Crosley Taking On U-Turn

[restorer-john]

...Would you pay over $500 for a turntable with ZERO published specs?...

No, I wouldn't, but I am not their market. That said, I have wow&flutter meters, test records and test equipment and more often than not, vintage tables need some serious work to hit their rated specs decades on.

Personally, I think we'd be pleasantly surprised with the performance of the C20, but I guess we'll have to wait until Stereophile is brave enough to actually test one.

 

[olddude55]

No, I wouldn't, but I am not their market. That said, I have wow&flutter meters, test records and test equipment and more often than not, vintage tables need some serious work to hit their rated specs decades on.

Personally, I think we'd be pleasantly surprised with the performance of the C20, but I guess we'll have to wait until Stereophile is brave enough to actually test one.

Not only that but how many of the LPs we play are perfectly centered? How many are old and have worn center holes, which means centering is hit or miss?

 

[maxhifi]

I think Crosley is taking on the entire entry level segment. They'll probably win it too. Expect more I think.

View attachment 1349022

http://www.crosleyradio.com/turntables/product-details?productkey=C6A&model=C6A-RE

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http://www.crosleyradio.com/turntables/product-details?productkey=C3A&model=C3A-RE

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http://www.crosleyradio.com/turntables/product-details?productkey=C20A&model=C20A-ZE

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The C10 and C20 definitely look to be serious models. The C20 is a Project arm with supposed sapphire bearings. Their styling is right on the money too.

Gotta love their support and accessories! http://www.crosleyradio.com/accessories/

and these TT stands : http://www.crosleyradio.com/accessories/product-details?productkey=CF1105&model=CF1105-NA

http://www.crosleyradio.com/accessories/product-details?productkey=ST66&model=ST66-PA

I think I'll get a t-shirt just for fun and wear it to my local HiFi store.

This one is quite attractive looking, I think:
http://www.crosleyradio.com/accessories/product-details?productkey=CF1103&model=CF1103-MA
I think Crosley makes some neat looking retro interior design items, honestly. Some of them also happen to play records.

I remember they started off selling 1940s looking players, and now they focus on making everything look like its from the 50s and 60s. I've never actually used a Crosley, but hey, more record players in more living rooms means more records on the shelf at the record store, and that benefits me. If I got invited to someone's apartment, and saw something like the crosley dansette knock off, my reaction would be hey cool, this person likes records.. Not oh boy, someone bought a crosley!

That $200 player looks pretty good, if a bit cheaply built (big surprise). Got to hand it to crosley for making it more stylish than the old black plastic stuff.

 

[vwestlife]

I see a lot of videos of young people presenting their "new crosley" and the videos have "comments disabled" due to the overwhelming opinions against the brand.

Not due to "opinions", but rather due to abusive trolling.

 

[MisterDK]

Now, I know that our hero, dear Alex, had ulterior motives - but this always comes to mind when I see or hear of a Crosley:

“What you got back home, little sister, to play your fuzzy warbles on? I bet you got, say, pitiful, portable picnic players. Come with uncle and hear all proper! Hear angels' trumpets and devils' trombones. You are invited!”

Those “pitiful, portable picnic players” weren’t held in high esteem fifty years ago, either.
Nice that Crosley now sees a big enough market to offer better. Time will tell just how much better. ^_^

I don’t know how good either the U-Turn or best Crosley sounds, but I’ve no doubt they both sound OK. Both, at a casual glance, look similar to a Rega. If they sound anywhere near as good as my 30 year old Rega, they’re probably a bargain in today’s money. Certainly a step up from your first picnic player - and a big step up from my first - a Panasonic all-in-one from the early ‘70s. I did spin a lot of Hendrix, Yes and Beatles on it though..

BTW - I do like the look of the best U-Turn - other than the cheap lookin’ tonearm.

 

[DustyOldPile]

If I were U-Turn, I'd be more afraid about the piece of shit Crosley being confused with my design, cheaping my brand, than I would of the actual product itself.

 

[91r100gs]

Comparing Persimmons to Persimmons.

 

[MisterDK]

Comparing Persimmons to Persimmons.

Used to have a persimmon tree. Persimmons are awesome.

 

[Ken Boyd]

Maybe I read this wrong but - I go to those thrift stores too and for two bucks a pop, I can buy vintage records that sound better than CD’s on my system. Yes, they cost about the same as used CD’s (which I also buy). No pops or clicks with CD’s, but less warmth and presence too. There are very few records that I’m willing to spend $20 or more on, when I can still find excellent pre-owned for a couple bucks each.

It doesn’t happen every day, but if you look - the records still show up in nice shape for chump change.
You’d be -amazed- at the records I found this week for $1.99 each (I sure was!) - Christmas came early!

BTW Ken, nothing wrong with your Rek-O-Kut.. I have a few Empires, made just up the road from your Rek-O-Kut - and old records sound amazing on ‘em. ^_^

I failed to mention I have two Empire 598's as well.

 

[tiga]

This one is quite attractive looking, I think:
http://www.crosleyradio.com/accessories/product-details?productkey=CF1103&model=CF1103-MA
I think Crosley makes some neat looking retro interior design items, honestly. Some of them also happen to play records.

