Review: JVC TH-G41

Written on Sep 8, 2009 by Thomas S. and filed under JVC, Reviews

Editorial note – This review is of the JVC TH-G41. JVC makes two other models however that are similar – too similar for us to review on their own, so we’ve highlighted the key features here. The TH-G31 does not have the iPod connection and HDMI input (with repeater) found on the TH-G41, everything else is the same. The TH-G51 adds wireless rear speakers, otherwise the specs are the same as the TH-G41.

Home theaters have been coming in kit form for years, now; gone are the days when you had to buy each piece all on its own. As a result, manufacturers have been forced to seek out new ways of differentiating themselves and appealing to the consumer. JVC is taking a shot at it with their new TH-G41, a 5.1 setup that offers 1080p DVD upscaling, video, audio, picture and FM playback as well as the opportunity to dock your iPod and play back media through your television and speakers. Let’s take a look at what JVC gives you for three hundred dollars.

Specifications

• Total output power: 1000 watts
• Front: 155 watts per channel
• Center: 155 watts
• Surround: 155 watts per channel
• Subwoofer: 225 watts
• Power consumption: Standby: 0.8W, Power on: 130W (max)
• Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Pro Logic II capable
• NTSC/PAL compatible
• Supported formats: DVD, DVD+/-R/RW, CD, CD-R/RW, MP3, WMA, JPEG
• FM antenna
• iPod docking connector included (supports audio and video)

Setup

Easily the most frustrating part of any theater purchase and use is the initial setup of the components. Fortunately, setting up the the TH-G41 was frankly a breeze. JVC includes pretty much everything you’ll need in the box; the only issue is actually getting to it. Our review unit came heavily packed in Styrofoam, surrounded with those impossibly tight plastic bands. It’s nice that the system comes packed so securely, but it is a little annoying to try to get to when you’re setting things up. Once you manage to break apart the system, you’ll find that everything is neatly packed within its own little cubbyhole. It’s very neatly done, with every speaker and component — down to the wires — individually wrapped and taped.

Speaking of the wires, it’s nice to see that JVC cut things to a reasonable length, with generous extra length left for hooking up the rear satellites. Even though the speaker wire is all the same and completely interchangeable, each pair of wires is color coded to a specific audio channel, which should help users new to theater components set things up both quickly and with a little more confidence. Positive and negative wires are both easily distinguishable, with the negative wire wearing a little black sleeve to differentiate it from its partner.

Flipping the main unit over, it’s easy to see the speaker connections right about in the middle. All of the wires are are precut with finished ends, so all you need to do is pull back on the appropriate plastic clip, insert the wire, and release. To make sure it’s secure, it’s a good idea to pull on the clip in the opposite direction from before, just to ensure the wire is clamped firmly in place. It’s worth noting that both the center channel and the satellite speakers have holes in that back so that you can mount them to screws on the wall.

In terms of integrating the system into your current setup, the receiver does include a number of different audio and video connection options. To connect the system to your display, the TH-G41 uses composite (bad) and component (better) for analog options, and HDMI (best) for digital. Users with older HDTVs that included DVI instead of HDMI can buy an adapter online for a couple of bucks that will convert the signal (HDMI is simply DVI with an additional audio channel). There’s also an HDMI-in port so those with devices such as a PS3 or other theater component can patch their device into the setup. For audio, the receiver uses both RCA stereo and optical audio in. Rounding out the ports on the back are a coax-looking FM jack that works with the included antenna wire, and the iPod docking port that works with the included iPod dock.

Once you have your speakers connected and arranged as you see fit, JVC instructs you to walk through the on-screen setup using the remote control and your display. We were kind of let down here, as none of the on-screen menus looked very attractive; moreover, it felt like they were all upscaled instead of being displayed at a native high definition resolution. Given that one of the main selling points of the system is that it lets you hook up DVDs and other media to an HDTV with a 1080p signal, the menus could stand to be retooled. That’s a fairly minor quibble, though, all things considered, as they are easy to read, easy to use and pretty functional. The menu lets you make minor adjustments to your setup; each speaker can be set to output up to five decibels higher or lower (a total range of 10dB) than the standard signal. Additionally, the receiver lets users set the distance between the speakers and your main listening point if the distance between the front, center or rear speakers and where you sit differs between the satellites. The receiver uses the distance information to introduce delays or advances in the audio stream so that sound reaches the listener from all of the speakers at approximately the same point in time.

