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JVC AX-Z1010TN - Review (part II)

Markyb said:
The phono is certainly better than the Naim internal cards that I have used before.
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That is my experience as well. Its a good stage but its not up there with the various Dynavector phono stages I have had or the Lorricraft 'missing link' I was using a few years ago.
 
Dan K said:
To Banjo / DM,

Which phonostages are you using? Trilogy 907 / Firebottle plus? ...Dynavector L300?
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Trichord Delphini and Croft 25R at the moment
Did have a firebaottle plus on demo for a while, but before I got hold of the Victor amp
 
Could the Japanese Victor variant have some differences internally to the UK/Euro/North American? A long shot I know, but something that occurred to me.

Regards,
Nick
 
In theory, the Europian version should sound better because designed to work on 50Hz frequency, while the US on 60Hz.
I might be wrong but voltage transformers usually don't convert frequency, so the Us or Japanese version are working on 50Hz,
as for the phono stage, even JVC cheap '80 amplifiers, have phono quality above average..
 
Dan K said:
Thanks for the write up Banjo. The phono is just as good as the DAC, so something is not quite right there.

In the same league as a Hegal 360 for £450!!

I wouldn't say that the DAC was particularly 'full bodied'. To me it has a unique 3D (probably fake) layered soundstage, the best I've heard.
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To be fair to the Hegel, the Victor/JVC and Hector are sonically quite different beasts. The Hegel as neutral and transparent as I've heard without being overly bright - it certainly does reveal poor digital recordings.
The Victor/JVC sounds more forgiving with digital and overall a bit more fuller in the bass and mids.
What really impressed me is that while the Hegel has a ridiculously high damping factor of >5000 and very high current delivery, the Victor seems to at least match it with its grip on the bass and sometimes seems to go deeper!

I'm not quite ready to sell the Hegel yet - with good vinyl and really good digital, it still sounds better balanced and a bit more detailed than the Victor. However, overall, the Victor is a damn good amp and its staying
 
Nick_G said:
So was the German 1010 bought by a Fishie?
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I couldn't resist taking a punt on it to see what all the fuss is about. Hopefully, it's in good working condition (230 volt I assume) and it lives up to the hype. My first ever real HiFi was a JVC midi stack system and I always wondered what the top of the line JVC kit was capable of. But I then when off in other directions with the British flat earth hype etc. Maybe I have come full circle with this?

Stuart
 
I'm curious if there's any opinion on the actual quality of the dac in the AX-Z911. All I can glean from these pages is that it isn't as good as the K2.
 
kasperhauser said:
I'm curious if there's any opinion on the actual quality of the dac in the AX-Z911. All I can glean from these pages is that it isn't as good as the K2.
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I bought a Z-911 off eBay but it was faulty on 1 channel. However, I did manage to get a Squeezebox Touch playing via coax direct to the amp DAC. It sounded very engaging in the short time I used it. I returned the amp to the seller as it was far from as described. There were several signs someone had been inside with missing case screws etc. Seller told me he had used it from new and never been inside! I got a full refund.
 
Thanks Stuart. I've bought one myself. Just wondering what to expect, as we sort tend to do in the limbo between pressing Buy-It-Now and accepting delivery. :)

Sorry to hear yours was a dud. Fingers crossed that mine works ok. I should know in the next 5-7 business days.
 
I have taken delivery of the JVC AX-Z1010TN. It’s in pretty good cosmetic condition, but it does have a few scrapes and missing pieces of paintwork, mainly the top case. If it’s a keeper, I can look and getting it resprayed or touching these up. The power button shows lots of wear on it. I’m not sure if that would be repairable cosmetically.

I’ve not spend much time with it as yet. I’ve quickly plugged it in to power her up and all seems well playing a Squeezebox Touch via coax. I’ll follow up on the sound qualities once I’ve spent some time listening. There does however seem to be something about this amp which impresses. Lots of bottom end but that’s not all.

I have a few questions that you may be able to assist with:

  1. Could someone send me a copy of the Service Manual?
  2. This is a European version with a two pronged plug (I’m using an adapter plug for UK Sockets). Can I set the transformer for UK Power?
  3. Whilst inside, are there any components I should check for problems / leakage etc.?
  4. What is the best Digital Input for a Squeezebox Touch/Sonos Connect, Coax or Optical?
  5. There is no remote – does anyone have the codes? I think Andrew (flatpoley) was successfully using a Sky Remote programmed for volume?
I’m looking forward to spending some time listening!

Stuart
 
Got my AX-Z911 yesterday evening after some bad weather delayed delivery. Sounds very good on phono. Haven't had much time to listen, but looking forward to exploring the digital direct.

There is a slight bit of transformer hum, which is disappointing. I'm wondering if something got knocked slightly loose in transit.

It's certainly a giant piece of thing.
 
The digital direct is superb. I'd check the transformer - as you say it could have been knocked in transit - mine is silent. Hope you enjoy as much as I have.
 
Markyb said:
Did you set it to digital direct
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Yep - all as per flatpopely's suggestions earlier in the thread.

I am going to add a Pure i20 iPhone dock using Toslink : it seems the argument against Toslink usually concerns potential for jitter and the K2 circuit specifically addresses this, so it should sound good. I want to power the Pure i20 from a 12V car battery (a Vinni Rossi suggestion : he reckons a battery-powered i20 is better than a standard Wadia 170 iTransport), so I just need to get the correct power plug for the i20 end ...
 
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