Crosley Portable Turntable Review

Crosley CR40 Mini Turntable with Full-Range Stereo Speakers

May 18, 2017 by Techead

Crosley CR40 Mini Turntable with Full-Range Stereo Speakers

Let me introduce to you the Crosley CR40-RE Mini Turntable. This is a new portable turntable from the Crosley Company. Crosley have been producing electronic entertainment equipment since the early 1900’s primarily radios record players and turntables. If anyone would know what a good turntable is Crosley sure does.

If you are looking at buying a portable turntable the purpose of this review is to help you make a decision about if it is the best portable turntable for you. Crosley have made this available in 2 models the Crosley CR40-RE Mini Turntable or the CR40-BK Mini Turntable. There are a large number of Amazon customers that have purchased one of these and are very happy with them however we’ll look more closely into what makes these portable turntables tick.

If you would like to go straight to Amazon and check out the CR40-RE or the CR40BK Mini Turntable click here.

The main features of the Crosley CR40-BK

Belt driven turntable mechanism
Plays 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM records as well as 7, 10, and 12-inch records.
Dynamic full range stereo speakers
Auxiliary and RCA outputs
Great retro style in a portable case
Available in classic Black or Cream with contrasting trim
Traditional on off volume and tone control

Belt drive turntable mechanism

This portable turntable uses a mechanical belt drive turntable mechanism. This type of drive is mechanically fairly simple. Simple is good it ensure improved reliability and ease of use for customers. Part of owning belt drive turntables are that ocassionally you will need to replace the drive belt and the stylus or needle.

Crosley Radio have designed the CR40-RE so that almost anybody who buys one of these players will be able to change the belt if it needs to be replaced. It is nearly as easy as replacing the needle or what’s called the stylus. There is a video at Amazon on the page advertising the CR40-RE showing you how to replace the stylus. The belts are available from your local Crosley dealer at very reasonable prices. Most local dealers will have a fitting service for you as well if you prefer to have someone else to do this job.

CR40-RE Plays 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM Records – 7, 10, and 12-inch Vinyl.

The belt drive mechanism also allows you to play most records that are available.

12 inch 33 RPM
12 inch 45 RPM
10 Inch 78 RPM
7 inch 45 RPM

This will allow you to play most records that have been available since the 1930’s with the advantage of being able to take your turntable nearly anywhere you want. Back in the 1930’s turntables that were portable were very expensive and by today’s standards not very easy to move around but that was the way things were back then.

The technology has advanced leaps and bounds today and we have an unprecedented level of high tech turntables that produce great sound at very affordable prices. The CR40-RE belt drive turntable is lightweight, a critical feature for portability in turntables. This one has a very similar drive to the Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable that I reviewed a while ago

Check out The Crosley CR40 on Amazon now.

Dynamic full range stereo speakers.

This is where have to get my “techo” hat on let me say right from the get go “dynamic full range speakers” does not mean what some people think. With speakers size does matter. Large speakers due to the amount of surface area of the front of the speaker cone exposed to the air – are inherently more efficient at turning electrical energy into sound. There is no way to avoid this fact.

So the full range speakers in nearly all portable turntables are going to be small due to the nature of the product and the amount of space available in them to fit speakers. Unfortunately small speakers mean that there is going to be a compromise in sound produced by any portable turntable. The CR40-RE is above the average but still fairly typical for a portable turntable.

I find the sound is quite acceptable but it will not sound like a large system that stays put at home. If you are listening at home in a quiet room the sound is very listenable despite the lack of bass. Bass sounds are very hard to produce with the small speakers that are fitted to this record player. Midrange sounds are not too bad and the upper range of sound is more prominent. It’s the upper range that most people can hear most prominently and tends to disappoint.

The good news is that there is way to work around the speaker shortcomings in this Crosley turntable.

Auxiliary and RCA outputs.

The RCA outputs allow you to plug the CR40-RE Record Player into a an amplifier or a home stereo. It has line level out so there is many types of stereos and amplifiers that it can plug into to provide full range sound. You see the sound it produces is full range but the built speakers are not great at reproducing all of the sound that is available. A home stereo or amplifier with speakers can do that job instead as it has much bigger speakers.

This means you can take the CR40-RE to a friend’s house plug in to their stereo unit and play your records and it will sound like a full sized stereo record player.

Plug in a set of on-ear or in-ear headphones and also have a much better sound experience that using the inbuilt speakers. Headphones are available most anywhere, there are plenty available through Amazon at very reasonable prices. Headphones will make this little record player give you a much bigger sound. If you are at home and want to listen to records without disturbing anyone else you can. In fact I have found that connecting an external speaker system very beneficial. I connected an old amplifier and speakers that I had in the garage, it made a huge difference. The great thing was it cost me nothing since I already owned them.

