Sometimes whining pays off. I recently lamented the fact that I had no way to listen to music and casually mentioned that I was pining for a suitcase record player. Soon after, a dear friend presented me with a delightfully simple and stylishly old-timey portable turntable for my birthday, and I couldn't be happier...
Records are my preferred music-delivery system, but it seemed hopeless that I'd ever have a simple (for me), managable (for me), lovely-to-look at way to listen to them. I try to avoid being willfully ignorant, but the thought of learning about receivers, speakers, ins & outs, and all those wires sounds horrible. I need to learn how to make pasta and pickles and do Japanese woodworking! Audio-installation is not even on the list of skills I'd like to acquire.
That's where the brilliant suitcase record player comes in: I had it playing records within a 30-seconds of opening the box! There's one cord! (Okay, there's a USB cord, too, so I can transfer records to digital, but I don't need to worry about that anytime soon.) I can pick it up and move it around the apartment based on whim! It's sooooo small but the speakers can easily drown out my neighbors' parties! This is the future of audio, at least for me.
- I'd been scouring the San Francisco Craigslist for weeks, hoping to find one, to no avail. I'm sure they do turn up, though!
- There are some very cool restored vintage versions on Etsy. I especially like this stylin' faux-alligator RCA turntable from the 1950s, restored by a "Certified Electronics Technician of 30 years" and complete with a 30-day guarantee! This futuristic white one from the same seller is pretty sweet, too.
- As mentioned on Apartment Therapy way back in 2008, Urban Outfitters has a fun selection of portable USB turntables, including a cute green and white Crosley version, a sleek red one, and a pleather Crosley turntable similar (or identical?) to mine.
Images: 1. & 2. Tess Wilson, 3. & 4.allunique, 5. Urban Outfitters via Apartment Therapy
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Audiophile, I think you mean?
LOL
The music is scaring me, turn it up!!
Oh No!
But the first one reminds me of Portlandia- Put bird on it!
This would be really cool for my daughters room.. I love it.
You have the Crosley turntable that Urban Outfitters sells. I got the same one from another source. In my experience, the sound quality is pretty bad, especially for higher-pitched sounds. I had to return it. And the number of similar reviews indicates it wasn't a fluke.
If an audiophile is someone who "a hobbyist who seeks high-quality audio reproduction via the use of specialized high-end audio electronics" (Wikipedia), I am definitely an audiophobe- someone with no interest or skill in the use of specialized high-end audio electronics..
Ugh, we also have records here that we can't even listen to because for some reason, record players are so expensive!
Thing is, I don't really WANT the "old-timey" look, especially if it increases the price (again... why?).
I'm curious about those USB ones. Do they only serve the function of creating digital files? Why create digital files of old music when there are already many digital files of old music? I just want something that plays vinyl, doesn't cost several hundreds of dollars and doesn't look like an old stationwagon! lol
The used ones at thrift stores never work either... sigh.
i got that teal crosley one as a christmas present and I LOVE IT. the draw (at that price) isn't amazing sound quality--just the fun of being able to play records. but the one i eventually received was the 2nd one after the first one never turned on! so definitely be aware if you're buying from urban outfitters.
I'm glad you found a solution that works for you. My own mother is every bit as much of a "audiophobe" as you. All she wants is a power switch and a volume control on one box, and she's done. In her case, she doesn't even care if it looks good!
These players are undoubtedly cute, and totally remind me of my elementary school, where each classroom had one. (I'm dating myself here!)
Still... settling for listening to music on a single low-fi paper speaker makes my teeth grind. There are many easy options between this and "audiophile". You don't have a friend who could spend 5 minutes hooking up something for you?
I like the Tivoli Audio stuff; we have a simple Model One radio in the kitchen. Though they don't seem to have a model that you could connect a record player to. Bummer.
Yea, OK...you may not be able to find a vintage used turntable there in S.F.--but WHEN possible, it's much more desireable than these hack-job Crosley things. (I bought one for my parents since they decorate with antiques and needed a radio--it fell apart in short order.)
Why purchase or hold on to vinyl if not for the purpose of sound quality? I'd say there is no point whatsoever.
I actually want to enjoy my records, not show off to my friends...
And I love birds... :)
Can anyone suggest an affordable record player with decent sound quality?
@MelissaDC - it depends what you mean by affordable :) Brand new, Pro-Ject are very well regarded - see eg the Debut III http://www.sumikoaudio.net/project/products/debut.htm. You would need an amp and speakers too, of course, but that's true of any decent turntable really.
Or, you could pick up an ex-DJs Technics 1200 for about the same money.
i totally get the audiophobe, and completely understand what an audiophile is. title is correct, i think.
See, that's more like it: a ceramic bird sculpture instead of a stuffed bird!
invest in a Technics 1200, its worth it. Not to mention I am not sure that vintage record players and modern records are very compatible...
Okay, this is a bit late, but I am putting in my 2 cents anyway. I have been a dj for 12 years, and let me tell you, I have 2 Technics for djing, but I still have 2 Crosleys for at home use. One of the ones I have is the one in the first 2 pictures. I have had no problems with is what so ever! Actually it has held up several years at this point and still sounds great. The other one I have is smaller and was only $75 and the built speakers are quite small, so I just hooked two little speakers up to that and it sounds perfect! I don't know what models people are complaining about, but I love mine and they look great!