Send it over, I got a neon sign transformer ready to go. Lets see how it works with 15kv going into that crosley Nice touch with the Married with Children humor
Neon sign transformers put out too low of a current I think, it will cook it but not as well as that MOT you used on that Chicom Crosley you incinerated a month or two ago.
shango066 Wow..shango006 does a guest appearance on radiotvphononut's comment section. Both of you guys are awesome. Watching you guys in action as you diagnose and repair is better than watching reruns of "Columbo." You're both so tenacious.
I love the vinyl hipsters who keep telling me about the "superiority" of vinyl, and then shows me one of these! Anybody who buys one of these for "superior vinyl sound" is an idiot who just wants to be cool.
I was more hipster than them. I was collecting vinel in the early 2000's, before it was cool! (and no crapley touched em, I used an old 70s era Garrard console!)
For me the sad thing is that they take what were once proud, well respected brand names and stamp them on crap like that. I wouldn't give £5 for it let alone the £52 they are asking for it here in the UK, having seen that. Great Video, keep em coming :)
Why would you have bass with speakers that are tinnnier than my stereo speaker boxes tweeters ? I own a tube powered collectible record player that have huge bass ...and with a ceramic cartidge ( it needs a new stylus , it will be hard to find .)
I feel sorry for all the people who are going to open these things up on Christmas day. I saw your previous Crosley videos and I would be angry too if a vinyl novice yelled at you for showing what a boat anchor these Crosley's are. Thanks again for these videos.
You are exactly right!! The new Crosley record players are terrible quality and poorly designed. Have you ever heard of the GRACE brand USB turntable. I was stupid and bought one for about $100. It was terrible!! You should totally do a video on GRACE turntables. They also belong in the toilet! That being said most of us cannot afford the high end REGA or SOTO turntables that are sold in audiophile magazines. Vintage record players that can be repaired with basic electrical knowledge and a little patience are the best. Thank you Radiotvphononut for educating the public about the great vintage equipment that is out there!
Love it! I have had nieces, brother in laws, all kinds of friends and family bring me these Crosley pieces of crap to fix. I tell them what to get but they say the Crosley is new and its cheap. Invariably a year later they bring it to me to fix. When the plastic part inside or outside is broken they are frustrated that I can't get the part. I feel sorry for the toilet seat and the sewage department for having to clean the water flushed down the bowl after having the Crosley that close to the water.. Keep up the great work and loved the rant.
One of my best finds was at an antique radio swap meet, where I saw a guy who had two record players he was going to throw out if I didn't buy them. I felt sorry for them and paid probably $5.00 for both. One was a solid state Audiotronics player from the 70s, and the other was a plastic kids player from about the same period. That Audiotronics is probably my best sounding suitcase player, and all it needed was the turntable freed up and re-lubed.
You are so right about shopping around for used gear. I bought a 1980's Sony PS-LX22 turntable at a record store. It's a little scuffed up, but mechanically fine. I also have a 70's Fisher receiver and matching 3-way speakers I got at a flea market. The whole set-up cost me around $125. And it sounds a hundred times better than a Crowsley. Plus I have the security of knowing that it's NOT ruining my vinyl.
Bryan, as I listened to your spiel I kept thinking how great it would be if others in different fields of interest made similar educational videos. Thanks for all your great videos this past year and Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas!! I for one appreciate the videos you make and the CORRECT kind of turntable. I'm sure there are many of us... Thanks again for the videos!! BTW: Late 80's Sony turntable into an early 90's reciever. (would love a really nice console unit someday...)
I bought a Craply that has a USB memory stick port. I was hoping I could digitize some records with it. First, it sounded worse than crap. Second, it would record the entire album only as one big file. Lastly, the file it created on the memory stick was not recognizable on the computer so I couldn't play it anyway. I bought an ION turntable after the turn of the century. It had a USB output but it barely put out any sound on the right channel. Don't buy this crap unless you want to throw away your money. Flushing the money down the toilet is a much better value!
I love this guy's videos. What junk those Crosleys are. When me and my wife were looking for a stereo, a Crosley was for sale at a local Marshalls Store. It was out of the box so you could get a good look at it. I showed her how cheap and flimsy the thing was - she was like"WOW! What a POS". We bought a 1969-1971 National Panasonic SS7000 turntable and receiver off eBay for $225.00 including shipping (very expensive) and had them restored. I added some Sony SA 330 speakers (1978 - 1981) I also bought off eBay for $60.00 and had those restored as well. My total cost for everything including the repairs was around $500.00 - Not too expensive and my set up sounds AMAZING!!!
yes they do! in the uk back in the 50's and 60's in the u.k there was a company called dansette, they were market leaders in portable record players, and for the most part were cheaply made crap [they made 1 or 2 half descent players]...i now restore these, as for some reason people who dont know better, pay big money for them £400 plus! crosley have spotted this and now make a copy of the 1 tube wonder the dansette bermuda...but although we think dansette was crap, they are still restorable and many are still working unrestored, dont think the crosley will still be going in 50 years time!...the modern stuff has taken crap to a new level.
Very funny video indeed. You should have went wee wee on it while it was setting on the toilet. ;-) I love your vintage videos on older elektronix gagets. Keep up the good work. I am a vintage collector myself. I hope you had a great Christmas and a happy new year!
That 1954 Symphonic is a beauty. I have a Crosley radio/tape/phono/cd player that was given to me, so that is about the right price for one. :) But i still had to repair almost everything on it because nothing worked or worked correctly. I never managed to get the cd player to work though. If you can get these free or very little money pick em' up just for something to tinker with. Any ideas on repairing the CD player?
I guess i should explain the problem with the cd player. The tray opens but does nothing at all when closed like it does not even read that a cd is present. If you have any tips i would appreciate it. It was given to me by someone who is no longer with us. Thanks in advance.
Ought to just EOL it. It's not worth it. The things are crummy and the parts are hard to find. If you got a Technics for free, score! The crosley is not worth keeping, even if its free
Haha that was a good one! Sounded like a moen or mansfield toilet. your videos keep getting better! Hope you had a great christmas Mr. RTVPN! Thanks again for the great videos>... Steven
Well besides that crosley being not just a three flusher it was a FIVE flusher what I really wanna know is at the end of your video, what is that rap crap doing in your collection? Are you trying to get your groove on?
