The love/mostly hate here for Crosley

Well another alternative that's pretty cheap is to do what I did a couple years ago when my old vintage turntable died and I was low on funds. For $60 I got an ION profile Pro LP at Wallyworld. Yes...one of those USB turntables,but I have barely used it for that purpose.

Not the best built record player on the market,however unlike the Crosley's (and most ION's as it turns out) this particular model has a Diamond Stylus and a MAGNETIC cartridge that tracks at just under 3 grams. Granted the Tonearm doesn't have an adjustable counterweight and it has no anti-skate,but most of my LP's (even my scratched up Yard sale LP's) tracked with nary a skip and for the price, didn't sound that much less quality than my older turntable that had all of those bells and whistles. In fact the sound quality is pretty decent. Not Audiophile quality,but far better than the best Crosley. Like the Crosleys it's mostly made of plastic, although the platter is a full 12 inches and it has a pretty solid rubber mat, and the belt drive motor seems to be slightly above your average Crosley, so it runs smooth at a normal speed . It's nearly three years old and was my primary turntable until I found a suitable replacement in May, So I used it pretty regularly. I can attest that it did not do any damage at all to my records, as I've tested some of my heavier rotation LP's on a higher end system recently.

Yeah...it isn't an "all in one" solution and not exactly portable however as it has a fairly decent built in Pre-Amp you can plug it into any existing home stereo set up with an RCA input...or, using an adapter, you could connect it to even a decent pair of economy amplified computer speakers. So conceivably, those on a budget can for anywhere between $60-$160 have something that won't damage records,but still can get them started on Vinyl.

 

Not (outwardly) judging one way or another, but have you actually done this?

 

I have indeed bought "record wreckers" for a buck or two or three and stripped them for useful parts, if any, and discombobulated them. I would not have said that I have had I not done so. We are, however, talking about really bad old record players. It's not like I'm destroying anything worthwhile nor am I spending any great amount of time or energy or money.

 

The Crosley appears to have become infamously popular!

 

They are huge. And look at my original merchandising in store display photos here . I get why they sell well.

 

What I cannot comprehend is why Pro-Ject and Rega don't sell their turntables at major retailers. Urban Outfitters is a great place to reach young people, and there's always a good collection of LPs available. But only Crosley tables are sold.

We can rip on Crosley for their crummy products, and the marks who purchase them, but what else are they supposed to do? Try to find the one (antiquated) hi-fi audio shop in the burbs that stocks Pro-Ject?

Mind you, I write this just after visiting Needle Doctor with a Bellari VP-130 and Mullard tube in hand. But it would help if these products were a little more widely available. It's not 1979 anymore. Specialty audio stores are an endangered species.

Oh, and, uh, Crosley sucks. Go spend $100 on a vintage deck on Craigslist instead.

 

Those tables are a viable alternative, they just need to take notes from Crosley on marketing strategy. And maybe also study their "cosmetic" look.

 

I'm more concerned that The Smith's MiM LP is prominently displayed in the Classic Rock section, as pictured in the first post.

 

Because those turntables are not 100% plug and play. After three [count em] decades of CD players that are plug 'n' play, people who aren't already 'into' LPs will look at a Pro-ject or a Rega and say: "too much trouble." Until someone comes up with a high quality alternative you can expect to see a lot more Crosleys in your future.

 

Agreed. Even the most simple of turntables require a degree of expertise that is beyond the capacity of most working in these stores for setup. It takes attention to detail and a good ear to tune properly. Look at the extremes to setup that happen on here. Granted the audience here probably falls more into the top 5% of pickiness and looking for an exact setup and sound from their gear.

Then there is all the ancillary pieces that go with vinyl, cleaning, additional media (vinyl) that needs to be purchases.

A casual user or a student is not going to get into vinyl for either the reason of cost or lack of ease. Theres also the matter of storage of vinyl. It's a lot easier to save a significant amount of space with MP3s or cd's.

 

This comes first circle. There Is a pretty good market for a decent all in one recod player that doesn't damage records. Crosley filled that hole except for the easy on the record portion. They got themselves into stores where these people shop that's half the battle. Components won't compete with this audience.

 

The mass produced record player is back, but the consumer record isn't. Precious collectibles will be ruined on these... with exception of the improved models with a least a magnetic cartridge that tracks at 3 grams.

 

I don't think people are playing really rare collectables on these. Cheapo bargin bins and new issues but I'd bet not a lot of collectors stuff. It's a different audience.

 

I agree a different market. We must not rule out existing record collections inherited from deceased family members. We must never assume the people who buy Crosleys do not have valuable collectible records in the house, because they do! The Crosley market will not be purchasing valuable collectible albums, reasonable to assume (otherwise affording to purchasing better quality hardware) We don't care about the worn thrift store specials, I don't care.. No.. the existing smaller quantities of mint collectible records in our homes (and mint thrift store finds) are the ones being destroyed, one by one, and it becomes cumulative.

