Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable
This is a review of the Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable. It is a very popular piece of new technology with old world feel on Amazon It is a belt drive turntable that could see you enjoying the warm analogue sound that comes from vinyl records. Whether you love those old albums from way back or the new wave of vinyl discs released by current artists that are becoming very popular, this portable record player has a lot to offer.
The aim of this review is to make it easy for you to know whether the Crosley 3 Speed Portable Turntable is the right one for you.
GO TO THE Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable
Main Features
- Belt-driven portable turntable.
- Easily replaced NP6 stylus (needle).
- Manual return tone arm.
- RCA and headphone jack outputs.
- Plays 3 speeds: 33 1/3, 45, and 78 RPM records.
- Dynamic full range stereo speakers.
- Fully portable.
Belt drive technology – it’s great !
Belt drive turntable technology has been around for a long time it is tried and true reliable and simple. Belt drives are mechanically more complex that direct drive turntables but usually give a better reproduction at a lower cost than Direct drive turntables.
The belt drive turntable will need replacement of the belt periodically but with modern materials the belt can last for many years before that has to happen. Replacement of the belt is quite simple and will not need complicated mechanical skills or tools in fact it should only take a few minutes.
The NP6 Stylus – easily replaced
The stylus or needle will over time wear down and once it has worn sufficiently will affect the quality of the sound coming from your record player. The way to recognise this is when you hear that the sound is becoming muffled or perhaps distorted one of the first things you can check is how much wear has occurred to the needle. This can easily be done using a magnifying glass to check how much has worn away. Don’t worry about having to do this very often it can take years before it becomes noticeable. New stylus are very reasonably priced I think Amazon has the NP6 for around 10 dollars.
The stylus is very important to the quality of the sound and should be checked periodically for cleanliness. The needle will help to keep the grooves in your records clean as it goes round in the groove if there is any dirt the needle will pick it up but eventually become clogged and may not sit in the record groove correctly therefore affecting the sound.
Manual Return Tone Arm
The tone arm is a manually operated this is true old time feel and operation. The tone arm determines how the needle tracks in the groove and keeps the needle in the correct location and vertically situated over the groove to give optimal sound from the outside groove through to the innermost. The pitch changes as the needle moves toward the centre and the tone arm has the job of keeping the needle inline all the way from start to finish on your disc.
There is one problem with the Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable. You will have to “get the knack” of gently landing your tone arm on the record surface. The good thing is it is not a hard skill to learn if you know an older person they will probably be able to show you how it is done.
Once the record has finished you will need to pick it up and swing it back to its normal resting post. This is very easy to learn.
Auxiliary Input, Headphone & RCA Output.
The Headphone out allows you to connect your favourite set of headphones and quietly crank up the volume while not disturbing anyone else. You will probably find though that the sound quality will be better listening this way than through the built in speakers. More about that later.
The auxiliary input gives you the option of using your Crosley Portable Turntables as a music system to power your IPod, IPhone, Smartphone or any other portable device for music. You can with the aid of an adapter plug in and blast you digital music through the speakers in your record player. This is a very cool option that makes it a very flexible and useful device.
The RCA output allows you to plug your portable record player into a home music or stereo system all you need is the adapter to go from this portable unit to your home unit and blast your favourite records out through your powerful home system. You will then be able to hear all the warmth and superior sound that is synonymous with the vinyl record technology.
3 Speeds 33 RPM , 45 RPM & 78 RPM
Three speeds for all the different types of records what a great little player! You’ll be able to play the 33 RPM for 12 inch LP’s or 45 RPM for the little 7 inch singles or the 10 inch EPs and 12 inch single discs or the 78 RPM for the much older Bakerlite 10 inch discs. When playing your records make sure that before you put them on the turntable that they are straight and wobble free. Too much wobble can cause tracking problems for your tone arm and may cause speed variations as well. Usually records that are not straight have been incorrectly stored for long periods or during storage have been subjected to excessive temperature. Sometimes they can be straightened but a small amount of wobble may not caused any problem at all.
Dynamic full range built in speakers.
The Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable has front facing wide range speakers. Now they are a small speaker and although they do a good job for the small size when it comes to speakers size does matter! These are not going to perform well if you take your Crosley portable turntable to a party and try to hear it over a room full of party goers. But at home in a quiet room they will seem quite loud.
In saying that the speakers could be better it would take away the convenience and the portability of this player. If you want to improve the sound an adapter to connect to your home system would be very inexpensive and give great results. Given the price and the size of the Crosley CR8005A the speakers are adequate.
Conclusion
The Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable is a nice unit that gives good value for money. The convenience of have a record player in such an easily transportable single unit that looks attractive in the leatherette case is amazing. With such a well know brand support for this player will be very solid and in fact the written warranty states that if the unit is not repairable it will be fully replaced. This unit comes with a trouble shooting guide and stylus and belts are easily available through Amazon. Crosley have made this player available in a range of 10 different colours all in leatherette from serious Black through to seriously funky Orange.
People that have purchased the Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable Turntable have made many comments about the quality and usability of this portable record player. If you have expectations of buying a high end turntable for under $100 this player will not be for you. There have been a few comments where people have not been happy with their purchases. The vast majority of people have been very happy and have talked about how convenient it is to have the portability and be able to play those old records again or even record your old records to digital and keep the records for posterity.
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