RockJam RJ461AX 61-Key Alexa Portable Keyboard

Description

• 61 keys
• Alexa functionality
• LCD display
• Micro SD, aux in, and USB inputs
• 118 record and playback function
• 61 percussion instruments
• 300 rhythms
• 300 tones
• Simply piano app content available
• Key note stickers

RockJam RJ461AX 61-Key Alexa Portable Keyboard review

The Rockjam RJ461AX – the latest release from RockJam – reaffirms my belief in that this is one, if not THE best beginner keyboard on the market. For those of you who have children and are looking for a starter keyboard that’s packed full of features – then read on to find out more.

Sound

It’s hard to know where to begin after playing this keyboard for over an hour. Although I am a pianist by trade I still love to tinker around and listen to all the different sounds and rhythms a keyboard has to offer. It can get a little stale listening to just the piano sound for thousands of hours – which is why I couldn’t wait to test this little gem of a keyboard.

The RockJam RJ461AX is clearly aimed at the beginner and/or younger market, making it the perfect place to start and have fun. Learning to play the piano or keyboard can seem like a daunting task, which is why the RockJam makes the learning side of things far easier than it should be.

One of my earliest memories of playing the piano was trying out lots of different songs – even before I’d finished learning it! And I noticed when I sat down at the RockJam that I couldn’t help but play short bursts of songs using the huge range of different sounds and rhythms – over 300 of each. You don’t truly understand how fun it is to flick through the different voices until you sit down at one of these things.

The small speakers do more than enough to project the sound, and full volume was certainly too much. You can of course connect headphones which would make quiet practice easier for anyone else in the house wanting some peace. You’d typically expect a tinny sound from something like this, and although it certainly wouldn’t be able to compare to a £300 digital piano it still surprisingly holds its own.

To hear some of the voices and to find out more about this keyboard:

Touch and feel

The touch and feel of this keyboard is as you’d expect for something at this price point. You are not going to get weighted or even semi-weighted keys – but I did like the fact that the keys had some depth to them. You will often come across a keyboard that has very flimsy and flat keys, but the RockJam extends its keys to the bottom so they meet with the keyboards base.

Features

This keyboard is all about its features, and with 300 voices and rhythms you will struggle to get through them all unless you have a few hours or even weeks to spare. There are lots of playback functions and even the ability to record. With an easy to read LCD display it attractively lights up the keyboard and is quite nice to see lit up in a dark room.

One of the main features this keyboard has that is rare to see is an ability to connect to Alexa. So if you do happen to own an Alexa you can connect to an official app and get even more features. I was unable to test this feature in the shop but I can clearly see its advantages. It doesn’t have to be there at this price point, but RockJam always deliver on value. They are also well aware of who will be buying their keyboard and have included stickers for the notes to help anyone learn with ease.

Price

At the time of writing this review the RockJam RJ461AX comes in at an extremely cheap price of £85. You would be hard pressed to find another keyboard for less than £100 that has anything close to the amount of features the RockJam has.

How much you pay for a keyboard or piano is very important, and I appreciate that most people reading this review will be keen to spend as little as possible and gain as much value as they can. For obvious reasons you should be attracted to the RJ461AX like a moth to a flame. I just wonder how they will add even more features when they release the next model!