I love these vids, although I do own one Crosley product, A Crosley TV Target Clearance. Its actually pretty good for a cheap TV. I notice they don't sell them anymore, I guess they found out its not completely junk so had to discontinue it immediately. :)
Thanks for the review. You know your stuff. It never ceases to a maze me how many people have no idea how to discern a quality product from a piece of junk. The cheap plastic build quality is the first clue before one actually hears the shitty, thin, tinny sound.
Thanks for posting this video. Unfortunately, most young people won't get the word and will end up buying this Crosley and think that is what a proper record player is like. If they only knew... Regards, Tom
Now do you sell all of those record players that you restore? I'm sorry it may be a stupid question but I'm pretty new to this channel, I am in the market for a record player from the 1950s, also what would you charge for a record player similar to the one in the video that has been rebuilt?
Hey radiotvphononut. (1) A very Happy New Year to you & your family. I hope 2015 is a special year for y'all. :) (2) On that particular Crosley turntable, I really don't like where that tone arm rest stand is located. What about you? (3) What were flushing down the toilet in that video?
Great review. Its hard to believe all the reviews on UA-cam from kids who think these record players are great. Thanks to smartphones and cheap computer speakers I don't think teenagers have a clue what High Fidelity is now. It's either real tinny sounding like this Crapley, or if its dance music or ghetto gangsta crap its 5000 watts of nothing but bass.
+wildbilltexas totally agree with that!! (and also the beer;-)) kids these days mostly don't know good sound or to enjoy music by playing a ENTIRE lp or cd for example..
I wouldn't mind taking one of the Crosley all in one systems and doing some upgrades to it such as proper two way speakers with a proper crossover and maybe an output for a powered sub if there isn't room inside to mount a small sub. I wouldn't use the record player though
The sad part is, the cartridge is worth MORE than the rest of the unit combined! Placed in a head shell and played through a decent amp they actually do have somewhere reasonable (NOT super high quality) sound. The headache there is finding one that has the 1/2" mounting base. They actually do sell both elliptical and conical styluses for these.
I had a symphonic recordplayer back in 57. It was a different model but didn't have a tone control. The rest looked like the same turntable/tonearm. I had it for many years. I was only around 5 years old when I got it.
I want to know, the Crosleys damage the records, I live outside the US, and here there's nothing like the good record stores in America, I want to buy a record player, but buying a full system and taking it back to where I live is almost imposible, I want one like this, can you change the needle?, the old one damages the record like the crosley? Great video, thanks.
The most magnificent griping I've ever had the privilege to hear in my whole life, and I must say rightly so! Only idiots use Crosley as most idiots usually do. Your expert analysis gave me chill bumps on my chill bumps, and so whatever you do, please, please keep up the good work!!! I want to personally thank you from the bottom of my heart for your informative video. I especially liked your special effects, it moistened my eyes with tears of joy! Many, many warm thanks again!
Never trusted the quality of Crosley products. Got my first phonograph, a Symphonic table model, for Christmas when I was just 6 years old. Shared it with my older sister. It resembled your model here, but there was a knob at the end of the tonearm that turned the entire cartridge -- a microgroove stylus on one side and a 78 stylus on the opposite side of the cartridge. A single tube model that was a real warhorse. Served us well for eight years, until our folks upgraded to a console Magnavox Astrosonic radio-phono. No Chinese imports -- Symphonic manufactured in Boston Mass., Magnavox from Indiana.
The old player has a dangerous mains lead though, it isn't double insulated, which means if the plastic covering cracks, bare wires are exposed. Otherwise totally agree about Crosley, would never touch one myself.
I have that same Pioneer you featured at the end, the one you had was a PL-600, mine is a PL-590. Fully automatic, not sure what the advantage of the PL-600 is, I will say, my 590 is a good performer. Part of my vintage audio setup with a Kenwood KR-2120 from 1970 and some Zenith Allegro speakers.
I have a Pioneer PL-L800 Linear tracking turntable from 1981 with an Ortofon 2M Black cartridge I put on three years ago. I haven't heard anything like it.
You are SO RIGHT! Those GARBAGE Crosleys are RUINING todays generation! They think that they are so awesome! I have a good friend whos is a fellow collector of 45's & he has one of those pieces of JUNK & he likes that his has bluetooth so it'll broadcast to his cellphone! WHY? what's the need for that? You get even LESS quality sound out of a cellphone than you do a crsoley's bargain-brand-plastic-speakers!! Oh! And, LOL! You forgot to demonstrate the crappy line outs on that thing! Go ahead & TRY to use the line outs on your decent receiver and when you start the motor on the Crosley, you get a buzzy whining noise feeding back from the cheap motor through the "line out"s, LOL! And also, look at the groove damage caused by that diamond-tipped PLASTIC needle? YIKES! What a true TURD that Crosley is, LOL! It DOES belong on/in the TOILET! Conversely, in my collection, I used to have a Symphonic record player like yours & they have the nicest pure warm tube sound don't they? I sold mine for $150 with pleasure to a 19 year old kid who was just getting into record collecting & He LOVES it! I'm GLAD I was able to reach him with a DECENT recordplayer BEFORE he bought one of these modern plastic JUNK phonos like this crosley!
This is an unrelated question but do you know where I can get replacement parts for a Soundesign 8-track player AM FM Radio combo and I think the model number is 443 but I'm not sure if that is correct. The part I'm missing is one of the silver caps on the black volume knob is missing. :)
Using those external power adapters is to avoid getting the whole player/device ul certified; the ul certification automatically comes from the power adapter manufacturer. That along with being am additional cost savu
@radiotvphononut I just ordered a vintage Audiotronics 300t classroom record player. I'm totally new to this but how do i know if i need to replace the needle or cartridge? And how do i know if i should adjust the spring counterbalance? How do i know if its tracking too heavy? How many grams should it be tracking at? If anyone can please answer my questions that would be great!
