The love/mostly hate here for Crosley

I know the feelings of these record players around here and the reality on how they treat your vinyl. But are they good in terms how they can introduce a new young audience into buying and playing records ?

I'm back in San Francisco for a few days and walked into the downtown urban outfitters.

They have expanded their record department and Crosley display area dramatically since I was last here. Sort of reminded me of my of childhood days when Macy's and the Emporium department stores had a small record departments.

The store carries all new vinyl, decent collection of new rekeases and reissues. I saw the Dylan mono box, Led Zep reissues, Al Green, Bluenote reissues, JayZ, Wilco and a wide variety of genres.

I picked by the first Nirvana album and Vince Guaraldi's Fantasy Charlie Brown soundtrack. Their bins and displays are nice and clean and well displayed. Prices are what you'd expect.

But check out the Crosley displays and the fun cool designs that I'm sure attract lots of young people. Record players that fit in a bedroom or college dorm. No hastle with components. Very pop artsy

Yes it's too bad that these, in the long run, hurt records, but they are not so different in terms what many if us old guys had in 64-68 or so when we were kids. Just The fun of playing our records?

Anyway I just wanted to share thes images and I'm curious about your thoughts. Of course this is an audiophile forum but is there room for these introductory players ?

Damn, I'd love one just for the retro look in my music room or to just play my old worn 45s.

 

I enjoy setting up my Audiotronics suitcase player on the kitchen table and playing VG records, 45s and 78s. It's a different experience and also a valid experience I think.

 

They are rubbish, and I hope I never buy a use record that has spent time on one of them.

An Orbit is not too expensive.

But that's only my view from my position, so take it with a pinch of salt, it's in no way meant as a thread crap, just trying to be honest..

Please excuse my post, Mazzy.

I do want youngsters to adopt record playback, I would just like to see them start with something better than those.

 

It's funny that a store that has a serious new vinyl section would sell toy record players.

 

I think the portable concept is valid and fun, it's just the execution of it by Crosley that's the cause of all the hate.

 

I wonder what would it entail to slightly upgrade for a minimal amount of $ by the company to better their product for record playback. Again I know this is the wrong crowd for any real love.

 

The display has one record player with the headshell twisted 90° to the right and several with the arms swinging free. I can't help but think that the abuse of these machines in the display will continue once they find their way into a home. While the concept of an all-in-one portable player has its virtues, that display suggests that these record players were not built to last. I would think that if one wants this sort of thing, one would be better with an old Webcor "Melody". If you get one, stick to mono LPs, these suckers track at some ridiculous weight. Built like a tank though.

 

Agree sort of, but that audience is hungry for a all in one solution. And something with the cool factor. And all in 1 player for a reasonable price.

Marketing wise Crosley is smart.

 

I would NEVER let my RE-1 Beatles Abbey Road on one of those.............'THINGS'............
the beave

 

I guess I'm not a marketer.

 

CD Warehouse has a Crosley set up - one of the briefcase ones. I have no idea why they don't get something decent quality.

Crosleys aren't for anyone who actually care about sound quality or quality of their record player. They're for people who just want to play/hear the record. That's the extent of their cares go, which in my opinion, completely negates the point of vinyl which is supposedly "better sound".

 

I find that to generally be the case. They'll have some Crosley's and some plug and play USB tables, but never anything decent. You pretty much have to go online to even get a Rega.

 

Crosley was not the originator of cheap, crappy record players.



I would have gladly upgraded my first player to one of those Crosleys.

 

I see suitcase models being used by 45 collectors to listen to stuff at shows. It makes sense if you checking out obscure titles, but I shudder at what those arms do to styrene.

 

Like almost every kid in the us and uk had in the early 60s.

 

You're right.

 

I remember this record player......oh my..........
the beave

 

My suggestion for a new marketing campaign...

"You haven't experienced all the ways vinyl is different from digital until you've heard pops, clicks, surface noise and rolled off highs and lows on a brand new Crosley. Perfection is so overrated."

 

I knew the response around here and I agree. However there is a potential huge audience that is being ignored in terms of all in one quality.

 

Back in the day most of us had record players like that. Also they came w/carts you could rotate one side had a 33 cart and you turned it on the other side was the 78/45 cart. Did we clean our records? Only if we got some beer or seeds on them.

 

When I was 13 I never spilled beer on my record player and there were noseeds until I got Jefferson Airplanes Long John a Silver album. The cover that turned into a stash box

 

A few months ago, I talked someone at work out of buying a Crosley. I felt proud.

 

So what did they get instead to play records ?

 

The problem, as I see it, is that there's no clear upgrade path from a Crosley. When I was a kid and would visit Radio Shack, Sears -- any place with entry-level tables -- there were always more expensive tables to show you there was something better. Most of the places that sell Crosley don't have that.

 

Perhaps Crosley should try to distribute their products through Bose dealers as well.

I'm not sure that it is possible to build a good player with integrated speakers at this price point. You also have the fatal design flaw of putting the record playing mechanism in what is essentially a vibrating box. It's no wonder that these types of units have to have heavy tracking to avoid habitual skipping on playback.