CR3501A-WA Fleetwood Bluetooth FM Clock Radio and CD Player, Walnut

The Crosley CR3501A is a nostalgic shelf radio equipped with modern features, including Bluetooth and a CD player. I primarily purchased it as an FM receiver, but I also enjoy using its other functions. The FM tuner works exceptionally well, delivering clear reception and quality sound that beautifully fills the room. Both the front panel and remote control are user-friendly, making it easy to switch between features. Overall, it's a fantastic blend of vintage charm and contemporary technology.

Recently purchased this Crosley Fleetwood tabletop clock radio CD player to replace an ancient Cambridge Soundworks radio that had failed. There's a lot to like here but first be aware that this unit has decent sound but it does not have the sound quality (bass response, ability to individually tweak the bass and treble EQ) of the Cambridge or the similar Bose Wave or Tivoli units. But the Cambridge and Bose are no longer available new (and costs more used) and the equivalent Tivoli radio equivalent costs $650. Bottom line on the sound, it is good for a tabletop radio but is not for discerning audiophiles. Now the good. First, this is an attractive unit, with throwback styling. Most functions are available via dedicated buttons on the front of the unit; a few more are available via a very nice remote. There are multiple preset EQs available (Flat-Pop-Classical-Jazz-Rock); I've found I like the Pop setting the best. There is a bass boost, a feature not available on the competition. However it is a minor boost, adding just a little bit of "kick" to the low end. The unit puts out enough of sound volume to fill a small to mid-sized room. The CD works fine and the tray mechanism is smooth. The clear display has several different brightness settings, selectable both on the unit and on the remote. Radio reception (FM only) with the included antenna is good, better than my old Cambridge unit. In addition, unlike the competition, the supplied antenna is detachable and you can easily attach an external antenna for even better reception. The Aux input, on the back, is actually 2 RCA jacks (most units use a single 1/8" stereo jack) and an adapter for a 1/8" jack is included. This provides greater flexibility, say to attach an external record player (a small preamp may be required). The Bluetooth feature works well; I easily paired the unit with my iPhone. Note that there is no headphone jack. In summary, this is a fine choice for a well-featured clock radio CD player with Bluetooth. Just do not expect true audiophile sound.

From an audio perspective, it works great -- love the sound, too. As others have noted, I have issues with the clock -- it doesn't reset to another time, but it does run fast, and the suggested solutions by other reviewers don't seem to work (i.e. pressing the stop button doesn't enable bds sync changes). I have to reset it every few weeks so it isn't 5+ minutes ahead of the actual time. Minor issue, just a weird one to have. But otherwise, looks beautiful and sounds great.

It makes a weird noise when playing CD! Has a good look, decent sound! Very hard to read the buttons. Would not recommend it. Expected more for the price! For $160 way too much! Maybe half the price!

I really like this stereo system so far. It sounds great, and the design is beautiful. I really like the full range speakers, and it has plenty of power for what I need. The CD tray is nice, and the whole unit is clean and simple in its design. You do have to turn up the volume quite a bit for CD playback. I find that 20-24 is a good playing volume for general listening, and 8-10 is an equivalent volume on FM. I like the classical setting on the equalizer, it seems to give the best fidelity and clarity. The bass button adds just enough bass to make the radio sound warm, and enhances the mid ranges nicely. Nice crisp treble and highs with female vocals, strings, and percussion. Mid range and low tones sound good with male vocals, saxophone, or resonant instruments. This unit comes with a wire antenna and the reception with it is okay. I bought an attachable telescoping antenna, which I have not tried yet. I live 60 miles away from most radio stations, and they come in quite clearly, even with the wire antenna. Some were a little bit fuzzy, but moving the little wire around helps. My only critique, is that Crosley should have just gone ahead and provided a built in telescoping antenna, but you do have the option of adding your own. The antenna port is s slide on style of port, with a pin to socket type of connection and it is not threaded. It is snug though. The CD tray is cleanly integrated into the face of the unit, so should minimize dust issues. The display is digital, and the remote control works nicely. Radio stations come in with programming displays along with the frequency you are tuned to. It will display name of programming, talk show hosts, song titles, etc. CD shows the track numbers, time, etc. You can shuffle play CDs, and you can preset up to 30 stations either using the remote, or by hand by manually pushing buttons on the front of the unit. I played a CD that was compiled on my older Mac in an early version of iTunes, and it played just fine. The manual implies that MP# format may not work, but AIFF formatted discs burned on a computer work fine. I haven't tried any blue tooth features yet, so can't give an opinion on that. I also have not programmed the clock radio and alarm functions yet. This is an excellent unit and a good value for the money. I am purchasing an additional 3 year warantee plan just in case. I would recommend this Crosley stereo for anyone who wants a good sounding fm stereo with CD player, and good high fidelity speakers. It's nicely made, solidly built, beautiful in design, and sounds great.

The sound is actually good

I wanted to love this unit but had to return due to inability of the FM tuner to pick up my favorite local stations. It picked a lot of stations but none that I would listen to, and even they sounded a little fuzzy, even with use in another part of my house. I do live near the ocean and have to use cable to get TV reception. Maybe it’s my area. The unit is very nice looking, easy to use, and the price was great though.

Works like a charm. Easy to set up, and connect to blue tooth or to play CD's and the sound is perfection. Don't ever listen to the radio so the other two ways are perfect for me.