a really nice job!

I have been a loyal customer of the JVC micro exe systems since they first came out and I have not been disapointed. The EXD1 is the fourth one I own. The main attractions to me are the USB audio input, higher power output, and the DVD funtion.

The USB port works flaulessly with my Sony Vaio laptop. It produces much cleaner sound. Now I can play my iTune content without ever worrying about signal saturation. Volumm control in iTune still works as usual.

The beautifully looking wood cone speakers produce a warm and pleasant sound. They sound the best compared to all the ealier JVC micro systems I have had. If you like your previous ones, you will like this one. The power level is adequate for small or mid size rooms.

The IR remote is not as powerful as before. You can not point it in any direction other than directly at it to get a response. I really miss that feature.

The DVD/CD player is able to memorize the track position if you switch away from it in the middel of the play, a very important feature if you want to switch to USB or AUX input momentarily, for example.

The major drawback is the confusing remote layout and the logic. For the first time I had to read the manual to preset radio stations.

FM reception does not compare to my previous one (FS5000) well. It is a shame that they dare to alter one of the best radio modules out there. Now it is just another one.

I wished that the USB port was placed on the back of the unit so that the shutter can be closed to keep the DVD tray clean.

Overall I give the EXD1 5 stars since it is still the best micro system you can buy in my opinion. I bought a refurbished unit on Amazon for $299. It is absolutely worth the money.

I started out really attracted to the Onkyo CS-325 CD Receiver System (available right now for $189 via Target online, moving toward $220 after shipping). I wanted a reasonable price for good respectable quality but also reliability after my AudioVox DVD shelf system started skipping mp3 CDs after a short period of use. (Perhaps I should start looking for a system with a USB port for flash drives.) While patiently/carefully researching all my options (did not really want to spend $200), I saw this item. It's listed twice on Amazon (here for $150 refurbished and on another page JVC Silver/Brown Compact Component System- EXD1 for $129). On August 15, 2009--a weekend, I decided to call Tiger Direct and purchased the recertified refurbished JVC EX-D1 for $143 with shipping included. It arrived on Wednesday, August 19. I got fast delivery and saved some dollars off the 20 dollars that sellers on Amazon wanted for shipping.

Now to the shelf system itself: It is indeed classy for the price. Great, rich, natural wood for speakers. Small. Speakers more slender than pictured and can pretty much go anywhere. I agree with the other reviewer(s) here; its sound stands out, good enough to notice the nuances of your music. Hard to think of it as 18 watts per channel; there's nothing tin(n)y about its sound. Nice to see that its remote has an open/close door button. Fairly fast disc startup. However, remote has limited options for television codes (manual did not list a code for Philips TV, for example. LG also missing). Manual itself (and remote) is not as intuitive as I would like. Downside of my Tiger Direct purchase of this item is that warranty is only 30 days labor and 90 days parts. But when I got the package (again, after calling Tiger Direct to order directly), the system was well-packed, appeared new, and clearly recertified with manuals and cables sealed (only thing not included with refurbished unit was two AA batteries for remote). I'm satisfied as a music lover. I have it hooked up to my flat screen TV using component video (green, blue, and red--the best you can do with the JVC EX-D1) but haven't tried the DVD player yet for picture quality. I'm looking forward to experimenting with a DVD-audio disc. I have a PS3 and Toshiba HD player for DVD movies, so the JVC EX-D1's ability to play music is what I'm most interested in.

If the system lasts, I think it's a steal for $145 bucks. Easily better, and better looking, than Sony products similarly priced, between 100 and 150 dollars. If it stops working, I'll be doing the Onkyo with Bose mini-speakers and subwoofer at Sam's Club for $349 next time (5-year warranty on speakers and 3-year on receiver). I sure hope this JVC system lasts, though, because it even looks better than that $349 one. And, I'm really vibin' on it right now.

I needed a small system because of limited space, but I wanted good quality. I found it and more with this JVC system. The fact that I can hook it directly to my computer to play downloaded music was a plus that I was not even thinking about when it was purchased.
I have been very impressed with the quality of sound produced from such a small system. The wood cone speakers have a classic look to them and blend in very well on a bookshelf.

This radio replaces my little, awful sounding clock radio. The alarm is easy to set for a technology phobic such as myself. It's an attractive radio. I actually thought the speakers were connected, which they are not, so it's 3 separate pieces. The sound is wonderful. The radio reception is pretty good, not excellent. I'd recommend it and I'm glad I bought it.