Vinyl is on the verge of extinction, but some whiz desire to preserve record players forever. If you are one of that kind, this post is for you!
Records are not only the old-school way of listening to music but a great alternative to restore your old, iconic tapes. If you are a vinyl admirer, you must have heard the name “Crosley” at some point in your life. If not well, it’s a renowned company that manufactures an entire segment of modern and vintage audio players.
To put it simply, they are just a better version of what you used to have in the old days besides most of the record players or turntables Crosley offers.
Irrespective of all the perks they have, there’s always a concern do Crosley turntables ruin records, or are Crosley turntables good? Most people struggle to find answers to these queries; hence I decided to share a little insight. To an extent, I would agree that modern turntables can ruin your records but to a certain degree.
How Do Crosleys Damage Records?
Even if Crosley does damage records, it would be only because of the poor quality of the stylus. Most producers, such as Crosley or Jensen, for that matter, incorporate cheap styluses on players, which will eventually ruin the record. The tip or stylus is the most important part of any turntable or vinyl player.
If the styli are not carefully fixed or manufactured, it’s a fault on the manufacturer’s part for ruining your records. Poor quality styles are easy to detect- they have rough edges, uneven tip points, etc. They are the culprit that can damage or wear down your records at a faster pace, not the player.
However, if the stylus is built with high-quality material, there is no way it will damage the records, and the reputation of the brands, namely Crosley or Jensen, will be saved.
Another reason why Crosley has got a bad reputation is its low shelf life and high price tags. They are not as durable as their popular alternatives, namely Victrola, Music Hall, Audio Technica, etc. If you are looking forward to buying a portable, high-quality record player, I recommend going for Victrola. It is cheaper than Crosley and offers the highest quality audio range.
Do all Needles Damage Records?
Are Crosley record players bad? I would say YES! I don’t blame Crosley alone. Suppose you use it vigorously, repeated times, all the needles that come in contact with the rotating record peel or wear off a tiny bit of your record.
Even some expensive needles on the market tend to do some damage to the record only at a slower pace, little by little. This is the biggest downfall of almost all vintage turntables; hence people liked the idea of using CD records instead of vinyl.
CD records are stored in the CD ROM analog format, and unlike vinyl, they require the least contact with other components of the player, which is why they sustain longer than vinyl records.
CDs are made of plastic in which all the data is stored; when it goes inside the player, it is read by a laser which then transmits the data into an audio signal. This means that the data in the CD will last forever only if they are not scratched often or until the CD breaks into pieces.
Which Needles Do The Least And Most Damage To Records?
Needles are the major component that decides to what degree your records will be damaged. If the quality of the stylus or needle is poor, the consequences are obvious. Your record will be ruined completely, and if the quality is better, your records will be preserved for a longer time.
Turntable needles that come in contact with the records have different shapes; hence they are categorized as;
- Spherical: These needles have a spherical shape at the tip hence the same.
- Elliptical: These needles are quite similar to spherical but have pointed tips and do not completely touch the vinyl surface.
- Hyper-elliptical: These needles have extra pointed tips as compared to elliptical styluses. These needles tend to touch the left and right sides of the grooves.
- Micro-ridge: These needles are extremely pointed at the tip and make the highest contact with the groove.
Crosley’s range of turntables can have any of these stylus designs and the type of stylus used will determine if Crosley is a good record player or not.
Now you might want to know which needles do the most damage to have in your turntable. In my opinion, micro-ridge styli are the best needle for sound production. This is because the micro ridge style makes direct contact with the bottom of the groove, making soundtracking easier and with better fidelity.
But, this also has an advantage: it wears off your record more rapidly because the needles dig deeper into the record. In other words, the needle slides right on the record, which causes more damage.
When it comes to needles that do the least harm to the record, I want to vote for Spherical needles because they make the least contact with the groove, which ultimately means no touching to the vinyl’s surface area, resulting in less wear.
However, this could be a bad sign in terms of sound production. As the styli are not making any contact with the record, the sound quality will be compromised. Nevertheless, some good-quality Spherical styluses will cause the least damage to your records and also provide better sound quality.
How Quickly Does a Crosley Ruin Your Records?
This factor is uncertain because it highly depends on the type of equipment you are using and the quality of the style. If both the things are perfect, your records can last for a hundred plays or more, but if your turntable is not properly aligned or has a cheaper stylus, then you would observe your record wearing off in a month or less.
How Can You Stop a Crosley From Ruining Your Records?
The best thing you can do to avoid ruining your records is to choose the stylus wisely. Choose between a spherical and elliptical stylus so you can extend the life of your record. Besides, make sure the Crosley player you are buying has the option of a detachable stylus so you can change or replace the needles at infrequent intervals.
Conclusion
Never blame the brand. If the question ever occurs, are Crosley record players bad? You must know the answer, i.e., NO. The quality of the stylus your Crosley player has decides the fate of your records.
To make a better buying decision, make sure the Crosley has a good quality stylus, and all the components inside are properly aligned. All the details are provided in the product description, so refer to the first and then make a purchase.