If you use an old amp and speakers remember not plug into the Amp “Phono input” as this will distort your music. Use a CD, Tape or similar as they will match the out put from the turntable and work for you.

Traditional on off volume and tone control

One of the things I really liked about the CR40-RE was the inclusion of a volume on-off and tone control. Here is a technical article on how a tone control works for a guitar amp. This little Crosley portable turntable reproduces the look and feel of the old record players from the past. Crosley have done a nice job of keep that old world feel with this model. It even includes a tone control that works very well.

It has some benefits when using the internal speakers and does help to back off the high end sounds to improve the bass response. When you connect to an amp and speakers or plug headphones in you will see how much better it works.

The volume on-off and the tone controls mounted on the front also give a nice touch to the authentic feel of the CR40-RE portable record player. The colour combinations are very authentic looking and really make this little Portable Turntable standout with eye appeal. The Cream with Red trim or black with Cream trim either looks really nice but my personal preference is for the Cream. Even the way the handle is designed and place on the end of the player is really well thought out and makes it very comfortable to hold and walk around with. I has a nice balance.

What Customers Think.

Amazon customers by far believe that they have good value for money. The CR40-RE has a 4 star rating by Amazon customers. It has been purchased for people as old as 86 who are able to use this Portable Turntable with ease.

A lot of customers have bought this model as their first turntable and found it to be very convenient with the advantage of portability. These people seem to be just getting into vinyl and want to try this tactile format of listening to music with having to make a large investment. The Crosley CR40-BK Mini Turntable is an ideal way to dip your toe into the vinyl river without suddenly finding that you’re drowning in it.

The most negative comments are about the quality of the sound that is coming from the inbuilt speakers. This is understandable as long as when purchasing you’re aware of this shortcoming and how to work around it.

A few customers were disappointed that the lid had to be removed in order to play 12 inch LP’s. This feature is quite common among the small and mini turntables. It’s just a characteristic of any of the miniaturizing of this technology.

Conclusion For The Crosley CR40.

Overall after carefully evaluating this Portable Record Player I believe that for the low price this is an outstanding turntable that is very cool looking and provides great performance in a tiny box. Sure there are a couple of negatives. The sound quality being the most prominent but I’m happy with the performance compared to most other turntables in this category. I love the colours, the convenience and the keen pricing of Crosley CR40 Mini Turntable.

Check out The Crosley CR40 Now at Amazon

Crosley CR6019A-BK Portable Turntable

July 13, 2016 by Techead

Crosley CR6019A-BK Portable Turntable

Crosley CR6019A-BK Executive Portable USB Turntable With Software For Ripping & Editing Audio (Black & White)

This review is for the Crosley CR6019A-BK Executive Portable Turntable. We will look into how this player performs. If you are looking at the purchase of the best portable turntable for your needs this is one that you may consider. By the end of this review you should have enough information to be able to make a decision about whether the Crosley CR6019A-BK Executive Portable is the right one for you.

During this review Amazon customer opinions will feature as part of the assessment of the quality of the product. The opinion of people who have actually bought and used this Portable record player is very important as it will indicate the real product quality and value for money.

Check This Portable Turntable At Amazon Here

Crosley CR6019A-BK Executive Portable Record Player Key Features

Belt Driven Turntable Mechanism Plays 3 Speeds: 33 1/3, 45, And 78 RPM Records
Fully Automatic Return Tone Arm
Auxiliary Input, RCA Audio Out, And USB Enabled To Connect To Windows PC Or Mac
Vinyl-Wrapped Suitcase Enclosure With Brass Plated Hardware
Dynamic Full Range Stereo Speakers
12 Month Warranty
Compact Size For Easy Storage When Not In Use.
Vinyl Conversion To MP3
Ceramic Cartridge

The Crosley CR6019A Turntable Mechanism

The belt driven turntable mechanism for this Crosley player is a 3 speed version that will allow you to play

7 inch and 10 inch (early) 45 RPM,
10 inch 78 RPM older non vinyl Shellac records
12 inch vinyl 33RPM or LP’s
12 inch vinyl 45RPM single disc

The belt driven turntable is a budget turntable mechanism that is good value for money given the price of this turntable it is quite acceptable and functional. I would not expect an audiophile to purchase this type of player and be able to appreciate the lower quality but it has its place.

Fully Automatic Return Tone Arm.

Amazon have it advertised as a fully automatic return tone arm. This is incorrect it is an auto stop tone arm. The tone arm has to be placed on the record manually and there is an auto stop control switch. The auto stop control switch allows you to select whether this function is active or not. If the auto stop is activated the record will automatically stop spinning when the record is finished playing. That’s all folks – it should be advertised as an auto stop turntable not “Fully Automatic Return Tone Arm”. Don’t let this turn you off this player and advertising glitch on Amazons part does not make it a fail.