Christopher Lee touch the needle with your finger. If you hear a tiny amount of static, it's bad. If you hear a lot of static, it's most likely good. the spring counterbalance adjusts tracking speed. The needle should track at about 2-3 grams. Get a grams weight and put the tonearm on it to measure its weight.
One other thing I have found with these old classroom record players (I do own one just for nostalgia) is that they can tend to not want to track well even with a new stylus (needle). The problem turns out to be the dried up or none existent lubricant on the tone arm mount. That causes the arm to be stiff and will not let it "rest" on the record completely,. resulting in skipping or very bad sound quality. A drop of sewing machine (lightweight) oil on the pivot point solves that.
People generally don't recognise that a turntable is as well engineered as a musical instrument and the crosley doesn't even have enough engineering for a counterbalance, so when the record is playing the tonearm is bouncing about and adding its own harmonic distortion, not to mention the damage that is causing to the records it is playing!
Thanks for the video, wonderful as always. Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year . By the way, could I interest you in becoming a Crosley Authorised Dealer, just a thought (joke) Best wishes.
I have a 1962 Magnavox stereo suitcase player. I mainly play 78's but also have some 45's. I've connected this player to my computer's sound card input to transfer 78's to my computer. The results are clear and full sounding. Love my player!
Well said. I have a collection of players old and new , from the cheap to the decent, as well as components for systems. I think the thing that bothers me most about Crosley type players is that they seem to be built in such a thoughtless way from a design point of view. They could address most of the issues and there could be nice decent sounding new portable players made in China that don't give vinyl a bad name. But they seem blind to the shortcomings in their designs. For instance, they could make the small players battery powered, but they don't. They could make a compartment to store the wall wart in or build the supply inside. They don't even make it so the wall wart will fit inside the lid of the player in many instances. As you said, no integrated 45 adaptor, no turn over stylus with 78 tip. And they could try to make them sound better. In fairness there have been a lot of poor sounding portable players built and even the best of them never achieved the sound one can get from vinyl on even a modest home system like you mention you have. But there is actually no reason other than absolute cluelessness that Crosley and other firms who are all a matter of cheap retro style over substance can site for sounding as bad as they do. Even the ceramic cartridges and cheap belt drive DC motor mechanisms wouldn't sound half bad if hooked to a properly designed high impedance input solid state or IC amp with a couple of low distortion watts per channel, then to some attempt at decent drivers in some sort of removable boxes that provided room for a bit of bass and isolation from the turntable to prevent acoustic feedback. Then you might have something worth listening to. Cary that a step further with a small tube amp and a basic belt drive turntable mechanism similar to a typical 70s-80s Japanese component turntable with a good simple arm and higher quality ceramic cartridge with flip over stylus for 78s and you could have an almost audiophile quality retro styled portable that would give excellent representation of good records new and old. But it's not being done. If they don't want portable or used, what I generally tell people to do is to get a decent inexpensive new turntable with a built in preamp and line out, and hook it to a modern higher quality set of computer speakers with 2 satellites and a small subwoofer. Better bang for the $ than any Crosley.
Terrific video! That Symphonic sounds so much better than the Crosley. No wonder. Even with the Symphonic, the quality of parts are better. The Symphonic is of course a cheaper vintage record player, but it is so much better than the Crosley. Can you imagine if, in the 1950's, something was put out with quality like the cheap Crosley? That company wouldn't last long. But wait. No company in the 1950's would want to put out anything like the Crosley?
I think the problem is that today's lazy society only cares about convenience, and they'll accept any type of performance (or lack thereof) to get it. Look at today's ipod generation---those things sound like crap, but people don't care, because they're convenient. Sure, they could spend the same amount of money and have an old quality record player fixed up, but that's too much work and effort for today's lazy, 'gotta have it now' society. The other day, I bought a Webcor Midge phonograph on ebay. Back then, the Midge was about as bottom of the line as you could get---one-tube wonder, doesn't even have a tone control. Having said that, even a low-rent player like that from the 50's is far superior to any of that Crosley junk. Merry xmas, and a happy New Year to you.
justsomeguytoyou With mp3 players and the like, you can listen to any music right away, whatever you're doing, and wherever you are. I like my music a little more than that though, which is where records come in. I don't have an mp3 player, and my phone doesn't have my music, but I have a technics turntable at home and a crate of records, that I actually pay attention to when I play.
Do you consider CD’s really good? I think CD’s sound great but I sometimes listen to them on 10+ year old boomboxes or my Sony discman with cheap crappy headphones
Hello Bryan. I went to an auction recently and bought a 1950's or 1960's Kuba console stereo. I knew the woman and asked her 15 years ago if she would sell it. She passed away and her children didn't want it so it went in the auction. A beautitul piece of history. There were also 2 tv's for auction: a 1984 21" GE and a 1987 21 " RCA console. I wanted the GE because it wasn't a console. The bid started and nobody would bid. I offered 50 cents and got both for 50 cents. They both work perfectly. I don't understand people. If they would of been flat screens there's no telling what they would of brought!
I look at the old models and wonder what happened to America labor. I was trained by an old timer at work someone who took pride in his work. Brian reminds me of that old timer.
I think what Bryan was trying to get at is that the Crosley is a piece of "crap". We all know that "crap" is another word for...well you know! And after crapping, we flush. Unfortunately, the Crosley was too big to go down there. I loved it!
Off hand, I think the lowest stereo phonograph on the used market worth owning would be the GE or Emerson branded Wildcat. Not much power, and the 6" x 2" speakers won't rattle the walls - but the sound is pleasing and the quality is there - especially the Emerson version that uses a classic metal chassis BSR record changer. I feel the reason for the top dollar for the older suitcase portable stereos is nostalgia value. IMHO a true component system from the used market from a reputable seller is the best bet. Next would be a serviced console stereo like an old Magnavox Astro-Sonic.
About the 20 dollars you spoke of, I made a player that costed 20 bucks and is like 20 times better than the Crosley Cruiser they gave me on Xmas. The 20 bucks were for a BSR changer that I bought from a man who scrapped it from somewhere. The rest was just left over wood and TV parts from the side of the road. The Cruiser is actually going back to the store, because by the moment I got it at Xmas (fyi I didn't ask for it) the stylus was broken already, and the RCA plugs on the back don't work... It costed 100
MisterTalkingMachine For an electronic equipment that was already broken when you unboxed it , you can ask a swap for a new one or your money back ( i worked many years in an aftersale shop)
"They don't make them like they used to!" ...and you surely prove the point! Have you noticed the headshell offset angle on these monsters? There probably isn't one wrap of the groove that's tracked correctly. Pure junk...
