How to soup up a CRosley record player

[Agellius]

"There was a caution that it should be connected to a line input if it was a ceramic cart. It may just sound slightly less crappy though."

I have no idea whether it's ceramic or not. Not all Crosleys are, apparently. In fact I don't know for sure that any of them are.

Anyway, I tried it first in a line input and then the phono. The only difference I noticed was that the phono was louder. It wasn't complete crap, but it seemed like the highs were breaking up a bit, if that's the right word. I don't have a lot of practice at describing such things (it's sort of like describing the flavors in wine, isn't it? which I'm also not very good at).

I haven't tried another source into the built-in amp. Never even occurred to me. It's an interesting idea in a just-for-the-heck-of-it way. Maybe one of these days when I have nothing better to do. : )

 

[beat_truck]

This is the Stylus used on the H.S. Table...It will Track at 2g...

I've seen that stylus sold as an "upgrade" for Crosleys etc. on ebay and The Voice of Music. I still wouldn't think it would track very well at 2g because of the tonearm bearings (or lack there of). Although, on The Voice of Music's website, they show that cartridge's tracking force at 2 to 4 or 3 to 5 grams depending on which one you click on.:scratch2:

http://www.thevoiceofmusic.com/cata...ameCartridges&MfgName=Chuo+Denshi&Categories=

http://www.thevoiceofmusic.com/cata...ameCartridges&MfgName=Chuo+Denshi&Categories=

 

[markn2wae]

Until someone confirms whether the cartridge is ceramic or magnetic, you should try it in a line input first rather than phono just to be safe.

Hope it works for you, one way or the other.

The unit comes with a CERAMIC cartridge that may be a high output and may be able to drive a LINE input.

Mark T.

 

[markn2wae]

Let me "back up" a bit, I was just given one of these and for "no money spent", I am tinkering with it.

The "tinny" sound was helped slightly by two things-
A) open the unit, remove the speakers, and put a THIN coat of diluted CLEAR silicon caulk (silicon caulk that can be cleaned up with water) on the cones, it really cleans up the resonances.
B) bend the corners straight so when they are screwed BACK down there is NO space between the case and the SPEAKER gasket (the bent corners keeps the speakers from having the gasket seal with the wall of the cabinet).

Hum pickup when touching the arm tube?, open the player, take out the screw on the arm base, unscrew the small PCB holding the arm wires to get some slack, solder a small piece of wire onto the dual ground clip (at the head shell) where the original one is (don't use too much heat) and run a loop of this wire under the screw holding the arm tube to the head shell, re-assemble all in reverse order.

I may try putting a screw at the back of the arm with an adjustable weight and getting a schematic of the amplifier to see if "they" may limiting the volume and bass output with 'too small?" values of capacitors (I would risk possible feedback for more bass and louder output).

Again just tinkering here, NO money will be spent, and my "favorite" records will not be played on this.

Mark T.

 

[Mitkraft]

This has to be the worst thread necro yet!

 

[Chilli1327]

I was reading through this blog, and I have to put in my 2 cents worth(here in Canada, there are no more pennies, so I guess you will have to be my 2 nickles worth) here.

First of all, it is very disrespectful to berate and flame a poster because of your opinions and misinformation. This is TROLL activity. Sure it is good to educate people, BUT MAKE SURE YOU INFORMATION IS STRONG, AS IN FROM RELIABLE SOURCE, NOT REPEATING WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD, EVEN FROM SO CALLED "EXPERTS"!!!!

Crosleys are cheap and cheaply made, yes. there is no disputing that. but they serve a purpose and do their job well.

First of all, Crosleys will not destroy your records. The RIAA was formed to address vinyl issues and technology and it is VERY reliable, like a bible for the audio industry. You will find that the recommended tracking force for vinyl records is 5 to 6 grams! This was set with vinyl, WHICH THE FORMULATION OF WHICH REMAINS BASICALLY UNCHANGED! A properly set up system will NOT damage your records! at these tracking forces. The technology difference up to today, is not in the vinyl and how pressings to masters are made, but in the tonearm cartridge and stylus. So, will todays technology allow vinyl to last longer? Sure it will. But that is not to say that mid 50's set ups records lasted only a few plays. They would last hundreds and into the 1000's of plays. The biggest criteria for record damage is improper setup and DIRT(I'm not going into mishandling of vinyl,as to me that is obvious)!

So, back to the crosleys...

They have their inherent weaknesses. I have a 2012 Crosley CR49A which I have been slowly upgrading at a minimal cost which I am going to use to play 78's. I have gone over the mechanics of it to ensure as designed function. What I did do was lube the spindle and platter, checked all wires and connections, and replace the whole cartridge with one that has a flip over stylus that I can use to play 78's.

I am in the same boat here as the original poster. I want to upgrade the unit so I can have external RCA hookups to an amp. One of the biggest issues I have with people here is their inherent lack of knowledge. The cartridge and amplification system is CERAMIC! There is NO preamp stage in this unit because of this. Ceramic cartridges have a relatively high output, so it is not needed.

I saw a video that showed the circuit board on a similar unit(same unit, older) that had an area that a RCA out could be soldered, but mine doesn't have that. Check out VWestlife on YouTube. So my first step is to find good quality speakers that I can use to replace the ones in the unit, and find a way to isolate the speakers inside the cabinet. The Crosleys that have RCA outs and hooked up to a good system, sound awesome! Not as good as a quality higher priced system, but if you aren't comparing them side by side, you would be hard put to notice the difference. These Crosleys are "loosely" based on BSR systems of the 60's and 70's. Look it up.