Usability

Most of the usability of a home theater setup comes down to the function and capability of its remote control. Fortunately, the included accessory doesn’t disappoint.

While we’ve definitely seen better in terms of intuitive button layouts and design, the controller JVC packages with the system is easy to use, providing access to core functions like scan mode (the resolution being played back over component and HDMI outputs), volume, DVD playback and access to inputs and features. The only real downsides I can think of are that the volume control could be better integrated into the rest of the remote, instead of relegated to the lower right, and the menu buttons can be confusing, since there are two for DVDs – TOP MENU and MENU, a third for the setup menu – SET UP and a fourth for the on-screen display – DISPLAY. Additionally, dedicated input buttons would be nice to see: it’s annoying to try and switch to the docked iPod and accidentally pass it by, having to go through the rest of the inputs and try again.

Performance

We tested the audio performance playing back several DVDs as well as using the iPod dock to play back a number of different audio files. Every time the speakers sounded great, without any one aspect (mids, highs, lows) overpowering the others. Surround sound differentiation was clear and defined when watching a movie. Listening to music through the iPod definitely gave me a bit more respect for both my iPod and the surround sound system. It’s a big change to go from headphones, even a nice pair, to being surrounded by music on all sides. The system was never turned all the way up to test how distortion impacted the quality of sound at the upper levels, but that was only because keeping the system at twenty percent or less was more than enough to fill my living room. I suspect turning it up much more would have been enough to fill the entire living space and more than likely bring angry neighbors knocking on my door.

The TH-G41 was hooked up to a 1080p-capable display for watching video. While home theater aficionados will definitely notice the difference between actual 1080p content, like what’s found on Blu-ray discs, and the scaled 1080p DVD video like what this unit provides, I was pleasantly surprised to see how well the interpolation performs. The display we used for testing has only a very basic scaler inside; just enough to pull content to the edges. The one inside the JVC unit worked pretty well, providing significantly more sharpness – as you can see in the image above, the upscaled image is on the right. It’s still not HD, but it’s good enough for most people and makes watching DVDs on an HDTV a much more pleasant experience.

iPod Support

The iPod dock that comes with the TH-G41 is functional and weighty, providing enough support to dock even the larger iPhone and iPod Touch devices. JVC claims that the system works with essentially every iPod out there save for the original first couple of generations. The dock itself sits at the end of a cable that plugs into the rear of the unit; since many HT receivers sit in a recessed location or behind glass doors, users can place the dock in a more easily accessible spot. The system provides two separate iPod inputs which are hard to differentiate without reading the manual. iPod mode lets users operate the iPod with the supplied remote control as well as still use the controls on the iPod itself. OSD iPod mode controls the iPod by using the supplied remote control and the receiver’s on-screen display. The iPod controls can’t be accessed while it sits in the OSD mode.

Audio worked without any problems whatsoever, and even though the iPod and theater system were playing back compressed music files, everything sounded great. The only problem came when trying to play back video. I used a first generation iPod Touch that was recently updated to the new 3.0 firmware and no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get video to play back over the display instead of on the iPod itself; the system would tell me that this iPod wasn’t supported. If you have this system and a first gen iPod Touch, it may be worth holding off on upgrading to the new firmware.

Conclusion

Affordable home theater systems have come a long way, and the JVC TH-G41 shows just how far. For three hundred dollars, consumers get a system that easily outperforms generic units found at big box and department stores, with a number of extra features. Setup of the system was very easy, with color coding and end-finished wiring letting even relatively new users put things together. Audio performance was great for what most would consider the value segment of the market, whether watching a movie or listening to classical or punk rock out of an iPod. JVC rates the total harmonic distortion of this setup as up to ten percent, though any effect it had on our source media wasn’t noticed. In fact, the one and only disappointment we felt with the system was its inability to properly sync up with the iPod in order to watch video. Audio worked fine, however, even if the on-screen menus may not look very nice. Given that current iPods output video at significantly less than DVD quality, it’s not too much of a loss. As a whole, the system was functional, easy to use, and made DVDs entertaining, and at $300, how much more can you ask for?

Rating – 4 out of 5 stars