Very entertaining :) It's refreshing to hear an American technician pronounce 'solder' properly, instead of the usual 'sodder'. I totally agree with your mission to educate young people about the benefits of analogue music reproduction systems compared to rip-off modern rubbish. I use an amplifier from the '60s with germanium power transistors made in Denmark, a Japanese tuner from '70s and a set of Akai speakers from 1980, which all together cost less than a Crosley.
I identify with your video on many levels that I won't have time to go through here. My 19 year old step daughter saw one of my vinyle lp for the first time ever and asked me why that "cd" was so big? We have a throw away society for sure. I own an autorepair shop. I've been in auto repair 40 plus years. New cars are all throw away and I'm amazed at how consumers don't know the first thing about how to check the quality of what they are paying as much as a house for. I have found anytime you express your opinion you'll always get some idiot who will have some very spiteful things to say against you. I wouldn't let it bother you much. Just consider the source. Thanks for your very entertaining and informative video's.
Yes, if I had the money, I'd buy one of the old ones off you tomorrow rather than a cheap modern one. Obviously, the more expensive modern ones are good, but these cheap ones.....avoid!
In the past year I've directed a couple of my much younger friends to eBay for turntables when they mentioned they wanted to play records. I'd pick out a Technics and tell them to bid. Heaven knows how much vinyl hamburger has been saved by using a real turntable by them not buying that current stuff on the market. Can't say enough about Technics, it was a good value in the 1970's and 1980's, even as the brand wandered off in the 1990's/2000's the turntables were still good.
The Victor Orthophonic credenza wind up acoustic phono I used to own would blow these Crosleys and even the Symphonic away. It was the best acoustic phono I have ever heard.
I would like to tell you that I discovered your youtube channel one time that I was considering in buying a Crosley turnertable/audio system. I was at Wallmart and I thought it looked pretty nice with its vintage style, but I felt the whole turntable too fragile and too plastic... I had that cheap feeling when looking into the details of the unit, so I declined for that moment, got home and started googleing a review of the Crosley Brand and found out your reviews, which are not just personal opinions, but a very technical review of those machines, Afterwards it was clear to me that I was lucky in not buying the one I saw, and so I started looking into flea online markets and after not much time, I got a really nice receiver and and great turn table, both vintage and high quality machines. I want to thank you about your advices and your honesty regarding these modern products that are truly a bunch of garbage. This is my audio system: www.dropbox.com/s/1vqm5o8l8dbawsa/steroSystem.jpg Thank to your videos, i know both machines can be troubleshooted in the future without too many issues, and that I got quality machines instead of a disposable turntable. Keep on these reviews and your honest advices mister!
Brian I Agree with you your right I like your help and enjoy your videos you make me think and teach me the right way you and shango066 a big thank you for posting teaching videos
Send it over, I got a neon sign transformer ready to go. Lets see how it works with 15kv going into that crosley Nice touch with the Married with Children humor
Neon sign transformers put out too low of a current I think, it will cook it but not as well as that MOT you used on that Chicom Crosley you incinerated a month or two ago.
shango066 Wow..shango006 does a guest appearance on radiotvphononut's comment section. Both of you guys are awesome. Watching you guys in action as you diagnose and repair is better than watching reruns of "Columbo." You're both so tenacious.
+shango066 Al Bundy at 6:04...lmfao!!!
Al Bundy is my hero ! lol
Yes they are friends.
The toilet's probably got higher fidelity sound.
Robert Kilbourne But it's only a mono turd flusher.
Robert Kilbourne lollllllllolololloooolll
ROFL
So true! 😆
I love the vinyl hipsters who keep telling me about the "superiority" of vinyl, and then shows me one of these! Anybody who buys one of these for "superior vinyl sound" is an idiot who just wants to be cool.
+J1984 (Julian.1984) cause it's a piece of steaming shit
+J1984 (Julian.1984) aaah! kill it, kill it with Fire! I love making that reference, heheheh
Tak Wolf vinyl is superior! it just takes way better equipment than this to unlock it!
I was more hipster than them. I was collecting vinel in the early 2000's, before it was cool! (and no crapley touched em, I used an old 70s era Garrard console!)
I'm a child of the 70's (I'm 52.) I saw hip come and go over and over. And there is nothing hip about these self-professed "hipsters" .
For me the sad thing is that they take what were once proud, well respected brand names and stamp them on crap like that. I wouldn't give £5 for it let alone the £52 they are asking for it here in the UK, having seen that. Great Video, keep em coming :)
Like Magnavox. And many others.
B&m bargains were flogging them off For £19.99 loads of them left on the shelf. peoples learning 😁👍👍
This thing really is a joke, I've heard acoustic gramophones that have more bass than this! I'd take the Symphonic over the Crosley any day.
+CoolDudeClem As somebody who owns and frequently listens to an acoustic (orthophonic) gramophone, I can confirm this
Why would you have bass with speakers that are tinnnier than my stereo speaker boxes tweeters ?
I own a tube powered collectible record player that have huge bass ...and with a ceramic cartidge ( it needs a new stylus , it will be hard to find .)
@@cletusspuckler2243 I'm curious why they even bothered putting a tone control on it. The best it'll be able to do is knock down the treble a little.
that toilet cracked me up every single time
I got a Crosley record player for Christmas and it literally stop working completely two months later. I'm planning to buy a vintage record player.
I feel sorry for all the people who are going to open these things up on Christmas day. I saw your previous Crosley videos and I would be angry too if a vinyl novice yelled at you for showing what a boat anchor these Crosley's are. Thanks again for these videos.
boat anchor? that crosley thing would be too light to even sink in water. the bloody thing would float
You are exactly right!! The new Crosley record players are terrible quality and poorly designed. Have you ever heard of the GRACE brand USB turntable. I was stupid and bought one for about $100. It was terrible!! You should totally do a video on GRACE turntables. They also belong in the toilet! That being said most of us cannot afford the high end REGA or SOTO turntables that are sold in audiophile magazines. Vintage record players that can be repaired with basic electrical knowledge and a little patience are the best. Thank you Radiotvphononut for educating the public about the great vintage equipment that is out there!
