Crosley Review

About Crosley

Vinyl sales have been skyrocketing the past decade. Over 41 million vinyl records were sold in the United States alone last year. They’ve become more than a collector’s item; many people are turning to vinyl records for their unmatched audio quality.

It’s a good thing there are companies like Crosley that can allow you to save some money on audio equipment so you have more spare change for rare records. They offer beginner-friendly turntables, jukeboxes, and speakers known for their lower price points.

Much like how Crosley’s record players and jukeboxes recall old-fashioned analog listening devices, the company itself is a modern re-interpretation of a classic brand. 

Read through my Crosley review to find out about what the company makes, why their products stand out, what customers think about them, and where you can find them.

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Pros & Cons

The next section of my Crosley review will examine what else the company does in the form of their pros and cons. 

Pros

• Affordability: Crosley offers budget-friendly options, making their record players accessible to a wider audience.
• Stylish designs: Crosley record players often feature retro-inspired designs, which can add a vintage aesthetic to your home decor.
• Portability: Many Crosley models are compact and lightweight, making them easy to move and transport.
• All-in-one functionality: Some Crosley record players come with built-in speakers, allowing you to play records without the need for additional audio equipment.
• User-friendly operation: Crosley record players are designed with simplicity in mind, making them suitable for beginners and casual listeners.

Cons

• Build quality: Some Crosley models are criticized for their lower build quality and use of plastic components, which can affect their durability and long-term reliability.
• Sound quality: While Crosley record players offer convenience and style, the sound quality may not meet the expectations of audiophiles or those seeking high-fidelity audio reproduction.
• Limited tonearm adjustments: Some Crosley models have limited or fixed tonearm settings, which can impact the ability to optimize tracking force and cartridge alignment for optimal playback.

Features

Crosley makes a variety of products that can penetrate your eardrums and inject the sauce straight into your serotonin receptors. They produce turntables, jukeboxes, radios, speakers, cassette players, telephones, and vinyl.

My Crosley review will only be looking at the brand’s turntables and jukeboxes though. Before we get to all of that, let’s see what sets this brand apart from the rest:

1. Turntable Design: Crosley record players often feature a retro-inspired design reminiscent of vintage record players, adding a nostalgic aesthetic to your listening experience.
2. Belt-Drive or Direct-Drive: Crosley offers both belt-drive and direct-drive turntables. Belt-drive turntables use an elastic belt to drive the platter, providing smoother rotation and reducing motor noise. Direct-drive turntables have the motor directly connected to the platter, offering more consistent speed and better torque for DJing and scratching purposes.
3. Speed Options: Crosley record players typically support multiple playback speeds, including 33 1/3, 45, and sometimes 78 RPM (revolutions per minute). This allows you to play a wide range of vinyl records, from LPs to singles and older 78 RPM records.
4. Built-in Speakers: Many Crosley models come with built-in speakers, eliminating the need for external speaker systems. This feature makes them convenient and portable, allowing you to play records without additional equipment.
5. Auxiliary Input and Bluetooth Connectivity: Some Crosley record players feature an auxiliary input, allowing you to connect external audio devices such as smartphones or MP3 players. Additionally, certain models offer Bluetooth connectivity, enabling wireless streaming of music from compatible devices.
6. Pitch Control: Certain Crosley turntables provide pitch control functionality, allowing you to adjust the playback speed slightly. This feature can be useful for DJing or fine-tuning the sound to match your preference.
7. Vinyl Recording and USB Output: Some Crosley models offer the ability to record vinyl records into digital formats. These turntables may feature a USB output, allowing you to connect them to a computer and transfer your vinyl collection to digital files.
8. Tonearm and Cartridge: Crosley record players come with a tonearm and cartridge for tracking the record grooves and producing sound. The quality and type of cartridge used can vary across models, with some offering basic ceramic cartridges and others providing higher-quality cartridges for improved audio reproduction.
9. Portable and Compact Design: Many Crosley record players are designed to be portable and compact, making them easy to move or take with you on the go. These models often feature a suitcase-style design with a handle for convenient transportation.

