JVC 5426X (c. 1975)

The JVC 5426X — listed in the contemporary press as the 4VR-5426X — was a 4/2-channel FM/AM receiver from around 1975. The public record is thin: no service manual or brochure appears to have survived, but two period reviews cover the model in enough detail to give a fair picture.

Audio (August 1975, p.49) reported a tuner section with 55 dB signal-to-noise ratio, 30 dB selectivity, 45 dB image rejection, and 50 dB IF rejection, and rated the amplifier at 13 watts per channel continuous from 20 Hz to 20 kHz into 4 or 8 ohms with all four channels driven. High Fidelity (October 1975, p.57) measured considerably more — 23.8 watts at clipping on the left channel at 0.17% THD — and judged the lab results and listening performance to be well above budget-class average, and comfortably above JVC's own specifications.

The 5426X's party piece was its flexibility in quadraphonic mode. A mode switch offered a discrete-quad position, an OFF position for headphone-only listening, and a 2 CH position that used BTL circuitry to strap the front and back amplifiers on each side, sending maximum output to the front speakers only. Bass and treble were single knobs controlling all four channels.

Known specifications:

Type: 4/2-channel FM/AM receiver
Amplifier rating: 13 W/ch continuous, 20 Hz–20 kHz, 4 or 8 Ω, four channels driven
Measured clipping (High Fidelity): 23.8 W (left channel), 0.17% THD
Tuner section (per Audio): S/N 55 dB, selectivity 30 dB, image rejection 45 dB, IF rejection 50 dB
Modes: discrete quad, 2-channel BTL-strapped, headphone-only