Review JVC XL-V211 CD Player - who knew?!

[record_spot]

I've been buying up vintage CD players for quite a few years now. Mostly as I'm keen to here if older CD players (late 80s) were as bad as they're made out to be, and just to see how they compare to what we're used to now.

My current CD player (which will be staying) is a Kenwood DP990-SG, which is one rung down from the TOTL of its day (the 1100-SG). Slight power supply difference I think, but otherwise very similar and performance is just astonishingly good. One of the best I've had in thiry years of having CD players.

I'd always been interested in those brands that seemed to get poo-poohed in audiophile circles, and certainly, in the early 90s, you'd have to look long and hard at a What Hi Fi (or probably anything else) to get past the Pioneer, Sony, Arcam or Marantz CD players of the day that festooned most titles back then.

And then I found a JVC XL-V211 the other week. Eh?

A quick scout around the net found little, but a couple of posts on Audiokarma, pretty decent feedback there and I went for it. Cost was minimal, the sellers' "fully working" description a tad shy of the mark, but not enough to send it back to them, but the sound is really rather impressive!

This isn't an expensive player at all. If it sold for more than £200 in the late 80s, I'll be *very* surprised. Performance-wise though, it's really very good. I often felt we saw far too little of the other brands in the magazines in the 80s aside from the usual suspects. The JVC turns in a brilliant show really - very analogue sounding, no harshness, and a fine sound quality, with plenty of room for instruments that shows depth. Astonishing, but perhaps not altogether surprising.

If you see one, and are keen to try out older CD players, give it a spin. You should pick one up for around £50-70 and for a short term spin, it's worth it.

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi RS.

I'm not really surprised by the quality of JVC stuff around that period. When you think of their amps, especially the 'Super A' series they were good sounding for the price. Read how you're enjoying the CDP from that period makes sense.

 

[treesey]

I keep meaning to buy a Pioneer DVD player, the DV-300, for about ten quid, all down to this guy.

goldmundizator

Though bucking your trend, I have a Sony from the 80s, and it sounds very good to my ears. It's only downside being the weight - it genuinely hurts to pick it up.

 

[record_spot]

I keep meaning to buy a Pioneer DVD player, the DV-300, for about ten quid, all down to this guy.

goldmundizator

Though bucking your trend, I have a Sony from the 80s, and it sounds very good to my ears. It's only downside being the weight - it genuinely hurts to pick it up.

Yep. the Sony players I've had have been good. The CDP-911E being a good inexpensive option that'll deliver plenty. I'm just surprised that the magazines of the day tended to overlook them so much.

 

[plastic penguin]

Wasn't it Sony that produced the first domestic CD player? Pretty sure it was mentioned on Beebs Tomorrows World programme.

 

[Al ears]

Some nice cheap players still around but best to be wary of those that are unrepairable nowadays unless you are prepared to simply ditch it when these faults occur

 

[plastic penguin]

Some nice cheap players still around but best to be wary of those that are unrepairable nowadays unless you are prepared to simply ditch it when these faults occur

This is the main drawback with vintage CD players. Chances are, though, some of these older players might have been mothballed with the onset of streaming. If carefully stored they could still give you years of joy.

I really lucked out with the Exposure player. Hasn't missed a beat since buying it in the Spring of 2020. For £250 it's a bargain piece of musical happiness

 

[record_spot]

Some nice cheap players still around but best to be wary of those that are unrepairable nowadays unless you are prepared to simply ditch it when these faults occur

That's how I look at it. £50-100 is fine and not a big loss. The Kenwood DP-990SG is from around 1989 or so, was serviced before coming out to me by a project in Manchester. No issues so far a year on.

 

[Al ears]

That's how I look at it. £50-100 is fine and not a big loss. The Kenwood DP-990SG is from around 1989 or so, was serviced before coming out to me by a project in Manchester. No issues so far a year on.

