Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The Crosley Composer is bit pricey, but it is possible to find a decent deal online.I bought this rather than the Songwriter because it has a few more bells and whistles for the same price.
Who will like the Composer:If you are MP3-literate, or you have a decent stereo and your computer is up to date, chances are you will not need the Composer as you can just get the software to run on your PC.If you are an audiophile interested in cleaning up and restoring/recording your LP's to perfection, this probably isn't for you either, as the "cleanup" is limited to a pre-set equalizer with five options (flat, classical, pop, jazz, rock). BUT - if you are, like me, someone who doesn't want to shell out for a whole new computer and/or needed a new turntable anyway, I can't recommend the Composer highly enough.It is easy to use, and in my opinion the results are extremely satisfying.
Aside from the PC/turntable issues, my LP collection is extensive and eclectic enough that it would have cost a fortune to replace it on CD's and 75% of the stuff is not, and probably never will be, available on CD; hence the Composer came out as the most practical & affordable option. A friend has this unit so I was able to hear a sample before buying. I'm not a high-end audiophile but I wanted proper stereo recording, good clean sound quality & easy operation.The turntable accommodates 33, 45 ad 78 speeds.
The sound quality of the CDR's is as good as, if not slightly better, than that of the albums.Let me be clear: if you treated your LP's badly or your cassettes are starting to sound muddy, their faults will not be erased, but they won't sound any worse, and the results may pleasantly surprise you.The pre-set equalizer settings do a nice job of adjusting the sound for the requirements of each style.There is a "track skip" button to make the machine recognize the breaks between songs so you can have a separate track for each one, or you can just let the whole album side record as one track. If you use the skip feature, you will definitely need to practice with it to get the hang of the timing and when to push the button so you don't cut off the end or beginning of a song.When recording LPs I found that the "track skip" delay matched the gap on the album 8 times out of 10, so I usually stay nearby and lift the tone arm just a little and just for a second, to give the CDR recorder time to adjust.If you have two songs that blend together with no break, it's best to let them record as one track.You can also stop the unit to turn over an album or cassette and resume recording in a new track.Lastly, there is a simple "Finalize" button which completes the writing of the file to the CDR (don't forget this step!).
The Composer model also records from cassettes via a built-in unit.Some reviews warn that this component "breaks after a few uses"; I have done about 40 cassettes so far with no problem.My experience is that the open/close mechanism is a mediocre plastic door and it does stick a little sometimes (no worse than other cassette players I've had), but with a minimal amount of patience and finesse rather than force, you can resolve this problem when it happens.Even so, since the unit has an AUX input, you can probably plug in an external tape deck so it really isn't an issue.
As with LP's, if you are transferring a commercially pre-recorded cassette, there may be ample time between tracks for the "track skip" to register.If not you can either stop the tape for a second or just let Side 1 be Track 1 and Side 2 be Track 2.If you made a few favorite old "road mix" tapes and crammed every available mm of tape with sound, chances are you did not leave enough time for "track skip" to work, so let the side run.
I strongly urge you to get a few cheap CDR's with which to practice using the unit and its features - at least practice two or three times with the timing on the "track skip" with both an LP and a cassette before you attempt a recording on an archive-quality CDR.It will take about four minutes to read the user's manual.Replacement parts are also available from Crosley.Once you get the hang of using this unit, you will have an absolute blast getting reacquainted with your LP's. Enjoy.
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Crosley CR247-CH Composer CD Recorder (Cherry)Product Description: Crosley's Composer makes it easy to save old music from LPs or cassette tapes onto CD with the press of a button--and it plays all your music, too.Now you can easily record your albums onto CD with the push of a button. The CD recorder records LPs and cassette tapes to CD.If you still prefer listening to your records and tapes old style, just use the three-speed record player, AM/FM radio, programmable CD player or cassette deck. The CD player has a programmable 20-track memory, and plays MP3 and WAV files.Includes remote control.The Composer supports CD-R/RW discs. The belt-drive record turntable with diamond stylus has three speeds--plays 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM for 7-, 10- or 12-inch records. The Composer also features a digital tuner with EQ presets and built-in full-range speakers.
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