Love it! I have had nieces, brother in laws, all kinds of friends and family bring me these Crosley pieces of crap to fix. I tell them what to get but they say the Crosley is new and its cheap. Invariably a year later they bring it to me to fix. When the plastic part inside or outside is broken they are frustrated that I can't get the part. I feel sorry for the toilet seat and the sewage department for having to clean the water flushed down the bowl after having the Crosley that close to the water.. Keep up the great work and loved the rant.
Filtration, distilling, settling. Its done every day.
One of my best finds was at an antique radio swap meet, where I saw a guy who had two record players he was going to throw out if I didn't buy them. I felt sorry for them and paid probably $5.00 for both. One was a solid state Audiotronics player from the 70s, and the other was a plastic kids player from about the same period. That Audiotronics is probably my best sounding suitcase player, and all it needed was the turntable freed up and re-lubed.
That toilet flush had me rollin'!
+blake kersey Yeah that's the best that system has ever sounded.
nightbirdds if Crosley stereos were smaller i would give it the proper burial it deserves! The royal flush!
Hi Brian what is the track/artist name of the 45 played
Those speakers remind me of the "White van speaker scam" type speakers.
Stephen Hinkle
Imagine "WhiteVan" selling Crosley stuff and tell to the customers "Its hight end audiophile hifi " LoL :-)
do you fix vintage 45 record changers?
You are so right about shopping around for used gear. I bought a 1980's Sony PS-LX22 turntable at a record store. It's a little scuffed up, but mechanically fine. I also have a 70's Fisher receiver and matching 3-way speakers I got at a flea market. The whole set-up cost me around $125. And it sounds a hundred times better than a Crowsley. Plus I have the security of knowing that it's NOT ruining my vinyl.
Nice video! I enjoy watching your videos and hearing your observations. I love the sound of your vintage player. Thanks.
Do you have any vintage AM radios for sale? Looking for something in a nice wood cabinet
Bryan, as I listened to your spiel I kept thinking how great it would be if others in different fields of interest made similar educational videos. Thanks for all your great videos this past year and Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas!! I for one appreciate the videos you make and the CORRECT kind of turntable. I'm sure there are many of us... Thanks again for the videos!!
BTW: Late 80's Sony turntable into an early 90's reciever. (would love a really nice console unit someday...)
monitor speakers, This thing is an embarrassment, wonder who's ass this thing came out of!!
GOOD ONE-!!!! I'LL HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT ONE-!!!
I bought a Craply that has a USB memory stick port. I was hoping I could digitize some records with it. First, it sounded worse than crap. Second, it would record the entire album only as one big file. Lastly, the file it created on the memory stick was not recognizable on the computer so I couldn't play it anyway. I bought an ION turntable after the turn of the century. It had a USB output but it barely put out any sound on the right channel. Don't buy this crap unless you want to throw away your money. Flushing the money down the toilet is a much better value!
I love this guy's videos. What junk those Crosleys are. When me and my wife were looking for a stereo, a Crosley was for sale at a local Marshalls Store. It was out of the box so you could get a good look at it. I showed her how cheap and flimsy the thing was - she was like"WOW! What a POS". We bought a 1969-1971 National Panasonic SS7000 turntable and receiver off eBay for $225.00 including shipping (very expensive) and had them restored. I added some Sony SA 330 speakers (1978 - 1981) I also bought off eBay for $60.00 and had those restored as well. My total cost for everything including the repairs was around $500.00 - Not too expensive and my set up sounds AMAZING!!!
I just bought a DUAL CS-1237, what's your opinion on that model?
I wonder if Crosby will make replicas of crap like GPX, Lloyds, Soundesign, Electrophonic, Juliette, Emerson, etc, i.e. garbage replicas of garbage.
yes they do! in the uk back in the 50's and 60's in the u.k there was a company called dansette, they were market leaders in portable record players, and for the most part were cheaply made crap [they made 1 or 2 half descent players]...i now restore these, as for some reason people who dont know better, pay big money for them £400 plus! crosley have spotted this and now make a copy of the 1 tube wonder the dansette bermuda...but although we think dansette was crap, they are still restorable and many are still working unrestored, dont think the crosley will still be going in 50 years time!...the modern stuff has taken crap to a new level.
Thats a good point! If they do I hope it's like that AWESOME Soundesign that you have in that video you did! Merry Christmas Y'all!!!!! Steven
Or yorx
Very funny video indeed. You should have went wee wee on it while it was setting on the toilet. ;-) I love your vintage videos on older elektronix gagets. Keep up the good work. I am a vintage collector myself. I hope you had a great Christmas and a happy new year!
That 1954 Symphonic is a beauty.
I have a Crosley radio/tape/phono/cd player that was given to me, so that is about the right price for one. :) But i still had to repair almost everything on it because nothing worked or worked correctly. I never managed to get the cd player to work though. If you can get these free or very little money pick em' up just for something to tinker with.
Any ideas on repairing the CD player?
I guess i should explain the problem with the cd player. The tray opens but does nothing at all when closed like it does not even read that a cd is present. If you have any tips i would appreciate it. It was given to me by someone who is no longer with us. Thanks in advance.
Ought to just EOL it. It's not worth it. The things are crummy and the parts are hard to find. If you got a Technics for free, score! The crosley is not worth keeping, even if its free
Haha that was a good one! Sounded like a moen or mansfield toilet. your videos keep getting better! Hope you had a great christmas Mr. RTVPN! Thanks again for the great videos>... Steven
Well besides that crosley being not just a three flusher it was a FIVE flusher what I really wanna know is at the end of your video, what is that rap crap doing in your collection? Are you trying to get your groove on?
What are the best years to look at?
Got my mom's Sharp stereo record player from "whenever" (probably the 80s)... never been happier with it.
