Videokarma.org

Go Back   Videokarma.org TV - Video - Vintage Television & Radio Forums > Antique phonographs

We appreciate your help

in keeping this site going.
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 12-30-2010, 07:52 PM
radiotvnut's Avatar
radiotvnut radiotvnut is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Meridian, MS
Posts: 6,018
2008 Crosley CR49 = junk

I bought this for $5 at a flea market, just to play with. They said that the turntable would not turn and that's why they were selling it for $5. Really, it wasn't worth $5 when new. The reason the platter wouldn't turn is because the tonearm has to be pulled back to the right in order to activate the motor that drives a belt driven all plastic turntable. The turntable has an auto stop mechanism at the end of the record. It plays 33, 45, and 78 rpm; but, a special 3 mil stylus is needed for 78 rpm. There is no headphone jack for private listening; but, you really don't need one because the amplifier does not have enough power to bother anyone in the next room. The amp has a little tiny output IC that probably delivers 100 mw/channel. Oh yes, this thing is stereo; but, the tiny speakers are so close together that one can't tell much stereo seperation. And, either the motor is on it's way out or it was a poor running motor to begin with. The motor is noisy, I can detect some wow and flutter in the audio, and I can even feel the motor vibrations when I touch the tonearm lift. And, there's a lot of hot glue in this thing. And, you guessed it, it's made in China. It also runs off a 12 volt wall wart; which, is something else to lose in transit. Since this is a portable, you'd think they would have used a self contained power supply with a non-detachable power cord.

For these things to be so cheaply made, they sure cost enough when new. I think a '50's "one tube wonder" would be a better unit.



Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 12-31-2010, 12:48 AM
jpdylon's Avatar
jpdylon jpdylon is offline
<-- sucker for old sets.
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: back in LaMesa (San Diego)
Posts: 1,675
I had the exact same model come in today for repair! The owner had not had it three weeks before its first failure. This one was actually manufactured in 2009 - so it must have been sitting on the shelf before he bought it.

The failure was lack of support for the volume control / on off switch. The pot is mounted on a small PCB that is at a 90 degree angle from the mainboard. The only thing holding the small pcb to the mainboard is solder! After some jumpers and epoxy to keep the board still it ran again.

More cheap junk from china.....
__________________
Jordan
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 12-31-2010, 01:00 AM
radiotvnut's Avatar
radiotvnut radiotvnut is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Meridian, MS
Posts: 6,018
Quote:
Originally Posted by jpdylon View Post
I had the exact same model come in today for repair! The owner had not had it three weeks before its first failure. This one was actually manufactured in 2009 - so it must have been sitting on the shelf before he bought it.

The failure was lack of support for the volume control / on off switch. The pot is mounted on a small PCB that is at a 90 degree angle from the mainboard. The only thing holding the small pcb to the mainboard is solder! After some jumpers and epoxy to keep the board still it ran again.

More cheap junk from china.....
OMG! I noticed the way the pots mounted to the chassis; but, I didn't look to see if there was anything holding them on besides the solder.

If I fixed something like that for someone, I'd tell them that it was working again for the moment; but, I couldn't guarantee how long it would last. I'd also advise them not to spend any more repair money on it.

The last "replica" that I attempted to fix was a late '90's-early 2000's era Thomas table model radio/phonograph/side mounted cassette player. The only thing that worked was the radio and it sounded worse than a cheap '60's pocket radio. the tape player and the turntable both had defective motors; which, were not available. I ended up giving the guy a '60's Newcomb tube type classroom record player and he was very happy after that. I ended up giving the Thomas to someone to use for a radio.

As far as the turntable in the Crosley, I've seen basically the same one in the cheapest of "all in one" stereo's from the late '80's and '90's. The only difference was that the older ones only had two speeds.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 12-31-2010, 01:03 AM
radiotvnut's Avatar
radiotvnut radiotvnut is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Meridian, MS
Posts: 6,018
And, I got a good laugh out of all the online reviews from people who thought this thing was great. If these people ever heard a properly restored '50's hi-fi record player, they'd probably sing a different tune. However, if the buying public really wants this junk, that's fine with me as I'll be happy to take those old broken down, obsolete Webcor, Zenith, RCA, Motorola, VM, etc. phonographs off their hands.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 12-31-2010, 02:21 AM
Eric H's Avatar
Eric H Eric H is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: So. Calif
Posts: 11,565
I found a similar one at the thrift store one time, only it had a CD player too.
The CD didn't work, the Phono sounded terrible and the lack of quality was completely appalling, insulting really.

I gave it back to the thrift store.

My old $10 Califone School record player sounds far better and will last forever.
Reply With Quote
Audiokarma
  #6  
Old 12-31-2010, 09:54 AM
Bill Cahill's Avatar
Bill Cahill Bill Cahill is offline
Super Moderator
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: St. Petersburg, Fl.
Posts: 1,298
Thumbs down

These pieces of junk are on ebay all the time. The ones in the oak veneered case say classic rerpro Crosley, made of the same quality materials as always.
Yep. I think so... GAR BAGE!!