Auxiliary Input, RCA Audio Out, And USB Enabled To Connect To Windows PC Or Mac.

The audio out gives you the ability to plug this player into a much more powerful amp and crank things up quite a bit. The RCA output can be plugged into a pretty wide variety of audio gear. Most home audio systems will happily take this standard RCA output and reproduce it very well.

Crosley CR6019A-BK Executive Portable turntable has a 3.5 mm mini pin input so that you can plug devices like an MP3 player, Android Phone or I Phone and play them through the speakers in the turntable. This allows the turntable to be used as a music system to give you a somewhat better sound than if you were listening to the music through the really tiny speakers in the phone or MP3 player. T

Dynamic Full Range Stereo Speakers.

The speakers in the Crosley CR6019A-BK Executive Portable turntable are small and there is really no getting past that fact. They are not audiophile quality speakers and don’t think that you could really pretend otherwise. But hey they are what they are and for the size convenience and cost of this turntable they rock!! These small speakers are able to be clearly heard everywhere in a quiet room. However don’t think you can take them to a party with a room full of people and expect them to be heard by everyone. However you could plug them into a kick ass speaker system and then things will change for the better.

USB connection is available to connect this turntable to a PC and turn your Records into MP3 or any other digital format you need to listen too. This is a useful function that can be used for digitally capturing the music from your vinyl. There are various reasons why you may want to do this. For instance if you have a particularly valuable record that you like to listen but don’t want to risk any damage too.

By digitally capturing such a record you can still hear it without risking damage and possible devaluing. This could be also for the same reason if the record was a particular favourite that was no longer available for purchase. There are many reasons for recording you vinyl to your PC and this turntable gives you the option of being able to do that.

Compact Size For Easy Storage When Not In Use.

The Crosley CR6019A-BK Executive Portable turntable is a very compact unit that is able to be stored in the most inconspicuous places for convenience. This could be particularly useful when living in a very small apartment where space is at a premium. It is also useful for transporting the record player to enjoy the warm sound that is characteristic of vinyl with you wherever you wish to go.

Ceramic Cartridge

The Crosley CR6019A-BK Executive Portable turntable has a ceramic cartridge or stylus. This is something that has been mentioned by some customers as if it were not a good thing yet the ceramic cartridges have their place. Ceramic cartridges make very robust stylus and for a portable unit that is being regularly transported the Ceramic cartridge will withstand the frequent jostling around that is usual for portable units. A magnetic cartridge may give a wider range of sound but will be more expensive and not survive the way a ceramic will. The slight loss of audio quality is fully justified given all the circumstances involved.

Crosley 12 Month Warranty

The Crosley CR6019A-BK Executive Portable turntable comes with a 12 month warranty that is backed by the Crosley Company. Crosley has been in business for more than 100 years and is a very reputable company to be associated with. You can be sure that when you buy from them that they will be around for quite a while longer to ensure that you are looked after for the warranty of your portable turntable.

What Amazon Customers Had To Say

Most Amazon customers that bought one of these units were pleased with their purchases. Some were not happy with the sound quality several

Mentioned sound quality but were understanding that given all of the other features and the size and cost of the unit sound quality was ok and a few even thought that it added to the novelty of the experience.

Some commented on the cheap plastic components used in the construction of the turntable. There seems to have been a few minor problems with these units but overall with an average of 4.5 stars given the number of reviews that have been done by Amazon customers the overwhelming opinion is of satisfaction.

In Conclusion

In conclusion the best portable turntable for your needs could very well be the Crosley CR6019A-BK Portable Turntable. It is very much a product of our times and displays the qualities that many people are looking for. Portability, convenience, cost and flexibility are the qualities that standout for this little unit. The audiophiles should be looking elsewhere.

Click Here to go to Amazon & Purchase Now

Crosley Dansette Bermuda Portable Turntable

June 8, 2016 by Techead

Crosley Dansette Bermuda Portable Turntable.

This is a review of the Crosley CR6233A-RE Dansette Bermuda Portable Turntable. We will be taking a look at this unique portable record player and see what customers that have bought them think of them. I will be focusing on the points that are both good and bad so that you can make an informed decision about how suitable the Crosley Dansette Portable Turntable is likely to be for you.

Plays two speeds–33 1/3 and 45 RPM records
Dynamic full range stereo speakers
Portable audio ready with auxiliary input
Portable turntable comes complete with matching stand
Classic Dansette Series style turntable

Have you gotten into the new wave of enthusiasm for vinyl records and LP’s that are being released by current artists. There is a large number of LP’s still around and able to be played despite some of them being decades old. Are you one of the new generation that is discovering what the oldies have know for many years. Vinyl is good it has its own distinctive flavour and feel. It’s a very tactile touchy feely yummy comfortable medium to use and listen to.

