Opinions on vintage Dual turntables

The 1019, the 1219, the CS 5000, and yes the new models rock too.

The CS 5000 is my favorite! I own 3 of them.

i wwned the 701 and 721 DD tables and was very pleased with them for close to 20 years. Speed control finally bit the dust on the 721 but only after thousands of hours of play. I moved on to a denon before stepping into the heavy mass belt driven tables.

What is your budget? I'm a long time Dual fan but I upgraded from a CS5000 to a Rega P3 (years ago) and the P3 really bested the Dual very easilly. There may be some nice competition in the price range you are considering. How many hrs on your cartridge and what is your phonostage?

Good Questions. I really don't have a budget, just looking for value. I will be using the phono section of my McIntosh integrated. The stylus is brand new in the cart which is a Shure Type IV. I always like the German made Duals, very fine tone arms and i found they out performed the Japanese TT's of the day.

I recently had a vintage Dual (Direct Drive model) which was fully serviced and up to spec. A Rega P3, maybe even P2, destroys it.

Aside from an emotional, or "soft spot" as you say, attachment there is little value in seeking out older Duals if performance is your primary criteria.

As others have noted, newer products from Rega, MusicHall, etc. will smoke the Duals.

If you're committed to retro, look to Denon, Micro Seiki, Luxman, etc.

IMO

Advise well taken. I like the convenience of the automatics as I'm not always poised to lift the tonearm at the end of the record. Is there a drop-oof in performance, probably. Will I hear it, not sure..

There are a number of semi-automatics from Denon, Pioneer, Yamaha, Technics etc. that provide both convenience and performance.

I don't know why there is such a concentration for these older designs. I had a Dual 731Q, that was at its time the best from all. When I did listen the first time to an Oracle TT from one of my buddies at that time, I thought, I am in the wrong Universe. I sold it. And never looked back.
But, when you like this Company, what they made they made it right. But it was for Mass Market. But I have a similar opinion to other brands of this era, too.

A lot of it is nostalgia I guess but the German engineering in some models was spot on. I picked up a nice 1228 and will give that a try. Thanks all!