Coming back from work on Wednesday evening, I was greeted with Marije pointing to a box sitting on top of the dining table. Oh yes! Our Tiny House record player has arrived. It was no secret we are a couple of vinyl record lovers. Our TechGirl team has witnessed our record collection of vintage records passed down by Marije’s mam and pap and vinyls of our own favorite bands. Hotel California, the Beatles greatest hit or Mumford and Sons, we have it all. So it is no surprise, the TechGirl team have decided we were the right candidates to not only test out a record player but test out a record player fit for a Tiny House.
Opening the cardboard box, we saw the big ‘Crosley Cruiser II’ label in bronze with ‘Battery
Powered Portable Turntable’ underneath. Battery powered portable was certainly a welcoming label. As our Tiny House runs on solar panels, it is nice to have other options such as the ability to run battery power. Similarly, the 
portable feature is a plus. We are faced with the big challenge of keeping the weight of the entire Tiny House less than 3.5 tonne to be able to tow it with a 4WD without a permit, thus every kilo gram matters. To have portable anything is big plus as portable things are usually lightweight. Taking the player out of the box the 2.5 kg weight of the player, with the brief case style design and 356 x 267 x 118 mm (WDH) dimensions, definitely fitted the portable lightweight profile.
As we admired the player sitting on top of the dining table, it was hard to not appreciate the retro look of the record player with its retro hipster charm. As the woolen knitted interior with a multicolored pattern gave it a 1960s psychedelic vibe, I think it will fit the hippy imagery coming into peoples’ minds when they hear the combination of words “sustainable” and “house on a trailer”. In addition the rest of the casing looks pretty damn cool. Navy blue with an ivory white handle and gunmetal fitting flawed well.
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This weekend we decided to put the Crosley Cruiser II to the test during our trial night for our Huiskamer Restaurant (living room restaurant). In our living room the sound was very adequate. Especially considering we only needed it as background music during dinner service. Needless to say the player worked like a charm. Although it is highly unlikely the two small stereo speakers will be able to provide enough loudness for a bigger size party. The battery lifespan seems to be reliable after continuous playing of a massive pile of vinyls records throughout the day and night. There are three controls: one switch to change between 33/45/78 rpm record speeds, another switch to turn the auto-return on or off, and a volume knob that doubles as an on/off switch. It is clear the manufacturers put more effort in the design of the exterior but failed to focus on the craftsmanship of the inside of the player. Unfortunately, the knobs felt clumsy and plastic. The central pin was too thick to allow some of the records from fitting in. And the sensitive needle did not work too well together with our dated and slightly damaged vinyls. So quality wise it fits with the price of this beauty. Not the best player for a big party, but definitely an eye-catcher and people-pulling-gadget when you are in the mood for chill vibes in the park.
(Wil je ook zo’n platenspeler? Je schaft dit exemplaar aan voor 118 euro!)
