I picked a vintage Dual turntable over a new Audio-Technica and don't regret it

Everyone told me to go modern for reliability, but I grabbed a 1979 Dual 510 for $40 at a garage sale. Spent $60 on a new cartridge and belt, and it has no hum or speed issues after six months. Has anyone else had good luck with an older table over something newer?

2 comments

2 Comments

riverp371d agoMost Upvoted

Good friend of mine found a beat up Pioneer PL-12D at an estate sale for twenty bucks. Looked rough, had a layer of dust on it. He cleaned it up, replaced the RCA cables himself (which was a pain, but he's handy like that), and slapped a cheap Audio-Technica cartridge on it. That was three years ago. Thing still runs dead quiet with no motor noise, and he's never had to touch it since. Meanwhile, his neighbor's brand new entry level Sony table developed a weird speed wobble after about eight months.

wesleyjohnson23h ago

Happens all the time with older stuff... feels like they just built things to last back then, while now it's all about getting you to buy the next thing when the first one breaks.