I love these vids, although I do own one Crosley product, A Crosley TV Target Clearance. Its actually pretty good for a cheap TV. I notice they don't sell them anymore, I guess they found out its not completely junk so had to discontinue it immediately. :)
what's up with the toilet flushing
When I saw the toilet section I shot coffee across the room out of my nose I was laughing so hard
The record on the Caliphone 1450K...that was unexpected. what was it?
Thanks for the review. You know your stuff. It never ceases to a maze me how many people have no idea how to discern a quality product from a piece of junk. The cheap plastic build quality is the first clue before one actually hears the shitty, thin, tinny sound.
How much is that older record player?
Thanks for posting this video.
Unfortunately, most young people won't get the word and will end up buying this Crosley and think that is what a proper record player is like. If they only knew...
Regards, Tom
Wasn't Crosley made in America back when they started out? Cause I remember seeing Crosley radios with the IBEW labels on the chassis.
Do you ever sell any restored vintage players ?
radiotvphononut can you tell us how you feel about Crosley Products?
What was the song at 16:42
John D. Loudermilk - "I Hear It Now" (1966).
@@radiotvphononut thank you, had it stuck in my head for ages
Brian
If it was not for you sharing the information I would of brought a crap crosley I wound up buying a Technics direct drive component turn table
Now do you sell all of those record players that you restore? I'm sorry it may be a stupid question but I'm pretty new to this channel, I am in the market for a record player from the 1950s, also what would you charge for a record player similar to the one in the video that has been rebuilt?
I've never understood these cheap usb players, just get a decent older one and hook it up to the audio in, same thing!!
What is the name of the songs of the records you played?
+Stephen Hinkle Darude - Sandstorm
+wildcat22399 not everything is darude, people who say that everything is darude sandstorm are in my own personal opinion, annoying
Notdarude - Sandstorm
The darude - sandstorm joke is ancient and boring now.
The 7" record is I Hear it Now by The Browns.
Hey radiotvphononut. (1) A very Happy New Year to you & your family. I hope 2015 is a special year for y'all. :) (2) On that particular Crosley turntable, I really don't like where that tone arm rest stand is located. What about you? (3) What were flushing down the toilet in that video?
That was a good one with the toilet,makes you wonder what will be the antique radio of the future or one of today's cars
Great review. Its hard to believe all the reviews on UA-cam from kids who think these record players are great. Thanks to smartphones and cheap computer speakers I don't think teenagers have a clue what High Fidelity is now. It's either real tinny sounding like this Crapley, or if its dance music or ghetto gangsta crap its 5000 watts of nothing but bass.
MMMMMM BEER! haha love that pic you got there!! sweet! Beer is awesome!
Steven King Yes it is! Thanks for the novels :)
Sam you don't like beer? That's a good thing. I drink enough for two men!
You are in good shape bro. Good stuff!
+wildbilltexas totally agree with that!! (and also the beer;-)) kids these days mostly don't know good sound or to enjoy music by playing a ENTIRE lp or cd for example..
I wouldn't mind taking one of the Crosley all in one systems and doing some upgrades to it such as proper two way speakers with a proper crossover and maybe an output for a powered sub if there isn't room inside to mount a small sub. I wouldn't use the record player though
The sad part is, the cartridge is worth MORE than the rest of the unit combined! Placed in a head shell and played through a decent amp they actually do have somewhere reasonable (NOT super high quality) sound. The headache there is finding one that has the 1/2" mounting base. They actually do sell both elliptical and conical styluses for these.
I had a symphonic recordplayer back in 57. It was a different model but didn't have a tone control. The rest looked like the same turntable/tonearm. I had it for many years. I was only around 5 years old when I got it.
How can I get in touch need your help tracking down a turntable not ecpecting you are th guy who would know what i need
Yes, when you say 'stay away from the newer turntables', surely you mean the cheap, Chinese ones, there are good ones out there :o)
That needs to be EOL. They should use the old plans from the '60s to make those.
I want to know, the Crosleys damage the records, I live outside the US, and here there's nothing like the good record stores in America, I want to buy a record player, but buying a full system and taking it back to where I live is almost imposible, I want one like this, can you change the needle?, the old one damages the record like the crosley? Great video, thanks.
+sectec25blog Look on amazon. Look at the audio technical AT-PL120
The most magnificent griping I've ever had the privilege to hear in my whole life, and I must say rightly so! Only idiots use Crosley as most idiots usually do. Your expert analysis gave me chill bumps on my chill bumps, and so whatever you do, please, please keep up the good work!!! I want to personally thank you from the bottom of my heart for your informative video. I especially liked your special effects, it moistened my eyes with tears of joy! Many, many warm thanks again!
Never trusted the quality of Crosley products. Got my first phonograph, a Symphonic table model, for Christmas when I was just 6 years old. Shared it with my older sister. It resembled your model here, but there was a knob at the end of the tonearm that turned the entire cartridge -- a microgroove stylus on one side and a 78 stylus on the opposite side of the cartridge. A single tube model that was a real warhorse. Served us well for eight years, until our folks upgraded to a console Magnavox Astrosonic radio-phono. No Chinese imports -- Symphonic manufactured in Boston Mass., Magnavox from Indiana.
The old player has a dangerous mains lead though, it isn't double insulated, which means if the plastic covering cracks, bare wires are exposed. Otherwise totally agree about Crosley, would never touch one myself.
That blond Crosley record player is exactly like one I played my records on as a little kid back in very early 60s.
I have that same Pioneer you featured at the end, the one you had was a PL-600, mine is a PL-590. Fully automatic, not sure what the advantage of the PL-600 is, I will say, my 590 is a good performer. Part of my vintage audio setup with a Kenwood KR-2120 from 1970 and some Zenith Allegro speakers.
I have a Pioneer PL-L800 Linear tracking turntable from 1981 with an Ortofon 2M Black cartridge I put on three years ago. I haven't heard anything like it.
Dude, you hit it right on the nail. And seriously, are there really Crosley SNOBS out there?