6 Best-Selling Crosley Turntables & Jukeboxes

Why jump for a record player that looks as exciting as jury duty when you could choose one of the more aesthetically-pleasing devices featured in this Crosley review? 

Vinyl is just as much about appearance as it is about music quality, and if you disagree with us, then ask yourself why records are so big. It’s so people can see their designs, silly.

Writing this Crosley review, I know that for as great as turntables are, sometimes you want something with a bit more weight. That’s why I’m also dedicating this segment to two of the best Crosley jukeboxes available.

Crosley Cruiser Plus Turntable Review

This item finds Crosley operating at the top of their game. It’s the cumulation of their history spent improving, tweaking, and expanding their vision. In short, the Crosley Cruiser Plus Turntable is a solid option for your first record player.

But this product is much more than the brand’s equivalent of a former child star getting plastic surgery to reclaim their relevance. This item combines a Bluetooth receiver and a built-in speaker with the classic Crosley clamshell design.

You can plug any music-playing device into the Crosley Cruiser Plus Turntable through the AUX. The record player can spin albums at 3 different speeds:

1. 33 1/3 RPM
2. 45 RPM
3. 78 RPM

This item is available in a rainbow of colors options starting at $90.

Crosley Anthology Turntable Review

If you like Crosley’s historic Cruiser design then say hello to the Crosley Anthology Turntable. 

If you don’t know Crosley’s historic Cruiser product, then you can still say hello to the Crosley Anthology Turntable. Basically, I’m really excited to introduce you to this baby.

I’ll compare this record player to Crosley’s most-famous product because the Crosley Anthology Turntable builds upon the foundation of its predecessor.

Not only does it feature 3 different RPMs for a varied listening experience, but can also play records of different sizes. This turntable is capable of playing LPs as well as larger single 45s.

It comes with more features to make it a complete auditory extravaganza like a built-in Bluetooth receiver, stereo speakers, AUX and RCA input, and a headphone jack. Essentially, you can listen to music however you like.

And you won’t want to turn the music off with the Crosley Anthology Turntable. You can grab it in either light tan or white for $180.

Crosley Voyager Turntable Review

The Crosley Voyager Turntable gives off big ‘70s vibes with its faux snakeskin leather appearance. It looks as smooth as the sound it puts out.

This record player is built for efficiency. It’s lightweight so that you can take it with you between destinations. However, it features a classic turntable shape rather than Crosley’s standard clamshell design.

The Crosley Voyager Turntable comes with all the output options you’re familiar with if you’ve been paying attention to this Crosley review. That means it has RCA output, full-range speakers, a headphone jack, and a Bluetooth receiver.

It’s able to spin vinyl records at the three most important speeds – 33 1/3 RPM, 45 RPM, and 78 RPM. You can add some swag to your music set-up for $90.

Crosley Cruiser Deluxe Turntable Review

In this Crosley review, I’ve hinted at this product a few times already, teasing it like it was an end-credit scene in a Marvel movie. But now it’s time to talk about the granddaddy of Crosley turntables.

The Crosley Cruiser Deluxe Turntable checks off all the boxes for what makes Crosley’s products unique. It’s lightweight. It’s portable. It’s versatile. Best of all, this record player has a fetching design that distinguishes it from the rest of the company’s line-up.

It comes with all the standard features of a Crosley record player like Bluetooth output capabilities, built-in speakers, pitch control, and three different RPM settings. This is a great option for those looking to get the best out of a Crosley turntable for the lowest price.

The Crosley Cruiser Deluxe Turntable is available in black or white for $80.

Crosley Full Size Bluetooth Jukebox Review

Here’s a blast from the past for you. The Crosley Full Size Bluetooth Jukebox recalls romantic nights spent at the roller disco in the 1970s. It has LED lights that rotate between a variety of color settings like a lava lamp.

This is one of Crosley’s most versatile items. This jukebox is capable of playing CDs, tuning into AM and FM radio stations, and broadcasting your own audio by connecting your phone to the device’s AUX cord. 

