Do you like vinyl audio’s retro style and portability? Find out which is the best suitcase record player for you and your budget in our expert review.
What’s the Best Quality Suitcase Record Player for the Money?
The suitcase record player is a modern classic. In the days of the laserdisc and the CD-ROM, the vinyl record remains superior to the newcomers.
The vinyl grooves can store musical information that the digital formats cannot due to limited space. Today we have Blue Ray™ and streaming, but some still swear by the superiority of the vinyl record.
Nothing can compare to that sweet and warm analog sound that vinyl record players produce. Read on to see a few of the best quality suitcase record players on the market today.
We certainly hope you benefit from the information we provide in this article! Just so you know, we may receive compensation if you use the links on this page. If you do, thank you so much!
Top 5 Vintage Style Suitcase Record Players Comparison Chart:
| Product | Image | Features | Editor’s Rating | Relative Price |
| * Editor’s PicK! *
#1 Best Overall Value Victrola Bluetooth Suitcase Record Player |
 |
Built-in Bluetooth integration that allows it to connect with other devices
3-speeds that adjust playback to suit the music played |
(4.3) |
$$$ |
#2 Best Budget Unit
DIGITNOW Suitcase Record Player |
|
Unique LCD with backlighting
USB recording to convert Vinyl records into Mp3 |
(4.2) |
$$ |
#3 Two Year Guarantee
1byone Portable Stereo Turntable |
|
Selectable speeds for the best playback setting
Dynamic, balanced tone arm with soft dampening control |
(4.2) |
$$ |
#4 Tons of Colors
Crosley Cruiser Deluxe Vintage Suitcase Record Player |
|
Wireless music streaming via Bluetooth connectivity
Dynamic full range stereo sound that maximizes vinyl |
(4.0) |
$$$ |
#5 Twelve Month Warranty
Musitrend Portable Suitcase Record Player |
|
Vinyl to MP3 recording allows you to preserve precious records
Stylish wooden cabinet with PU leather interiors |
(3.7) |
$$ |
The Best Retro Suitcase Turntables & Record Players Reviewed
1. Best Suitcase Record Player: Victrola Vintage Bluetooth Suitcase Record Player
Victrola Bluetooth Suitcase Record Player
The Victrola portable suitcase record player is a true classic that has plenty of valuable features, including built-in Bluetooth technology for wireless music streaming.
It’s a portable turntable that can be brought with you on your travels so you can enjoy vinyl records wherever you go.
Overview of the Victrola Vintage Record Player:
- Three-speed turntable (33 1/3, 45, 78 RPM) plays all your favorite records at the speed required for optimum quality
- Built-in Bluetooth to wirelessly play music from your Bluetooth enabled device. No need for awkward connectors or plugs. No need to get wires tangled up.
- Portable carrying case for easy traveling
Product Highlights
The Victrola Bluetooth Suitcase is a classic design from a company that first started making record players in 1906. It comes with a stylish look that will complement any library.
It combines a classic look with all the bells and whistles of modern technology to give you the best of both worlds.
You could say that the Victrola Vintage is a piece of art of the contemporary classicism genre, marrying amazing classic design with modern technology.
The Good – What We Like
We’re fond of the stylish design and the ability to use Bluetooth technology to connect it to other devices. The latter means you can use the Victrola to stream music that isn’t on Vinyl.
The variable speed play is a default on all devices like this since not all Vinyl is meant to be played at the same RPM. Nevertheless, we can appreciate that Victrola allows you to slow down or speed up the replay speed.
The Bad – What We Don’t Like
The Victrola cannot record music from the vinyl to a different format. we know it has a lot of great features. But we”ve come to expect that today’s modern vinyl players should allow you to transfer music to a USB or some other device.
Transferring music will enable you to preserve your music if the vinyl gets damaged.
Victrola Vintage Suitcase Record Player Key Points
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- Stylish design
- 3-speed playback
- RCA-jack allows you to listen in private
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- No ability to transfer Music to USB
- Bluetooth cannot connect to speakers, needs RCA jack
- Speakers can fail quickly
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Are Victrola Customers Happy? >>
2. Best Budget Unit: DIGITNOW Suitcase Record Player
DIGITNOW Suitcase Record Player with Multi-functions
The DIGITNOW Record Player is a new entry to the budget Record Player market. Among our picks, it is one of the most affordable.
