Back in January, we brought news from Crosley Radio that a rather special turntable was being made to celebrate Record Store Day. More details on the RSD3 mini turntable – which can play 3-inch records only – have now emerged ahead of release on Saturday April 13 in participating independent record stores throughout the US.
"A year's worth of ideation, prototyping and collaboration went into reviving this lost 3-inch record format, which was inspired by a trip to Japan and the factory that made the original '8ban' format," said Crosley's Jason Menard. "Record Store Day and Crosley realized the opportunity we had to bring this format of turntable and record to the US for the first time ever and for the first time worldwide in nearly 15 years."
The mini belt-drive turntable has teeny 6.1 x 2.8 x 4.7 inches (155 x 71 x 119 mm) dimensions and weighs in at 1 lb (0.45 kg) exactly. Crosley has included an AT-3600 Moving Magnet cartridge, pitch control and a fully-supported platter. And the device can be USB or battery powered, the latter courtesy of four AA-sized batteries.
There's a built-in speaker for playback while out and about, and an aux out jack for cabling to an external speaker or to a hi-fi system via the included aux-to-RCA adapter.
Crosley has revealed that the RSD3 will come with a 3-inch vinyl record of Big Me by the Foo Fighters to get folks started on their micro-vinyl journey. Independent record labels will be releasing more 3-inch records throughout 2019, including Bad Religion's My Sanity, Ruby Soho from Rancid and Jack White's Love Interruption.
"When you hold the RSD3 and the 3-inch records in your hands you cannot stop smiling," remarked Record Store Day co-founder Michael Kurtz. "They are a lot of fun, which is what Record Store Day is all about."
The RSD3 mini turntable will be available for one day only on April 13, and is priced at US$69.95 including the unit's clear dust cover and two 3-inch large hole vinyl post adapters. Crosley hasn't revealed exactly which record stores will stock the mini turntable though, so you'll just have to pop down to your local store in person on Saturday and see if there's one in stock.
Source: Crosley Radio
A 3" record will have almost no available area for sleeve-notes, so worse than a CD case......
If this was Dragon's Den, I'd be "out"....
The little player idea is nonsense, vinyl as portable is a great idea, but seldom has it worked, if ever. And this is a gimmick not a serious bit of kit.
Vinyl passion is complex, and currently highly profitable, this kind of nonsense always hangs about at times like these , waiting for faddy nomads to throw money at them without thinking. Remember rabbit phones in the eighties? Similar stuff.
Covers.... Still making me chuckle!🤣