I am looking for an all in one amplification system that has RCA and headphone outputs that I can just swap out and go from there. They are there, but my knowledge about them is limited and this is what is slowing me down until I learn more.

So there you go. I would say, for what the poster want to achieve and what is out there at a very reasonable cost, this is 100% totally doable!

 

[hjames]

First time poster, eh?

Pilgrim - you get what you pay for - the financial decisions made during its creation set it at a certain price point, and that results in a cheap record player. There is no magic in engineering - its a hard science. I had ceramic TTs when I was a kid - its well known technology.

Many folks with a bit more mileage would say to find value in the used gear market instead of buying a cheap Crosley and trying to mod it in some way to move it upscale, where it was never designed to be..

But - enjoy your path - there is much learning possible when you travel in that direction.

Grab a better TT, get a decent preamp - get a T-amp or something similar and some small speakers,
and you have a potentially better upgrade path.

BTW - the original poster, Agellius, was last seen: Apr 14, 2018
He's probably moved on to other projects by now.

I was reading through this blog, and I have to put in my 2 cents worth(here in Canada, there are no more pennies, so I guess you will have to be my 2 nickles worth) here.

First of all, it is very disrespectful to berate and flame a poster because of your opinions and misinformation. This is TROLL activity. Sure it is good to educate people, BUT MAKE SURE YOU INFORMATION IS STRONG, AS IN FROM RELIABLE SOURCE, NOT REPEATING WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD, EVEN FROM SO CALLED "EXPERTS"!!!!

Crosleys are cheap and cheaply made, yes. there is no disputing that. but they serve a purpose and do their job well.

First of all, Crosleys will not destroy your records. The RIAA was formed to address vinyl issues and technology and it is VERY reliable, like a bible for the audio industry. You will find that the recommended tracking force for vinyl records is 5 to 6 grams! This was set with vinyl, WHICH THE FORMULATION OF WHICH REMAINS BASICALLY UNCHANGED! A properly set up system will NOT damage your records! at these tracking forces. The technology difference up to today, is not in the vinyl and how pressings to masters are made, but in the tonearm cartridge and stylus. So, will todays technology allow vinyl to last longer? Sure it will. But that is not to say that mid 50's set ups records lasted only a few plays. They would last hundreds and into the 1000's of plays. The biggest criteria for record damage is improper setup and DIRT(I'm not going into mishandling of vinyl,as to me that is obvious)!

So, back to the crosleys...

They have their inherent weaknesses. I have a 2012 Crosley CR49A which I have been slowly upgrading at a minimal cost which I am going to use to play 78's. I have gone over the mechanics of it to ensure as designed function. What I did do was lube the spindle and platter, checked all wires and connections, and replace the whole cartridge with one that has a flip over stylus that I can use to play 78's.

I am in the same boat here as the original poster. I want to upgrade the unit so I can have external RCA hookups to an amp. One of the biggest issues I have with people here is their inherent lack of knowledge. The cartridge and amplification system is CERAMIC! There is NO preamp stage in this unit because of this. Ceramic cartridges have a relatively high output, so it is not needed.

I saw a video that showed the circuit board on a similar unit(same unit, older) that had an area that a RCA out could be soldered, but mine doesn't have that. Check out VWestlife on YouTube. So my first step is to find good quality speakers that I can use to replace the ones in the unit, and find a way to isolate the speakers inside the cabinet. The Crosleys that have RCA outs and hooked up to a good system, sound awesome! Not as good as a quality higher priced system, but if you aren't comparing them side by side, you would be hard put to notice the difference. These Crosleys are "loosely" based on BSR systems of the 60's and 70's. Look it up.

I am looking for an all in one amplification system that has RCA and headphone outputs that I can just swap out and go from there. They are there, but my knowledge about them is limited and this is what is slowing me down until I learn more.

So there you go. I would say, for what the poster want to achieve and what is out there at a very reasonable cost, this is 100% totally doable!

 

[Hajidub]

I didn't read the entire thread. But I'm sure most would agree to save your time/money and get a used $100 table that'll do everything you want the Crosley to do (after upgrading).

 

[gr33nhorn]

I'm in a similar boat - Now before anybody asks me to upgrade to a better vintage TT, let it be known that I have 6 vintage tt's with varying degrees of quality from a BPC JVC Belt drive to an SL1210mk2.
Now, I have been trying to get my 3 year old into this hobby (no such thing as too early) and he has a fair collection of peter pan records he loves to listen to. When I ordered them from discogs, the seller i bought them from was kind enough to send a whole load of 7" 78's as well. My son really loves playing with my record player, but I'm not ready to have him play with mine yet, so the need for a cheap TT
Option 1 - Fisher price TT - Rejected because it was too crude
Option 2 - BSR changers - Rejected because they run on 60hz ac synchronous motors which won't work properly back in india without a 50hz pulley
Found an ion TT, which is a close relative of the crosley for $12. I know its crude, but hey, It's a blank canvas to start with, and if I mess up, nothing of value is lost.
Ordered a Pfanstiehl P-192D and a new belt. read about reducing tracking force by sticking a counterweight on the arm.

The other weak point seems to be the platter bearing (or lack of it) - its just a plastic chunk rotating on some grease and a silicone washer. Would a thrust bearing at the base help with speed ? Once i get the cart i plan to calibrate the speed and check for the amount of instability