Turntables — Crosley C65

The C65 is a turntable system from Crosley, the American brand named after the Crosley radios of a century ago. It combines a belt-drive turntable with a built-in amplifier and a pair of external bookshelf speakers, and sits above the brand's all-in-one suitcase players. Launched in August 2025 at USD 299 or GBP 289, it arrived alongside the budget Miles record player.

Key specs that matter

Crosley gives the C65 two speeds, 33 1/3 and 45 rpm, along with a full-size steel platter, a belt-driven DC motor and adjustable pitch control. The aluminium tonearm has a cueing lever and carries a pre-mounted Audio-Technica ATN3600L moving-magnet cartridge on a standard half-inch mount. The amplifier delivers 50 W to the speakers, and Bluetooth 5.1 streams audio from a phone. The phono preamplifier is switchable. The power adapter is rated at 15 V/4 A. Included in the box are a 45 rpm adaptor, slipmat, dust cover, alignment protractor and a spare NP5 stylus.

Engineering and use context

The steel platter adds mass, which helps the belt-driven platter hold speed steadily. The belt filters motor vibration on its way to the platter, and resonance-damping feet reduce feedback from the surface underneath. The Audio-Technica ATN3600L is a widely used entry-level MM cartridge, and the standard headshell mount means it can be replaced with a better cartridge later. With the built-in preamplifier switched on, the turntable outputs line level to active speakers or an amplifier without a phono input. With it switched off, the raw phono signal goes to an external phono stage. The supplied speakers make the C65 a complete system with no further purchases needed, and Bluetooth lets them play music from a phone when records are not spinning. Crosley supplied the C65 in walnut with gold detailing. The system is designed for plug-and-play use by listeners buying their first proper turntable. Crosley products are designed in the USA, with US-based customer support.

Pairing

Out of the box the C65 works with its own speakers. With the preamplifier on, the C65 also connects to self-powered speakers or to the line-level input of a separate amplifier.