You are SO RIGHT! Those GARBAGE Crosleys are RUINING todays generation! They think that they are so awesome! I have a good friend whos is a fellow collector of 45's & he has one of those pieces of JUNK & he likes that his has bluetooth so it'll broadcast to his cellphone! WHY? what's the need for that? You get even LESS quality sound out of a cellphone than you do a crsoley's bargain-brand-plastic-speakers!! Oh! And, LOL! You forgot to demonstrate the crappy line outs on that thing! Go ahead & TRY to use the line outs on your decent receiver and when you start the motor on the Crosley, you get a buzzy whining noise feeding back from the cheap motor through the "line out"s, LOL! And also, look at the groove damage caused by that diamond-tipped PLASTIC needle? YIKES! What a true TURD that Crosley is, LOL! It DOES belong on/in the TOILET! Conversely, in my collection, I used to have a Symphonic record player like yours & they have the nicest pure warm tube sound don't they? I sold mine for $150 with pleasure to a 19 year old kid who was just getting into record collecting & He LOVES it! I'm GLAD I was able to reach him with a DECENT recordplayer BEFORE he bought one of these modern plastic JUNK phonos like this crosley!
I have a voice of music record player older than I am and had it repaired, worth every cent to have it done. 50 years old, probably last another 50.
In Roto-Rooter style 🎶Crappy crosley that's the name and away that product down the drain.🎶🤣🤣🤣 Notice I use the name "crosley" with a small c.
This is an unrelated question but do you know where I can get replacement parts for a Soundesign 8-track player AM FM Radio combo and I think the model number is 443 but I'm not sure if that is correct. The part I'm missing is one of the silver caps on the black volume knob is missing. :)
The toilet has better dynamic range and bass response
Using those external power adapters is to avoid getting the whole player/device ul certified; the ul certification automatically comes from the power adapter manufacturer. That along with being am additional cost savu
@radiotvphononut I just ordered a vintage Audiotronics 300t classroom record player. I'm totally new to this but how do i know if i need to replace the needle or cartridge? And how do i know if i should adjust the spring counterbalance? How do i know if its tracking too heavy? How many grams should it be tracking at? If anyone can please answer my questions that would be great!
Christopher Lee touch the needle with your finger. If you hear a tiny amount of static, it's bad. If you hear a lot of static, it's most likely good. the spring counterbalance adjusts tracking speed. The needle should track at about 2-3 grams. Get a grams weight and put the tonearm on it to measure its weight.
One other thing I have found with these old classroom record players (I do own one just for nostalgia) is that they can tend to not want to track well even with a new stylus (needle). The problem turns out to be the dried up or none existent lubricant on the tone arm mount. That causes the arm to be stiff and will not let it "rest" on the record completely,. resulting in skipping or very bad sound quality. A drop of sewing machine (lightweight) oil on the pivot point solves that.
Wow, my first video of 2020! Crosley "crap-o-matic with a flushmaster tone arm, can it get any better then this? I doubt it!
People generally don't recognise that a turntable is as well engineered as a musical instrument and the crosley doesn't even have enough engineering for a counterbalance, so when the record is playing the tonearm is bouncing about and adding its own harmonic distortion, not to mention the damage that is causing to the records it is playing!
i think ill stick with soundesign lol
6:04 that's a man's flush! RTVPN did an Al Bundy parody! LOL
Thanks for the video, wonderful as always. Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year .
By the way, could I interest you in becoming a Crosley Authorised Dealer, just a thought (joke)
Best wishes.
I have a 1962 Magnavox stereo suitcase player. I mainly play 78's but also have some 45's. I've connected this player to my computer's sound card input to transfer 78's to my computer. The results are clear and full sounding. Love my player!
Well said. I have a collection of players old and new , from the cheap to the decent, as well as components for systems.
I think the thing that bothers me most about Crosley type players is that they seem to be built in such a thoughtless way from a design point of view. They could address most of the issues and there could be nice decent sounding new portable players made in China that don't give vinyl a bad name. But they seem blind to the shortcomings in their designs. For instance, they could make the small players battery powered, but they don't. They could make a compartment to store the wall wart in or build the supply inside. They don't even make it so the wall wart will fit inside the lid of the player in many instances. As you said, no integrated 45 adaptor, no turn over stylus with 78 tip.
And they could try to make them sound better. In fairness there have been a lot of poor sounding portable players built and even the best of them never achieved the sound one can get from vinyl on even a modest home system like you mention you have. But there is actually no reason other than absolute cluelessness that Crosley and other firms who are all a matter of cheap retro style over substance can site for sounding as bad as they do.
Even the ceramic cartridges and cheap belt drive DC motor mechanisms wouldn't sound half bad if hooked to a properly designed high impedance input solid state or IC amp with a couple of low distortion watts per channel, then to some attempt at decent drivers in some sort of removable boxes that provided room for a bit of bass and isolation from the turntable to prevent acoustic feedback.
Then you might have something worth listening to.
Cary that a step further with a small tube amp and a basic belt drive turntable mechanism similar to a typical 70s-80s Japanese component turntable with a good simple arm and higher quality ceramic cartridge with flip over stylus for 78s and you could have an almost audiophile quality retro styled portable that would give excellent representation of good records new and old. But it's not being done.
If they don't want portable or used, what I generally tell people to do is to get a decent inexpensive new turntable with a built in preamp and line out, and hook it to a modern higher quality set of computer speakers with 2 satellites and a small subwoofer.
Better bang for the $ than any Crosley.
Terrific video! That Symphonic sounds so much better than the Crosley. No wonder. Even with the Symphonic, the quality of parts are better. The Symphonic is of course a cheaper vintage record player, but it is so much better than the Crosley. Can you imagine if, in the 1950's, something was put out with quality like the cheap Crosley? That company wouldn't last long. But wait. No company in the 1950's would want to put out anything like the Crosley?
I think the problem is that today's lazy society only cares about convenience, and they'll accept any type of performance (or lack thereof) to get it. Look at today's ipod generation---those things sound like crap, but people don't care, because they're convenient. Sure, they could spend the same amount of money and have an old quality record player fixed up, but that's too much work and effort for today's lazy, 'gotta have it now' society.
The other day, I bought a Webcor Midge phonograph on ebay. Back then, the Midge was about as bottom of the line as you could get---one-tube wonder, doesn't even have a tone control. Having said that, even a low-rent player like that from the 50's is far superior to any of that Crosley junk.