It comes will all the bells and whistles you would expect from a turntable suitcase. Then it adds a few more value-added features to complete the package.
Overview:
- Three-speed turntable (33, 45, 78 RPM) plays all your favorite records at the speed required for optimum quality
- Allows USB recording to convert vinyl music to USB
- FM radio receiver allowing the DIGITNOW Record Player to double as a radio
- The LCD screen with backlighting
- RCA line to connect to headphones or an auxiliary speaker
Highlights of the DIGITNOW Suitcase Record Player
The DIGITNOW Record Player is unique in that it includes an FM radio receiver. This feature is a call back to the past where the vinyl record player eventually expanded to include a lot of other features.
The DIGITNOW Suitcase Player has all the features of a hipster iPod or Mp3 player because it can play all the formats that existed in the 20th Century.
The Good – What We Like
We like how the 1DIGITNOW Suitcase Record Player can act as a kind of radio which adds a unique function for hipsters who want to harken back to the days when radio was the primary tool for broadcasting.
The ability to record radio or vinyl to USB is a great way to preserve music.
The Bad – What We Don’t Like
The DIGITNOW Suitcase Player is a relatively cheap vinyl turntable, and you get what you pay for. It doesn’t look durable, and it is doubtful that it can survive six months of constant use.
While the “save to USB” feature is excellent, the quality of the saved music is not top notch.
DIGITNOW Suitcase Record Player Key Points
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- FM radio receiver
- 3-speed playback
- Save FM radio to Vinyl playback to USB
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- Cheap construction
- The turntable is not the most durable
- Poor playback quality
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What Do DIGITNOW Customers Tihnk? >>
3. Great 2 Year Guarantee: 1byone Portable Stereo Turntable with Built-in Speakers
1byone Portable Stereo Turntable with Built in Speakers
The 1byone Belt-Drive Briefcase Turntable is the best of both worlds. It is both trendy and retro. It is about average in terms of price, but it has features that will impress you.
The 1byone Belt-Drive Turntable comes in a stylish leather case with an integrated handle so you can take it anywhere you want.
Overview of the 1byone Portable Turntable:
- Three-speed turntable (33, 45, 78 RPM) plays all your favorite records at the speed required for optimum quality
- A stylish and portable carrying case for easy traveling.
- Dynamic balance/tonearm with soft damping control
- RCA and headphone jack outputs
- Front-facing built-in stereo speakers
Product Highlights
The 1byone Suitcase Turntable’s best features are the dynamic balance/tonearm with soft damping control and the front-facing built-in stereo speakers.
With variable playback speed, the 1byone Turntable is excellent for listening to music that requires fine-tuning.
The Good – What We Like
The 1byone Portable Briefcase Record Player is a stylish design that is meant to be a conversation piece wherever you bring it.
We like the Dynamic balance/tonearm because Vinyl can be a fickle medium, and you need excellent control to get the most out of your music. The look of the 1byone Belt-Drive Briefcase Turntable is also an aspect that we liked.
The Bad – What We Don’t Like
The front facing speakers on the 1byone Briefcase Turntable are fragile and tend to break down quickly. Sound distorts when the volume is turned up.
You have to keep the volume to around half-way to prevent any sound distortion of the playback.
1byone Portable Stereo Turntable Key Points
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- Front-facing speakers
- 3-speed playback
- Pitch control
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- The player deck is flimsy
- Speakers breakdown quickly
- Sound distortion at high volume
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Read What 1byone Customers are Saying! >>
4. Most Color Styles: Crosley Cruiser Deluxe Suitcase Record Player
Crosley Cruiser Deluxe Vintage Bluetooth Suitcase Record Player
The Crosley Cruiser Deluxe is a highly mobile three-speed turntable that received an essential improvement with Bluetooth and pitch control. The Cruiser Deluxe can use Bluetooth so you can stream your music from your phone.
