I have bought many many albums here. I always liked it, as the prices were reasonable, although the selection was never that tremendous. Last time I was there, I commented to the owner "nice choice" when they were playing some old obscure Yardbirds. He looked at me like I was a leper and said nothing. OK. Then I took the three records I wanted to buy to the register. $3. Not much to put on a Visa, I know, but money is money. He said he couldn't accept it - this is a crock. Any store that takes credit cards has to accept purchase of any amount. It is not at their discretion. This is fact. He told me there was a cash machine across the street. I'm a man of principle, so I refused and walked out, never to return again. How do you run a business and NOT accept a paying customer's money?? I worked in a Brookline mom-n-pop hardware store for a summer ten years ago, and the owner would happily accept credit card payment for any amount. And he always used the line "We're happy to take your money" in a nice way, whenever the customer sheepishly said all they had was a credit card. Then the customer was happy, a relationship is established, and the customer will return to shop again. This may seem like an extreme reaction on my part, but I'm sick of this $10 minimum crap on shopowner's parts. This is the 21st century, people use plastic, get with the program. read more

excellent store; vinyl and cds, plus a decent selection of furniture for storing all of the vinyl and cds you will undoubtedly end up with after visitng. plus a nice collection of 78s... over the past 10 years i've found countless number of records there i would simply never have stumbled across otherwise; life-changing records, always priced at about half of what i end up seeing them offered for elsewhere. i make a point of stopping in about once a month and, as of yet, i've never left empty-handed... if you're looking for free jazz, international, contemporary classical, library music, blues, soul, 60s rock, private folk, sound art, and or other specialty genres; this place has you covered. spend an hour in there before they close, then head across the street to cambridge common for dinner; always a nice night! read more

Stereo Jack's is still open and still stocks a little of everything with the best prices in town.

I've spent a couple of weeks in Boston over the past two summers and have visited all of the local area record stores. This may come as a surprise since it's not the biggest store, nor does it have the best ambiance (hipsters beware), but Stereo Jack's is the best of the bunch. Here's why: (1) the dollar section turns over somewhat frequently and there's always interesting stuff in it, (2) the prices on their used and new arrivals used section are reasonable, (3) it's well-organized, and (4) the guys that work here are not pretentious and seem like they've been at this for a long time in terms of their knowledge of music. read more

EXTREMELY RUDE CUSTOMER SERVICE. Owner yaps the whole time to the cashier and, after browsing for a while, when I inquired if he has any Johnnie Ray records I received a "GUESS NOT" reply. I know of other customers who have told me of similar treatment. Save your money and visit DeJa Vu Records in Natick. Owner is more than happy to pull out tons of records for you to browse thru. She even gave me a couple of free LPs for bringing a few friends with me. Trust me, go to DeJa Vu. read more

The best record store. Don't go one time and draw your only conclusion based on some silly first impression. Go, and go, and go again so you can see the stock change over time and (if you don't remember the great record stores of the 1900s) you can get a sense for the cultural necessity that is a great record store. read more

Solid record store with good prices. Most vinyl in acceptable condition and a wide selection considering it's size. I'll be back for sure!

I've done both buying and selling here and it's always been great. You get a fair price if you sell stuff (hint: your copy of the white album with ripped cardboard and missing sleeves isn't worth as much as you think it is). Other people complain about the staff but I've never had a problem. Maybe they get cranky if you ask stupid questions or try to haggle, I dunno. Never tried it. It's true, they have a minimum for credit cards. I used to be opposed to stores doing this, since it technically violates the merchant agreements. But now that all the banks have proven themselves to be colossal asshats, I really don't have a problem with it, especially when it's something low like $10. read more

Stereo Jack's has a really nice selection of classic avant-jazz on vinyl. They are heavy on Albert Ayler, Andrew Hill, and Ornette Coleman. Very cool, and reasonably priced. read more

Stores like this are so rare these days, and one of the things I do love about the Cambridge area is that there are some gems still around! Their specialty here is jazz/blues, however they have an excellent selection of various types of music. rare vinyls! 2 buck cd's! what's not to like? Only the 10 buck minimum on credit cards. a few times I wanted to grab a ouple of those cd's but didn't have cash on me. this definitely a place to visit if you're a music buff of any kind. they esp cater to those who are into imports, which i'm not. I care more about the music then simply buying the same music album that was made in another country. but hat i'm getting at is that no matter where your music tastes run, there is something you'll love in here. read more

stereo jack's, you win the award for Best Blues Records Selection in Boston. i have searched long and hard for some of the records you had. PRAISE YOU. read more

Love the selection of re-issued records.

Really awesome collection of jazz especially big band and swing. There is other great stuff here too. Really impressed with the low prices. I managed to get an awesome Miles Davis record for only $3! In fantastic condition might I add. Got a couple of Ellington records for $1! And I got a Derek and the dominos record for $10. You could probably walk in there with $40 and leave with 30 great records read more

I love this place-I hope it stays in business forever!