While the Crosley Full Size Bluetooth Jukebox has four stereo speakers that are more than capable of making sure you get jiggy with it, you can amplify its sound by hooking it up to external speakers. 

And you can control all of these features with the push of a button on its wireless remote control. Experience audio ecstasy with the Crosley Full Size Bluetooth Jukebox for $1,995.

Crosley Slimline Full Size Jukebox Review

This jukebox offers the same retro-vibes as the previous product mentioned in this Crosley review but at a fraction of the size!

The Crosley Slimline Full Size Jukebox is like the Trystan Lee of jukeboxes: slim, yet mighty. This jukebox can hold up to 80 CDs at once and has an 80 disc rotating display rack. But what pushes this item over the top is its 12” twin cone bass speaker.

Of course, if that isn’t enough sound for you then you can plug it into an external speaker. You don’t have to just play CDs either; you can stream music from your phone and amplify it through the Crosley Slimline Full Size Jukebox by an AUX connection or Bluetooth.

This product is perfect for a place that needs some life injected into it but doesn’t have plenty of free space. The Crosley Slimline Full Size Jukebox can be yours for $12,500.

Who Is Crosley For? 

Crosley products are for people who want to start collecting vinyl records but either don’t have the money, the space, or the resources for a full stereo set-up. 

Although vinyl is a superior music medium to CDs or digital audio, turntables can get quite expensive and require ample room.

Crosley is a great alternative because their record players are light, portable, and have their own speakers. 

Crosley Reviews: What Do Customers Think?

We can’t always trust critics. That’s why people will still go out to see movies like Transformers despite the films earning poor critical reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

The most reliable form of feedback is from actual buyers. They can tell you about their real experience in a way that you can relate to. That’s why I’ll be dedicating this section of my Crosley review to customer testimonials as of June 2023.

I began by examining what buyers said about the company’s products on Best Buy’s website. They’re a major retailing partner for the brand. These are some scores that customers gave Crosley products:

• Crosley Voyager Turntable – White: 3.2/5 stars from 23 ratings
• Crosley Cruiser Deluxe Bluetooth Portable Turntable – Black: 4/5 stars from more than 100 pieces ratings
• Crosley Corsair Radio CD Player – Aqua Blue: 4.⅖ stars from more than 65 ratings

The single most common advantage customers listed about Crosley products were their prices. Simply put, many buyers felt they couldn’t find deals nearly as good as the ones that Crosley gave their customers. 

This price was seen as both a positive and a negative. On the positive end, many customers were delighted with all the features that came for such low prices. Here’s how one buyer described the Crosley Cruiser Deluxe Bluetooth Portable Turntable:

“My wife loved this record player. The sound quality is amazing and the Bluetooth feature is great.”

Others noted that the cheaper prices resulted in cheaper-end products. They said that the speakers weren’t very loud and that the record player didn’t last as long as other turntables.

These criticisms must be taken with the context that these devices are significantly less expensive than other record players. That’s a sentiment this customer acknowledges in their review of the Crosley Cruiser Deluxe on Amazon:

“If I could go out and spend hundreds of dollars on a turntable, I would. Unfortunately, I am unable to do that. I think this is a great starting point for people who are interested in vinyl and just wanted to get started with a little hobby…I think this is a steal for the price.”

Finally, I looked at what buyers said about the Crosley Decorative Record Player on Wayfair. I found many of the same critiques that I read elsewhere. The product had a fair price point and decent sound output, but it left some people wanting more. 

There were, however, many positive reviews, like this one: “This is good for the price. It’s not super loud, probably about enough to hear from 3 rooms over, but has a really nice vintage look. I use it mostly for the radio actually.”

The largest takeaway from what customers said is that you should know that you’ll be getting what you pay for with Crosley items. 

Is Crosley Worth It?

Seeing as how the barriers to entry for vinyl collecting can be so steep (i.e. products are typically expensive and not always accessible), I believe that Crosley offers a good option for people looking to get into the hobby without investing too much money.

