Review: Jensen JTA-222 3-Speed Turntable!

Written by Ben W

I love vinyl since the first day I discovered an old record player at my grandparents attic. Now, I own over a dozen record players and I am always looking for gems like albums of vintage models.

Pro’s: A definite winner for the Vinyl-Rookie! Being a plug-and-play system, this turntable is very light, has modest measurements and is softly priced. Although no hi-fi, For this money the speakers are surprisingly loud. It easily fits on the shelf of an entertainment deck.

Con’s: It doesn’t have a USB jack, so you’re kind off restricted to Vinyl. But hey, isn’t that what you buy it for in the first place? More experienced Vinyl-Lovers might better search for a more bulky model.

Get Started with Jensen JTA-222 3-Speed Turntable!

We all wish to own a turntable at some point in our life, after realizing how awesome they are. But we wouldn’t know which one to purchase and how to operate.

We would probably look for something which is very easy to use, without compromising on the sound quality.

And because it is our first turntable, we wouldn’t know what to look at! You might first want have a look at the more affordable record players.

Trust me; I’ve been there as well!

If you are at that point right now, congratulations! For you have decided to enter a whole new world of music listening experience. If you are looking to buy your first turntable, your choice should be Jensen JTA 222 model. You do not have to look beyond this, and I’ll tell you all that you need to know to own this model right here.

Why a turntable?

You must be wondering why or if one should invest in a turntable, when we have advanced players that would do the job. Turntables carry a history with them, and they were the firsts of CDs and Blu-Rays. To own a piece of such a history itself should be the reason. But that shouldn’t mean you should compromise on the quality of the music. In fact, it shouldn’t be surprising when I say that they are just not an antique recording technology, but are also one of the best till date.

That being said, to get the best out of a turntable, proper setup and installation add up to be one of the most important factors. Understanding the requirements of first-time buyers, Jensen has done it all in this model.

Introducing Jensen JTA-222

Jensen probably understands that this product will be mostly used by the first time users, and they have made sure not to disappoint them. Considering the pricing, we couldn’t have asked for more in this model.

The antique wooden design will really impress the buyers. Since most of the first time users would want a classic and antique experience, this is top notch. On top of this, the model is lightweight, compact and comes with a dust cover as well.

And if you don’t own a lot of vinyl, for now, it shouldn’t be a problem for this comes with inbuilt radio in it. Above all this, you also have inbuilt speakers in this model, which frankly, is quite good for the money we pay! You get all this with the promise of Jensen, who are into this business for more than ten decades now.

  • Built-In Speakers: This model comes with a front facing built in speakers, which makes it quite compatible. What is best is that, if you do not wish to use the built-in speakers, there is an option to connect it with your home stereo system, using the RCA audio output jacks, which are provided at the back of the turntable.
  • Compact: The Jensen JTA-222’s dimensions are 6.5 inches by 13.4 inches by 14.3 inches and weighs only 6.3 pounds. The light weight makes this model very compact because it has built-in speakers as well which pretty much means that we can store it or carry it, practically anywhere.
  • Loaded with Features: For the money spent, Jensen is offering a lot of features in this model. This is one of the very few turntables in this range, which comes with a cover to protect the vinyl from dust while playing. It also has AM/FM stereo receivers, stereo headphone jack, 3-speed stereo and the antique wooden design which make it a perfect choice!
  • Size Matters: People often tend to ignore this point, while considering to buy a turntable. Well, up until they get it delivered. Unless you are an audiophile with a mini studio dedicated to audio systems in your apartment, size matters. We usually have an entertainment deck at home with the stereo on it. But did you know that not all turntables fit in these average entertainment systems? Well, the number further reduces if you want a turntable with an RCA audio output jack. But the Jensen JTA-222 fits perfectly in it! Not only that, the classic wooden design, looks cool!
  • Ceramic Cartridge: The model comes with the ceramic cartridge which is the secret behind the lower cost yet better sound quality. When the needle tracks the groove, the stylus moves, and in turn, the ceramic will bend. Different electrical signals are passed, based on how much the ceramic arches which also eliminates the use of an equalizer, thereby offering an excellent product at a lower cost. Ceramic cartridges are also less sensitive to the external noises and vibrations, and thereby producing a better quality of sound. Also, while using a ceramic cartridge, we would not need a counterweight, which in turn won’t require changing the tracking force. All this helps since the model is compact, and we need to keep it that way.

Pros:

Low Cost – Jensen is offering this product in the $ or $$ price range,which includes free shipping from Amazon. The price itself is the best news while purchasing this product. And it is not short of any features as such as well. Hence this is worth every penny!

User-FriendlyTaking note that most of its buyers are first time users of a turntable, the JTA-222 is very user-friendly. It is the plug and plays version of the turntables.

Design – The wooden like design with dust cover, the RCA output, and inbuilt speakers, all of these which will fit in the entertainment deck, gets a thumbs up for sure.

3 Speed Options – Unlike most of the other turntables, this can play in 3 different speeds, and it also has the auto turn off function on it.

Cons:

This model does not have a USB port provided on it. But because most of us are purchasing this to get the feel of vinyl, I don’t see why this should bother anyone.

All our home entertainment systems are supported with USB ports. So we don’t really need yet another USB port, especially in our turntable, which is meant to play the vinyl.

Customer Reviews on Amazon

The product has an average of 4.2 stars out of 5, and rated by more than 1,150 people, and rightly so. The ratings and reviews themselves speak about how great this product is.

Although there are a few concerns about the volume of music this product delivers, this is perfectly fit to cover any decent sized room. On top of that, since it has an external RCA output, we don’t have to be too concerned about this.

Price

This product has been priced in the $ or $$ price range when purchased on Amazon which includes shipping. Check the actual price on Amazon.com here. The price itself being one of its most talked about point in the review, it is in abundance with appreciation. This is probably one of the cheapest turntables in the market, yet with many functions which work perfectly!

Conclusion

If you are looking for a turntable which delivers excellent music from your vinyl collection for the best price, Jensen JTA-222 should be the one. The sound quality, the volume, the features, the price and most importantly the ratings should persuade any buyer to go for this model.

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