JVC XU-301BK 3-CD/1-Minidisc Player/Recorder
By: JVC Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 3
More Information
 On: 2000-07-18
Read the reviews below, but be alert to an issue with this recorder. If you put more than 20 tracks on a disc, the edit functions (move track etc) wont work on these higher numbered tracks.
 On: 2000-07-11
Addition to my review (4/2003): The player has started flaking out- not recognizing CDs are loaded, trays refusing to open when open/close button pressed. Unplug/plug required to clear- but only temporary. Update 8/2004: I had this repaired at a local shop for about 80 bucks and now it works fine- they said the "timing" on the trays needed to be adjusted.
So I needed a new CD player, and was thinking about getting into minidiscs (burning CDs on my PC for personal use wasnt cutting it). This system caught my eye, as I have some JVC gear already. Heres my take so far:
Pluses:
Great sound with the digital connection. Full features. Three CD trays makes it easy to fill up a customized MD. Handy remote with full QWERTY keyboard makes titling a breeze (once you get the hang of typing on keys the size of pinheads. Check out the Sharp 722 portable MD recorder for a really clever way to enter in text). Digital input and output (as well as analog). JVC Compu-link works well with my other JVC gear (but see below). Informative display- lots of buttons and flashing lights to mesmerize you. Good, solid Made in Japan fit and finish (with exception noted below).
Minuses:
Has one-step recording to grab one entire CD or the first track on all three (not sure when Ill find a use for that...) but the feature for picking and choosing tracks is clumsy- you have to listen to a snippet of each track and say yea or nay to it. Then when you run out of space on the MD, it still goes through each remaining track trying to find one that will fit. THEN it starts recording. Id prefer to have a way to enter tracks by number. The Compu-link feature is handy, but can be annoying- for instance, if you fire up a recording then decide to turn the receiver off to do something else, it shuts down the MD recorder automatically. Oops. Theres no way to enter titles onto tracks while you are recording (if your CD supports CD Text, its automatic)- which is the logical time to do it. You can title only when you are listening or with the MD stopped. The MD mechanism seems solid, but the CD trays look and sound flimsy.
Overall impression:
Im having fun with it, and my customized discs are so cool they make CDs seem like vinyl. But they compliment each other nicely too- like LPs and cassette but sounding many times better (as noted, I have a Sharp 722 portable).
On: 2000-05-20
I like my XU-301 a lot. It has its flaws in the handling butthey are easily forgotten when compared to the features you get. Ipayed for mine here in Sweden, replacing an old Denon DCD-620. Maybe the audio isnt the best but it matches the Denon at least.If you own a MD-walkman and like to listen to several CDs at once the this is the machine for you.
On: 2000-05-19
I like my XU-301 a lot. It has its flaws in the handling butthey are easily forgotten when compared to the features you get. Ipayed for mine here in Sweden, replacing an old Denon DCD-620. Maybe the audio isnt the best but it matches the Denon at least.If you own a MD-walkman and like to listen to several CDs at once the this is the machine for you.
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