Customer Reviews

Jensen 3-Speed Stereo Turntable with MP3 Encoding and AM/FM Stereo - JTA-450 (Black)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Despite other reviews that claim this products works marginally, I heartily disagree. I ordered a JTA-450 from Amazon.com and it was very easy to setup. I was then very excited to play a brand new record that came with the same delivery, and the product simply did not work. The player constantly skipped, so after ensuring that the player was on a level surface and I was not placing any shock on the unit, I tried a different record. This played worse than the first one did and I noticed that the needle would simply pull toward the the center of the record without sitting in a groove on the vinyl. It turns out the needle was scraping vinyl off of the record as it did this, and it all happened very quickly.

I contacted Jensen in hopes that they would send me a new unit, as this one was obviously defective. They said they would be happy to fix or replace it if I would send the unit in and pay for the shipping. This simply was not acceptable, making me pay to send a unit in that came to me defective. I then contacted Amazon.com and they were happy to send a new unit for free and also pay for the return shipping. The second unit had the same problem as the first but scratched my records even more. I then sent the second player back for a full refund from Amazon.com.

In all, I wasted 3 weeks dealing with this issue and ruined 3 brand new records by merely testing the players for a matter of seconds. I now have a unit by a different maker (Ion) that works well and plays my records fine, save for the large scratches caused by the Jensen product. I have been in contact with Jensen about a reimbursement for the 3 records ruined. I am not expecting them to work well with me, as they did not in the past.

In short, I recommend that you skip over this item. Yes, I know the price looks great for the features, but there are comparable items that actually work. I'm glad that some customers have had good experiences with this unit, but I don't think it is worth the risk to undergo what I've gone through to get a working record player.

I purchased this product at Menards on black friday for 50% off the retail price of $99. After reading the bad reviews of this product, I decided I better test it out right away, so I could bring it back if it didn't work. I grabbed an old 1962 vinyl album for my test. Everything went okay. The arm did not skate across the album and it seems to play okay. I then tested the recording feature using a jump drive stick using the remote and I did not encounter any problems. I was so happy that I grabbed another album that was dated 1977 and did some more recording and again I had no problems. The product is very simple to use and doesn't require much reading to get started. Hint: If you are going to record a whole side of an album you must stop and start recording between songs, so you don't end up with one long MP3. I played backed my songs on the jump drive on the Jensen JTA 450 and on my computer and they both worked. I listen to the radio feature and that worked just fine. The radio has a digital readout which is nice. I haved played three records and recorded songs with no issues. I plan to order another needle because they are only $5 just in case they wear out quickly. NOTE: What you hear playing on your turntable (hiss and pops) will be on the recording. My albums were pretty dirty and some cleaning might be in order to quiet the pops. Overall, I am excited to have such a simple device to record my old lp's and I hope it will last for awhile. HINT: You should rename your songs with the actual information after you have completed your recordings.

I bought the player with the intention of converting my childhood records to digital files so my kids could enjoy them. There was a lot of hiss from the player and when it got toward the end of the record, the turntable would slow to a halt. This happened on every record I tried to play on it.

When I got the chance to try the records on a friend's player, they played all the way through. Unfortunately the hissing was still there until it got to the point where the Jensen stopped playing. After that point, the hissing went away. It was this way with all of the records I had tried on the Jensen which leads me to believe that the player actually damaged the original records when it was playing them.

Maybe I got the one defective player out of the batch, but I won't buy a Jensen again.

I was simply looking forward to something I'm able to play my records on. A turntable that actually works. And, that's what I got...sort of.

The table itself doesn't turn on a perfect flat surface; it wobbles a little bit, which i initially thought was the cause of the problem. The problem was that the needle kept quickly jumping tracks. I didn't think the slight wobble would give the needle this reaction, so I turned to the needle. I had a spare from an older record player so i swapped them, and the unit worked great, with the exception of one little problem: The volume was extremely quiet.

I wanted the louder sound without the jumping needle, so i bought a new needle identical to the needle that came with the unit (thinking that the original needle may have been faulty). Well, it didn't work. The needle still jumped. So, I put the quiet sounding needle on the unit, sacrificing sound for a flawless playing experience.

What it comes down too is that the needle and cartridge on this bad-boy really sucks. I don't know enough about record players to diagnose this problem. I tried stabilizing a penny and dime on the cartridge as the record spun, but the thing continued to jump tracks. I'm not sure why one needle will sound perfect, but quiet, while another needle will be loud, but skip all over the place.

As my research and search for a new compatible needle continues, I'm content with plugging the unit into my surround sound and pumping the volume a little in that way...but, it's still too quiet.

Long story short: Ordered this player from Amazon. Mp3 function works. But needle shaved off powder from my records! To top it off, could not find ANY way to buy replacement needles in instructions or Jensen website! Packed up unit same day and sent it back. Purchased a primitive (but new) Califone player. Yes, it's mono and has no mp3,bells or whistles, and weighs 19 pounds...but it plays records safely. And five stars to Amazon for the trouble free refund!

This is not a $1,000.00 turntable. The needle it came with did seem to be prone to skipping, I replaced it with the needle from a previous nostalgic type turntable that didn't even turn on new out of the box... this stylus worked much better, and I also put a nickel on the stylus arm for those older used records that have a bit of wear. This eliminates the skips, and doesn't harm my new vinyl. The nobs and buttons seem very durable to the touch. Conversion to MP3 is a breeze... just press record right before the song starts, then press stop when it's over. Bit rate of the MP3s is 128kbps, which is probably more than adequate for this unit. The website where you register has links to Jensen products and all the replacement parts like the needle which is $5 plus shipping. this needle is the same as most of the Nostalgic look turntables. The one it comes with is red plastic with a small metal rod, the one I replaced it with is just all red plastic except the needle tip of course, but it sounds just as loud and same quality. you can get 3 packs at shopko for $19.99... THis turntable is not for audiophiles but works nicely. Growing up in the 70's most home record players always had a penny or something on the needle arm to prevent skips especially for children's scratched up 45s etc.

I got this record player on sale for $50 and was so excited to get into listening to records. Then I played my new records. This turntable skips every time I play a record. The needle skips towards the middle of the record. It may be due to the platform, which is three small rubber pads, not keeping the record straight as it visibly went up and down. But with no way to adjust the force on the needle or fix the platform it makes this turntable completely useless. Spend the extra money because your records are useless if you cant even listen to one song without skipping. Don't buy this!

I have tons of old records I wanted to covert to mp3. Works great so far. It comes with decent AM/FM radio and mp3 playback. Only drawback are the builtin speakers tinny sound, however you can output to powered external speakers.

DO NOT USE THIS ON YOUR RECORD COLLECTION. I bought this to play some of my old Christmas albums. The background crackle and pop noise level was high requiring turning the treble down. But the worst thing is that it damages the vinyl recordings. There was a noticeable film of vinyl dust on the record surface as it went down the grooves. It was easy to determine how far it went because the grooves that had been played looked significantly different than the ones that hadn't. The stylus is simply cone shaped, not elliptical at all. Additionally, the force is 6 grams, which is quite high. The built in speakers are poor. I did not try any of the other functions as I do not wish to ruin my entire collection.

I, like many others, ignored the bad reviews posted by other Amazon shoppers and ordered the Jansen JTA-450. Upon arrival I couldn't wait to listen to some of my records. After a quick set up I put my favorite record on the turntable and after a long high pitched screech the needle cut across the record leaving a deep groove in the vinyl. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!