Are Crosley Record Players Good?

I was walking through the mall the other day and I couldn’t help but notice the pattern, again and again.
Target. Urban Outfitters. Kohls. The same thing everywhere.

The gateway drug of the vinyl record world: The suitcase record player.

But there is a dilemma. Kind of a crazy contradiction…

How can these be everywhere, and yet people online hate them so much?
What is actually going on here?

So that’s the million dollar question we are going to answer today – are Crosley record players good?

Because there are two stories going head to head.

Story #1: “They’re perfect. Super fun. Easy. Just buy it and spin records.”
Story #2: “They’re trash. They’ll ruin your vinyl. Don’t even think about it.”

And I’m going to try to be as unbiased as possible, because at the end of the day I just don’t want you to waste your money on something that you will wish you never bought in the first place.

But I’m also not the random hater behind a screen yelling “trash” at everything under $300.

We actually think there’s a time and a place for Crosleys, and in this guide I’ll show you exactly when they make sense, when they don’t, and what to do if you’re trying to just get the right first record player.

Table of Contents

In this guide, we’ll cover whether or not Crosley Record players are good.

1. What Are Crosley Record Players?
2. What’s Actually Inside These Things
3. Are Crosley Record Players Bad for Your Vinyl?
4. An Alternative to Crosley Record Players
5. Conclusion: Are Crosley Record Players Worth It?

Affiliate Disclosure: We’re a small team of vinyl enthusiasts – if you get value from our insights, using our affiliate links (including Amazon Associates) helps us earn a commission and keep the lights on at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Recordbuilds.com!

What Are Crosley Record Players?

Crosley is the king of entry-level record players – and they’re also the brand that gets looped into “suitcase record player” discussion, which basically guarantees World War 3 in the comments.

They make a bunch of other stuff from vinyl record furniture to actual, legit turntables, but this is what made them famous: those cute, portable suitcase players with speakers built in. They look good on a shelf. They’re simple. They’re the “I just want to play my records” today option.

And that’s exactly why people argue about them. Some folks love how easy they are. Other people swear they’re the worst thing to happen to vinyl.

So that’s what we’re focusing on here.

Let’s start with the good here. There are three things that are undeniably great about these:

1. Price

Crosleys are usually in that $50-100 zone, which is exactly why they’re everywhere. It’s a low-stress way to get into vinyl without feeling like you’re committing to some whole new hobby, and if you’re not sure you’ll even stick with it, the risk feels…manageable.

2. Aesthetic

They look good. Like, actually good. The suitcase thing is basically a decor cheat code – cute colors, retro vibe, small footprint, and it instantly makes your shelf or corner look like “a vinyl person lives here,” even if you only own five records.

3. Ease

This is the real reason people buy them. You don’t have to learn anything. No “what speakers do I need,” no “do I need an amp,” no setup rabbit hole. You take it out of the box, plug it in, and you’re playing music in 60 seconds. For a lot of people, that’s the whole point.

But there is a trade off for the great prices and convenience.

What’s Actually Inside These Things

When it comes to Crosley record players, the devil is in the details.

Their marketing focus on the fun stuff – easy setup, cute design, portable vibe. But the parts inside are where the trade-offs show up.

So to keep this simple, let’s use one of the most common models people buy – the Crosley Cruiser Plus – and look at what it’s made of. Then I’ll translate what those details actually mean in real life: how it sounds, how often it skips, and whether it’s rough on your records.

Crosley Cruiser Plus: The basics

Here’s the quick rundown straight from the Crosley website. Right after this, I’ll explain what each one means in normal human terms.

What This Means

Size & Weight

At 14 x 10.25 x 4.75 inches and weighing just 5.5 pounds, the Crosley Cruiser Plus is designed with portability in mind. This suitcase-style build means that these players are:

• Easy to move
• Easy to fit on a shelf, desk, or dresser
• Easy to take to a friend’s place

That’s the upside.

The trade-off is stability.

Because it’s so lightweight, it’s more sensitive to movement. And not gonna lie, that’s kind of an important thing for record players.

Small vibrations from you moving around and shaking the floor or the shaking of your speakers can sometimes cause skips and general instability to the player. Which is not great for the long term health of your records.

Built-In Speakers

Let’s be honest. This is the main appeal and the main reason people buy these things:

• No extra gear
• No cables
• No setup stress

Their site says “built-in dynamic full-range stereo speakers,” but at 3W x 2 (6W total) that’s really more of a marketing line than something you should take to heart.