Pristine original pressings are dwindling in numbers which are the concern. This is a fact. If the word is out that condition means everything, like ANY collectible, the value is multiples higher. If the word is out ONE PLAY throws "mint" or NM out the window, maybe a few better informed people will understand and exercise the proper care, and what not to play a pristine record on. One time play damage occurs on vintage mass produced record changers, old stereo consoles, and new retro record players like the Crosley.

Classic rock albums are the highest casualties, most of them burned up decades ago.. that's a given The remaining in pristine condition are preciously few nowadays. Even worse, the 1st pressings in pristine condition are becoming nearly unobtainable. We can still find plenty of Lawrence Welk, Pat Boone, and Andy Williams unplayed, and these are available in droves at the local thrift shops. Try to find a 1st pressing Meet the Beatles, or The Moody Blues "Every Good Boy Derserves Favour" in the textured cover 1st pressing in pristine condition, or "Led Zeppelin 1" pink and tan label, unplayed.

These records were pressed from the ORIGINAL master in many cases, not a copy of it. The fidelity pressed into these superior pressings is being lost forever by careless play and handling by the uninformed.

It is like throwing pearls to the swine.

If a person has always had Del Monte canned corn all of his life, how can this person imagine what corn on the cob tastes like?

The Crosley is canned corn.

Acceptance is just plain ignorance! (sorry folks the truth isn't as much fun)

The problem with record collections is that they can be played. A glass menagerie can not!

First pressings are historical artifacts. One day this will become common knowledge. Meantime we are still largely clueless in the 21st century, or don't we care?

 

I'm of the opinion that it doesn't matter what young people are listening with. Some will upgrade to better tables and some won't, but there's a ton of music being pressed to vinyl these days even compared to 10 years ago, and that's because vinyl is cool. When I was a teenager, I had a Sony PS-LX250H, which many members of this forum would call a groove chewer. My records from back then still sound great, though I've upgraded my analog front end. Still, my current budget system, a Pro-Ject Debut III (with upgrades) and a Bellari VP-130, is far beyond what the average teen will buy. (And still looked down on by some members here, but I digress.)

Excuse me, I must have lost my mind there. What I mean to say is, stupid hipsters, you can't possibly enjoy this very serious hobby for old men.

 

And I'll add, if there's a special hipster in your life, if you're that concerned about what he or she is listening with, and if you have the scratch, then buy him or her an entry-level system! Think of all the collectible records you'll be saving in the name of posterity.

Seriously though folks, if you're worried about the future of the hobby, try to help lower the barriers to entry, don't just turn up your noses.

 

I got my youngest son a vintage semi-auto, direct drive P-Mount Kenwood, and a new cart. Entry level - yes, but his vinyl won't get destroyed. did the same for my daughter, a Pioneer. As they dig deeper into the hobby, I'll upgrade them, already got some tables in storage. My daughter may never really want to deal with a 1/2" mount....but I think my son will.

 

Crosley products are good for fooling people into thinking they're into vinyl.

 

I get it. But I have plenty of my 40-50 year old records that I played on crap players like these back in the 1960s and lots of them sound pretty good still.

 

* Unique azimuth feature and rigid factory set alignment guarantees patented 'groove cut sound' with every play!

* Lightweight pickup ensures compliance at less than six grams tracking force -- safe for all 78s!

* Don't throw out those old vinyl records!
Play them on the Crosley Retro-Cool Portable at your swingin' retro vinyl record party! Then throw them out!

 

I think you mean vinyls.

 

That's something I think a lot of people don't get: that there are thousands of perfectly serviceable, good sounding used turntables out there that are a great value for the money.

You could even go very reasonable audiophile with a basic 70s or 80s AR turntable, upgrading it as you had the bucks and interest and end up with something that could be a real competitor against the expensive level.
Yes, you have to go used and some people don't want to do that because of the risk, but my luck with used equipment has been fantastic over the years. Definitely worth it IMO.

 

Of course what I did not mention is that I had to get something for them to play it on (amp, speakers), also all vintage, but still it was not an all in one type deal like what Crosley offers.......

 

I think many of you are not getting this. Of course it's easy to get a reasonable priced turntable. But then you need and amp and speakers and so on.

But these folks Just want one single unit record player on a shelf, in a corner, on the floor. Like all those photos of kids girls and rock stars with stacks of records playing through a friggen record player.

Why is this not possible ?

 

I hear he's broke, cranky and unreliable, and I wouldn't trust him with my records. Neil Young on the other hand... Oh, sorry. Carry on.