FenderP
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2004
- Posts
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- 111
I got the Victor (JVC) XA-HD500 today. I only used it for about 30 minutes before putting it back in the box. Before you think I did that because it was a bad player, it isn't. It's a well-built, intuitive, small, light player that sounds great with the CC/K2 technology to enhance the sound. Its fatal flaw to me is the lack of gapless. I verified this by encoding a live album and playing it back.
Here's what it ships with:
I didn't test the line out of the cradle, and did not even try the stock headphones. It drove my Westone ES2s very nicely at a volume under 10. I didn't test the remote either, but I did put the battery in it.
The driver install was simple and it integrates with Windows Media 10 - no proprietary software is needed. I could also install everything in English - including the manual - so you won't have to guess at how to use it.
The controls are intuitive and the whole feel of the unit is very, very well made. It does not feel cheap at all. The brushed silver is quite nice as well - very good looking player. The player also comes in black, but the silver color is only out in Japan and maybe in parts of the rest of the world, but not the USA which is supposed to get the black color.
It also does not sport a color screen as many know, but it does not hinder the player. I didn't take pics of the GUI, but some can be seen here (as well as other pics):
http://review.ascii24.com/db/review/...59270-000.html
It sounds better IMHO than my Vaio Pocket, which is my preferred player when it comes to sound. I was looking for something smaller and lighter which supported gapless for something other than WAV and had better sound quality. The search still continues.
It does have some customizable EQ: 50, 200, 1k, 3k, 14k. You can have 5 custom settings. It also has Digital AHB for bass. The CC converter function can be turned on and off. What's nice is it can also be set to mono, and you can control L/R balance.
Remember that this is geared towards a more audiophile audience, like the Kenwood HD20GA7 and the HD30GA9. To see a shootout of those two, go here:
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/do...202/dev138.htm
The fact that it comes with a cradle and a wireless remote make it better than what most DAPs have either as it is shipped or aftermarket support. Usually these are expensive options.
I didn't test the 30 hour battery life claim, but reviews seem to feel it's pretty close.
So I am selling it (see the classifieds ad http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=151911), but thought I'd post pictures for those interested.
Here's what it ships with:
- The XA-HD500 itself
- A US/Japan two prong world 100-240V adapter
- JVC headphones (white) with little thingy to put around the cable
- USB cable
- 1/8" to 1/8" stereo cable
- Cradle, with power, USB, and line out
- Wireless remote control with battery
I didn't test the line out of the cradle, and did not even try the stock headphones. It drove my Westone ES2s very nicely at a volume under 10. I didn't test the remote either, but I did put the battery in it.
The driver install was simple and it integrates with Windows Media 10 - no proprietary software is needed. I could also install everything in English - including the manual - so you won't have to guess at how to use it.
The controls are intuitive and the whole feel of the unit is very, very well made. It does not feel cheap at all. The brushed silver is quite nice as well - very good looking player. The player also comes in black, but the silver color is only out in Japan and maybe in parts of the rest of the world, but not the USA which is supposed to get the black color.
It also does not sport a color screen as many know, but it does not hinder the player. I didn't take pics of the GUI, but some can be seen here (as well as other pics):
http://review.ascii24.com/db/review/...59270-000.html
It sounds better IMHO than my Vaio Pocket, which is my preferred player when it comes to sound. I was looking for something smaller and lighter which supported gapless for something other than WAV and had better sound quality. The search still continues.
It does have some customizable EQ: 50, 200, 1k, 3k, 14k. You can have 5 custom settings. It also has Digital AHB for bass. The CC converter function can be turned on and off. What's nice is it can also be set to mono, and you can control L/R balance.
Remember that this is geared towards a more audiophile audience, like the Kenwood HD20GA7 and the HD30GA9. To see a shootout of those two, go here:
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/do...202/dev138.htm
The fact that it comes with a cradle and a wireless remote make it better than what most DAPs have either as it is shipped or aftermarket support. Usually these are expensive options.
I didn't test the 30 hour battery life claim, but reviews seem to feel it's pretty close.
So I am selling it (see the classifieds ad http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=151911), but thought I'd post pictures for those interested.
