Crosley CR40 Mini Turntable with Full-Range Stereo Speakers
Let me introduce to you the Crosley CR40-RE Mini Turntable. This is a new portable turntable from the Crosley Company. Crosley have been producing electronic entertainment equipment since the early 1900’s primarily radios record players and turntables. If anyone would know what a good turntable is Crosley sure does.
If you are looking at buying a portable turntable the purpose of this review is to help you make a decision about if it is the best portable turntable for you. Crosley have made this available in 2 models the Crosley CR40-RE Mini Turntable or the CR40-BK Mini Turntable. There are a large number of Amazon customers that have purchased one of these and are very happy with them however we’ll look more closely into what makes these portable turntables tick.
If you would like to go straight to Amazon and check out the CR40-RE or the CR40BK Mini Turntable click here.
The main features of the Crosley CR40-BK
- Belt driven turntable mechanism
- Plays 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM records as well as 7, 10, and 12-inch records.
- Dynamic full range stereo speakers
- Auxiliary and RCA outputs
- Great retro style in a portable case
- Available in classic Black or Cream with contrasting trim
- Traditional on off volume and tone control
Belt drive turntable mechanism
This portable turntable uses a mechanical belt drive turntable mechanism. This type of drive is mechanically fairly simple. Simple is good it ensure improved reliability and ease of use for customers. Part of owning belt drive turntables are that ocassionally you will need to replace the drive belt and the stylus or needle.
Crosley Radio have designed the CR40-RE so that almost anybody who buys one of these players will be able to change the belt if it needs to be replaced. It is nearly as easy as replacing the needle or what’s called the stylus. There is a video at Amazon on the page advertising the CR40-RE showing you how to replace the stylus. The belts are available from your local Crosley dealer at very reasonable prices. Most local dealers will have a fitting service for you as well if you prefer to have someone else to do this job.
CR40-RE Plays 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM Records – 7, 10, and 12-inch Vinyl.
The belt drive mechanism also allows you to play most records that are available.
- 12 inch 33 RPM
- 12 inch 45 RPM
- 10 Inch 78 RPM
- 7 inch 45 RPM
This will allow you to play most records that have been available since the 1930’s with the advantage of being able to take your turntable nearly anywhere you want. Back in the 1930’s turntables that were portable were very expensive and by today’s standards not very easy to move around but that was the way things were back then.
The technology has advanced leaps and bounds today and we have an unprecedented level of high tech turntables that produce great sound at very affordable prices. The CR40-RE belt drive turntable is lightweight, a critical feature for portability in turntables. This one has a very similar drive to the Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable that I reviewed a while ago
Check out The Crosley CR40 on Amazon now.
Dynamic full range stereo speakers.
This is where have to get my “techo” hat on let me say right from the get go “dynamic full range speakers” does not mean what some people think. With speakers size does matter. Large speakers due to the amount of surface area of the front of the speaker cone exposed to the air – are inherently more efficient at turning electrical energy into sound. There is no way to avoid this fact.
So the full range speakers in nearly all portable turntables are going to be small due to the nature of the product and the amount of space available in them to fit speakers. Unfortunately small speakers mean that there is going to be a compromise in sound produced by any portable turntable. The CR40-RE is above the average but still fairly typical for a portable turntable.
I find the sound is quite acceptable but it will not sound like a large system that stays put at home. If you are listening at home in a quiet room the sound is very listenable despite the lack of bass. Bass sounds are very hard to produce with the small speakers that are fitted to this record player. Midrange sounds are not too bad and the upper range of sound is more prominent. It’s the upper range that most people can hear most prominently and tends to disappoint.
The good news is that there is way to work around the speaker shortcomings in this Crosley turntable.
Auxiliary and RCA outputs.
The RCA outputs allow you to plug the CR40-RE Record Player into a an amplifier or a home stereo. It has line level out so there is many types of stereos and amplifiers that it can plug into to provide full range sound. You see the sound it produces is full range but the built speakers are not great at reproducing all of the sound that is available. A home stereo or amplifier with speakers can do that job instead as it has much bigger speakers.
This means you can take the CR40-RE to a friend’s house plug in to their stereo unit and play your records and it will sound like a full sized stereo record player.
Plug in a set of on-ear or in-ear headphones and also have a much better sound experience that using the inbuilt speakers. Headphones are available most anywhere, there are plenty available through Amazon at very reasonable prices. Headphones will make this little record player give you a much bigger sound. If you are at home and want to listen to records without disturbing anyone else you can. In fact I have found that connecting an external speaker system very beneficial. I connected an old amplifier and speakers that I had in the garage, it made a huge difference. The great thing was it cost me nothing since I already owned them.
If you use an old amp and speakers remember not plug into the Amp “Phono input” as this will distort your music. Use a CD, Tape or similar as they will match the out put from the turntable and work for you.
Traditional on off volume and tone control
One of the things I really liked about the CR40-RE was the inclusion of a volume on-off and tone control. Here is a technical article on how a tone control works for a guitar amp. This little Crosley portable turntable reproduces the look and feel of the old record players from the past. Crosley have done a nice job of keep that old world feel with this model. It even includes a tone control that works very well.
It has some benefits when using the internal speakers and does help to back off the high end sounds to improve the bass response. When you connect to an amp and speakers or plug headphones in you will see how much better it works.
The volume on-off and the tone controls mounted on the front also give a nice touch to the authentic feel of the CR40-RE portable record player. The colour combinations are very authentic looking and really make this little Portable Turntable standout with eye appeal. The Cream with Red trim or black with Cream trim either looks really nice but my personal preference is for the Cream. Even the way the handle is designed and place on the end of the player is really well thought out and makes it very comfortable to hold and walk around with. I has a nice balance.
What Customers Think.
Amazon customers by far believe that they have good value for money. The CR40-RE has a 4 star rating by Amazon customers. It has been purchased for people as old as 86 who are able to use this Portable Turntable with ease.
A lot of customers have bought this model as their first turntable and found it to be very convenient with the advantage of portability. These people seem to be just getting into vinyl and want to try this tactile format of listening to music with having to make a large investment. The Crosley CR40-BK Mini Turntable is an ideal way to dip your toe into the vinyl river without suddenly finding that you’re drowning in it.
The most negative comments are about the quality of the sound that is coming from the inbuilt speakers. This is understandable as long as when purchasing you’re aware of this shortcoming and how to work around it.
A few customers were disappointed that the lid had to be removed in order to play 12 inch LP’s. This feature is quite common among the small and mini turntables. It’s just a characteristic of any of the miniaturizing of this technology.
Conclusion For The Crosley CR40.
Overall after carefully evaluating this Portable Record Player I believe that for the low price this is an outstanding turntable that is very cool looking and provides great performance in a tiny box. Sure there are a couple of negatives. The sound quality being the most prominent but I’m happy with the performance compared to most other turntables in this category. I love the colours, the convenience and the keen pricing of Crosley CR40 Mini Turntable.
