Micro but huge

Got meself this little genie last week and been busy tinkering with the features. It’s relatively new in the Malaysian market for the micro system range but you can bet your bottom dollar it’s obsolete in a few months. You know how it is with technology these days. It’s either wait for the latest edition or upgrade constantly. And we all know the latter is impractical, unless you run your own gadget shop of course.

So when is the right time to buy? Whenever you need one damn’it. There’s no point waiting for the better issue. There will always be a new hot chick on the block, somewhere around the corner.

So for the past few days this ‘jalapeno’ waits for me at home, ready to please with its luscious list of features and highlights.

The first rare treat that catches the attention is the USB hosting. Yup! Plug in the thumb drive and play! Music, movies and pictures. But then again, almost all new systems today have this feature.

I already have a JVC DVD player so this main feature here is nothing new. It’s good. Dragon pick, good. Rocket start, good. Universal compatibility, including DivX Ultra, good. And most will acknowledge JVC’s ability to play almost all CDs and DVDs, bootleg, scratched or the real McCoy. Good.

There’s also a karaoke function. Haven’t tried this though.

It’s classified as a micro system but really, it looks more like a mini system. I guess that explains the big sound it generates. Sound Turbo II to be exact. Whatever the counterpart gives; bass, treble - double that. The reason? A built in amplifier. There’s also music and movies mode. Plus, there’s 3D-Phonic for that great personal cinema experience.

The only regret is it lacks the basic tone modes for specific music genres – Pop, Rock, Classic or Jazz. Not even a manual equalizer setting. I guess I’ll have to rely on the available features; experiment with multiple combinations to get the ideal tones. I’m using a huge collection of beautiful Jazz tunes and the ‘Simply Brazil’ and ‘Simply French’ sets from UnionSquare's Simply compilation range.

The speaker box comes in grey only. It matches with the main control unit but I honestly prefer a woody appearance. This one looks… well, a lot like plastic.

But hey, besides the huge sound features, it is also affordable- RM899. Again, I wouldn’t sing too long and loud about this because in a few months it devalues. Walking past this at a shop then would only cause heartbreak.

Right now, while it lasts, I’ll just enjoy this micro system in my micro bedroom. If only I have LCD TV. Let's pray for a price plunge shall we....

Now there's a tongue twister for ya.