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How about a Dual 502?
- Thread starter baco99
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The 502 dates from the late '70's, and if I recall correctly was Dual's first semi-automatic single-play as opposed to a changer..... also the first belt-drive.
There were lots of quality control issues..... the usual Dual problems with headshell contacts and audio cables, plus defective motors, and mis-adjusted/defective tonearm bearings that eventually broke or fell apart.
That said, it was a good performer when everything was working right and adjusted correctly. Compared to most of the turntables from that era, the suspension system affords good isolation from the acoustic environment (and its own plastic base), and the tonearm with its relatively low effective mass works very well with the better magnetic cartriges. If your sample doesn't exhibit one of the fatal flaws, I say it's a keeper.
just plugged it in and turned it on.
the table spins freely and speed adjusts with the speed knob. there is some rubber "dust" that can be seen under the suspension tray, but it's minimal. tone arm mechanics seem to be in good shape. movement is smooth and not forced. of course, i don't have any records, so hard to really judge the sound.
What's the little round card for on the turntable?
the table spins freely and speed adjusts with the speed knob. there is some rubber "dust" that can be seen under the suspension tray, but it's minimal. tone arm mechanics seem to be in good shape. movement is smooth and not forced. of course, i don't have any records, so hard to really judge the sound.
What's the little round card for on the turntable?
Arkay
Lunatic Member
Nice looking table! I have a 505 - 2. It's been in storage for a bit, bumped out of rotation for a bit. I'll probably end up selling it, as I'm gradually moving up the TT ladder, but it is a very nice TT for what it is. [Only a couple of more high-end/TOTL Japanese TTs are making me relinquish some otherwise quite nice TTs like the Duals.] Now I'll have to dig it back out and compare it with the pics of yours, to see what visible differences there are between the 505 and the 505 - 2. [Anyone know offhand?] Many don't care for the plinth, but I think it looks nice. Not sure why it is described above as plastic, implying cheapness: if I remember right, at least the outer parts are real wood, better than much of the faux-wood vinyl you see so much of.
Mine was in pretty good shape when I got it, but still benefited from a very slight tightening of the tonearm bearings (either beginning to wear just a bit, or else the screws had worked lose; probably the former) and a bit of the usual clean-and-lube "under the hood". Most of what you read online about maintaining other Duals can be easily applied to the 505.
The best thing about mine was that it came with a Shure V-15 MkIII cartridge. The seller didn't realize what cart he'd given up until later; otherwise it would have at least doubled the price!
He still thinks about it, I guess: I saw him just last week, and he asked me if I still had the turntable!
Mine was in pretty good shape when I got it, but still benefited from a very slight tightening of the tonearm bearings (either beginning to wear just a bit, or else the screws had worked lose; probably the former) and a bit of the usual clean-and-lube "under the hood". Most of what you read online about maintaining other Duals can be easily applied to the 505.
The best thing about mine was that it came with a Shure V-15 MkIII cartridge. The seller didn't realize what cart he'd given up until later; otherwise it would have at least doubled the price!
He still thinks about it, I guess: I saw him just last week, and he asked me if I still had the turntable!
soundmotor
super modified
Hey, that's my table too!
Well worth keeping IMO.
Well worth keeping IMO.
The little round card is a 'strobe disc'. If you put the turntable under a flourescant lamp, you should be able to see the lines on the disc appear to stand still when the speed is dead on. If it's running a hair fast, the lines will be creeping ahead, etc. (Much like the stobe lamp that many 'tables have built in).
If you turn the tracking force dial to zero and balance the arm by using the counterweight at the rear (flip down the stylus guard while doing this), and the arm moves up/down freely and without a bunch of loose play, then you have a good one!
Dual sometimes shipped the turntables with a Shure pre-installed. I kinda think that's what the "-2" designation was about.
softmachine
Active Member
The 2 just meant it was the 505 mkII, as far as I know. I think the 502 is below the 505, but it's not at all bad! I would keep it.
The tracking force is applied by a spring, inside the dial on the side of the tonearm.
The dial down below, on the platform, is the anti-skating adjustment, Different shapes of stylii require different amounts of anti-skating force. If you look closely, you'll probably see three scales, one with a circle (for sperical or conical styli), one with an ellipse, for well, elliptical stylii, and the CD-4 covers all the more advanced 'stereohedron', 'line-contact', etc shapes.
First, it's important to make sure that the cartridge is properly aligned in the headshell, and that your tracking force and anti-skating compensation are set correctly for the cartridge.
I'm a newbie here but it would seem that much of the info on how to do that must be on this huge site.