I have decided it is time to revive my old deck, so I have been searching for a few spares and service items online.

 

Parts are both difficult (because the maker went bust 20 odd years ago), and easy (because the maker raided the Rega parts bin), but what I stumbled across amazed me.

 

Some old "entry level" decks like the Dual CS505 are changing hands for over £700!!! To put that in context, my 505 cost £99 new, and I dont remember any variant costing more than £220 before production ended.

 

So if anyone has an old deck/arm/cartridge they dont want, please feel free to post it to me

I have a Pioneer PL12D deck. This was a good deck back in the day.

I have a Technics deck from the late 1970's and spares are still available.

I have decided it is time to revive my old deck, so I have been searching for a few spares and service items online.

 

Parts are both difficult (because the maker went bust 20 odd years ago), and easy (because the maker raided the Rega parts bin), but what I stumbled across amazed me.

 

Some old "entry level" decks like the Dual CS505 are changing hands for over £700!!! To put that in context, my 505 cost £99 new, and I dont remember any variant costing more than £220 before production ended.

 

So if anyone has an old deck/arm/cartridge they dont want, please feel free to post it to me

 

My CS505 (Mk 2 deluxe - with the rosewood effect finish) is currently being sold by a local music shop. Still in full working order (bought new belts on ebay six or seven years back). It'd be nice if it gets that price but I suspect it won't get any where near. Think it was around £115 new, back in '85.

In the old days of vinyl, I used to have a Linn Sondek. 

 

EXCELLENT quality it was too.  :yes:

I am resurrecting my Manticore; when I first got it my step father (Rega Planar 3 with the old R200 arm), had a fit - and went out and spent over £1,000 on a Linn LP12/Basik+ set-up, only to find it STILL didnt sound as good, so he blew another £1,000+ on the psu and arm board upgrades and then more on the Ittock tone arm.

 

To this day I dont think he realises it doesnt sound as good because there is a bloody great sofa blocking the sound from the £3,000 speakers.

 

Stupidly, I didnt bookmark the site where I saw them asking £700 for a CS505. I remember the rosewood model, and lusting after it - until I got offered the Manticore in a "fire sale" (guy was getting divorced and didnt want his wife to get her hands on it).

Oh good. This is one of these posts I'm not going to get unduly distressed by - as its doubtful that a Garrad SP75 Mk 3 worth anything. Or is it ?

 

Same goes for books ? No.  Much to my surprise I noticed that Amazon was selling several  old Putnam aviation books that I have for £600 a pop - original price in the 1980/90s - £25-40 depending on the volume.

 

 

Postscript

 

Nah. I was right. E-bay wants £50-60 for one. Probably about £40 when purchased in 1974. A loss in real terms.

 

 

N

Edited 18 January, 201511 yr by Clunkclick

In the old days of vinyl, I used to have a Linn Sondek. 

 

EXCELLENT quality it was too.   :yes:

 

Still got mine - Linn Sondek Axis    Never quite made it to an LP12.

 

Can't remember when I last played any vinyl.  And it appears to be worth very little indeed  :wonder:  

 

Gaz

I always considered the Axis to be a bit of a dog (for the money); but then I always considered the LP12 to be a bit over rated - I always wanted the Mitchell GyroDec.

 

BTW, some of those old Garrads are worth some money.

 

ABTW, never take Ebay prices as gospel, you dont know the condition of the books for starters, and often it is a case of supply and demand anyway, if several are up for sale at the same time - prices will be lower.

I'm running my Brother-in-Laws Mitchell Focus One with a Linn Basik LVV tone arm, still run it up about once a month.

 

Running through a Arcam 8i and 8P bi-amping a pair of Kef Q15 speakers (which are probably the weakest part of the setup).

You`re not going to believe this but I was just about to post that many years ago I inherited my Dad`s old Dual turntable but thought I`d thrown it out when I switched to CD.

 

My daughter decided to empty and sort out her wardrobe and guess what was lurking at the back buried under her old junk

 

 

£700 anyone??

 

I thought I`d found the instructions for it but when I opened them up they were for my Pioneer PL-514 which I did throw out

pair of 1210's in the loft, i'll never sell them

pair of 1210's in the loft, i'll never sell them

Certainly the best looking deck!

 

On display in the Science Museum too http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/online_science/explore_our_collections/objects/index/smxg-507828?keywords=Technics

They were part of an exhibition on how science shaped the world. Apparently something like half the worlds population have heard music that's been played on a 1210!

 

Sadly Panasonic stopped making them in 2010. Glad I bought a new one in time!

My father-inh-law has a Dual - I'll tell him not to dump it!

 

I have a Michell Hydraulic Reference with Michell Fluid arm that is regularly used.  I enquired a few years ago re the value from Transcriptors and they suggested around the £750 mark second hand but did note that they still make the Hydraulic Reference and that a new one would be around £2,600...

 

Needless to say it aint going nowhere!