I know someone who swears by this crap. I've heard it on the phone. Tinny, and, running about 10 percent fast.
Bill Cahill
__________________
"Tubes are those little glass things that light up orange unless there is a short.. Then they light up all pretty colors..."
Please join my forum.
http://www.tuberadioforum.com/
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 01-01-2011, 05:51 PM
GeorgeJetson's Avatar
GeorgeJetson GeorgeJetson is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: The future (circa 1957-1961)
Posts: 443
These things are junk pure and simple.
It's hard to imagine someone shelled out $149+ for it when it was new!,especially when you consider they could have bought a nice vintage unit off eBay for less.
__________________
No wonder this circuit failed,it says "made in Japan"!
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 02-15-2011, 10:24 AM
llcvt15 llcvt15 is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 22
The sad part is my parents bought me one for $99 once. Was a Detrola or something like that, after two years the tape player sounded like was under water, the CD drawer wouldn't shut properly, the dial light burned out, and finally the switch gave out. Never bothered to fix it, though I do still have it. I was always curious why these "retro" record player reproduction things don't come with record changers, made it really annoying when I'd try to play 45's...
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 02-15-2011, 11:25 AM
radiotvnut's Avatar
radiotvnut radiotvnut is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Meridian, MS
Posts: 6,018
Actually, they do make some with record changers. Several years ago, Crosley came out with the "stack-o-matic" (or, "junk-o-matic" to us). I've never seen one in person; but, I think the record changer is belt driven and the design is based on some of the last run BSR changers. Of course, I'm sure these newer changers are built even cheaper than a BSR.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 02-15-2011, 12:10 PM
bob91343 bob91343 is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 745
You guys should have seen the high end Shure wireless microphone I just repaired. The volume pot was soldered to the circuit board, which was mounted to the chassis. The pot also was mounted to the chassis with its nut and bushing. So any flexing of the chassis (thin sheet metal with a right angle bend between) or a shock stressed the solder joints. You guessed it, resoldering restored proper operation.

I told the owner if it happens again I will solder little wires from the pot so the solder doesn't have to be stressed.

I have a Magnavox turntable from a cheap stereo that is so minimalistic it rivals that Crosley. I should post a pic and you can see if you want it. It's even belt driven.
Reply With Quote
Audiokarma
  #11  
Old 02-16-2011, 11:19 AM
Jeffhs's Avatar
Jeffhs Jeffhs is offline
<----Zenith C845
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Fairport Harbor, Ohio (near Lake Erie)
Posts: 4,035
Quote:
Originally Posted by radiotvnut View Post
I bought this for $5 at a flea market, just to play with. They said that the turntable would not turn and that's why they were selling it for $5. Really, it wasn't worth $5 when new. The reason the platter wouldn't turn is because the tonearm has to be pulled back to the right in order to activate the motor that drives a belt driven all plastic turntable. The turntable has an auto stop mechanism at the end of the record. It plays 33, 45, and 78 rpm; but, a special 3 mil stylus is needed for 78 rpm. There is no headphone jack for private listening; but, you really don't need one because the amplifier does not have enough power to bother anyone in the next room. The amp has a little tiny output IC that probably delivers 100 mw/channel. Oh yes, this thing is stereo; but, the tiny speakers are so close together that one can't tell much stereo seperation. And, either the motor is on it's way out or it was a poor running motor to begin with. The motor is noisy, I can detect some wow and flutter in the audio, and I can even feel the motor vibrations when I touch the tonearm lift. And, there's a lot of hot glue in this thing. And, you guessed it, it's made in China. It also runs off a 12 volt wall wart; which, is something else to lose in transit. Since this is a portable, you'd think they would have used a self contained power supply with a non-detachable power cord.

For these things to be so cheaply made, they sure cost enough when new. I think a '50's "one tube wonder" would be a better unit.



I hate to say this, but this unit is not stereo, and to make matters worse, the build and (from what I have read in these posts) the sound quality besmirches the name of Powel Crosley (founder of the TV and radio manufacturing firm of the 1950s which bore his name) several hundred times over. (My folks' second TV was a 1955 Crosley "Super V" that was built much, much better and more solidly, and even sounded better due to the large speaker in the base of the cabinet, than the "Crosley" phonograph we are discussing here.) Take a look at the photo of the innards. It has two speakers, but one of those speakers is simply connected directly to the other via two unshielded leads, with nothing in between. There is no stereo balance control, either, another tipoff that this is just mono with two speakers. I think this unit is one of those cheap things that is advertised as "stereo" just to be impressive, and to raise the price insanely high. Even if this were a true stereo phonograph, the speakers, as has been noted, are not spaced nearly far enough apart from each other to achieve any degree of separation. It was probably intended for children or teenagers with tin ears, who do not care beans about sound quality -- all they care about is that the unit will play their favorite records (this was obviously marketed some time before CDs made vinyl all but obsolete). With a tiny IC amplifier putting out 100mW at most, I'm sure this will not satisfy anyone who likes listening to music at eardrum busting volume; however, again, there is probably more than enough distortion at maximum volume to make any teenager happy, as most rock is just noise anyway -- the more distortion, the better.

