Now you will likely have come across great sound setups, maybe a record player that your father or grandfather owned or a setup you saw in the Hifi store. Often the first reaction is that it looks expensive, complicated and people don’t know where to start. However in my opinion, hi-fi is not about the most beautiful and exorbitant speakers or amplifiers, but more about the journey and the experience. You can also look into nice starter setups or devices that are interesting for the regular music lovers. In that light, I have recently been able to listen to the Crosley C62. 

If you are a millennial or an audio follower, you will likely have heard of the brand name Crosley. It is known mainly for its suitcase record players where the speakers are already built-in, they are often found in trendy shops such as the Urban Outfitters. And to be honest, most of these turntables are rather low quality and can actually damage your records in the short term. So we are very picky reviewing turntables from Crosley as they don’t have the best reputation.

The brand Crosley has grown strongly since the vinyl revival but has been active since 1992. It has established itself with budget-friendly turntables that beginners often fall for because of their trendy designs. Lately, Crosley has been getting more into the mid-range market with models that are so to say, actually decent. In this review, we will look at one of their latest models the Crosley C62.

The design and setup

The Crosley C62 comes in a large square box together with the speakers. Included speakers are not very common with turntables and if you don’t own suitable speakers already and want to occasionally play some vinyl I actually think this is a pretty great deal. The turntable also contains a built-in amplifier for the speaker and a Bluetooth module, intended to stream music from a smartphone and to make it a bit more futureproof. At the back of the Crosley you will also find an RCA output making it suitable for just about any modern audio device.

In terms of design the turntable and its speakers feature a walnut finish that give it a nice vintage feel without it seeming old fashioned. It is minimalistic in the sense that the buttons are kept to a minimum with just two on the plinth. The tonearm, platter, and knobs are all deep black giving a nice contrast and modern touch.

An important aspect of a record player is the element, also known as the cartridge. Crosley has chosen to equip the C62 with an element from Audio-Technica. A wise choice, because that brand is known for its quality products.

The record player has to be set up by placing the platter onto the plinth. In the case of the tonearm, the counterweight at the back has to be added. Once everything is unpacked and assembled, the only task left is to adjust the tonearm. After that, it is a matter of listening. We would say the set up is beginner proof but would recommend reading the manual to prevent time-wasting or damaging your records. If you want to know more read our guide on how to properly set up a turntable.

The Sound 

We are pleasantly surprised by the performance of the Crosley C62, but there is a downside and we will return to that later. When playing a wide variety of genres we can tell the sound is rather dynamic. Meaning it does the sound quality remains across all genres, even the one with heavier layered music such as house or rock.

The main elements of a song such as vocals or guitars are clear and really stand out. However, we feel like it lacks some in the lows, while the bass is definitely their we feel like it is not balanced enough. To make sure what is exactly the reason for this, the turntable or the included speakers, we have tested it also with external speakers. The result? Much better lows meaning the cartridge and preamp produce a balanced sound. Therefore, we recommend using external speakers on this device if you are more of an audiophile like us. 

Considering the price the sound that comes out of the C62 exceeds my expectations. Don’t get me wrong, it really has its shortcomings in terms of detail for example. But then again you have to keep in mind that this is a budget turntable. Also, the fact that it has built-in Bluetooth and you can simply connect your smartphone and play some tunes over Spotify is a great addition. Of course, the speaker’s quality remains the same but it can be great for some background listening.

Upgradability 

What we do like about the Crosley C62 is that it leaves the option to upgrade later on. You have the possibility to upgrade the cartridge, upgrade the speaker cable and you can connect an external preamp or different speakers.

A good reason to upgrade the audio cable is that the included cable is just 1 meter. Of course, a more expensive HiFi audio cable can also improve the audio quality. But the bigger sound improvement can be made with a better speaker. Most speaker sets above the price of say, 100 dollars, will improve the sound quality. You will hear just more of each song that is played. More bass, more detail, and an overall more balanced sound.

Upgrading can also be done in another way. You could use the RCA output of the Crosley C62 to and connect an external phono pre amp or an integrated stereo amplifier. This system can be expanded as desired with speakers of your choice.

All in all this turntable can be improved upon in many ways and is, therefore, a pretty good starter set. Maybe if you don’t own speakers yet and want to explore if vinyl is something for you. Or maybe you are planning to occasionally listen to some records. The C62 offers a lot of features for a small price and if you want better sound quality you can always upgrade later on.

Conclusion

The Crosley C62 is a record player set with a high fun factor. It’s a fun device to start off as a vinyl enthusiast for the occasional listener. Just don’t expect hi-fi audio quality. While the included speakers in the package really lack depth and I would not recommend them for audiophiles, I do think that they can be great to get beginners started or for people that don’t own a Bluetooth speaker yet.  What is great is that the Crosley C62 allows easy upgrades so it can grow with it if the user if he wants to expand his or her audio set in the future.