I remember they started off selling 1940s looking players, and now they focus on making everything look like its from the 50s and 60s. I've never actually used a Crosley, but hey, more record players in more living rooms means more records on the shelf at the record store, and that benefits me. If I got invited to someone's apartment, and saw something like the crosley dansette knock off, my reaction would be hey cool, this person likes records.. Not oh boy, someone bought a crosley!

Good comment. I think it's a smart move on their part to start selling better quality turntables along with associated furniture. The retro look is in - could drive a lot more people to their products. Plus any increase in new turntables entering the market helps everyone.

 

[Arthur Smith]

This is not their first "higher end" unit. Additionally, the stuff like the Cruiser is properly branded as "record players", as opposed to turntables.

 

[majick47]

Crosley can come out with a table like this with added features but can they make it with solid materials, good design and assembled with some degree of quality control? Something tells me it's a big "no" to all those questions. Their market is anyone that doesn't know a thing about turntables and they have nothing to compare it to other than reading that vinyl sounds awful, clicks/pops/static, and the Crosley will make sure it does sound awful.

 

[Arthur Smith]

Blanket statement.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

This might seem like sheer ignorance but I've never once looked that published specs on any turntable I've ever owned going back to 1965.
I'd want to see on "in the flesh" before I bought one, but other than that the specs don't mean much to me.

Specs are a useful performance baseline. Especially when conservative. Be mindful of this. They're also a sign of honesty and integrity from a manufacturer as a performance baseline to expect. When not given, it's a sign a manufacturer has something to hide or uncaring.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

This one is quite attractive looking, I think:
http://www.crosleyradio.com/accessories/product-details?productkey=CF1103&model=CF1103-MA
I think Crosley makes some neat looking retro interior design items, honestly. Some of them also happen to play records.

I remember they started off selling 1940s looking players, and now they focus on making everything look like its from the 50s and 60s. I've never actually used a Crosley, but hey, more record players in more living rooms means more records on the shelf at the record store, and that benefits me. If I got invited to someone's apartment, and saw something like the crosley dansette knock off, my reaction would be hey cool, this person likes records.. Not oh boy, someone bought a crosley!

That $200 player looks pretty good, if a bit cheaply built (big surprise). Got to hand it to crosley for making it more stylish than the old black plastic stuff.

And most of their offerings are not very good at playing records thus far. Their one really good offering thus far is a rebadged Pro-Ject. Otherwise, not yet. Stylish is not so good when your player ruins records, sounds worse than a defective 1960's transistor radio, and more distortion and tinny than a CB Radio. People who buy these nostalgic phonos don't really love their records either, or are gullible. And outside of the Project sourced models, no parts either, so they can't be repaired past cartridge or stylus either.

 

[maxhifi]

And most of their offerings are not very good at playing records thus far. Their one really good offering thus far is a rebadged Pro-Ject. Otherwise, not yet. Stylish is not so good when your player ruins records, sounds worse than a defective 1960's transistor radio, and more distortion and tinny than a CB Radio. People who buy these nostalgic phonos don't really love their records either, or are gullible.

Really? I've seen some reasonably positive reviews of the magnetic cartridge equipped models. It's the same AT cartridge used in nearly every entry level turntable, so it can't be THAT horrible. No first hand experience. I just find it exciting to see record players all over the retail stores these days!

 

[Arthur Smith]

And most of their offerings are not very good at playing records thus far. Their one really good offering thus far is a rebadged Pro-Ject. Otherwise, not yet. Stylish is not so good when your player ruins records, sounds worse than a defective 1960's transistor radio, and more distortion and tinny than a CB Radio. People who buy these nostalgic phonos don't really love their records either, or are gullible. And outside of the Project sourced models, no parts either, so they can't be repaired past cartridge or stylus either.

Ignorance is bliss.

 

[DavidTT]

Fluance just came out with new models that feature optical speed control (W&F .07), outer platter belt drive and acrylic platters, all under $500. At this point, I can say as one of the bigger proponents of U-Turn on the forums, that I'm disappointed that U-Turn hasn't introduced another higher-performance line of turntables. Thicker plinth, upgraded tonearm, swappable head shell perhaps, thicker platter, etc, all would be nice to see in a line of machines from them. AT, Fluance, Pro-Ject, plus many more, are adding turntables to their lineups while U-Turn is standing still, selling their Orbit model in the same flavors as two years ago.

It seems clear that record players have more staying power than fad status, but there is a decidedly limited market for more "audiophile" machines. The discerning buyer of new gear has a substantial roster of options in belt drive and DD machines under $700, with many attractive options (IMO) at $500 and under. Those Jap garage finds aren't going to last forever, so it's nice to know there is an expanding lineup of affordable machines to carry users forward.

 

[Arthur Smith]

Specs are a useful performance baseline. Especially when conservative. Be mindful of this. They're also a sign of honesty and integrity from a manufacturer as a performance baseline to expect. When not given, it's a sign a manufacturer has something to hide or uncaring.

Do you listen to "specs"?

 

[John James]

Ignorance is bliss.

Nice.