Their products are more affordable and more readily available in more locations. Additionally, they function as speakers themselves, meaning they can serve multiple purposes.

Crosley Promotions & Discounts 

While writing this Crosley review, I wasn’t able to find any promotions or discounts that were currently active. 

If you want to keep up-to-date with the brand’s sales then you should join their e-mail newsletter. It’s free and includes information about new products, discounts, and more. You can sign up by entering your email onto the company’s website.

Where To Buy Crosley

At the time of this Crosley review, I found the brand’s products available at some of these locations:

• The company’s website, crosleyradio.com
• Urban Outfitters
• Big box stores like Best Buy
• Audio retailers and record stores
• Online storefronts like Amazon

Alternatives

Looking to upgrade your sound system? Check these brands out:

1. Audio-Technica: Audio-Technica is a well-regarded brand that offers a range of turntables suitable for both casual listeners and audiophiles. They are known for their reliable build quality, accurate sound reproduction, and various features like adjustable tracking force, different playback speeds, and removable headshells for cartridge upgrades.
2. Pro-Ject: Pro-Ject is a renowned brand that specializes in high-quality turntables, particularly in the mid to high-end range. They are known for their minimalist designs, excellent sound quality, and attention to detail in components and construction. Pro-Ject turntables often offer adjustable tonearms, high-performance cartridges, and options for manual or automatic operation.
3. Rega: Rega is a British brand that has gained a reputation for producing high-fidelity turntables. They are known for their simplicity, precision engineering, and focus on audio quality. Rega turntables often feature lightweight designs, advanced tonearms, low-noise motors, and meticulous attention to detail in the manufacturing process.
4. Fluance: Fluance offers turntables that combine modern features with a retro aesthetic. Their turntables are designed for both entry-level and intermediate users and are known for their affordability without compromising on sound quality. Fluance models often include adjustable counterweights, built-in preamps, USB connectivity for digitization, and various playback speeds.
5. U-Turn Audio: U-Turn Audio is a brand that focuses on simplicity, affordability, and customizability. They offer turntables with minimalist designs and user-friendly features. U-Turn turntables are modular, allowing you to customize components like cartridges and platters to suit your preferences. They are also known for their quiet motors, excellent speed stability, and upgrade options.
6. Denon: Denon is a brand that offers a wide range of audio products, including turntables. They provide options for both entry-level and advanced users, with features like built-in preamps, USB connectivity, adjustable tonearms, and high-quality cartridges. Denon turntables are known for their solid construction and reliable performance.
7. Pioneer: Pioneer is a brand recognized for its DJ equipment and audio products. They offer turntables suitable for DJs and enthusiasts alike, with features like direct-drive motors, high torque, pitch control, and durable build quality. Pioneer turntables often include USB connectivity and compatibility with DJ software for those interested in mixing and scratching.

FAQ

Who owns Crosley?

Although Bo LeMastus is the company’s current CEO, Crosley is owned by their parent company Modern Marketing Concepts.

Does Crosley ship internationally?

It’s with a heavy heart that I must inform you in this Crosley review that the company does not ship internationally. Thankfully though, you can check which international stores carry the brand on Crosley’s website.

What is Crosley’s Shipping Policy?

Crosley can ship to any location in the United States or Canada. This includes all US territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands.

There are two different shipping options: standard and two-day. Standard shipping takes 3 to 8 business days while two-day shipping takes, well, two days. 

Also, the company offers free shipping to all orders sent to locations within the lower 48 states.

What is Crosley’s Return Policy?

After you purchase a Crosley product you’ll have a 30-day window to request a return. You can begin this process by contacting the company. 

I should also let you know that returns on full-sized jukeboxes are subject to a 15% restocking fee because they are such big fellas and it’s hard to transport them.

How to contact Crosley

I’ll conclude this Crosley review by supplying you with the most important information, the brand’s contact information.

You can reach out to them by calling 1-866-CROSLEY or by filling out a customer contact sheet on their website.

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