The Cruiser Deluxe comes in a stylish leatherette. It comes with built-in stereo speakers, so it is all you need to enjoy your music.
While a bit pricey, the Cruiser Deluxe Record Player is an excellent choice for those who want a premium option.
Overview:
- Three-speed turntable (33 1/3, 45, 78 RPM) plays all your favorite records at the speed required for optimum quality
- Built-in Bluetooth to wirelessly play music from your phone.
- Portable carrying case for easy traveling
- Adjustable pitch control
- RCA and headphone Jack outputs
What Do Crosley Cruiser Owners Think? >>
Highlights of the Crosley Cruiser Deluxe Suitcase Record Player
The Cruiser Deluxe’s best features are its adjustable pitch control and the use of Bluetooth connectivity. Adjustable pitch control is what it says. It does allow even greater control of the output.
With Bluetooth connectivity, the Cruiser Deluxe can be a booster for music stored on your phone.
The Bad – What We Like
We like the pitch control because it combines with the playback speed for even greater control of how the recording plays.
The cute design is like a modern adaptation of traditional suitcase players because the color allows it to stand out in most rooms.
The Bad – What We Don’t Like
Considering its price point, Crosley’s Cruiser Deluxe is not known for its durability. Most reviews comment on how the Crosley Cruiser tends to break down sooner than expected.
Also, the playback quality is below what people hope for the price point.
Crosley Cruiser Deluxe Suitcase Key Points
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- Stylish design
- 3-speed playback
- Pitch control
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- Below average playback quality
- No ability to transfer Music to USB
- Questionable durability
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5. Twelve Month Warranty: Musitrend Portable Suitcase Record Player
Musitrend Portable Suitcase Record Player with Built-in Speakers
The Musitrend Suitcase Turntable bucks the trend among our choices today. While others may use leather or plastic as the casing, the Musitrend housing is made of wood to give it that air of authenticity.
It’s at the high end of our price range. It offers saving to USB functionality to allow you to preserve Vinyl in a different format.
Overview:
- Three-speed turntable (33 1/3, 45, 78 RPM) plays all your favorite records at the speed required for optimum quality
- Vinyl to MP3 Recording
- Built-in Stereo Speakers
- Comes with a free replacement stylus
- RCA Line to connect to headphones or the auxiliary speaker
Highlights of the Musitrend Portable Suitcase Record Player
The Musitrend Record Player comes in a stylish wooden case. It can record on MP3 the music from your vinyl. Copying the music will preserve it past the life of your vinyl.
This suitcase style player comes with built-in stereo speakers and an RCA line so you can choose between playing the music out loud or listen privately on your own.
The Bad – What We Like
We like the ability to your vinyl to USB because it allows us to preserve music in case the vinyl breaks.
The wooden case is also a big plus considering that this makes it unique among our picks today.
We also like the replacement stylus since we know that part tends to breakdown. Compared to the other picks here, the sound quality is excellent.
The Bad – What We Don’t Like
Our only caveat with the Portable Musitrend Record Player is that the carrying case has an awkward handle, but at this point, this is just a nitpick. Another nitpick is the price.
This record player is the most expensive among the picks we reviewed. While you get what you pay for in terms of quality, the price is still a tough ask for a casual audiophile who wants to have a turntable.
Musitrend Suitcase Record Player Key Points
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- Great sound quality
- 3-speed playback
- Save vinyl playback to USB
- Unique design
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- Carrying case has awkward design
- Spare stylus suggests stylus will break easily
- The user interface needs work
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Read What Musitrend Owners are Saying! >>
Suitcase Record Player Buyer’s Guide
We’ve listed some inexpensive portable record players. Now, we have to decide which one of them meets your needs. Read on to see how we would choose the best portable record player or turntable for your own use.
Sound Quality
Sound quality is paramount. Before any other consideration, the point of a portable record player is to be able to play music. Hence, sound quality is vital.
Unfortunately, at this price range, your picks will often boil down to which one is the least poor. At this price point, playback quality can be rather weak.
Still, if you understand the intricacies of vinyl playback, you can comprehend what you can expect.
