The model CR-40 seemed the best of the Crosley portable turntables. It does what the larger turntables do, with less size, better styling, and front firing speakers, where as the various incarnations of the CR-49 have side speakers and wasted space around the platter. My only minor gripes are no pitch control, and no flippable 78 needle, as it can't be good for the same stylus to alternate between 33 1/3, 45 r.p.m., and 78's. A Vestax battery portable I bought 2 years ago had an optional 78 stylus available, which I got, though it does have to be manually removed/replaced when switching back to playing LP's and 45's (Vestax and Numark make plastic AC/battery monoral speaker portable record players with pitch control, which are quite good, but without the cabinet styling of the CR-40). Crosley's inclusion of a spare stylus is appreciated. Crosley CR40 Mini-Turntable (Red)
You have to give Crosley credit for coming up with these cool gadgets for all of us who love vinyl. This is actually the best sounding small record player to come out in decades. It is not very loud but the sound is very clear. I own several small record players and none is this good. The price is also very good. Thank you Crosley!
I must qualify my review and opinion by stating that I am a newcomer to the vinyl game and a complete novice with the equipment:
I recently received this item as a gift and was seriously disappointed with the performance. The arm is one solid piece of plastic that instead of moving vertically with the record's shape, digs into in as it spins. Not only is the arm very unforgiving of even the most minor rises in the vinyl, the needle couldn't even reach the surface of my colored vinyl or 180 gram records. I tried to fiddle with the unit but there is no way to adjust the arm and raise/lower the needle. The turntable worked with some albums that were older and in perfect condition, but it was ill-equipped to handle the vast majority of the albums I ran through it.
The sound was "OK" but I didn't expect much from the small speakers. I would say that I was neither impressed nor disappointed with the sound that the player itself produced. One reviewer describes the sound as "better than my speaker system" and I find that very hard to believe.
I recommend passing this turntable up, as the quality of the equipment is so poor as to render it useless. I was enticed by the price tag but I have since returned the unit to Amazon in favor of a turntable with the capabilities to play my entire collection of albums.
I am very happy with my crosely mini-turntable. It has crisp, full sound - better than our fancy turntable hooked up to good speakers. It is well made and perfect for storing when not in use. I love it! I would highly recommend it and that is coming from someone who does thorough research on any products I buy. I only buy the highest quality and this definitely qualified.
For paying less than $100 dollars for this record player I was pleased to find that it works quite well. Sound quality is good, although it could probably be a little better. The product itself feels sturdy but not heavy, and its compact design is perfect for a college student like myself. Ideally this would be best for someone living in an apartment or dorm or other smaller room. External speaker additions are a nice touch as well, I hooked up some older speakers I had in the garage to it and the sound remained great.
If you're looking for a cheaper but well built and impressive record player I would highly recommend this one. If instead you're looking for a high end superior player, such as one with Vinyl to MP3 capabilities or insane audio quality, you may want to skip this one.
For the price, it is a very nice record player with only a few minor problems.
1.)The needle
The needle sat REALLY close to the record when i got it. I noticed on a 180 gram it touched the edge of the record on the first track and made a "touching" noise. I took a piece of scotch clear tape, about 1 cm by 10 cm, and taped between the needle and its housing, so it pushed the actual tip out. I had no change in sound quality, and the needle sits a nice 1cm above the record.
2.)VOLUME
It IS a portable record player and it does not get very loud, but I was expecting a little more volume. This unit is best for a small bedroom.
3.)Guitar "clang" (I'll call it)
I have noticed this odd acoustic guitar "clang" from records, at the end of a note it has this higher pitch. It may just be the record as it mostly did it on my James Taylor, a little on Paul Simon, older records. Other wise sound quality is pretty good just lacking bass, there is a sub woofer jack on back...
4.) no headphone jack >:I
Another reviewer said the needle did not move up and down from the record (it does with a pivot at the back of the arm) and that said arm was plastic, (the pivot housing and needle housing is plastic, but the arm is made of a metal tube) The parts look and feel "easily broken" but after a couple accidents i can tell it won't easily break unless you are particularly rough with it.
I got my copy in the color brown, (YAY rare color!) on the e of bay website, took the chance and the price i got was fantabulous! $45!!
Update: I did what Ian commented, used the RCA jack to use headphones. It has no volume adjustment though, just line out loud. It's not bad, not too loud but not too soft.
I also got a sub-woofer for it at a flea market for 1 dollar. A new fuse and some fiddlin' and it works
WHAT AN IMPROVEMENT!!!!
The Table sounds much better now! maybe louder too
This is a fantastic little turntable. My 25+ year old stereo finally bit the dust beyond repair; space is limited so I was looking for an inexpensive turntable to replace it. After reading the reviews, I decided to give this one a go. It's even better than I'd hoped for. It's smaller than I'd thought it would be, but opening it up to play LPs was no problem; the cover even went back on with minimal drama. For such little speakers, I wasn't expecting the sound to be as strong and clear. I've had no trouble with it after almost two months of constant use. I couldn't be happier. - Turntable - Vinyl - Portable - Retro'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
