10-22-2007 - Brand New Item. Description - JENSEN JCR-425 DIGITAL TUNING AM/FM RADIO ALARM CLOCK

User Reviews about Jensen Tabletop Digital AM FM Alarm Clock Radio with Nature Sounds - JCR 425

Jensen is normally one of the best electronics companies you can find. I don't know what they were thinking when they designed this one. It is the most difficult radio I have ever had the displeasure of trying to figure out. They should have stuck with the tried and true system they use on their car radios. -- Jensen Digital CLock Radio

This is a piece of junk which ACTUALLY WORKS and DOES THE JOB. It
not only serves the purpose for which it was intended but it also
costs less than a few hours' work at minimum wage. Never mind the
likely deplorable wages (if any) at the Chinese factory. The back
of this table radio is truly CHEAP. As long as you don't turn the
set backwards (to reveal the shoddiness of the material) or blast
the volume to reveal the speaker's inability to handle megawatts,
you'll manage to impress whichever inquisitive friend who happens
to cross your living room or bedroom threshold. I have no clue as
to how much the single (mono) speaker can handle; keep the volume
DOWN and the cone should survive as long as the rest of this good
and cheap radio. The fake wood veneer truly looks fake, unless it
is being examined by drunken eyes. There are 10 AM presets, which
can be directly-tuned; same goes for FM: there are 10 FM presets,
which can be directly accessed. Basically, once you have program-
med the 20 presets, all you later have to do to tune in to any of
your 20 favorite stations is to reach for the direct-touch button
(which has been DEDICATED to that station) and press the button 1
time. The only other keystroke which you'll have to perform so as
to surf between preset stations is the pressing of the button for
AM/FM bands. Once the radio is on (and the volume is more or less
at a satisfactory level), it'll take only TWO keystrokes maximum:
one to switch bands (from AM to FM, or from FM to AM: same button
does both), and one to select the particular station of interest.
The distinct advantage that this affords a preoccupied individual
is that with one dainty finger (which is relatively clean/dry) it
is simple and easy to instantly pinpoint and immediately hear any
station out of ten. This at-a-glance, light-touch-results feature
is, IMHO, the best aspect of this humble, unpretentious AC radio.
To get the instant-access preset tuning feature with other models
by other manufacturers, you'd easily have to spend 100 dollars US
(although they are much more solidly built, have stereo, have PLL
fancy tuning, and can blast music without endangering a speaker).
The list price supposedly is 50 (a gyp); Target has it for 20 w/o
tax (tax additional) at its walk-in cash-and-carry stores in NYC.
For you to order it over the Web via Amazon from Target is a good
deal (even though it costs more than in person) because your TIME
SPENT to shlep over to a bricks-and-mortar store will defeat CASH
SAVED (plus you'll get hungry midway, which means more cash gone)

The color of the digit dispay is a (IMHO) pleasant cobalt blue. I
prefer the blue over the standard-issue red or green, even though
red and green supposedly help to preserve night-vision. Color: OK

BTW, you might consider ordering two pieces (two JCR-425's). It's
not possible to successfully cannibalize a defunct one, but there
is a two-fold advantage to the getting a second one in the order:
- when (eventually/inevitably) the first one conks out, you trash
it or give it to an older boy for him to take apart for fun;
- when you order both at once you only get hit 1x for the postage -- KEEP your high standards but LOWER your expectations w/ this