18 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
Play Those Old Records on Crosley?s CR79
Date of Review: May 19, 2008
The Bottom Line: Do you have old vinyl records sitting around with nothing on which to play them? Need a stylish entertainment center. Crosley's CR79 fits the bill.
Having lived for half a century, I have seen a lot of different fads come and go in entertainment technology. I have played vinyl on 79 playing Edison Victrola Phonographs, 45s on portable record players, cassettes, LPs, 8-track, CDs, and now we have iPods. Well, I don't have one, but they are all around us. But what I do have are a small number of LPs and nothing on which to play them.
Last August marked my 15th year with the publishing company with whom I was formerly employed. (Interesting how that works.) I had an opportunity to choose a gift (how nice of them). So I selected the Crosley CR79. You see, this electronic gadget is a 4-in-1 Entertainment Center complete with AM/FM Radio, cassette player, CD player, and turntable for playing records both 45s and LPs.
My mom had been given one several years ago, and I had been wanting one for a while. I think mom's is just a record player. This has it all. It is referred to as a shelf unit meaning that it must be placed on a piece of furniture. We have it on top of the entertainment center in our living room just above the television. There are many days when it is playing. Now let me tell you about it.
CD player
The CD player is one that ejects internally from the front of the entertainment center. The buttons on the front of the sizeable box control the play as does also a remote control that accompanies it. With a push of the button the CD drawer opens. Place the CD in the cradle, push the button and an LCD screen on the front panel displays your total minutes of enjoyment. It also will give you the total numbers of tracks on the CD. Push the play/pause button, and track one will load. The sound is heavenly. Push the button and you control the volume up or down. I can tell you the built-in speakers produce a tremendous sound. The specs on the speakers are as follows: 4" dynamic type x 2, 5 Watts, 8 ohms. Output wattage is 2 Watts per channel. And while I don't know much about the technology except what I read, the fact is I know melodious tones when I hear them. This baby purrs when it comes to sound output. I have a rather large house. We can turn it on about 21 and hear it all over the house without it being obnoxiously high to neighbors.
Phonograph
My real joy in this is the ability to play those 40 year old records I have. Some of them are irreplaceable. Well, not really. But I wouldn't want to give them up. Cash, Jones, The Osmonds, Juice Newton, among many others make up this decades old records. They sound so wonderful on this record player and bring back so many memories. The arm is lightweight and can be placed with a very light touch. The turntable is activated with the movement of the arm. What a joy to be able to once more play these personal treasures. Frank Sinatra still sounds just as good as he did all those decades ago.
Cassette Player
I have hundreds of cassettes. And I have several players on which to play these. But this is perhaps one of the only things I dislike about the CR 79. The Cassette player is on the side and toward the back of the entertainment center. This is a bit of an inconvenience since it is a bit to the back to be able to see what you are doing very well. I haven't used it yet because I have other means of playing these. But it is nice to know that it is there if needed.
Radio
My experience with AM/FM radios has been bumpy at best. Often the reception for portable stereo systems is spotty with the string antennae of many. You have to struggle to get it in the right place and then there can be difficulties of it getting bumped, etc. This entertainment system seems to have all that worked out well. The reception and sound quality emitting from this radio is fantastic. Generally we play the radio in the car and rarely do so in the house. But there are times we will do so if we want to hear just a good mix of songs. From the front control panel, you have the opportunity to do presets. This is always one of the coolest things about car stereos because with presets you don't have to go searching for stations. This has that same opportunity.
Final Thoughts
Through the years, I have been blessed to receive a number of gifts from companies for whom I have labored. The CR79 is by far the most enjoyable and useful of the gifts I have received. I really like this beautiful wood entertainment center. It has that authentic classic design and comes in three different finishes: oak, cherry, and walnut. It looks great in the house, but more importantly it serves to fill a tremendous need I had. Now I have something to play those records (and any new ones I might purchase) as well as the other items in my music collection.
