Customer Reviews

Crosley CR32 CD Cathedral Radio with CD - Paprika

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

My husband is an audiophile, and laughed at me when I said I wanted this CD/radio. Unlike him, I don't really care that much about sound quality. Not that it doesn't matter to me at all--it's just that HE has the big, nice sound system already, so I was happy to get something that would look nice in the living room and could play in the background while I was reading. I don't need or even like to play music very loud, so something small and pleasantly retro like this was just what I wanted.(We don't all care for 15 shelves worth of audio equipment and a gigantic subwoofer.) I was so excited!

As other reviewers have stated, it's a little difficult to tune in the radio. That was disappointing, but my CDs sounded nice enough, and the radio/CD player made me happy even to look at. It just seemed RIGHT to listed to Louis Armstrong through it, as if the beauty of the retro cathedral style cabinet made the sound more authentic. It was lovely! I was even considering getting another Crosley product for a different room, having fun paging through the catalog and anticipating what I would ask for for my birthday. I was SO happy.

... for about 7 months.

Then the right speaker blew. (Sound doesn't come out of the front speaker-looking area, but is stereo from the sides.) That it would blow surprised me, seeing as how I never, never listen to it at top volume, nowhere near. The guarantee that comes with this item is limited, and wouldn't cover the problem. Reasonable person that I am, I still wasn't too upset--I was just disappointed a bit. After all, my husband is an audiophile, as I mentioned, and he could replace the speakers for me if we could get replacements.With that happy thought, he wrote Crosley to find out if they sold replacement speakers, or if they had recommendations for replacements. He never heard back. He wrote twice, responsibly checked his spam folder just in case, but NOTHING.

So... I wrote. This is the third time they had been contacted by us. Keep in mind we were both polite: simply explained what had happened, and asked if there were recommended speakers so we could take care of the problem ourselves. I don't care about sound quality that much as I said, but it is unlistenable with all the static in the blown speaker.

Was the third time the charm? No. I got no response, either. Even if Crosley had no recommendations, it seems to me it would be polite to write back. Is this an indication of the quality of their customer service, or the quality of their product... or both? That is, after having looked for speakers ourselves, we don't seem to be able to locate any that will fit. We can find the correct wattage and so forth; however, there is not much clearance inside the case. Every speaker we looked at--and we have spent considerable time looking--seemed to be too deep to fit. So far as we can tell, the speakers are a proprietary make and substitutions that will fit can't be found elsewhere.

I loved this item while it worked. However, unless you are the type of person that can pay $80 or $100 every few months to get a new one ($80 if you get it on sale), don't buy this product. The quality is apparently so poor, the manufacturer, Crosley, is embarrassed to respond even to polite inquiry. I was their perfect target customer--someone who didn't care so much about perfect sound, but who preferred instead the vintage look with just acceptable sound quality--and I am terribly unhappy with them. I'm so unhappy, I'm wasting a lovely Saturday morning writing this review.

Shame on them. I certainly won't be buying another Crosley product for a different room as I had once fondly planned, and I hope I have saved you the trouble and expense of buying ANY Crosley product.

For shame.

This radio has proven to be a conversation piece in our dining room, as it does look rather cool and elegant. And when you play older recordings, say some Bing Crosby on Decca or Billie Holiday on Columbia, it does a fine job and seems to match the period it's trying to represent.

When you play a newer recording, say the new Michael Buble CD, however, it falls majorly short and flat. This has probably the worst sounding stereo sound I've ever come across on a unit like this. Those who like to listen to newer music should look elsewhere. I am just lucky I like to listen to the older stuff, and for that it works just fine.

The CD player in the Crosley CR32 Cathedral Radio With CD Player is a good, solid transport. The playback quality is good considering the small speakers, but the 1/8" stereo jack output on the front works great for routing the output to powered PC speakers or headphones, and with that setup, it sounds much better. Two minor issues: The radio tuner dial is not centered in the window so the vertical reticle does not line up with the frequencies on the dial; and the FM antenna wire could stand to be be another foot longer. In short, it's worth the price.

I am a huge fan of old time radio and modern full cast radio drama like the BBC's dramatization of The Lord of the Rings and ZBS Foundation productions like The Fourth Tower of Inverness. While they sound best through headphones, especially the modern productions, there is just something cool about hearing them come out of an old fashioned radio.

I shopped around a bit before deciding on this "Cathedral Radio with CD". I wasn't around when the originals were being used, but I love the design of the high-peaked wooden cabinets. They look so much classier than the typical modern black stereo system. Crosley offers a couple of these faux-antique CD players, but this was the one that I fell in love with.

Obviously, the sound isn't going to be as great as a super surround sound system, but it does the trick. I never turn it up too loud, but keep the player in my bedroom to listen to radio plays at night. The cabinet is actually bigger than I had expected, being about the size of a small TV set when I thought it was going to be about the size of a toaster.

All in all, this is a fantastic product and exactly what I wanted. It adds the right atmosphere to my favorite radio plays, and looks great doing it.

I only gave it three stars because I had to return the first one due to a defective CD player. It was a Mother's Day gift for my wife, so we were extremely disappointed when the CD player didn't work. Amazon sent me a new one within days and the new one works fine. It looks nice and sounds good. I just hope it lasts. I'm always leery of a company that makes products, especially electronics, that I have to return.

I am so very upset. Cannot play nor hear decently! the worst purchase ever I give it ZERO - I am upset -

Though I have no regrets and would purchase this radio again (but only because there is no other maker of vintage style radios) there are definitely a few things about this piece that really irritate me, mainly dealing with the lack of authenticity. One strange issue is that when you're listening to it you'll immediately be able to sense that the sound isn't even emitting from the front speaker grill (as it is non-functional.) The speakers are on the sides! Why install ugly side speakers when there is ALREADY a place FOR them on the front? What disappointed me more was the color of the finish. It's actually gaudy reddish in color unlike the picture shows, making it appear like a bright colored toy. Maybe I'm just too picky, but I want to somehow find a way to dull the color down, giving it an older antique look, yet I'm afraid to do anything because I don't know what kind of delicate material the "wooden" cabinet is actually made of.

The speaker quality was passable once I stuck dark spongy material into the side grills to tone down the high pitched treble, but for the size of this thing I'd expect more bass. And for the record, this unit WILL play CD-R's as I read a review somewhere stating that it doesn't. I'm also happy that the buttons for the CD player are well-camoflauged against the bronze metal plate.

I hope someone at Crosley is reading this because they aren't even trying to reach the full potential with their vintage style audio products, and it would be so easy for them to go the extra mile. I'm sure buyers would be willing to pay more to get more. My strong advice for them would be to make a more reliable product (see other reviews) with a decent, functional FRONT speaker, real wood, and a more muted color/antiqued finish. If only they were making a product to be PROUD to put their name on, as in the 1930's.

The Crosley is beautiful and fits great in our family room. I think I would pick a digital tuner in the future. A little hard to turn to my favorite station and keep it there but otherwise no regrets.

This little am-fm cd player works well. It is no good for a large room or if you want really good stereo sound quality. If you turn it up loud, it distorts. Works perfect for what I got it for, which is my small studio apartment. And it looks great! fits my old-school decor perfectly. Overall, I'm happy with it. it is a little over priced if you're looking for quality sound, but very cool looking. You're really paying for the vintage look and as far as that goes, you'll get your moneys worth.

The radio is beautiful and works very well, too. The side speakers sound great, but you can always hook up computer speakers in the headphone jack if you want the volume louder. The color is great and makes a great addition to any room! Hearing the songs of the past out of this radio just adds something special to the music-listening experience.