Good to hear.
Belts are not often a problem, nor are the electrics in general.
it tends to be more to do with the lack of available replacement laser drive units.

 

[twinkletoes]

Good to hear.
Belts are not often a problem, nor are the electrics in general.
it tends to be more to do with the lack of available replacement laser drive units.

Or motor drive units that pull draws in and out.

 

[twinkletoes]

I still have my stable platter pioneer and a nad c540.
they both sound great

 

[treesey]

Or motor drive units that pull draws in and out.

The top Sonys have magnetic rails - all you need to do is clean off the 1990s dried grease and replace. The cheaper CDM9? (without looking it up) which is in my Philips 940 all suffer from the drawer drive cog being plastic that just shreds the teeth after 30 years
All fixable - as above the real issue is when the laser goes.

 

[matthewpianist]

Hi @record_spot

Long time no speak!

I've recently purchased a Sony CDP-770 and I'm loving it. I find it more involving than the other CD players I currently have (Denon DCD1600NE and Rotel CD11 Tribute), and so far it hasn't missed a beat. It more than matches the memory I have of Sony CD players from the time. My Dad has also now purchased one and is equally loving it, through his JVC A5 amp and KEF C10s.

 

[record_spot]

Hi @record_spot

Long time no speak!

I've recently purchased a Sony CDP-770 and I'm loving it. I find it more involving than the other CD players I currently have (Denon DCD1600NE and Rotel CD11 Tribute), and so far it hasn't missed a beat. It more than matches the memory I have of Sony CD players from the time. My Dad has also now purchased one and is equally loving it, through his JVC A5 amp and KEF C10s.

Hey @matthewpianist - long time indeed!

Sony made some terrific players - I had the CDP-911E for a while which was a great player too. I'd pick another one up at the drop of a hat. Not quite so convinced that the higher end ES players you see on Ebay are worth the crazy money some are asking, but they'll come down in time. Models like the 33X and 337ES are coming down to sensible levels, but the regular ones, as you've found, can hit the spot just right.

 

[treesey]

The ES, and more-so ESD players command a premium today because at that time in the 80s, Sony was trying to build the best players without making them to a budget, because they could.
So the best components plus the best way of supplying the power and designing the board/electronics etc etc.
Obviously they also had a range of players to cater for people who didn't want to spend a 'large' amount on a player, so they are not all the same inside.

According to Lampizator, as everything relies on the cleanliness of the signal/electronics, that is why specific, well-designed and well-built players sound so much better than the majority... not just Sony of course. But here he is describing a particular Sony....

Sony used MKP not the lousy SMD found elsewhere.
The DAC chip needs 3 different supply voltages - and VOILA ! They dedicated one separate heatsinked regulator to each input !
Most players have one common 5V regulator PER PLAYER, feeding the motor, the laser, the drawer, the display and all that. Not in Sony ! They do things like I would do If I owned a factory.
The power caps are premium audio grade ELNAS just like in their top model 557ESD.
Power transformer is a decent one, not undersized like in all cheap players.
All critical places have ceramic filter caps.
Even more regulators - this player is full of them, Black ones, copper ones, without sinks - all kinds of regulators. And proper regulation is the whole differenciator between mediocre stereo and high end.

 

[matthewpianist]

Hey @matthewpianist - long time indeed!

Sony made some terrific players - I had the CDP-911E for a while which was a great player too. I'd pick another one up at the drop of a hat. Not quite so convinced that the higher end ES players you see on Ebay are worth the crazy money some are asking, but they'll come down in time. Models like the 33X and 337ES are coming down to sensible levels, but the regular ones, as you've found, can hit the spot just right.

Back in the 90s I had an entry-level CDP-110 and then a CDP-597, and I discovered a lot of music on those players. The CDP-770 has much of the character of those players but is even better. Having experienced the usual modern players (Rotel CD11 Tribute, Marantz CD6007) and even up to Rega and Roksan, I'd say the older Sony compares very well.