thoughts? going cheap / 2nd hand at NZ$250 - is this a lot for it?

Originally posted by GeniX

thoughts? going cheap / 2nd hand at NZ$250 - is this a lot for it?



Paid $50 USD for mine. Mint condition. Came with original box, complete instructions, platter matter and advertisement.

You be the judge as I do not know the currency exchange but that does appear to be a little high Genix.

Currecy exchange is:

NZD $250 = USD $122

So on the steep side - you would want it to be A1 mint with manuals, spares etc.

There will be a slight premium just because it's a smaller market.

Was that advertised in the Trade & Exchange? Paper?

2nd-hand sold from an audio store. may have been a trade-in.

Great well at least you will be able to see exactly what sort of condition it is in. Have them test it for you while you watch.

Also maybe the store will offer a 90 day guarantee on it as well?

Also check to see what type of cartridge it is being sold with. Go into the store, have a look, and post back here with the make/serial number. The guys here will tell you whether the cartridge is good/average/poor.

The store are not close enough to do that sort of thing. Best I could do is to email and ask for serial numbers and such.

I was just wondering if 'vintage' (if thats what this is) tt's are up-to-scratch ??

Provided they are in fine working order, then yes they are up to scratch.

In anycase the cartridge determines 80% of the quality of the sound, and the cartridge can be replaced with a new one (I would recommend esp if it is looking pretty shabby).

Well, I have found this one as well:
Used Denon DP23F turntable. Great condition, very little use. Just $170. (Remember, all products are freight-free within New Zealand).

The DUAL 506's writeup on the board is:
German made, new Ortofon cartridge and
stylus fitted. Easy choice if you want
to spin a few records but don’t want to
shell out $600 on a new Pro-ject

Im having some difficulty tracking down info on the Denon, but I think that these are the 'specs' (or rather feature list) of the Dual 506:

http://www.compassnet.com/concept/tables/506.htm

I post here so at least some of you can say if its good or not. Still as Drybasement says - he reckons its quite a lot of money for the turntable.

Ofcourse I cannot buy right now - first get the speaker purchase out of the way.. that will determine how much cash I have left (if any).

Ortofon is a good middle of the road cartridge - a good place to start if you are new to vinyl.

The great thing about vinyl is IT'S CHEAP.

About the most expensive thing is the cartridge (it's worth spending the money), the rest (TT, discs) are really cheap. I have found a place which has a huge amount of used vinyl at $1 each! And that's probably on the high-side!

well.. maybe if i offered $200 cash, i can scrape off the extra 50 and make it a bit less pricey (the dual 506 that is).

however, i am getting ahead of myself. or am i? budget costs for the last 3 months have been calculated between myself and my flatmate/landlord. seems things have worked out cheaper than i expected by a good one or two hundred. So I *COULD* have gotten the TT if it werent for the fact that I have bought a 2nd-hand geforce2 gfx card (i got a tnt2 at the moment), and have pre-ordered warcraft3...

Genix,

One last thing concerning the Dual. If you've read the specs then pay attention to where it says cartridge type. Single screw mount. If you want to convert to 1/2 inch standard mount you will need the accessory kit. Now, all Dual 506's sold came with this kit. Make sure it is included. If not included then ask if it has been converted to 1/2 inch standard mount. If the seller is clueless, pass on it. Very important to have this accessory kit. Well, that is if you want a better cartridge. The standard Ortofon supplied is okay but I wanted something a bit better.

The kit included a headshell adapter, alignment jig, hardware, instructions and a tone arm weight to compensate for the heavier cartridges. Mine came with this kit and I converted. I then bought a Grado Prestige Series Red cartrigde for USD $100. Anything in the Grado Prestige Series would work out fine. The Black sells for USD $40.

Good luck. Let us know what comes of it.

Personally, I would favor the Denon. Made in 1985, automatic, belt-drive table, MSRP $375. The quality of the Denon TTs is very, very good (I have a DP-47F from 86 or 87).

good luck with the hunt,
Pete

I snagged a dual 506 in near mint condition for $5CDN at a yard sale about a mont ago. I don't know what availability is like waaay down there but I'd check around before I jumped at that one.
Matt

Genix if it was my decision I'd go with the Denon. According to Orion its MSRP was $425 and used retail is $149. The Dual was MSRP $190 and used retail $63. I also don't find Duals to be all that great a TT and I certainly wouldn't pay more for it than a nice Denon TT.


Mike

I also don't find Duals to be all that great a TT and I certainly wouldn't pay more for it than a nice Denon TT.

HUH?!

Sorry 'bout that! :D

Michael,

Forgive him. Some people are just plain clueless.
BTW, if are you ready to tweak your 1219, give me a buzz for help.
:banana: :banana: :banana:

Seth
Forever Analog

I just bought a Dual 506 for $36 at my local Salivation Army :)

I own a Dual 522 which is just a little higher on the foodchain,and a Denon DP-23f.I like both of them,but the Denon is the one that will go into service as soon as i get a new stylus,but thats only because it came with a Shure V15 Type VMR.Both companies have great reps for quality and reliability as far as their TT's go,so I dont think you can go wrong on either.
Jimmy

Why not offer them a bit less? Tell them you've researched it and the price seems too high, and offer them NZ$175 or NZ$200. Couldn't hurt to try. Cheap Duals are a human right.:thmbsp:

Isn't "Denon" a yogurt? :tongue: