PRICE DROP! - Silver JVC RX-D401S A/V Receiver with HDMI Up-Conversion for $120 + shipping at eCost

[cyberia]

Price Drop to $120!

eCost.com sells a brand new JVC RX-D401S A/V Receiver for $146. This is an excellent receiver for the price, although the model is a couple of years old.

It has an HDMI output which up-converts video from all other inputs (like composite, component or S-Video). So, regardless of how your video components (VCR, DVD, PC) are connected to the receiver, you need only a single HDMI input on your TV to watch any video source.

I have had this model for a while and am very happy with it. And I bought mine refurbished from the same place a couple of years ago.

 

[leglez]

Thanks I have been looking for a receiver that upconverts with HDMI for under $200 for a while now. Thanks!

 

[cyberia]

I made a small correction in my original post. The black model is NOT a newer model as I had originally thought. I am pretty sure now that RX-D401S and RX-D402B are identical except for the color. I believe the newer models are RX-D411S and RX-D412B. I am too lazy to check now, but I do not think there are any significant differences between the older models and the newer models.

 

[cyberia]

Price Drop to $130!

 

[palswim]

Looks cool. Does it have HDMI input ports and speaker output connections? I couldn't see those in the specs.

 

[Project86]

Originally posted by: palswim
Looks cool. Does it have HDMI input ports and speaker output connections? I couldn't see those in the specs.

It does have 2 HDMI ins and 1 HDMI out. It does not handle 1080P input thru HDMI, but 1080i looks just as good with my HD DVD or Blu-ray player. Also note that this receiver can handle multi channel PCM over HDMI. Many cheap receivers with HDMI do not (including many lower model Denon and Harman Kardon, I found that out the hard way). That means if your Blu/HD player can decode TrueHD/DTS HD MA from a movie, you can enjoy the latest high end audio codecs on your budget receiver.

This unit does not have pre-amp outputs. Most cheaper receivers don't.

 

[kmmatney]

"Number of Video Inputs: 3"

I read this from the specs - is this true? Seems a little low for the number of video inputs (it would "just" suit me now, but no room for the future). Otherwise looks like a good deal.

 

[Christobevii3]

The reviews at amazon for this are pretty bad with the hdmi stuff.

 

[wadewood]

I have one of these in my media room. I purchased 1 year ago at Frys on clearance for $110. I did have some issues with the HDMI ports. I purchased a HDMI switcher to run HDMI cables to projector.

Other than than the HDMI issue, it is a very solid receiver. Lots of power and it is all digital, so it is energy efficient (about 1/2 the watts of energy of other 110 watts receivers)

 

[Doomer]

Monoprice has a killer HDMI switch for cheap. I was having problems with the HDMI switching on my Sony receiver and bought the Monoprice switch. Now all is well.

 

[Greg04]

Originally posted by: cyberia
Price Drop to $130!

eCost.com sells a brand new JVC RX-D401S A/V Receiver for $146. This is an excellent receiver for the price, although the model is a couple of years old.

It has an HDMI output which up-converts video from all other inputs (like composite, component or S-Video). So, regardless of how your video components (VCR, DVD, PC) are connected to the receiver, you need only a single HDMI input on your TV to watch any video source.

I have had this model for a while and am very happy with it. And I bought mine refurbished from the same place a couple of years ago.

Hate to pile on bad reviews, but I hooked this receiver up to my Mirage nanosat system because a friend challenged my spending $400 for the Pioneer 1018. It sucked feet. Had to crank it around 7 o'clock to get any decent volume out of it and it ran very, very hot. Beware of the quality associated with the low price. If you can take the chance, not a bad price at all. Re: upconversion -- no one could tell any difference bt this and SD piping into my LNa630.

 

[cyberia]

Originally posted by: Greg04
Re: upconversion -- no one could tell any difference bt this and SD piping into my LNa630.

The up-conversion feature in this receiver is NOT upscaling. I guess, this can be confusing, but I did explain it in my OP. What up-conversion does here is "collect" video signals from any TYPE of video jack (RCA, S-Video or component) and pipe it to the TV through the HDMI output. I do not think it was designed for quality upscaling (to 720p, 1080i or whatever). The only advantage of it here is giving you an ability to run a single video cable to your TV.

In other words, as long as you have a single HDMI input on your TV, you can use it to connect all the video components the receiver can handle.

 

[beergeek]

Now $120, but (for me) $24 shipping, which seems high... A quandary, since I just blew up my existing (and very old) AV receiver.

 

[cyberia]

Originally posted by: beergeek
Now $120, but (for me) $24 shipping, which seems high... A quandary, since I just blew up my existing (and very old) AV receiver.

I can't imagine another brand new receiver with similar features this cheap, even considering shipping. JVC is my favorite brang (for no particular reason, I guess), so I am not too familiar with how much exactly would a comparable Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer or whatever cost. But I am pretty sure this is as cheap as it gets.

 

[beergeek]

Originally posted by: cyberia

Originally posted by: beergeek
Now $120, but (for me) $24 shipping, which seems high... A quandary, since I just blew up my existing (and very old) AV receiver.

I can't imagine another brand new receiver with similar features this cheap, even considering shipping. JVC is my favorite brang (for no particular reason, I guess), so I am not too familiar with how much exactly would a comparable Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer or whatever cost. But I am pretty sure this is as cheap as it gets.

It's more a matter that at a hundred and a half, it's at my boundary between cheap and serious, and my question is whether to go with this (to replace my old, limited (by modern standards) dead receiver) or to spend more to get something higher end. My current AV setup (as opposed to my music setup) doesn't justify more, but some day my (really old!) main TV will die and I'll upgrade to big screen HD, so I'm trying to decide if this receiver would be good enough for that or (if not) whether this is a small enough amount of money for me to justify as an "interim" purchase...

 

[cyberia]

Originally posted by: beergeek
whether this is a small enough amount of money for me to justify as an "interim" purchase...

I think it is. At this price, you can use it for close to two years and then still get at least a half of what you paid for it on eBay or Craigslist. It has a two year warranty, so that will help with the resale value.

 

[Project86]

To adress a few points mentioned earlier:

"Number of Video Inputs: 3"

Sort of true. It only has options for DVD, DBS, VCR, and TV. I have HDMI 1 as DVD, HDMI 2 as VCR, and Svideo in as DBS. But you can trick it by using 2 more analog inputs for the DVD and VCR selections. You would then switch between them. For example: have it set to "DVD", with "digital" video input, for watching DVDs over HDMI. Keep it set on "DVD" but switch to "analog" video input, to access a Wii over component cables. So you basically get 1 HDMI and 1 analog video input for the "DVD" input, and same thing for "VCR". so that makes total of 2 HDMI ins and 3 analog ins. Kind of a hassle but workable.

Hate to pile on bad reviews, but I hooked this receiver up to my Mirage nanosat system because a friend challenged my spending $400 for the Pioneer 1018. It sucked feet. Had to crank it around 7 o'clock to get any decent volume out of it and it ran very, very hot. Beware of the quality associated with the low price. If you can take the chance, not a bad price at all. Re: upconversion -- no one could tell any difference bt this and SD piping into my LNa630.

All digital amps tend to run hot, however mine never gets too hot to touch, and is really fairly equal to analog units I've owned from Marantz and Denon. I would only consider this an issue if it was going into a cabinet with no ventilation.

Mine gets plenty loud, and did not put up a fuss even when I used some 4ohm Onix Reference 1 speakers (the JVC is technically only rated to 6ohms).

As far as upconversion: What this unit has is a de-interlacer chip (DCDi by Faroudja, was pretty high end a while back). It de-interlaces 480i material so you end up with 480P with less jaggies. This process only works in conjunction with the analog to digital conversion process. Bottom line: you feed it 480i via composite, Svideo, or component, you will end up with a 480P signal via HDMI. I do notice it cleans up a standard Dish network signal quite a bit. On the other hand, it occasionally makes strange artifacts across the whole screen, every 10-20 minutes or so. I have read that many of these have issues with the upconversion process, so I wouldn't but counting on that feature alone.

I sometimes have HDMI handshake issues between this and my Samsung BD-P1200 Blu-ray player. I'm not sure which is at fault, but I end up with 2 channel audio instead of surround. I simply turn off the JVC and turn it right back on, and it fixes the problem. Many early HDMI units have funny quirks like that.

Overall I think this is a great unit. It sounds better than many receivers I've used costing much more. It is not without it's faults, but a great budget buy.

 

[beergeek]

Originally posted by: Project86
To adress a few points mentioned earlier:

"Number of Video Inputs: 3"

Sort of true. It only has options for DVD, DBS, VCR, and TV. I have HDMI 1 as DVD, HDMI 2 as VCR, and Svideo in as DBS. But you can trick it by using 2 more analog inputs for the DVD and VCR selections. You would then switch between them. For example: have it set to "DVD", with "digital" video input, for watching DVDs over HDMI. Keep it set on "DVD" but switch to "analog" video input, to access a Wii over component cables. So you basically get 1 HDMI and 1 analog video input for the "DVD" input, and same thing for "VCR". so that makes total of 2 HDMI ins and 3 analog ins. Kind of a hassle but workable.

