I'm interested in getting into vinyl but on a budget (for now, anyway). I believe my parents have and old Dual 1210 (or something similar) that hasn't been so much as turned on in over a decade. I talked to a shop about it on the weekend and they figure that getting it back into game shape, ie- new cartridge, idler wheel, cables, etc, would run me around $300 CDN or more.
Is it worth it to get this thing restored or would I be better off getting a new budget turntable like the Pro-Ject Debut III, NAD 533 or Goldring GR-1? The new turntable would be a little bit more, but still within the same ballpark. Or should I consider another route entirely?
I would also need a phono preamp which woudl either be the NAD PP2 or the Pro-Ject phono box. They're the same price - any recommendations on which would be a better pick?
Depending on whether the Dual even operates, I would keep it as a record cleaning table. The rim drive gives it substantial torque that you won't find in a new belt drive design.
Otherwise for the investment you would make in the Dual, a new belt drive table would be the wiser choice. The tonearm on the older Dual's will not allow the choice of cartridges that a new table with a Rega RB250/clone will give you. Nor will the old Dual arm extract as much music from the grooves as the new arms of today.
fyang
Unregistered guest
Posted on
thanks, I'm thinking that the 1210 might not be worth the trouble and expense. How about a used Dual 500-series? I see those advertised and on eBay for around $100 in (allegedly) good working condition.