For context: a super common entry-level option for vinyl setups, the Edifier R1280T, is 42W. So the Crosley’s built-in speakers are roughly 1/7th the power of a basic starter bookshelf speaker. Basically…

• They don’t get very loud
• Bass is minimal
• Sound can feel thin at higher volume

There’s also a design downside most people don’t think about at first:

Because the speakers are inside the same box as the turntable, the vibrations that we talked about earlier are literally in the same box as the player. That just makes it easier to skip, and give weird playbook.

You can connect external speakers later, and it helps a lot. Most people just don’t plan on doing that when they buy one.

The Needle & Cartridge

Crosley uses a very basic needle setup. It works. But it’s not gentle.

The ceramic cartridge and NP-6 needle are known for pressing harder on records than nicer record players do. Over time, that can cause more wear and you can’t upgrade this part later

If you’re playing 1-2 albums a month mostly for the experience you are probably fine.

But i’m guessing if you are playing records daily or replaying the same albums a lot or starting a collection that you will care about long term, you might notice a little bit of regret starting to creep in.

Are Crosley Record Players Bad for Your Vinyl?

So are they bad?

No. They aren’t “bad” – whatever that means.

They might literally be your ticket into hearing your favorite music on vinyl, which is awesome.

Most people don’t regret Crosley because it “ruined” their records overnight. They regret it because a month later it starts feeling toy-ish, skipping gets annoying, and they wish they’d bought something slightly better from the start.

So here’s what we’d say:

You’re good with a suitcase Crosley if:

• You’re mostly playing $2 thrift records once in a while
• You don’t see yourself getting really into the hobby
• You just want to try it out and see if you like it

You should probably go a step up if:

• You’re building a real collection you care about
• You see yourself listening to records long-term
• You do want sound quality to be higher from the get-go

But you can kind of get the best of both worlds here.

You can stay under about $150 to $200, get the “wow ok vinyl is actually fun” experience, and still be pretty kind to your records, without turning this into a whole new hobby or a huge money pit.

The tricky part is it’s hard to give a perfect answer from a random list, because little things like your budget and what features you care about change the “best” pick.

So we did the work for you: we rounded up the all-in-one options that are actually good value, then organized them by price and the few features people actually care about, so you can quickly sort to the one that fits you (and still treats your records nicely).

If you want the quick shortcut, check out our Record Player Guide to find your match fast.

An Alternative to Crosley Record Players: Ready to Invest in a Real Turntable?

If you definitely know you are the type of person that is in this for the long haul, then good for you. I like that. Here’s why.

You probably already have a glimpse of what it feels like to experience your favorite music through physical media. Maybe it was at a friend’s house when you were younger, or maybe you grew up with CDs. Either way, you know it’s just different. It’s special.

And I do kind of agree that a “real” starter turntable (Audio-Technica, Fluance, U-Turn, etc.) is the upgrade that usually makes people go: ohhh… this is what vinyl is supposed to feel like.

But it’s still pretty hard to get a “real” setup without getting overwhelmed by the options and falling into a deep research hole.

So we put together a simple way for people to learn about setups, look at some of the best turntable and speaker combinations out there, and actually understand the total price and how everything works together, all in one tab. If you want to start putting together a setup, check out our Builder Tool.

Conclusion: Are Crosley Record Players Worth It?

The bottom line is: no, Crosley suitcase players aren’t “bad.” But they’re not great for vinyl listening either.

If you’re a casual listener, a total beginner, or you mainly want a cute retro decor piece without a big time investment, they can totally do the job.

But if you want something that sounds noticeably better, treats your vinyl a little nicer, and still feels like a good purchase a few months from now, a suitcase player usually is not it. You’re basically trading quality for convenience and price.

So let me just leave you with this:

• Under $75: go with the suitcase player, test it out. Or save your money if you already know you’ll want more.
• $75-$250: there are some solid all-in-one options – still super simple, still super easy to set up. Find your match in our Beginner Record Players Guide.
• Over $250: you’re bordering on a real vinyl setup, my friend. Head over to the Builder, where you can have some fun building out what your next setup might look, feel, and sound like.

If you have any questions about your next record player or setup feel free to dm us on ig or email info@recordbuilds.com / Happy to help!