Why does JVC HR-S9911 have poor sound when Emerson POS does not?

[jlietz]

Hi,

Can anyone explain why my JVC HR-S9911 (neither unit, I have 2) doesn't seem to produce anywhere near the audio quality of my cheapo Emerson on non hi-fi tapes? Compared to the Emerson, the audio is low and not nearly as rich (doesn't seem to have the same kind of range.) Both use the same cables, intermediary equipment (tbc, etc...).

Don't get me wrong, the HR-S9911 produces a far better picture (except for some older tapes that don't play correctly in it, but do on the Emerson...) and I'm not going to stop using it, but it bugs the sh*t out of me that none of the extra $300 price difference between the two seems to have gone into audio processing.

Anybody else noticed this? If so, what do you do to "fix" the audio?

Thanks.

[Krispy Kritter]

I would expect that you are just seeing the difference in audio processing. Most likely your JVC unit is processing the audio to remove noise. Most times this additional processing can be disabled in the menu options.

[jlietz]

It may be using some kind of noise removal filter (although I doubt it since hiss on old tapes is actually more pronounced on the JVC vs Emerson), but regardless, I don't think there is a way to turn it off. Usually, the audio monitor allows one to switch between Hi-Fi, Hi-Fi L, Hi-Fi R, Normal, and Mix (Hi-Fi plus Normal). However, on a tape that does not have a Hi-Fi track, the HR-S9911 automatically switches to Normal and there is nothing the user can do about it.

[Krispy Kritter]

What you are seeing is normal, it disables Hi-Fi mode because there is no stereo track.

I also have this model and an older GE unit I recently had to trash. I didn't notice much of a difference in quality between mine. The GE unit had a NR (Noise Reduction) option that could be turned on/off to help reduce tape hiss, but other than that, sound quality was very similar.

So based on what you are seeing, and what I have seen, the only oddball of the group is your Emerson. Apparently it is performing some function on the audio track, possibly amplifying and/or enhancing the sound in some fashion.