Compatibility
Another key feature is its compatibility with other devices. We get it: a record player has to be able to play a vinyl record. But it should also be able to connect to other devices.
Most of the choices we included here have an RCA jack so you can connect it to a headset or a set of speakers to amplify the volume.
Some of the choices we have here can play music via Bluetooth. In effect, the turntables can be used to play music streamed from your phone to your record player. This feature is of secondary value.
But it still creates another use for your record player since it saves you the hassle of bringing speakers to stream music from your phone.
One of our picks can even play FM radio. This feature assumes you still want to listen to FM radio. But it is a great call back to the time that record player were effectively the iPods of their era.
Recording
The ability to record vinyl music into USB is an essential feature for me. we know that vinyl breaks down eventually. But by converting the music to a digital format, we can preserve it for the future.
For many, this seems immaterial since most music is available online anyway. But for us, the ability to transfer our treasured vinyl is a unique selling point.
Suitcase Record Player FAQs
How does it play vinyl?
Record players use the stylus to “read” the groves of the vinyl and then translate the grooves into music.
The record player is probably the first technology that reads data written onto a surface and converts it into music. The changes in the depth and width of the groves are what creates the music we enjoy.
It is a form of analog transcription that predates our digital technology. The first vinyl music players did not need electricity and could function using mechanical energy from hand cranking.
Are these record players electric?
Yes, we have evolved well past the days when we needed to use mechanical power to run our equipment. Using electricity allows us to enjoy our music player wherever we go.
Some turntables can function using batteries; others require a power source.
Are suitcase record players durable?
Unfortunately, at this price range, record players can be somewhat fragile. They are meant to be conversation pieces and unique music players.
They may not stand up to constant use. If you want a more durable model, consider investing in a record player or turntable that is higher up the price range.
Still, with careful use and proper maintenance, your record player can last a long time. Just remember, it is a conversation piece and a hipster’s novelty item. It exists to show how classy you are and is not meant to be your go-to as a music player.
How does Bluetooth integrate with the record player?
Bluetooth is effectively a short-range radio. Our phones have it and most of the record players we listed here have it. It allows the two devices to “talk” to each other.
Without getting into too much detail into how they function, the Bluetooth technology effectively allows your phone or another mobile device to transmit information to your turntable smoothly.
Instead of replaying analog information from the stylus reading the grooves of a vinyl record, the record player’s speakers will play the digital information it downloads from its Bluetooth receiver.
It can also be a means of exchanging information from the turntable to the Bluetooth receiver.
Bluetooth is an essential feature if you wish to record music from your record player and turn it into an MP3 audio file. It’s helpful if you don’t have a USB cord lying around.
How does the record player record to USB / MP3?
The recording process is a miracle of technology. we already covered how the stylus reads analog information from the vinyl and then relays that information to the speakers to create music.
The same analog sound data can also be transcribed into an MP3 format and then transferred to a USB storage device.
What makes this interesting is that in the vinyl players we covered here, the analog data converts seamlessly into digital data and then is recorded into the storage device.
While MP3 is not the best format and some sound fidelity is lost in the translation, we’re satisfied by the quality. It will allow you to transfer music from vinyl that you do not have ready access to in the digital world.
It also gives you the advantage of enjoying the vinyl record music without carrying a “portable” turntable around. After all, an MP3 player or an iPod is more compact.
Compare Featured Affordable Suitcase Record Players:
Wrapping it Up: Which Suitcase Record Player Provides the Best Value?
What is the best suitcase record player? Without a doubt, the Victrola Bluetooth Record Player is the best vintage suitcase record player.
It has all the features we want, especially the streaming feature that gives the ability to not just enjoy your vinyl records, but virtually any music source that’s digitized..
It’s also the most durable, long standing brands we covered here, which is crucial because a name that has stood the test of time means they’ve done something right.
Finally, it has a stylish case that we love to carry around with us. And considering it comes in enough amazing finishes to satisfy virtually any color palette, it makes a great conversation starter between fellow new audiophiles.
EDITOR’S PICK!
Victrola Bluetooth Suitcase Record Player
- Overall Build Quality
- Overall Sound Quality
- Overall Value Factor
Summary
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