Review on Crosley C200A-BK Direct-Drive Turntable with S-Shaped Tone Arm in Black – Enhanced SEO by Kevin Woods

My last turntable was an old Sony that was part of a component stereo I owned in the early to mid 90's. I sold the stereo but kept my records whenever I moved and have recently returned to collecting. I needed a new turntable but my budget was limited to $250. I've heard a lot about the Audio Technica LP-60 and its low price, but after doing some research I found that it has some issues. After watching a few YouTube reviews (from various channels), I became interested in the Crosley C100. Unfortunately this turntable was belt driven and I really wanted a direct drive model. So I stopped by Revain to look at direct drive turntables and found a Crosley C200. Now I'll be the first to say I was EXTREMELY skeptical about buying Crosley because of all the negativity and noise surrounding their suitcase or all-in-one models. So I did some thorough research and decided to give the C200 a shot, audio snobs be damned. You know what? I was positively surprised. The C200 arrived in a very sturdy box with styrofoam packing material. After I received the turntable it took about 20 minutes to put together including setting up and adjusting the arm counterweight and tracking. Since the C200 has a built in preamp (which can be turned off if desired) I hooked up my desktop speakers (Mackie CR3) and started spinning. The sound was rich and warm, just how I wanted it. And I didn't have to spend $500 on a turntable to get that sound. And I still had some money in my pocket to buy more vinyl! :) Well, the only thing I'm going to say about the Crosley C200 is the materials used to make it. It's made of very hard plastic, which makes it a bit cheaper. The tonearm is S-shaped, which is a plus, and the platter is aluminum with a felt mat. I would have preferred a non-felt mat, but it's easy to replace. I was happy with the pickup although I plan to replacing it with an Ortofon pickup very soon. The tone arm does not have an automatic reset function. So when a record runs out you have to be there to put it back in its holder, although it's nice to have a hydraulic lift lever. The plastic dust cover scratches easily and when I received it, it already had a few minor scratches. The included cable is too short to use and the built in preamp causes the music to be a bit distorted at high volumes. I just started making vinyl. It has several features found on more expensive turntables and won't break the bank. The new Crosley C-turntable line was created to improve the negative image of their case and all-in-one models, and in my humble opinion they have a very good starter turntable. PS Oh, and ignore those audio snobs who like to turn their noses up when you have a turntable that costs under $500. The best player for you is the one you choose yourself and on which you will listen to your recordings. If it makes you happy