If you want your turntable to perform at its best, this is one tool to start with
584767
Love this device, sets overhang and null points, plus the mirror surface allows you to use parallax to get the azimuth of the cantilever bang on!
3180783
I bought this equipment thinking I could record my LP's until I read on page 7 under notes: Do not make a connection to the PHONO jack of the amplifier. Doing so will lead to breakdown. All I needed was my turntable, amplifier and a cd recorder which were not too popular at that time. The Operating Instructions Manual is thorough and complete.
3485459
I have a cheap 10+ year old Sony turntable. How cheap? The cartridge is not replaceable; it's permanent, which I only recently discovered when I got sick and tired of the lame sound of my LPs. So I did what I *could* do, and bought this AT stylus.

The difference in sound quality is tremendous! I wish I had done this the first week I had the turntable. The sound is so much richer now!
2915967
Use it on all my records before playing whether bought used or new. Gets out the dust that is visable on vinyl surface due to static. Just rotate the platter a couple of times and it works. Still though for deeper cleaning still needs a wash.
910668
Because this is sold as a carpentry tool, it's about a quarter the price of the levels marketed at audiophiles who need to adjust the feet of a turntable or other equipment just right.  Works just as well, though!  Save your money for more records!
4462898
This Crosley Mini Turn table is a great way to start a novice record collector.  It has built in speakers, albeit, not that loud.  The turntable has an audio input (old school, for this day in age, white and red connections) for you to add louder speakers. Granted not a day companies manufacture AUX input style speakers, it is very east to go to a radio shack and ask for audio converters.  It will cost you like 4 bucks. When I received it, it was almost not complete, there was a little part missing where you can change the speed option but it was in the box all I had to do was stick it on there (it is glued in after all [the glue was included ;) must have dislodged during shipping]).  I own about 11 records and growing as I frequent the local record store.  I like this product, does what is was made for and adding my speakers, I get to enjoy the music as loud as I want!
270136
Couple this with the Radio Shack SPL meter and you have a tool for tweaking your audio portion of your home theater system.
1503961
Overall this is a great little system. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves to hear their old records in a nice simple fashion. Obviously if you're an Audiophile you'll use a more proper turntable (Audio Technica, Pro-Ject, etc.) to fully enjoy the richness and depth of vinyl, but for those wanting to hear their old 45's and those classic garage sale LP's in a basic no-frills manner, this is a quality choice.

The system is designed to play the standard 3 speeds of records, each with the lid closed to eliminate stray sound. Some advice: give the turntable some speed time playing 45 or 78 rpm records. This gives the turntable a push to work through the "drag" of the lower 33 rpm speed. Initially, my 33 rpms were sluggish on this turntable, but after some time at higher speeds, they worked just fine.

Obviously the speakers will not blow you away, but they are still very good. There's not much bass as you would imagine, but the sound is strong and at higher volumes there is no crackling or distortion. I would put the sound on par with most "jam boxes" we grew up with in the 80's and early 90's. The radio dials are easy to operate (you have standard FM, FM Stereo and AM to choose from). This will come in handy listening to sports on the radio.

Cosmetically it has a nice antique feel. Nice wood finish and stylish controls. Everything is easy to operate and within 5 minutes of removing it from the box I was spinning my classic 45s from Genesis, Ambrosia, Hall & Oates and more. If that's all you need, something simple and easy to use, I highly recommend this.

Long live vinyl my friends!
1284431
I bought this to record LP's to my computer for conversion to MP3's. It works great.  Plug your turntable into the pre-amp and the pre-amp into the back of your sound card.  Don't forget to ground the turntable to the metal chassis of your computer or you will hear a 60 HZ hum in everything.

Record and convert to MP3's using the free Audacity 1.35 recorder and LAME MP3 converter and you have a better combination than the $60.00 boxes that come with a neutered version of Nero, and it's much cheaper than buying a new USB Turntable.
741539
If you are hesitant to purchase this turntable,don't be. Remember,if you have a problem,it CAN be returned.
TRUST AMAZON!

I have had this turntable a little over two months now,so I thought it would be appropriate to update my review. I still love this little turntable. In my opinion,the negative reviews come from unrealistic expectations. This machine is not designed to replace a primary turntable or stereo system. It is intended only as a way to convert your vinyl to MP3'S.NOTHING MORE!! If you evaluate it on those terms alone,this product does just what the manufacturer promises.
There are shortcomings,and I addressed them in my initial review. Let's go over them again:

1. The biggest complaint seems to be about the speakers. I have a great set of Pioneer speakers on my stereo,so that was no big deal. I only need them to monitor my  recordings. I do my real listening on my stereo or tablet. Those little speakers on the Jensen performed BETTER,than the complainers said they would.