Merry xmas, and a happy New Year to you.
justsomeguytoyou With mp3 players and the like, you can listen to any music right away, whatever you're doing, and wherever you are. I like my music a little more than that though, which is where records come in. I don't have an mp3 player, and my phone doesn't have my music, but I have a technics turntable at home and a crate of records, that I actually pay attention to when I play.
Do you consider CD’s really good? I think CD’s sound great but I sometimes listen to them on 10+ year old boomboxes or my Sony discman with cheap crappy headphones
I agree 100%,,,,,the fisher price sounds way better than a crosley! Cheers!
Hello Bryan. I went to an auction recently and bought a 1950's or 1960's Kuba console stereo. I knew the woman and asked her 15 years ago if she would sell it. She passed away and her children didn't want it so it went in the auction. A beautitul piece of history. There were also 2 tv's for auction: a 1984 21" GE and a 1987 21 " RCA console. I wanted the GE because it wasn't a console. The bid started and nobody would bid. I offered 50 cents and got both for 50 cents. They both work perfectly. I don't understand people. If they would of been flat screens there's no telling what they would of brought!
I have a nice 1969 Mitts&Merrill tree chipper that can handle that "Toilet Crosley". LOL...
I look at the old models and wonder what happened to America labor. I was trained by an old timer at work someone who took pride in his work. Brian reminds me of that old timer.
Why do you keep flushing the toilet in the video?
I think what Bryan was trying to get at is that the Crosley is a piece of "crap". We all know that "crap" is another word for...well you know! And after crapping, we flush. Unfortunately, the Crosley was too big to go down there. I loved it!
Off hand, I think the lowest stereo phonograph on the used market worth owning would be the GE or Emerson branded Wildcat. Not much power, and the 6" x 2" speakers won't rattle the walls - but the sound is pleasing and the quality is there - especially the Emerson version that uses a classic metal chassis BSR record changer. I feel the reason for the top dollar for the older suitcase portable stereos is nostalgia value. IMHO a true component system from the used market from a reputable seller is the best bet. Next would be a serviced console stereo like an old Magnavox Astro-Sonic.
If you flushed it down the toilet, it would create an environmental hazard because crap would be degraded even more.
About the 20 dollars you spoke of, I made a player that costed 20 bucks and is like 20 times better than the Crosley Cruiser they gave me on Xmas. The 20 bucks were for a BSR changer that I bought from a man who scrapped it from somewhere. The rest was just left over wood and TV parts from the side of the road.
The Cruiser is actually going back to the store, because by the moment I got it at Xmas (fyi I didn't ask for it) the stylus was broken already, and the RCA plugs on the back don't work... It costed 100
MisterTalkingMachine
For an electronic equipment that was already broken when you unboxed it , you can ask a swap for a new one or your money back ( i worked many years in an aftersale shop)
"They don't make them like they used to!" ...and you surely prove the point!
Have you noticed the headshell offset angle on these monsters? There probably isn't one wrap of the groove that's tracked correctly. Pure junk...
Very entertaining :)
It's refreshing to hear an American technician pronounce 'solder' properly, instead of the usual 'sodder'.
I totally agree with your mission to educate young people about the benefits of analogue music reproduction systems compared to rip-off modern rubbish. I use an amplifier from the '60s with germanium power transistors made in Denmark, a Japanese tuner from '70s and a set of Akai speakers from 1980, which all together cost less than a Crosley.
The 45 tells it all...the sound of emptyness!
I identify with your video on many levels that I won't have time to go through here. My 19 year old step daughter saw one of my vinyle lp for the first time ever and asked me why that "cd" was so big? We have a throw away society for sure. I own an autorepair shop. I've been in auto repair 40 plus years. New cars are all throw away and I'm amazed at how consumers don't know the first thing about how to check the quality of what they are paying as much as a house for. I have found anytime you express your opinion you'll always get some idiot who will have some very spiteful things to say against you. I wouldn't let it bother you much. Just consider the source. Thanks for your very entertaining and informative video's.
What's An AC/DC Adapter Their
A Dime a Dozen
" Yew kin look on the Inter-Nay-Yet"....LOL
A communist? You? With THAT accent? PREPOSTEROUS!
Yes, if I had the money, I'd buy one of the old ones off you tomorrow rather than a cheap modern one. Obviously, the more expensive modern ones are good, but these cheap ones.....avoid!
In the past year I've directed a couple of my much younger friends to eBay for turntables when they mentioned they wanted to play records. I'd pick out a Technics and tell them to bid. Heaven knows how much vinyl hamburger has been saved by using a real turntable by them not buying that current stuff on the market. Can't say enough about Technics, it was a good value in the 1970's and 1980's, even as the brand wandered off in the 1990's/2000's the turntables were still good.
The Victor Orthophonic credenza wind up acoustic phono I used to own would blow these Crosleys and even the Symphonic away. It was the best acoustic phono I have ever heard.
For those that missed the repair of the Symphonic record player:
ua-cam.com/video/zU1CKqRBmuc/v-deo.html
I would like to tell you that I discovered your youtube channel one time that I was considering in buying a Crosley turnertable/audio system. I was at Wallmart and I thought it looked pretty nice with its vintage style, but I felt the whole turntable too fragile and too plastic... I had that cheap feeling when looking into the details of the unit, so I declined for that moment, got home and started googleing a review of the Crosley Brand and found out your reviews, which are not just personal opinions, but a very technical review of those machines, Afterwards it was clear to me that I was lucky in not buying the one I saw, and so I started looking into flea online markets and after not much time, I got a really nice receiver and and great turn table, both vintage and high quality machines. I want to thank you about your advices and your honesty regarding these modern products that are truly a bunch of garbage. This is my audio system:
www.dropbox.com/s/1vqm5o8l8dbawsa/steroSystem.jpg
Thank to your videos, i know both machines can be troubleshooted in the future without too many issues, and that I got quality machines instead of a disposable turntable. Keep on these reviews and your honest advices mister!
Brian I Agree with you your right I like your help and enjoy your videos you make me think and teach me the right way you and shango066 a big thank you for posting teaching videos