Re the legendary JVC WVHS models SR-W5U and SR-W7U: these are vanishingly rare, very expensive, and nearly impossible to get repaired. If lightning strikes and you do stumble upon one in perfect working order, they are indeed the finest VCRs ever made for digitizing VHS/SVHS. Video playback is impeccable, and their HiFi Audio tracking miraculous.
The quote above was snipped from the following link: https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/305272-Panasonic-AG-1980P-vs-JVC-HR-S9800-SR-V10U/page3

orsetto and others with knowledge, I'm not sure this was ever asked, so i'm asking now: Are there any other units close to the performance of the JVC SR-W5U ?

I am still searching for that near perfect vcr that is as close in performance. I would not need a built-in TBC if possible since I can use a Toshiba DR430KU or Panasonic ES10 for that feature. I am specifically interested in the cleanup of the chroma noise.

Or, put in another way, what vcr's do the best cleanup of chroma noise? With build-in TBC or not. List your recommendations, thank you.