Crosley CR704C-PA Musician Turntable Review

The Crosley CR704C-PA Musician Turntable is the lowest cost vintage-style turntable on the market. At least among those that are any good.

With a magnificent hardwood cabinet finished with a gorgeous veneer and a smooth coat of paprika, this turntable exudes a classic mood that fits perfectly with your old record collection. A player like this evokes the good old days of the 1950s and 60s.

But there’s nothing old fashioned about the technology inside the CR704C-PA’s classic cabinet.

It plays all three sizes and speeds of vinyl records (45 adapter included) and it includes a CD player, a cassette deck and an AM/FM radio. You can also connect to any portable MP3 player using the auxiliary input plug or Bluetooth.

The musician turntable comes equipped with a set of dynamic full-range speakers that emit a warm and clear sound. They are excellent for the price, but obviously can’t match a pair of larger speakers.

And that brings our review to the Crosley Musician Turntable’s biggest weakness: the lack of headphone and RCA jacks. This means you can not hook this record player up to external speakers and are limited to the internal ones. Most turntables allow you to connect to headphones or speakers, so this is a big oversight.

 

Crosley CR704C-PA Review

The Crosley CR704C-PA Musician Turntable is priced incredibly low considering all the features. In addition to 3 sizes and 3 speeds of vinyl, it plays CDs, MP3, cassettes and AM/FM radio.

The dynamic stereo speakers sound great, especially considering the price range. The only drawback is the lack of RCA ports or a headphone jack and a low cost stylus.

You can not hook this player up to external speakers or enjoy your music privately. As for the stylus, we would immediately upgrade it and the cartridge. A cheap Crosley stylus can ruin records, but the same is true for the stylus that comes with any low cost record player. 

If that’s not something you need and you’re looking for an all-in-one record player with a vintage look, the Crosley CR704C-PA is the best option. If the CR66 Rochester 5-in-1 entertainment center becomes available again, that is an even better choice though. Read our Crosley Rochester review for more.

Since all other similar models cost more we give the CR704PA a Top Record Players rating of 4.1 out of 5. It is also one of my top turntables under $200.

 

Crosley CR704C-PA Features

• 17 by 12.5 by 10 inches — one of the larger players
• Weighs 16 pounds — the heaviest player on this list
• Crafted of hardwoods and veneers and smoothly finished in Paprika — looks great anywhere
• Diamond-tipped ceramic needle — sounds better and protects your valuable records
• Built-in dynamic full-range stereo speakers — warm, rich, clear sound
• Plays vinyl, CDs, MP3s, cassettes and AM/FM radio — any format you might have
• Plays 7, 10 and 12-inch vinyl discs at speeds of 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM — plays any record
• Plays audio files from smartphones, tablets, etc — enjoy your whole music collection
• Bluetooth capable — can connect wirelessly to smart devices (but not speakers)

 

Comparison

The two most popular alternatives to the Crosley Musician Turntable are the 1byone Nostalgic Wooden Record Player and the Victrola Nostalgic Navigator.

Both of these players also feature a retro-inspired design and they have a lot of similar feature. But there are also some key differences.

Let’s begin with the similarities.

All 3 players play music from a variety of media: vinyl, CDs, cassettes, AM/FM radio and digital files from a USB or a smart device that can connect via aux-input or Bluetooth. They all play 3 speeds of vinyl.

They also have good internal speakers considering the price and size. They can’t compete with external speakers, but they are better than expected.

And that brings us to the biggest difference.

While the Crosley can not be hooked up to external speakers by any means, the Victrola has a headphone jack that can connect to headphones or powered external speakers.

The 1byone does even better. It has RCA outputs that can connect to external speakers or even a receiver.

It should come as no surprise, then, that the 1byone is the most expensive of the 3 record players. The other two sell for right around the same price, so your decision will likely come down to whether you need the headphone jack or simple aesthetics: which unit looks better in your home?

For a more in-depth comparison, read our Victrola record player vs Crosley article.

 

Crosley Musician Turntable Review: Final Verdict

If you don’t plan on using external speakers or headphones to listen to your music, the Crosley CR704C-PA or the Victrola are the better options. They costs less than the 1byone and if you’re not going to use the RCA outputs, why pay for them. Just chose the player that looks better to you.

If you want the ability to hook your record player up to external speakers, the 1byone is the only viable option, unless you specifically have powered speakers that connect via a headphone jack.

And if you plan on using your player as part of an existing stereo system, then you definitely need to go with the 1byone, since it is the only one with RCA outs. Another option are Jensen players. Our article comparing Crosley and Jensen has more.