plethora of inputs/outputs, price/performance ratio

no rcasvideo switching, fm stereo reception filter problems

i bought this receiver on a lark when a friend found an
amazingly discounted price for it at the end of its
product cycle, and as my first piece of stereo equiptment
that cost >$400, i feel it was a good purchase. i haven't
had any transient problems with it, it sounds good and
drives all speakers sufficiently and is very tunable in
most aspects, and it does play nicely with my jvc tv and
dvd player. my only gripes are that it will not display
rca-inputs thru a svideo output or viceversa, necessitating
plugswaps whenever i want to use an RCA-only device, even
tho i have a mostly-svideo setup.
also the FM stereo receiver has some static-filter which
a nontrivial amount of "sudden bass" (think techno with
mostly melody and a slow bassline) triggers constant muting.
the manual suggests "change to mono" which stinks.

but hey, the thing sounds good and has an amazing number
of features for the price. minor gripes aside, i'd buy
another.

Similar Products Used:

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I entered a review earlier on this product, but after the third time sending this receiver in for repair, I've had it. This model breaks down every 6 months like clockwork. This time the left channel quite working on the DVD input (both line level and digital optical input).
I'm going to ask JVC if they will replace it with a 1028VBK, but they probably won't. I've owned this receiver since July, 1998, and it's probably been out of service a total of 4 to 5 months during my ownership of it. This is totally unacceptable to me, maybe I just got a lemon, but it's becoming very frustrating!! I would think a receiver I paid over $600 for should give me better service than this. Good thing it has a 2 year warranty, hopefully I can get it completely replaced before that time period expires....

I'm looking for reviews on this receiver

Just bought this receiver. I selected JVC since all my other components are JVC and the Compulink makes it easy for the wife to use. I realize there are other better rated AV Receivers but for the $$ this one sounds great and it's loaded. I've read the reviews on the RX-884 and the comments about a "hiss" from the surround speakers. This and the fact that the RX-1024 comes with JVC's Dynamic Super "A" amp are the reasons I decided not to buy the 884 and go with the 1024. And BTW, the 1024 has no hiss at all.. The Receiver comes with 3 digital inputs (one coaxial, and two optical) and they're selectable. The sound is very clean thanks to the class "A" amp and JVC's K2 interface. The DSP modes are adequate. Overall this receiver is an excellent buy for the money. Feature-wise you would have to spend twice as much for a Yamaha, or Sony ES and personally I don't think there's that much difference in sound quality, if any... Maybe with the Yamaha or others, but seriously doubt the Sony is any better. My last JVC is 10 years old and after years of abuse it still works great. Now if it only had a DTS decoder........
Considering Sound quality, features, price, and chassis construction, I'm giving this receiver 5 stars. If it were $500 more then it wouldn't warrant 5 stars.

After hearing some quirks w/ the 884, I decided to spring the extra $200 for the 1024VBK. I think it was worth it. The 1024 adds several features I feel are with the price. Several people mentioned hiss from the 884, I have no idea, but there is certainly no hiss in the 1024. This thing has a ton of features, 8 total inputs, 5 are A/V. S-Video: 4In/2Out. What else could ya ask for? For those of you who go beyond great sounding amplifiers, this has an excellent amplifier; however, it also has 7 pre-outs. If you want to attach a crazy amp, then go ahead. You won't need anything but an amplifier then (already been decoded).
Above all this, this amp has DTS which is awesome. It really does sound better than dolby Digital. I would bump from 884 to 1024 just for DTS. As far as I'm concerned, JVC did everything right on this receiver.
Equipment Used: JVC 501BK DVD Player, Polk RT1000 Front Speakers, Polk CS350 Center, Polk LS Rears

I have owned my 1024 for about 2 weeks now. I have been very pleased with it. I am sure that there are better sounding amps. I have owned better. However, the bigger part of the AV experience is image quality. Had I not had an S capable TV I might very well have considered another brand. JVC was the only company which makes an S capable receiver in this price range that I found. The sound is great, but you need a powered subwoofer. I have the smallest Energy one. My fronts are an old pair of Bose acoustimass and the rears are literally the cheapest I could hang, indoor-ourdoor ones by Jensen. This unit replaces a prologic receiver by Mitsubishi. Dolby digital is WAY better. Despite what Mr Geisel states in another review here, this unit does NOT HAVE DTS decoding. That is a small disadvantage. This unit is a great value for someone who is reasonably interested in music and home theater. I think you will be very happy with your choice. DO NOT pay anything near list however,or you will overpay.The last bit of advice I can give you is that if you are going to hook things up with S video then EVERYTHING must be hooked up by S or you won't get the video signal from that device to the TV. This posed a problem for me as I have only a stereo VCR, not a S video VCR. The manual says there is no way around this, but there is. Thanks to some nice person who posted on this website I discovered that there is a composite to S adapter cable for $99 bucks made by Tributary which solved the problem. With this cable, all switching can be done from the JVC. Unless you have a lot of extra cash, buy this unit if you have an S input on your TV and most of your other sources ( I have them on Direct TV and a DVD player). If you have non-S components like a VCR then get an adapter cable as it will make you really happy every time you realize you dont have to do a lot of extra switching. If you don't have and don't plan to get S components then consider all other manufacturer's units. People seem to like the Yamaha and Harmon Kardon brands. Hopes this helps someone. Enjoy!
Andy

