The Crosley T300A Bluetooth-enabled USB turntable produced outstanding results in our listening and conversion tests. The silver case is stylish and felt more durable than those of other plastic-body turntables we tested. A full-size aluminum platter is connected to the belt-driven motor, and the retail packaging includes a rubber slipmat. The turntable also has an auto-return tone arm feature that lifts the needle and returns the arm to its resting place when the tone arm reaches the end of a record side. That can be an important feature if you are listening remotely because it can save needle life and stops the platter from rotating.
While you’re converting your records, you can listen to them with the headphone output, via Bluetooth connection or by plugging the turntable into a sound system with the hardwired RCA cable. A wireless connection is handy if you want to listen to your record collection in a room adjacent to where you keep your record player. The T300A had no problem pairing with a couple of different Bluetooth speakers and some wireless headphones we keep in our testing lab. We walked about 20 feet away from the turntable without dropping the wireless connection.
The diamond stylus that comes with the T300A produced good results in our conversion and playback tests. Replacements are available on Amazon and on Crosley’s site for less than $10. The stylus is attached to a fixed cartridge and headshell, limiting your upgrade options. But if your primary concern is converting vinyl and listening on a Bluetooth speaker, the included stylus is sufficient.
Crosley turntables come with Audacity recording and conversion software. Audacity has a great selection of editing and repair tools to help you improve noisy conversions. The program automatically recognized the T300A as the input device during our conversion test. There aren’t any step-by-step instructions in the software, but the process is pretty straightforward: You press record and drop the needle, and the conversion begins. Audacity is free, open-source software, so we suggest downloading it if you end up with a USB turntable, such as the TEAC TN100, that doesn’t include a conversion program.
The Crosley T300A has a good selection of output options, including Bluetooth connectivity, a headphone output and a hardwired RCA cable. It looks great and feels sturdy considering the high number of plastic parts. The included cartridge sounds good but is hard to upgrade because it connects to a fixed headshell.