All that assumes you are using the HDMI out - true? As I read the manual, if you are using analog out (which I would right now, as the TV I'd use this with doesn't have digital in), then you are limited to the analog ins (it won't do D-to-A) and only the analog ins matching the analog out you use (i.e., if you use the composite out, only the composite ins are active).

Further, only composite or S-video have 3 inputs, component and HDMI only have 2 each - correct?

That makes it pretty tight on inputs (DBS/VCR for cable/sat plus DVD, no VCR unless you go composite), but no spares for game console(s), camcorder, media server, HD radio, etc.) , especially if you are running analog out and can't double up as you suggest. That's probably OK for me right now, but I guess if you need even a moderate number of inputs, you either need to move up the food chain or use some external switching...

 

[Project86]

Originally posted by: beergeek

All that assumes you are using the HDMI out - true? As I read the manual, if you are using analog out (which I would right now, as the TV I'd use this with doesn't have digital in), then you are limited to the analog ins (it won't do D-to-A) and only the analog ins matching the analog out you use (i.e., if you use the composite out, only the composite ins are active).

Further, only composite or S-video have 3 inputs, component and HDMI only have 2 each - correct?

That makes it pretty tight on inputs (DBS/VCR for cable/sat plus DVD, no VCR unless you go composite), but no spares for game console(s), camcorder, media server, HD radio, etc.) , especially if you are running analog out and can't double up as you suggest. That's probably OK for me right now, but I guess if you need even a moderate number of inputs, you either need to move up the food chain or use some external switching...

1) Correct, no D-A conversion for video, and only matching ins to outs.

2) Correct.

3) That's true. I don't actually run everything thru this unit, just my HD DVD player and Blu-ray player for HDMI, then an optical in from my Dish box. When I had SD Dish with Svideo, I ran that thru as well to get the superior deinterlacing. But now that I have HD, I go straight to my TV via HDMI and only optical from Dish to the JVC.

Keep in mind it has an extra input called "TV" that is just for audio only, and only analog audio ins if I am not mistaken. I use it for connecting my MP3 player via 1/8" to RCA cable.

I don't really see the appeal of running all video thru your AVR though. I like to tailor my display settings depending on what I'm watching: Blu or HD stuff have 1 setting, SD Dish had another, Wii has another, etc. You couldn't do that if you had everything going in thru 1 HDMI cable. So even if you paid $5k for a unit with the Realta chip for upconversion (Denon 5308) you still would lose the option of individual settings.

Another thing to note: the JVC does not send HDMI audio out to your TV, from any source. Never bothers me a bit but it does mean extra cables being sent to the TV if you want that.

 

[BBock727]

Originally posted by: beergeek

Originally posted by: cyberia

Originally posted by: beergeek
Now $120, but (for me) $24 shipping, which seems high... A quandary, since I just blew up my existing (and very old) AV receiver.

I can't imagine another brand new receiver with similar features this cheap, even considering shipping. JVC is my favorite brang (for no particular reason, I guess), so I am not too familiar with how much exactly would a comparable Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer or whatever cost. But I am pretty sure this is as cheap as it gets.

It's more a matter that at a hundred and a half, it's at my boundary between cheap and serious, and my question is whether to go with this (to replace my old, limited (by modern standards) dead receiver) or to spend more to get something higher end. My current AV setup (as opposed to my music setup) doesn't justify more, but some day my (really old!) main TV will die and I'll upgrade to big screen HD, so I'm trying to decide if this receiver would be good enough for that or (if not) whether this is a small enough amount of money for me to justify as an "interim" purchase...

If you use the US dollar as your currency, I can't understand your boundary between "cheap and serious". At $150, you are borderlining the "worthless" A/V equipment area. If this unit does what you need at a $150 price point, then this is a STEAL. If you are an audiophile, you wouldn't buy this unit anyway, and your "serious" boundary would be closer to $1000 than $0.

The electronics you are describing in your household sound like they fall under the same low-end category and therefore this sounds like a perfect replacement. I would consider this unit as a great interim solution for you, but it is by no means satisfactory or justifiable for anyone w/ a home theater setup.

 

[Project86]

I would argue that this unit fits the "audiophile" category better than most low to mid range AVRs from Denon, Marantz, Harman Kardon, Onkyo, Pioneer, Yamaha, etc. Remember: Audiophiles are not after features or convenience, but pure audio quality. Digital units from JVC and some others (notably Panasonic with their discontinued XR line) offered extreme audio quality compared to units costing many times their price. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. But feed these a digital signal and it stays digital all the way through to the speaker terminals (using pulse width modulation) and you end up with sound that is hard to match.

