I'm curious about some old flat-panel speakers from JVC- a company that I'd never suspect of making anything very high-quality or adventurous. But these speakers, labeled FS-100, certainly are different. They're about hip-high, two feet across and two inches thick. The brown fabric front panels suggest a 1980s origin. Behind the removable rear panel, I can see an array of a dozen perforated metal plates that somehow produce the sound. "Looks electrostatic," said a local vintage gear guru I showed them, to, "but there's no power?" True, there's no external power source required; they just wire to the amp like any normal speaker.

As for the sound, they seemed disappointing- congested, almost distorted on my Stereo 70, but much, much better on his homebrewed 8W SET amp. I'm going to set them up right at home and decide whether to keep them, or my Polk Audio RTA 12s. These JVCs really win on looks alone, though- especially after I pulled off the logos.

Has anybody heard these, or heard of them?

i havent a clue but they sure sound interesting, any pics?

It´s always nice to see a member´s first post as interesting and challenging as this one, so you got me working.

I´m no longer a member there ( banned for no reason, according to themselves ), but you really can trust AK for info on stuff like this.

So, check this link, and make sure to follow the different links and cross-links contained there.

To see the pics, though, you have to register as a member, and that might take some time.

Hope it helps.

Jorge

Welcome and cool! I love planar and electro stats so I look forward to your pictures and information.

K

Here's some pictures. Thanks for the AK link- that certainly sounds like them, but I still haven't seen that "planar tweeter." I haven't removed the front fabric yet, as it doesn't seem very easy to remove and might be harder to replace. I haven't see AK's pics yet, as I'm waiting for my registration process.

That's the front, here's the back, open

and a close up of the two variations of drivers. What do you think?

So that's the tweeter? Down there by the feet? Very interesting, and different. But good? I'll find out when I move some furniture around and rig the wires.

What's the consensus? Is this a "stat? If so, where's the power?

Yeah, I've seen the pix and info at AK on that beast. Any good info on the jack plate?

You can hear them from there, Scott?

like nothing i've ever heard before ...

At last I've gotten these wired up and cranked up. They're a mixed bag. Maybe my amp isn't up to driving them. They sound lovely at low to mid-volume, but when I try to go all rock concert with them, distortion raises its ugly head, or lack of headroom.

My most demanding -*test*-('") disc, as well as my favorite serious piece of music, is Pat Metheny's "The Way Up." Those who only know Pat's small proportion of soft-jazz work might not know how hard he can rock his crescendos. His signature tone utilizes a hollow-body jazz electric guitar with the volume up to 11 and the tone rolled off to 1. It's a problematic signal that's broken my tweeters before, and many of his own amps, so I hear. It's a clean sound, so it's kinda like cheese- when I notice any fuzz on top, it's just not right.

Problem is, I hear some of the same problem (but less) with my other serious speakers, which are Polk Audio RTA12s. With two midrange cones drop-kicking a huge passive radiator, plus a freestanding tweeter atop a beefy crossover that sports twin wound copper coils (?), the Polks have a lot more sound-making power & excellent imaging, but a pervasively darker character.

My Stereo 70 just came off the bench of a local tube specialist. All the tubes -*test*-('")ed fine, but that doesn't mean they'll sound fine, he said. I'm not ready to spend much more now on a new set of tubes. But without them, I may never be able to give these two speakers a proper -*test*-('").

Flat-panel speakers like the JVC have a lot of convenience in my long, narrow listening room. A better WAF (wife acceptance factor), as well. I also love the idea of owning rare gear, but right now I can't see hauling the Polks out the door. So maybe the JVCs will become available.

BTW, the back panel states that their "power handling" is 80W, 40 W RMS, and 4 ohms. The paper sticker says, in eight languages, that a self-resetting circuit breaker will protect the woofer and tweeter in the case of overload. I hope so, but I can't hear any trace of tweet when I place my ear at the base of the front panel.

Here's an update, six months later. Neat as these flat speakers are, I have no room for them or plans to put them into use. So I offer them for sale, for $100 obo. I live in Denver, which may narrow the market. I have no idea how much they would cost to ship elsewhere, but if you're interested, I'll try to work something out. C'mon, own a piece of history... or is it, "mystery?"

Love WheatRidge.
Not too many real Farmers left there, tho.

I would keep the RTA-12s, maestro.
I've about gotten rid of mine a coupla times, but I'm listening to them now,
and they are really excellent, diverse speakers.
Today I listened to Haydn, Fogelberg, Return to Forever, and now The Specials is spinning. Everything sounded good.
I also have a pair of Polk Monitor 7s, and right now
both stereos in this house are using Polks.

I never got exactly what you are trying to drive the planars with.

The red flag for me was the "4 ohms." I know a lot of amps/receivers
don't do well with 4-ohm loads.

Yes, I'm sticking with the Polks. They just do something magical for me, even though I don't sit down and listen to them enough. My power source is a Stereo 70 that's probably not quite firing on all cylinders when I crank it up, and may need need tubes, but it's great at moderate volumes with the RTAs downstairs and the NHT Super Zeros in the minimalist system upstairs.

My thrift store habit has left me with way too many speakers. If you have any interest in these flat JVCs, or some dramatically un-boxy AR Holographic Series, just drop by. You seem to know where Wheat Ridge is. Just turn right at my cornfield! But don't expect to come away with my la-*test*-('") find, from yesterday's shopping: a Rotel 950 CD player that's the best I've ever heard. Got it for $40, or about 7% of its original value, but hey, it's only a single player, with no remote...that's all the pawn shop management knew about it.