Luvmonterey
Member
I'm new to this site and to vinyl, and looking for some help/advice. I'm on a budget and have been looking at turntables for a while, particularly the UTurn Orbit. I found a 2016 Orbit Custom in new condition with the Ortofon cartridge on CL for $50. The seller also had a Dual 1246 that looked to be in great shape, and the seller said worked fine, for $75, so I bought both. The Dual had problems from the start. The muting switch was out of adjustment and the right channel wasn't working. The seller refunded my $75 but let me keep the turntable. I downloaded the service manual and found someone to work on it locally. The fixed it to the tune of $100 and supposedly lubricated it per the specs in the manual.It worked fine for a few days, but the auto start/queuing stopped working. I took it back and they made some adjustments, and this time it worked for a day. Now when I hit start, the tone arm moves about and inch and shuts off. The auto stop works fine. I really like the vintage look and feel of this table, but it seems about as reliable as an old Fiat at this time. I tried troubleshooting it myself, but I'm afraid that I may do more damage than good. I could take it back for repairs a third time, but I'm not sure the repair tech I'm using is up to the task. At this point I'm only into the table for $25, and the Orbit is working fine, but I do like the Dual. Should I give up on it, or try to find someone more qualified to repair it? I am willing to drive it up to San Jose, or possibly San Francisco if it's worth it. Any advice would be appreciated.