Crosley customers that have purchased a Crosley CR6233A-RE Dansette Bermuda Portable Turntable have been very happy with what they’ve bought. The customer rating for this Crosley portable turntable is 4 this indicates that this Crosley model is providing good value for money and that Amazon customers believe they are getting what they have paid for.

Click Here For Amazon Check This Crosley Record Player Review

Ahh!! The old Dansette Bermuda

The Dansette is an old British radio brand name that Crosley have bought back to life and given it a bunch of very flash high technology. It’s a recreation of the original units that were manufactured throughout the early to mid 1900s in Britain were great at the time but did not contain the electronic wizardry that Crosley have slipped into them.

The Crosley CR6233A-RE Dansette Bermuda Portable Turntable is made with the same 1950s look and feel that is very appealing and there are plenty of Amazon customers that will attest to this fact. In fact if you search You Tube you’ll find there are a few of the original units that have been restored and are being demonstrated. They were a much loved portable record player back in their day.

The modern Crosley Dansette Record Player version looks the part on the outside but internally it’s all modern high tech audio engineering with low power usage and extremely versatile. The cabinet looks just like it did when and could have almost been time warped from the 1950s into 2016. It has the colour the texture, everything to make it feel like the real thing. It’s a portable unit with detachable legs that allow it to become a home furniture piece with a very period vibe. And don’t forget the colours, it’s available in a very period Red and equally stunning Black.

The Crosley version of the Dansette Bermuda portable turntable has nice connectivity with headphone socket to plug your favourite set of headphones to listen when perhaps other don’t wish to or when really late and you probable need to keep the sound down. It comes with a line in (Aux) so that you can connect your IPod, Smartphone, CD Player or any other device to use the Dansette as a music centre. Both of these sockets are mounted conveniently on the front panel. On the back of the Dansette Bermuda is an RCA Line out jack that will allow you to connect to an external set of speakers or a stereo amp or you could connect to an audio capture input on a PC and record your Vinyl LP’s to a digital format like MP3.

Dynamic Full Range Stereo Speakers

Speakers for the Dansette are somewhat better than you get in the smaller portable units. Simply the sound is not quite so thin or tinny as the speakers that are used in this bigger cabinet are bigger in size which helps quite a bit. The sound is not as good as a Hi quality amp and speakers but there will always be some compromises when making portable sized record player and turntables.

The Dansette as some Amazon customers had assumed does not have a radio built in. Crosley have been very faithful to the original design of the Dansette Bermuda model which also was a record player only without radio.

Plays two speeds 33 1/3 RPM & 45 RPM records

The Dansette has a (two) 2 speed 33 RPM and 45 RPM belt driven turntable. This will be able to play the 7 inch 45 RPM singles and the 12 inch LP’s and the 12 inch 45 RPM extended play records. This portable record player won’t play the older 78 RPM 10 inch records but that only helps to make it more like the original Dansette portable turntable.

To Be – Or Not To Be – An Auto

Now despite it being called a fully automatic record player I don’t consider this to be the case. It will start the record and stop the record at the end but this where Crosley have made a change in the original design which was a fully automatic stacker model and can sometimes be called a record changer.

Fully auto turntable back in the 50s was able to have a number of records stacked one on top of the other. When the record player was started it would automatically drop the first record on the platter. When the first record finished the tone arm would swing out of the way whilst the next record was dropped on top of the previous one, the tone arm would swing back to the start of the new record and play that one all the way through then repeat the process till there were no records left in the stack.

The Crosley Dansette Bermuda turntable is automatic but not fully automatic . . . but that’s just my opinion. The tonearm is fitted with a ceramic cartridge and Crosley NP5 needle. If you go to this page there is a video showing how to change the needle on the Crosley Dansette Bermuda Portable Turntable

Conclusion

All in all this is the best portable turntable that I have seen for a while. If you were looking to have a period style player that replicates a system from the 50’s or Sixties you really couldn’t go wrong. The Crosley CR6233A-RE Dansette Bermuda Portable Turntable will look stunning and sound great.

If you wanted to drag out some of those old LP’s from many years ago to relive the memories the Crosley Dansette Portable Turntable would work really well for you. This or could be an ideal present for someone a bit older like perhaps your parents. If they have records sitting in a cupboard somewhere get them out and dust them off (the records that is) and give them a play.

Crosley Dansette Bermuda Portable Turntable Click Here

Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable

April 22, 2016 by Techead

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.

Purchase Crosley CR8005A Portable Turntable From Amazon Click Here

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