 

The one below isn;t mine but is very similar (I have a slightly different lid hinge and feet and also have no stylus or record brushes.

I found the instructions for mine, but after I'd taken the deck in to the shop!

 

pair of 1210's in the loft, i'll never sell them

One of my biggest regrets is selling my 1210's. :no:

1210? That is a disco deck isnt it??

 

Hopefully, with the vinyl resurgence,  MM/MC costs will start to fall as well; I nearly had a heart attack when I saw what a decent, budget MC cart costs these days; I am really mourning the loss of my Ortophon MC20 Super, which vanished in transit during a house move 15 years ago.

1210? That is a disco deck isnt it??

I think perhaps you sell it a little short, a better description IMHO would be the weapon of choice for DJ's the world over for probably the best part of 25yrs.

But yes, in essence a 'disco deck' I seem to remember one of the Hi-Fi magazines once concluded that the motor, stability and sheer robustness of the Technics 1200/1210 meant that it was actually a damn good base for a hi-fi deck, only let down by the relatively poor quality tone arm.

1210? That is a disco deck isnt it??

 

Hopefully, with the vinyl resurgence,  MM/MC costs will start to fall as well; I nearly had a heart attack when I saw what a decent, budget MC cart costs these days; I am really mourning the loss of my Ortophon MC20 Super, which vanished in transit during a house move 15 years ago.

 

I know the feeling - I looked up the price of a OE replacement stylus for an Ortofon VMS20e a while ago...   nearly fell off my chair compared to an aftermarket one!

I guess they manufacture them in such small quantities these days that they have to price them accordingly. And at the price for an Ortofon VMS20e I might be worried about actually placing it on some of my old vinyl for fear of damaging it!!

 

1210's are rock solid and the high torque direct drive meant that DJ's could queue up the track with the needle on the record with it sitting on a slip mat and hold the record until the track was required. Let go and there's no delay in response or discernible cranking up to 33 or 45 rpm.

Kuetsu's were/are hand made, so the production volume doesnt really change - I suspect it is more the lack of competition - only a few players left in the market - big or small.

Some might have a look on here,for more ancient advice- http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/index.php

I am using a relatively recent Projekt Debut 2 with a quality phono pre-amp. No means vintage, but sounds pretty good. Needs a new sylus though.

 

Vinyl is making a bit comeback, my mums local HMV has a substantial range of LPs taking up nearly a quarter of the store and there are always people flicking through the albums just like the old days.

 

You can actually buy almost the entire top 20 albums on Vinyl these days as well as digital download and CD.

Brought mine back from the vaults a while back and thoroughly enjoying the Vinyl collection once again. Interesting point about old HiFi value as there cant be many electronic items of the 70-90 period that still command a good price long after there best. Got a Linn LP12, Naim combo pushing 30 years that still deliver the goods even though I'm aware a recap and service is in order. Even more of a surprise is that both manufacturers are still in business and offer complete overhaul obviously at a price!

 

Worked in a HiFi shop that sold Linn,Thorens,Rega,Dunlop,Dual ,Pioneer and Trio turntables and at a time(80's) for me when HiFi had more of a buzz about it.(starting to happen again mind you).There was another shop a 100 yards away that dealt with the less mainstream audio brands and we would often spend late nights comparing kit(sad isn't it).

They supplied Townshend, Michell, Pink Triangle, Maple Knoll and Manticore some of which a contender to the throne of ultimate turntable(at the time).

Have to admit for me it was the trusty Linn LP12-ITTOK-Karma,Naim 42-110, Linn Kan mk1 combination that consistently hit the spot. Few of my old friends went to Townshend and Pink Triangle for there fix both great turntables, both in need of repair unfortunately. Nice to see the high street stocking Vinyl once again, especially when the industry tried its best to banish it for good.

 

Dual 505 became answer to many a students first rung on the ladder to HiFi Nirvana in the late 70s to early eighties. It was interesting to see/hear how many had come from listening to there parents Gerrard,BSR and get the bug. Laskys were chucking out Amstrad TP12D(Rega Planet copy) with there favoured Trio/Aurex combinations while we did our best to push Denon/NAD amps with Kef Coda/MS20 or AR18 Speakers. If they were feeling flush and didn't hear the difference a Rega3 turntable made then it would be Nytech, Naim or AR as an integrated to accompany the turntable/speaker package. There's no doubt the 505 did a heck of a lot to boost the industry but can never remember an instance where it held a candle to a LP12 , this isn't hifi snobbery its just fact. Long may the Vinyl resurgence continue!

A Dual CS505 could never rival the LP12, but the Manticore could and did, for a fraction of the LP12's price. Obviously Linn brought out more and more (expensive) kits and Manticore went bust; but I still remember my step father having to treble the cost of his original LP12 before he was confident it sounded better than my Manticore/RB300/OM20Super.

 

I visited one of my uncles late last year, he STILL owns the CS505 I recommended to him back in the early 1980s, and it is still in regular use.