Home > Consumer Reviews > Jensen HD5212 HD Radio Tuner/MP3/WMA/USB/SD Card/iPod Receiver (Black)
Jensen HD5212 HD Radio Tuner/MP3/WMA/USB/SD Card/iPod Receiver (Black)
See it at Amazon.com for $99.95Average Customer Rating
(3.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Walmart version HD5112
(3 out of 5) by B. Stark on Jul 10, 2008 (Little Rock, AR)I actually have the HD5112 version (or the Walmart version) but read that it's the same thing just looks a little different. Bought it for the aux. port because I was tired of trying to use an FM transmitter to listen to decent music from my Sony Ericsson Walkman cell phone rather than the crud that comes from radio stations these days.
Was hoping that the HD radio would offer some alternatives but was dissapointed to learn that HD radio just means better (sorta) sound quality of existing FM stations, at least in my area (Little Rock, AR). As far as I can tell there aren't any new, independent, commercial free, HD stations to pick up. And the existing stations that DO broadcast in HD sometimes only get picked up intermintantly causing an echo effect as the receiver tries to pick up both the FM and HD version of the same station.
HD, for the most part, sounds fair but what difference does it make if all you can stand to listen to is NPR to escape the nausiating TOP 40, bland country, over done classics and supposed Alternative Rock when your MP3 player is out of juice that day.
The iPod controls are nice but I wish that was an option rather than manditory to play an iPod. When using my wife's iPod she can't see what's playing on the iPod's screen, so if you're in shuffle mode you have to wait for the music to start to know what song is playing and whether you want to skip it or not. Plus changing songs takes about a second, which is longer than you think when you really, really don't want to hear a particular song.
Haven't tried the SD card slot yet, because I keep reading about how it's very particular about what type of SD card you use and I don't want to waste time and money trying different cards.
The only attempt I've made at using the USB slot was with my Sony Ericsson phone, which, of course, did not work. But the auxilary port does but that means no in dash controls.
The remote control works great, if you need a remote control for something that is usually six inches away from your hand.
In conclussion, I'm sure this product will be more appreciated when and if HD radio has more options. Being able to see the name of a song and band that's playing will be nice, when and if the radio stations play anything I happen to like. All the other features of this receiver are nice but not as handy as I thought they'd be.
Was hoping that the HD radio would offer some alternatives but was dissapointed to learn that HD radio just means better (sorta) sound quality of existing FM stations, at least in my area (Little Rock, AR). As far as I can tell there aren't any new, independent, commercial free, HD stations to pick up. And the existing stations that DO broadcast in HD sometimes only get picked up intermintantly causing an echo effect as the receiver tries to pick up both the FM and HD version of the same station.
HD, for the most part, sounds fair but what difference does it make if all you can stand to listen to is NPR to escape the nausiating TOP 40, bland country, over done classics and supposed Alternative Rock when your MP3 player is out of juice that day.
The iPod controls are nice but I wish that was an option rather than manditory to play an iPod. When using my wife's iPod she can't see what's playing on the iPod's screen, so if you're in shuffle mode you have to wait for the music to start to know what song is playing and whether you want to skip it or not. Plus changing songs takes about a second, which is longer than you think when you really, really don't want to hear a particular song.
Haven't tried the SD card slot yet, because I keep reading about how it's very particular about what type of SD card you use and I don't want to waste time and money trying different cards.
The only attempt I've made at using the USB slot was with my Sony Ericsson phone, which, of course, did not work. But the auxilary port does but that means no in dash controls.
The remote control works great, if you need a remote control for something that is usually six inches away from your hand.
In conclussion, I'm sure this product will be more appreciated when and if HD radio has more options. Being able to see the name of a song and band that's playing will be nice, when and if the radio stations play anything I happen to like. All the other features of this receiver are nice but not as handy as I thought they'd be.
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Great Idea. Poor Product.
(2 out of 5) by Fenchurch1022 on May 25, 2008I purchased this receiver about 3 months ago for 2 main reasons. I wanted HD radio and the SD memory card option. The HD radio works, but channels are hard to find (not the products fault) and when I do get a channel, it keeps keeps switching between HD and analog. It is very noticeable and extremely annoying. I no longer even try to listen to the radio in HD.
As for the SD memory card, it says its good up to 4 GB. I've tried over 10 different SD memory cards and nothing works. I always get SD error. At first I was wasting my time with SDHC cards, but normal SD cards don't work either. I've even tried different size cards, from 4 GB to 32 MBs and none of them work. I have also tried changing the song formats and how they are organized and I get the same results. The only thing that has saved this product is the fact that I can put any SD memory card into a USB reader and plug that into the set for my music. Unfortunately, I'm still limited to the 255 songs maximum the receiver will read. Another little secret that would have been nice to know before I bought this product (I've been told this would be the case if I could get an SD card to work as well). I wish I could show you a picture of this, but just imagine a USB memory card reader sticking straight out of the dashboard. I know one of these days I'm going to reach so something and accidentally break it into pieces.
The options this receiver offers are awesome, but remember you get what you pay for. I only wish I could have found a better receiver that offered what I was looking for before I bought the HD5212 unit. On a good note, when the HD radio works, it sounds incredible.
As for the SD memory card, it says its good up to 4 GB. I've tried over 10 different SD memory cards and nothing works. I always get SD error. At first I was wasting my time with SDHC cards, but normal SD cards don't work either. I've even tried different size cards, from 4 GB to 32 MBs and none of them work. I have also tried changing the song formats and how they are organized and I get the same results. The only thing that has saved this product is the fact that I can put any SD memory card into a USB reader and plug that into the set for my music. Unfortunately, I'm still limited to the 255 songs maximum the receiver will read. Another little secret that would have been nice to know before I bought this product (I've been told this would be the case if I could get an SD card to work as well). I wish I could show you a picture of this, but just imagine a USB memory card reader sticking straight out of the dashboard. I know one of these days I'm going to reach so something and accidentally break it into pieces.
The options this receiver offers are awesome, but remember you get what you pay for. I only wish I could have found a better receiver that offered what I was looking for before I bought the HD5212 unit. On a good note, when the HD radio works, it sounds incredible.