Home > Consumer Reviews > Crosley CR38CD Sleigh Radio with CD Player

I got this radio a few years ago and it has the look of a 1936 Sparton Model 558 for sure, not the 557 like mentioned in another review, totally wrong Model. C.D. cover never worked right from the start, but as I really did not need a C.D. player, no big thing. The dial light bulbs (4) lasted maybe a year, then one at a time they went dark. Well I like the dark. Now after one year ten months the Auxiliary on it has a loud hum. It looks good, but lacks any quality I feel. Think I will try the old tube stuff this time. (Some) New stuff seems like junk.

The Crosley Sleigh Radio CR-38 is all the good things reviewers say it is, and is sure to get a lot of attention from people who will be convinced it's an original. With a few slight changes, it is indeed a stunningly real looking copy of the 1938 Sparton blue mirror glass and wood cabinet. It has the feel and weight of an original.

I rated this item only three stars because there is one well-publicized problem with the lid lift operation (for access to the compact disk playing area) that plagues this radio, and which I hope the manufacturer is looking into. I have had two radios that failed after about a day, and both failures were due to the lift/lowering action of the lid.

The nature of the problem I was having with both radios was verified by a technical representative of a Crosley distributor. Specifically, in both cases, the problem was caused by a faulty lower cutoff switch, which is improperly designed and positioned and which would not allow the lift motor to turn off after the lid closed. The result was a noisy clicking or clunking sound as the lift gears continued to turn at the end of the track after reaching the bottom of the lid return cycle.

I believe that people along the production and distribution line are now aware of this problem. What they are going to do about it is not known, but they are probably going to have to redesign the switch to fit properly and perform its shutoff function efficiently.

A spokesperson for one of the distributors said that not all switches fail after a few lifts, but are likely prone to failure in the long term. So my advice is, until you see this radio sold with a banner that says, "new and improved" or some such label, I would not invest the money right now. However, if you just want a beautiful piece of Art Deco repro, or are content to just play the radio and look at the sheer beauty of this unit, by all means, give it a try. For that, it would be well worth the price.

This is a wonderful piece of art, and it also sounds great. Radio reception is good - as noted at least as good or better than most car radios - and the sound fidelity is fine. We couldn't be more pleased, if only the lid worked!

Our experience is the same as the first reviewer, we've had two defective units now where the lid mechanism failed. If only they had used a "retro" hydraulic lid support, simple and fail-safe, instead of the servo unit that, according to the manufacturer, is not robust enough for the rigours of parcel shipping.

We're now waiting on a third unit, and cannot say enough to praise the good folk at Retro Wonders for their diligence and concern in taking care of our problems.

The Crosley Sleigh Radio was inspired by the Spartan Radio, one of the most elegant Art Deco radios of the 1930's. Unfortunately, I do not have the resources to pay $3-4,000 for an original radio. The Crosley Sleigh radio is an economical substitution for the original.

On the surface, the Crosley Sleigh radio is a beautifully sculptured radio with the added bonus of a CD Player and a FM tuner. However, the most serious problem with the radio is the top lid that raises and lowers to provide access to the CD Player. The mechanism that raises and lowers the lid does not work very well. I noticed this problem with the first radio that I purchased. I returned it to the vendor and received a second radio. That second radio had the identical problem. I believe it is a design flaw.

The bottom line is that this is a beautiful radio with a serious flaw. I am willing to live with this flaw because it looks great in the living room of my 1939 International Style house. Learn to live with the flaw or start saving to purchase the orignal Spartan Radio.

The Crosley Sleigh is a magnificent piece of Art Deco sculpture! This must be the reason why people back in the 1930's used to sit around and watch their radios. It's a substantial piece of equipment with real glass and chrome, not a disappointing flimsy imitation.

The mirrored sides are not the overwhelming neon blue they appear to be in the photo on this page; it's more of a dark cobalt blue and in low incadescent light it looks black.

I would have been content with the appearance alone, but the sound is amazing! Even with the volume turned up loud enough to fill the house the sound stays pure and clear.

The CD player is revealed by pressing a button on the left side which starts a motor that slowly raises the lid to reveal the CD playing mechanism and the controls. Most small CD players start reading the disk when you close the lid, but with the Sleigh the CD is held in place and played by a small black arm that is reminiscent of a phonograph. The practicality of the arm becomes apparent right away - you'll want to leave the lid open while you're playing CDs. If the lid is closed you won't be able to get at the PLAY, SKIP, REPEAT, STOP, PAUSE buttons.

The radio part of the package is more than satisfactory. Without resorting to the wire antenna the Sleigh picks up all the normal stations around here and a few that weren't coming in well on the Sony boombox (with telescoping antenna).

There may be potential problems with the mechanized lid and the CD playing arm. They seem to be well made, but I'm just leary of mechanical parts. I'm planning to treat those delicately.

Overall, the Sleigh is gorgeous and sounds great! I love it!