This is one of the finest retro look, high performance mini system.  It pairs a remarkable small amplifier from Kenwood and a set of tiny JVC speakers that set new standards for both style and performance. The Kenwood amplifier has a more retro-look that mates well with the JVC appearance and it offers a tamer and somewhat warmer sound than most amplifiers from the mid-1980's onwards.

WOOD CONE MAGIC:   JVC SP-EXD1 Speakers

JVC had great success with their "Executive Series" components marketed in the late 1990's and early 2000's when high quality mini-systems featuring integrated CD player/amplifiers were all the rage. Several of the small speakers used in their better models have achieved cult-like status over the past 15 years. 

One reviewer were wrote: “ A more recent surprise was a pair of a supremely pleasant sounding JVC SP-UX7000’s with 3” full range drivers. They have plentiful bass for nearfield listening and a mid range that others have described as ‘magical’." The sound and imaging of the UX7000 is outstanding and over the years we have sold many pairs  They feature a carefully crafted cone design with hyper-aramid fibers, set in a diecast aluminum frame. The Cherrywood enclosure are both beautiful and functional. The 4 ohm speakers are efficient and they can reproduce cleanly, even at higher volume levels. Solidly constructed, these small wonders provide a very enjoyable listening experience, given the obvious limitations of a small driver.

One of the designers at JVC  had long wanted to take these design concepts to a higher level and he developed a series of unique compact speakers with specially treated wood (birch) cone materials. These appeared in mini-systems and compact systems marketed by JVC from 2004-2007. 

Most reviewers loved the speakers but the design of the electronics in these systems left much to be desired. Over the years the electronic components failed to attract buyers and they were frequently discarded, but the speakers were so attractive looking that they usually were kept around and regularly appeared in yard sales and the like. Those fortunate enough to find them  discovered that the good looks were secondary to performance that astonished most purchasers. A cult following developed in on-line communities. We can verify that they have all the virtues of our much loved UX7000 taken to a significantly higher level. They offer a much more convincing low end, superior build quality and a truly well  balanced sound with all the detail and precise imaging that makes single driver speakers such a delight. Highly recommended. 

The EXA1 system was introduced in 2004. The EXD1 system was introduced a year later. It used different DVD and amplifier components so as to accommodate new formats but the speakers in these models appear to be essentially identical. The magnetically shielded 3.25" speakers have birch wood cone diaphragms with die-cast frames and edgewise wound 4 layer voice coils

FROM JVC MANUAL: "A popular material for violins, pianos, guitars and many other musical instruments, wood is blessed with superior acoustic characteristics not found in other materials. This is the reason why many speaker enclosures are made of wood. Then why not make a speaker diaphragm out of wood? The sound from the EX-A1’s wood cone speaker is astonishingly clear and natural with dynamic bass that is usually impossible without a subwoofer. The superior acoustic characteristics of wood are working in synergy with the high-grade parts that JVC has chosen carefully for the EX-A1.