JVC UX-N1W Small in Stature, Giant in Purpose
Nothing makes a music lover worth his salt wince like a "Micro Component System". But does size matter? Well, quite honestly yes. However, when it comes to speakers there are two sizes to consider, room and speaker size.
Back in the old days people used to (and many fans of classic rock still do) equate larger speakers with bigger, fuller sound. Billy Squier and Foreigner required at least 10 inch drivers! But today we're more refined and realize there's just no need to occupy 25 per cent of a room's floor space with speakers.
Smaller system like JVC's new UX-N1W is the type of portable stereo system you might seek to wire up a smaller space such as a dormitory. Its small stature and price at $110 will fit neatly inside most students' budget.
I've never personally heard this system so I can't give a recommendation. But I have tested JVC's older micro systems and in smaller quarters it surprised me with its dynamic range. Sometimes closing your eyes you'd scarcely believe you're listening to woofers just under four inches in size.
Specs and Features
It's a tiny system, there's no denying it. Only 6.5 watt per channel (WPC) with a whopping 10 per cent total harmonic distortion, evidence this must be one of JVC's digital amps.
The system gives us a typical JVC (read cheesy) spec by only measuring that 6.5 WPC at 1kHz. This means it'll maintain an output of 6.5 watts provided you only bog it down with a 1kHz test tone.
The specs may not look promising but trust your ears. Digital amps are highly efficient and will push way more sound than the watt per channel measure would seem to indicate.
- Front Analogue Line in / Line Out
- CD/CD-R/RW MP3 Playback
- 1-bit D/A Converter
- 5.5 lbs.
This unit will play back MP3s and has a welcomed feature my JVC micro system didn't have – analogue input/output. This is critical to connect any other component to your system, like a DVD player. Of course the primary purpose for this system is to play back MP3s on its CD player enjoying full ID3 Tag display.
Practical Choice for Students
When I was a student I spent way too much time packing up a system that was just too big for any space I could afford. I reasoned that someday it would all fit into that dream home. But it never happened. When I finally occupied a bigger space the gear I used to cart around the back of borrowed pickup trucks was battered and long ago traded or sold.
It turns out a micro system like JVC's UX-N1W would have served me so much better. It's portable and unlike a pair of floor standing wooden cabinets with 10 inch drivers you'll always have a place for it. I still keep a smaller system in my bedroom and it probably gets used more frequently than any other.
While I wouldn't fill a Micro Component system like this with large sized expectations, it can make a very practical choice.