I wonder myself why this phonograph was built without an internal hard-wired power supply, but I guess I shouldn't, considering how cheaply made the unit is. I doubt if it could run on batteries (I did not see a battery compartment anywhere inside the cabinet), as the phono motor itself (let alone the amplifier) probably draws enough current to sap a set of batteries after just one or two records. If this were a quality-built system, it would have been designed, as noted, among other things, with an internal power supply -- not a 12-volt detachable wall wart which, also as noted, is all too easily misplaced or even lost. The phono motor in the one we are discussing may well be a cheap Pacific Rim import as well, with soft metal bearings that will wear out after just a few plays (it may be no wonder there is so much pitch distortion in this one), and the plastic turntable -- oh, please! Don't try to play expensive records on this thing unless you want to see them ruined in a hurry. It's bad enough the electronics are little better than a cheap transistor radio, but to put an uncovered hard plastic turntable in this ... I can't see it. However, you get what you pay for. This phono probably isn't worth much more than the $5 the OP originally paid for it, and it certainly isn't worth the price it probably sold for when it was new, three years ago.
__________________
Jeff, WB8NHV

Collecting, restoring and enjoying vintage Zenith radios since 2002

Zenith. Gone, but not forgotten.

Last edited by Jeffhs; 02-16-2011 at 12:02 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 02-16-2011, 03:28 PM
jr_tech's Avatar
jr_tech jr_tech is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 4,510
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffhs View Post
I hate to say this, but this unit is not stereo
...snip....
Take a look at the photo of the innards. It has two speakers, but one of those speakers is simply connected directly to the other via two unshielded leads, with nothing in between. There is no stereo balance control, either, another tipoff that this is just mono with two speakers.
...snip...
It was probably intended for children or teenagers with tin ears, who do not care beans about sound quality -- all they care about is that the unit will play their favorite records
...snip...
I wonder myself why this phonograph was built without an internal hard-wired power supply, but I guess I shouldn't, considering how cheaply made the unit is.
It looks to me that the unit is indeed stereo.... there are enough wires in the bundle running to a point between the two speakers, where the split occurs. The volume control and tone control both appear to be dual section pots. Cheap, but IMHO it is stereo.

My guess is this is made for the "nostalgia crowd" no teenager would give this item a second look, in this day of iPods.

The use of the "wall wart" is really a cheap trick, since when UL approved wall warts are used to supply power, I believe it is unnecessary to test the entire unit.

This piece of junk is still being sold on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Crosley-CR49-T...97890197&sr=8-

Not Affiliated,
jr
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 02-16-2011, 04:00 PM
radiotvnut's Avatar
radiotvnut radiotvnut is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Meridian, MS
Posts: 6,018
It is a stereo unit; but, like has already been said, the speakers are so small and so close together that there's not much seperation. I'll take the sound quality of my early '60's Newcomb MONO TUBE TYPE classroom record player any day of the week over this modern "STEREO" player.

Believe it or not, I still see these (and other similar) players on ebay and some people still are paying what I'd consider to be an obscene price for such a POS. Obviously, these people are not aware of what they're getting. Otherwise, they wouldn't give two cents for one of these.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 03-27-2011, 05:54 PM
KentTeffeteller's Avatar
KentTeffeteller KentTeffeteller is offline
Gimpus Stereophilus!
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Athens, TN
Posts: 791
Yes, the Newcomb slays it handily. Lousy way to honor the memory of Powel Crosley, a fine innovator.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 05-27-2011, 01:25 PM
Beachboy Beachboy is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Northeast Kansas
Posts: 115
My aunt gives me a Crosley reproduction unit every year for Christmas. When I got the first one, I made the mistake of saying I liked it very much (what else was I supposed to say??). So every year since (almsot 20 years now), I get some Crosley product. I received the CR-49 a couple years ago, appears identical to the OP's. It took up square footage in the basement, unused, until a couple months ago, where I advertised it on Craig's List for $40. I got a response within 24 hours from a middle aged lady who wanted to show her kids "how records worked". She promptly showed up to buy it, and I felt bad for sellling her overpriced junk, so I told her I'd take only $20 for it, instead of the $40 she had in her hand. I don't know if I'm a nice guy or an idiot!
Reply With Quote
Audiokarma
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:43 AM.



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
©Copyright 2012 VideoKarma.org, All rights reserved.