I've owned many AVRs from the above mentioned brands, and currently own seperates from Emotiva. I maintain that my Panasonic XR57 and my JVC 401 and 701 are some of the best sounding of the bunch.

 

[beergeek]

Originally posted by: BBock727

Originally posted by: beergeek

Originally posted by: cyberia

Originally posted by: beergeek
Now $120, but (for me) $24 shipping, which seems high... A quandary, since I just blew up my existing (and very old) AV receiver.

I can't imagine another brand new receiver with similar features this cheap, even considering shipping. JVC is my favorite brang (for no particular reason, I guess), so I am not too familiar with how much exactly would a comparable Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer or whatever cost. But I am pretty sure this is as cheap as it gets.

It's more a matter that at a hundred and a half, it's at my boundary between cheap and serious, and my question is whether to go with this (to replace my old, limited (by modern standards) dead receiver) or to spend more to get something higher end. My current AV setup (as opposed to my music setup) doesn't justify more, but some day my (really old!) main TV will die and I'll upgrade to big screen HD, so I'm trying to decide if this receiver would be good enough for that or (if not) whether this is a small enough amount of money for me to justify as an "interim" purchase...

If you use the US dollar as your currency, I can't understand your boundary between "cheap and serious". At $150, you are borderlining the "worthless" A/V equipment area. If this unit does what you need at a $150 price point, then this is a STEAL. If you are an audiophile, you wouldn't buy this unit anyway, and your "serious" boundary would be closer to $1000 than $0.

The electronics you are describing in your household sound like they fall under the same low-end category and therefore this sounds like a perfect replacement. I would consider this unit as a great interim solution for you, but it is by no means satisfactory or justifiable for anyone w/ a home theater setup.

I am an _audiophile_ - my stereo setup cost many thousands (at least to the persons who bought the components when they were new 🙂) and includes a Threshold pre, Sumo and GAS amps, AR ES1 table with SME arm and Denon MC cart, Sony 707esd CD, B&W and Accoustat speakers, etc.

However, at this point I am not a _videophile_ - I don't have (what would be considered) a home theater system, and my video setup is not in the same room as the music system. My "main" TV is a 27" CRT dating to the mid-80's (I've told the kids that it would get replaced with a big HD LCD when it dies, but it is still showing no signs of doing that...), I have a fairly cheap DVD player, an (apparently) no longer functional VCR, a fairly inexpensive set of floor standing JVC speakers with a matching center channel speaker, the aforementioned cheap (15 year old and recently dead) Sony AV receiver for switching and audio, and just basic cable - no sat or digital (and obviously, no HD). For right now, the Sony has been replaced by a (20 year old?) Nakamichi R-1 (mini stereo receiver) that I had lying around.

I generally avoid replacing/discarding functional items (especially working electronics, hence my still having the Nak, which I doubt I'd used in 6 or 8 years), but I tend to upgrade when I do replace. However, I don't see any reason to go overboard - as I said, the rest of the video setup doesn't justify it. If/when I do significantly upgrade the video side of things, I will probably also upgrade the speakers, maybe go full surround, etc. The question is then - is this receiver (viewed purely as a AV receiver, not for serious music listening) adequate for _that_ upgrade (understanding that I don't know when that would be)? If not, is spending $150 on it as a temp solution too much? As an alternative, I can stick with the Nak - I lose the center channel and it basically only supports 1 input, so I have to route the DVD through the TV to the Nak to get sound, but it might be OK for my current simple video needs...

 

[Project86]

I would say yes, that the JVC is certainly worthy for you future needs. Even if it turns out that you need or want something else down the road, I don't think $150 is too much for a "temp" solution. I'm sure you could also find another use for it in the event that it gets replaced by a better unit, or even just save it as a backup in case you ever need warranty work on your higher end replacement.

The way things have been moving in the AV world, receivers are rapidly getting cheaper and more full featured. I remember paying quite a bit a few years back for a higher end Denon receiver to get the Audyssey EQ with 2 HDMI ins and 1 out. Now even the lowest models in the Denon lineup have improved Audyssey and HDMI 2 in/1 out, and most of the mid-high end models have many more. Plus new audio formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio are trickling down into the base models.

On a side note, I used to own an AR ES 1 and loved it! I eventually replaced it with a VPI unit which cost much much more but only improved minimally on the sound. I kind of regret the "upgrade" actually...

 

[mdcrab]

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