JVC was founded in Yokohama, Japan, in 1927 as the Japanese arm of America’s Victor Talking Machine Company, first making phonographs and records. We carry JVC stereo receivers and AV receivers, cassette decks, CD players, turntables and speakers. We’ve had more than 90 JVC listings so far, covering more than 80 different models. Every AV receiver we list is tested input by input on our bench: each HDMI input and output, the analog, optical and coaxial inputs, the subwoofer outputs and the wireless features where it has them. Every used JVC here is inspected, tested and serviced as required, then photographed in-house and covered by our Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Don’t see the model you want? Tell us on First Dibs and we’ll email you when one arrives.
JVC models we’ve sold more than once include the RX-7000VBK and RX-8000VBK AV receivers.
The JVC story, 1927 to today
JVC began in 1927 as the Japanese subsidiary of the Victor Talking Machine Company, making phonographs and records, and built a large plant in Yokohama in 1930. RCA bought Victor in 1929, and in the late 1930s JVC passed to Japanese owners.
Stereo, quad and video. JVC joined the Matsushita (Panasonic) group in the early 1950s. It developed the CD-4 discrete four-channel record system in the early 1970s and the SEA graphic equalizer built into its receivers, and in 1976 its video division introduced VHS.
Hi-fi highlights. The late 1970s and early 1980s brought the JR-S receivers, whose SEA sliders replaced the tone controls, the Super-A amplifiers and the QL quartz-lock turntables, and around 1990 the XL-Z CD players with JVC’s K2 Interface.
Today. JVC merged with Kenwood between 2008 and 2011, and JVCKENWOOD Corporation now owns the brand. JVC has had its own Canadian distribution since the 1970s, and JVCKENWOOD Canada is based in Mississauga, Ontario.
Which JVC is which?
1970s receivers: early four-channel models with CD-4 demodulators, and the JR-S series of 1976 to 1977, with built-in SEA equalizers.
Super-A amplifiers and receivers (1979 to the early 1980s): such as the A-X5 and A-X9 amplifiers and the R-S33 receiver.
Turntables: QL quartz-lock direct-drive models such as the QL-A7 and QL-Y5F, and belt-drive automatics such as the JL-A1.
Cassette decks and CD players: KD and CD-S decks from the 1970s, TD-W dual-well decks, and XL-Z CD players and XL changers.
AV receivers (2000 to 2004): the RX-x000V, RX-x010V and RX-x020V families, including the RX-7000VBK, RX-8000VBK and RX-6020VBK, and the RX-8040B.
Buying used JVC: what to check
SEA sliders. On JR-S and R-S receivers, work every equalizer slider through its range and listen for crackle or a channel dropping out.
FM muting. Stereo Review found the JR-S600’s muting could thump when tuning on or off a station, so turn the volume down before tuning.
AV receivers. Run every channel, centre and surrounds included, at moderate volume. Owners report overload shutdowns on some 2000s models, which can come from a short in the speaker wiring.
Turntables. On QL servo turntables, check that the tracking-force and damping dials respond and that the arm finds the lead-in at both record sizes. Older JL automatics often need old grease cleaned out and a new belt.
Cassette decks. Treat belts and pinch rollers on any 1970s to 1990s deck as service items.
Everything we list is inspected, tested and serviced as required here, and comes with our warranty.
Showing 1–12 of 28 resultsSorted by price: high to low
JVC JR-S201 Vintage Stereo Receiver – 35 WPC, SEA EQ, Japan
Thirty-five watts a channel at 0.01% distortion with a damping factor of 70 — numbers most larger receivers of 1978 could not reach. A five-band S.E.A. graphic equalizer sits on the front panel at 40, 250, 1k, 5k and 15kHz, alongside MM phono, two tape loops and push-button speaker terminals. Made in Japan, arrived professionally serviced; cosmetically graded Excellent.
JVC Theatre Series SP-5500 Tower Speakers, Pair – 8-inch Woofers
A pair of JVC Theatre Series SP-5500 two-way tower speakers in black woodgrain, with front-ported bass-reflex cabinets, tested on our bench and in very good condition.
✔️ Very good condition — free of significant marks, grilles included
✔️ 8-inch woofers in front-ported Theatre Series towers
✔️ Built-in circuit breaker protects the tweeters
✔️ Covered by Radique Warranty
✔️ Includes Perpetual Trade-Back Program eligibility
✔️ Expertly packed for safe shipping
JVC RX-307 Stereo Receiver – 80 WPC, Original Remote & Manual
Eighty watts a side, a proper phono input, and the two things these almost never come with any more: the original remote and the printed manual.
✔️ Condition: Very Good
✔️ Covered by Radique Warranty
✔️ Includes Perpetual Trade-Back Program eligibility
✔️ Expertly packed for safe shipping
JVC SX-PW33 Slim Tower Subwoofer — 6.5in, 100W, High-Pass Out
A tall, narrow bass column meant to stand beside a cabinet rather than in front of it — 8.25 inches across the front and unusually deep at 17, which is the trade: the depth buys back the internal volume the narrow baffle gives away, so a 6.5 inch woofer is properly loaded in a strip of floor barely wider than a hardcover book. Driven by an integrated 100 watt amplifier, with speaker-level inputs and high-pass outputs so it works with an amplifier that has no subwoofer output at all. Good condition.
JVC RX-5032V 5.1 AV Receiver, 100W/Ch, Optical & Coax In
One hundred watts a channel into 8 ohms across all five, with Dolby Digital, DTS and Pro Logic II. The useful part is the setup depth: a five-position subwoofer crossover from 80 to 200 Hz and an LFE attenuation control, unusual at this price. Video switching is composite only, and there is no 5.1 analog input. The original remote is missing; a pre-programmed universal is included. Condition good.
JVC R-S55 Vintage Stereo Receiver – 40 WPC, Wood Cabinet
Forty watts a channel at 0.03% distortion, a quartz-synthesiser tuner with station presets, and an MM phono stage — the electronics of 1979 wrapped in the wood cabinet of the decade before. That combination did not last long, which is why this one looks the way it does. Level 1 serviced here; condition good.