2. Volume could be a tad higher,but it wasn't bad. If you have any decent audio software,you will be able to boost your volume with no problem.

3. I made a recording from turntable to usb flash and it
  worked fine. Saved it to my hard drive,renamed files and
  then put a copy on my tablet. No problems.

4. Two minor complaints,which I think I can work around:
  A.You have to manually stop and restart the recording
  process or you will end up with one big MP3 file. Also,it
  is not really recording until you see Rec/USB or SD
  flashing. So part of your recarding may get cut off.
  (Fixable problem. Play with it.) B. You may want to run
  your recordings through a soft or hard mixer and boost the
  volume.

OVERALL: I am very happy with this purchase. If you are on the fence like I was,remember,if you are really unhappy with it,promptly return it, and Amazon will give you a refund. If you feel you can't trust the vendor,trust Amazon!
3489780
I have been using these for a year and a half.  These turntables are ideal for people who want to try DJing out.  These aren't the best for anyone who wants turntables for pro applications.  I would have to disagree with Mike about beat matching.  If you know how to beat match, these are very good.  They start and stop instantaneously, and hold their speed perfectly.  These turntables have an equal torque to the Technics 1200, but less than some numark and other stanton turntables.  You don't need all the extra torque to DJ.  You can beat match and scratch very well with these.

There are two things you must consider when buying turntables.  Firstly, you have to decide whether you are going to DJ or just listen to music.  If you are just listening, you need an S-shaped tone arm.  These turntables have straight tone arms.  The S-shaped gives superior sound quality, so this is not the deck for you.  If you are DJing, this is better for scratching than mixing, because mixing is better with better sound quality.  So mixing is better with an S-shaped ton arm.  If you are doing both scratching and mixing, I say go with the S-shaped, and use scratch needles with extra weight - but only scratch records that you aren't afraid of ruining.  There are many different straight and S-shaped turntables.  Your style makes your choice.

The only gripe I have with the STR8-80 is that the body is made of plastic.  If you want your turntables to last a very long time, plastic is unacceptable.  Go with the stanton 150s or technics 1200s.  Another feature that this turntable doesn't have that the two aforementioned do is the ability to change the height of the tone arm for stabilty.

This is better for newbies, like me when I started.

I just regret not saving up for a few more weeks, to get a longer lasting set.  These have been good to me so far, but I don't have faith in their plastic bodies.

Here's a tip for if you do buy turntables like this, that have key correction.  Sure the key correction is a cool little tool, but you sacrifice sound quality and volume.  You shouldn't really mix songs that are have very dissimilar tempos, so use phono output (louder and does not allow key correction).
1096357
Great if you know the songs and want something to make you pull out the turntable. There's an awkward break in some songs but c'mon, just practice your DJ breaks and you'll be fine.
Vinyl passes audiophile quality.
13064
Immensely satisfied with this gadget which connects easily to my turntable and tape player - no tuner required - and then to my PC albeit with a somewhat pricey USB cable. Best to have a set of earphones (not earbuds) to synchronize and edit recordings. Software upload is straightforward and with a few  tries recording and editing are intuitive.  The recorded files need a player, of course, but the files can be downloaded to mp3 format so I am able to burn a CD or transfer to my iPod.  I was concerned that my cassette tapes would have deteriorated but by and large the quality is unaffected by the passage of time.  A little crackle and pop from the vinyl, most of which is 40 years old is just fine.
236550
I couldn't believe my ears when begun using this. My 1984 sony turntable was broken for several years, and after repairing it, I needed a phono preamp. I tried this and I can't believe the crystal clear sound out of the whole system. Completely noiseless, with or without an LP playing. I can highly recommend this phono preamp. I couldn't be more happy with it.

Note: I'm not using the ground screw as my turntable doesn't have a ground out. You should not use it unless you got that in your turntable.
4269474
This is a great tool!  The turntable is stable and easy to use.  The tilt function is a gift; it makes decorating the side of cakes soooo much easier!  Well worth the price paid.
3295879
My first turntable. Works like a charm and I now have a knew hobby.
2701566
Makes a marginal record play better and a good record nice nice nice!