Crosley, has provided us with their Cruiser, a portable record player that comes in the form of a briefcase with built in speakers. As far as the features go, it is built with hardwood, belt driven, plays 3 speeds(33 ⅓, 45, and 78 RPM) and has two front front facing stereo speakers. Multiple forms of audio playback is supported as the back houses audio input for MP3 playback, RCA outputs, and a headphone jack. If not for nostalgia sake and a reason to seek out some of your favorite albums in yet another musical format, dig through your parents crates, and to bust out during social occasions, this could be be retro audible bliss.
Growing up listening to records, I must admit that I never really gave the dated format much thought. I love listening to the unique sound that you get with a record, but most of the record players are dated looking and stick out in most any decor. What I am getting at is the Cruiser is portable, looks like a briefcase, built solid of hardwood, and wrapped in a leatherette vinyl. Having the speakers built in allows you to take it virtually anywhere in the house or outdoors on the patio, without a number of cables. Another huge convenience is the audio outputs, allowing for easy connection to a home stereo for listening to your playlist from you phone or mp3 player.
My only issue is that it still requires a cable, I know it may require a lot of power, but the ability to take to a park or just further than the cable allows without needing an extension cable would be a huge convenience. Lastly, since it does require a power source, a place to store said cable would make transporting a bit easier. One thing in which I immediately realized was that unless you are listening on a 78, you will be getting up and switching records often. All that aside, the Cruiser worked great and brought back a newfound interest in the old format. The two stereo speakers were loud enough to fill a room with that unique sound that is often underappreciated. While my Cruiser came in pink, I get no say in the unit sent out, the available colors are great and not your typical brown, black, and white. The Cruiser is available now for $99.95 and if you, like myself like retro audio devices, I would suggest some window shopping on the Crosley site.
