spinning vinyl again

[macvisual]

Hi all,

I picked up this vintage Dual 504 turntable yesterday, it was given to me free, all I paid for was postage (£8.40), lucky me eh...

Haven't had a turntable for a while now, so enjoying my new spinner along with my old Linn K5 cart fed into my standard phono section of my A&R Alpha (1980's) amp. Been playing Stevie Ray Vaughan - Sade - Fiona MacKenzie - Roxy Music - Scott Hamilton -

Sounds good for such a basic turntable set-up, here's a photo;

http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo268/macvisual/5329_trim.jpg

[rusty bearing]

I seem to remember it was considered a good deck at the time and for free, well yes, lucky you! Looks in very nice condition as well.....

Did have a senior moment when I read your post, thought you said SLade before I realised it were Sade......:doh:

[jandl100]

Looks good, Peter!

I've had a few vinyl revivals over the years. It's a huge amount of fun rediscovering your LP collection, isn't it. :)

[Marco]

Nice one, Peter - it's always good to see someone getting into vinyl again :)

Enjoy! :cool:

Marco.

[macvisual]

Yes having fun playing mainly jazz style albums again, I've only 450 lp's so need to expand and start buying again...

Love this hobby!

[alexthemusicbloke]

Got a 505 in my second system - superb deck when you consider how affordable they were in comparison to high-end TTs at the time. Can now be picked up for next-to-nothing (or free of course).

[MartinT]

Nice one, Peter. A friend of mine had a 505 and it was a good deck. Great to go through old vinyl again, rediscovering forgotten numbers :)

[macvisual]

As mine is the 504 model, I take it then it's the model below the 505 series? I'm not well up on the Dual range of turntables.

Does my 504 mean its lower down the turntable range so to speak?

[synsei]

If I recall correctly the 504 was an earlier incarnation of the 505 and the differences between the two are slight. When I got back into vinyl again a couple of years ago I picked up a 506 (essentially the same deck) from ebay for 20 quid and it wasn't too shabby at all. Mine was supplied with an Ortofon OM20 cart which helped raise the game somewhat :)

[Audioman]

The 505 was a simplified version I'm sure. Also if I remember right it lost the nice heavy wood plinth for something plastic looking. I have a 506 I inherited but will have to find a cheap cartridge to get it into use and check it's operation. They are now over 30 years old. I think this was the next model up or older ? It has a built in strobe light and the slider type cartridge mount.

Just checked on web - 504 is older 1977-78. 506 is 1979-80. 505 had two versions from 1980-89.

[synsei]

My 506 had quite a lightweight plinth so that may be the case Paul :cool:

[Audioman]

My 506 had quite a lightweight plinth so that may be the case Paul :cool:

The 506 plinth is wood/heavy surround but plastic base. Think the 505 or at least later ones were lighter.

[synsei]

Well it was a lightweight compared to its successor, which was a Thorens TD316. It wasn't a bad sounding old bus though especially with the OM20 fitted. The 316 had it licked on resolution, dynamics and just about everything else ;) I wish I hadn't let the OM20 go with the Dual when I sold it, it might have given the 900IGC a run for the money :eyebrows:

[DSJR]

The 504 was earlier and SUPERIOR IMO to the 505's, which took cost and mass cutting too far I think.

The 504 can take some serious cartridges too, but try a different mat if the existing one can easily be removed (maybe an acri-mat or something) and if the mat is stuck fast, don't remove it, just get a Space-mat and plonk it on top as I've done with my 701 :)

[The Grand Wazoo]

The 505 was actually available in two versions concurrently - one with a plastic plinth & another with a wooden plinth that was slightly more expensive, slightly better sounding and far, far better looking.

http://dual-reference.com/tables/505-2a.jpg


http://www.hembrow.eu/personal/cs505top.jpg

[synsei]

My 506 had the same type of plinth as the one in your second pic Chris. Loving the plinth on the 505-2 btw ;)

[macvisual]

So why was there so many 505 separate models?

Like the 505 - 1, 505 - 2, 505 - 3 models etc..?



I'm lost.

[Dingdong]

This thread brings back good memories. My first hifi system was a Dual 505 and an Arcam Alpha amp. Used Heybrook .5's with it.

[The Grand Wazoo]

It sold so well as the de facto budget deck that they cut a few corners to keep the price at, or close to, £100 & re-released it as a new version over & over again.
There must be millions of people who's first hi-fi was a £300 Dual 505/Nad 3020/pick yer favourite budget squawkbox combo.

[synsei]

I may be be recalling this wearing rose tinted glasses but it seems to me that it was far easier to put a decent sounding budget system together back then than it is today... :rolleyes:

[Macca]

I may be be recalling this wearing rose tinted glasses but it seems to me that it was far easier to put a decent sounding budget system together back then than it is today... :rolleyes:

If you want brand new components that's maybe true but if you don't mind used goods there was nothing to compare with a resource like eBay back then.