Crosley CR8005A-BL Cruiser Portable 3-Speed Turntable, Blue (Electronics)

I saw several of the negative reviews for this product which made me hesitant, but I had heard from a few friends that they loved these and definitely recommended them. I bought this as a graduation present for my sister in an attempt to introduce her to vinyl. I have a more expensive/higher quality player that I love and has been wonderful, but figured since it was a present and I wasn't sure how much she would like it, this was a good way to go. When she opened it up she was so excited and I knew she was going to love, that is until we plugged it in and turned it on. Almost immediately I could tell I made the wrong decision. The sound quality was atrocious, not to mention one record played slower than intended and the other faster. There was also constant skipping. I would never recommend this to anyone ever. I'm happy for the people who have had good experiences with it, but in my mind, if you're going to invest in a record player and vinyls, you want them to sound good.

These record players are very hip now. They look cool, vinyl is back, you can find these sexy record players in hip stores like Newbury Comics and Urban Outfitters. But not all record players are created equal my friends, and I write this because I learned the hard way. I bought this on amazon because I was born in a time that record players are just hip, not a practical way to listen to music. I was immediately disappointed. Everything seemed fine, except the pitch was WAY off. The pitch would go up and down in a predictable patern as the record turned. After speaking with my parents, who grew up with record players, I determined that the player's motor had always been a piece of crap. To turn right, a record player needs to spin consistently, and this record player does not perform this BASIC necessity.I have spoken to several people who have this and other turntables by Crosley, and all are like "yeah vinyl is cool, but it's really pitchy!" This is not a vinyl...Read more