Recently traded up to the 1024 from the 884. Strictly for the pre AMP. I like the enhanced features. First, the illuminated remote, you don't think about it unitl your watching a video in the dark and you need to ff or rewind, this is great. Next the sound quality and digital processing are tremendous. I experienced a hiss from my rear surround speakers with the 884 but there is nothing with this 1024. High Praise for the S-video inputs/outputs, I would like to see an additional optical out on the front for quick mini disk recording. Love the Compulink working with my other JVC components, if you've never used it you are missing out. I would definately reccomend this receiver, I'll even tell you where to buy it. Go to www.hitandrundarts.com When you call the tele # ask for P.K. and tell him that Brian sent you. He has all types of JVC audio, new and refurb and will ship to you. Great Prices!!!!!!

Alright people, lets get something straight. The 1024 is nothing more than a RX-884VBK with a Super A amp and a couple more features. All problems that the 884 have still exists with the 1024 except the heat problem with the IC amp in the 884. The 1024 has descrete circuitry. There is still a considerable amount of hiss that is extremely noticable in all speakers when the unit's volume is turned past 60. BUT, the hiss seems to only exist in Dolby Digital mode. When in bypass or DSP mode there is no hiss until the amp is cranked beyond 75. I thought it might be the movie, optic cable, or DVD player but I had changed all so it is probably due to the characteristic of the amps "zero in, zero out" capability. Also, if you read the manual, it states that in Dolby Digital mode there will be a no more than .8% total harmonic distortion. In comparison to 2 channel mode (or bypass) there is only .02%. Don't get me wrong. The 1024 is a great unit at the price. I paid $430 new because there were only 2 left and the 1028 was on the shelf at only $549. It was a steal compared to the retail price of $900. I have owned the 884. It replaced a Kenwood KR-V9030. Now that receiver had an amp. Too bad Kenwood didn't incorporate that technology in their new Dolby Digital amps. Along with JVC, and most other brands, sound quality was compromised in order to lower cost. I recently upgraded to the 1024 for pre-outs and the cooler amp. Go ahead and look at the specs of the RX-1028VBK also. You'll see JVC used the same 1024 system and added DTS and an RF remote (along with a few other features). Back to the 1024, JVC's SuperA amp does add warmth and body to audio and gives a sense of presense to your favorite CDs and movies instead of just giving you something to hear. Sub frequencies seem to be higher in amplitude compared to the 884 and the highs are not tinny.
Overall, I had mixed emotions about the RX-1024VBK. I can't really recommend this amp to anyone unless they want an entry level system and do not want to spend over $500 for a receiver. The Kenwook mentioned earlier cost me $950. It's my fault that I didn't want to spend more money in order to get quality merchandise. But hey, I've got a family to support now. No longer can I spend carelessly. If this is the case for most of you, then get the RX-1024VBK and forget the rest in that price range. Perhaps when the kids grow up and graduate from college they will get you that special receiver you've always wanted before they get married.

This is an update to the previous review posted July 13. I had to send the 1024VBK to a local JVC tech. because of the excessive noise on the digital inputs and a thumping noise on the DBS/TV left channel input. There was also a problem with the SVHS losing sync during excessive screen activity. The local tech. called JVC and their tech. told him to have me send it back to the distributor for a replacement because there was too much wrong with it and would take a couple of months for the parts if the parts were available. The local tech. spoke of replacing the K2 interface and/or the Dolby Digital decoder chip along with a couple of switching devices. Luckily the mail order company from where I purchased the unit offered me the RX-1028VBK for an additional $150. It will have it in late July and will post a review of it here.
If feel that these are not uncommon problems with this particular receiver since many mail order houses do have several "open box" specials where people have returned the units for no particular reason. Hopefully the 1028 will improve on the 1024 with the Enhanced Super A amp and a different decoder chip that includes DTS. I'll let you know.

I bought an RX-1024VBK Receiver last Fall, shortly after they came out on the market. I have owned 2 other JVC Super Dynamic Class A receivers (I generally buy a new receiver every 2-3 years), and I have to say this one (RX-1024VBK) has the worst sounding amplifier of all of them. Sound is flat and nearly as warm as the older models. After about 4 months of ownership, the receiver started doing some strange things, like popping through the speakers upon power up, shutting down on overcurrent fault when simply switching input modes even with the volume turned all the way down, and the front display going dark for no apparent reason. I was also experiencing distorted sound from the surround channels from time to time, and occasional hiss. Eventually the receiver died completely, and had to return it to JVC for repair. I have had it back for about a week now, and everything appears to be working correctly. My recommendation is if you can find one of these heavily discounted, then buy it. This receivers features for the dollar (bang for the buck) is hard to beat if you can get it for less than $350, especially if you have other JVC comp-u-link equipment.

System:
JVC RX-1024VBK Receiver
JVC AV-27790 27" TV
JVC HR-VP638U VCR
JVC TD-W718 Cassette deck
JVC XL-V251 CD player
Optimus PRO LX-5 Front speakers
Optimus PRO CS-5 Center channel speaker
Infinity BU-2 Subwoofer
Home built dipole surround speakers

Soon to have: JVC XV-511BK DVD player