I'm pretty green in the world of record hunting, and have only been to a few record shops, Stereo Jack's in Harvard Square, Grooves in Union, the place behind Tres Gatos in JP, and Cutler's in New Haven. Each has their place, and I wouldn't turn down a trip to any of them. But this is a review of Stereo Jack's because after a third trip, I feel I am equipped to provide a meaningful review for those who prefer to have some idea of what to expect before heading out to pick up some vinyl. As far as location and retail space, Stereo Jack's has a lot going for it. Located between Harvard and Porter, complete with two giant store front windows on the sunny side of Mass Ave, you couldn't ask for a better spot. Maybe such a spot costs too much and has drained Stereo Jack's ability to create a storefront that is in balance with its location and neighboring establishments. There is no denying that I am bit of a merchandising snob, but I can't accept the overall presentation of their store. They have simply mailed it in. The signage is amateur, the windows are yellowing and unkempt, their window "displays" look more like storage, and the overall vibe of the storefront is that it's closed, and has been for some time. But it hasn't. I know they thought they were going to close, but their lease was extended and besides, it never looked any better. That's the outside. Upon entering, you might wonder how one would decorate the inside of a used record shop. In a stroke of brilliance and a fresh approach, Stereo Jacks tacked LP album covers on the walls. Shocker. I am all for old thyme record shoppes, and understand that selling records at a dollar a pop isn't going to pay for wall paint, a broom, a mop, Windex, a refurnished wood grained 70's turntable on an enticing stand flanked by a nasty pair of DeVore Gibbon speakers basking in the sunlight of liberty and luring passerby's to look in and reminisce. I get that. But what is the point of having a store that is depressing to look at, isn't overly inviting, and is somewhat of an organizational mess? I am at a loss. Maybe Stereo Jack's is one man's dream, which is fine, I just can't help but think it could be a whole lot better without a whole lot of effort. It took me this long, but I think that's the word where Stereo Jack and I would disagree, effort. I see none. He/they surely see some. As an example, they have about seven bins of records filed under the "new arrivals" category. There is no order to these. In total they probably have about thirty-five bins of records. They are broken down into some basic genre's like, Rock, Jazz, Country, etc. A few notable performers get their own sleeve's, but the rest are organized by the first letter of the band. Any alphabetizing is purely by chance. Thankfully, flipping through records isn't a terrible way to pass the time, but, tactical strike missions are next to impossible with this type of organization. It wouldn't help much, but I'm certain there is time in the day to file those six bins of new arrivals away as well. I have purchased about ten records from Stereo Jack's. Not one of them has a scratch, and not one of them isn't good enough for the low price I paid. There is an older, soft spoken gentleman who normally works the register who is genuinely nice and knowledgeable. There is a turntable should you want to play a record first, though I haven't tried and there are no signs suggesting that is a welcomed activity. I forgot to mention that some of those unorganized bins are labeled $1 and sure enough, all those records cost $1. There is even less organization to those as you might imagine. The outside of the store matches the inside, they aren't trying to be something they are not. So, for their honesty, their fair prices, the records that are good enough, and an ok selection, I'll give Stereo Jack's three stars. read more

Very very excited to come here after reading the reviews. So disappointed. Had pockets lined with bills expecting 1st or 2nd pressings of rare, collectible jazz. Found more shrink wrap and 1980s digital reissues than a mall store. Def not for a serious collector. Owner barely knew what the address labels on a first press of Art Blakey's 'Moanin' should read, and thats a very popular jazz record. Sad! read more

I have found many a record here for between $1.00 and $5.00 that would have otherwise cost me $18.00. For this reason, and because of with their brilliant $1.00 deals, I am a fan of Stereo Jack's. Most of their stock includes Jazz, Classic Rock, Blues, Classical, and Folk. If you are looking for hip hop or the latest pop singles on vinyl, you won't find it here, but if you are looking for the classics at a good price- Jack's is your place. They also sell wood shelving so that you may display your record or cd collection proudly. read more

Pretty cool store. The reissues are mixed in with the used if that's your thing. Not mine

As a frequent vinyl buyer,I love Stereo Jack's. I can hit all the stores around and walk out empty handed. This never happens at Jack's. Even if I don't plan on spending money during a visit,the inventory at Jack's is so quick to turn over that you will undoubtedly find something you cannot leave without.Fantastically LOW prices and clean vinyl.What's not to love? Music lovers,stop in Stereo Jack's if you are in the area.You'll be very glad you did. read more

Simply THE record shop. Their prices are incredible and the selection always great, especially for classical music. I always seem to walk out with a dozen records. A true Boston gem and the best place to start or build a quality record collection. read more

Great selection of rock and jazz, plus some soul and country, all at fair prices. My favorite part are the $1 records, where you can definitely snag some fun deals. read more

Great collection of vinyl. That's personally why I go there. I've found some gems there at decent prices. Good selection of used jazz and blues CDs, too. read more

The collection of $2 CDs is incredible. Lots of jazz, classical, and alt rock/pop. No organizational schema to the CD collection so if you are looking for a particular item it might not be so easy to find. read more

Best used record store in Boston for my 10 years. Not a huge selection, but a huge ratio of good records to skippers. Every other time I go in I want to drop $100 bucks, but never can, so I settle for a couple really good cheap records and one nice record and get out for 20 bucks. I stopped pulling records out of the sleeves to check condition years ago. Jack doesn't put stuff on the floor that isn't clean. Staff has a fair mastery of about 10 genres of records, including jazz, r&b, country, folk, rock, blues, vocal, international, classical, and pop. Jack is gruff, but don't be afraid to ask him a question. He knows. read more

It's not the largest selection of the Cambridge record stores, but it's extremely well curated. For instance, they had a small section of Stevie Wonder records in the Soul section, but they were almost all his classic early 70's albums, all in good condition and very fairly priced. There's also a big $1 section in each genre which is an embarrassment of riches... I found one album in the Rock dollar bin that I had just paid $10 for last week at In Your Ear. The moral of the story: try this place first. read more

I recommend Stereo Jack's Records wholeheartedly. The small storefront makes use of its space well. They don't put out worthless records that no one will want and that will only sit there forever. So that means if something is in the bins, it has already been screened for usability. Most of the inventory is dirt cheap too. 90% of the records are $1 and 99% of the CDs are $2. The only downside to this store is that parking is frequently unavailable on the street. They are firm about a $10 minimum for credit/debit card purchase. read more