The Dual CS-5000 that I "won" on eBay for $299, arrived today and I'm simply delighted with it in all respects. For starters, it was superbly packaged by its former owner, with all accessories packed separately and clearly noted as to what each item was. Aside from a little bit of dust, it looks just about brand new.

It came with two cartridges: A Shure V/15 Type V, and a lesser Shure, without a stylus in it, but with a separate, 78 stylus packed separately. I connected everything, and tried out the Shure V/15 V, just to see whether or not I liked it. The sound was clean and smooth, but completely lacking in any depth or "punch:" much like that of many other Shure cartridges of the past. Shures always -*test*-('")ed well (which is why Consumer Reports always top-rated them), but never particularly impressed audiophiles.

I then disconnected the Shure, and installed my Stanton Collector's Series CS-1000. What a difference! Everything suddenly came alive, and a few octaves of bass appeared where they didn't exist before. Now I know for sure (no pun intended) that the CS-100 cartridge is infinitely superior to the Type V, but then, what about the turntable?

I don't know whether it's the tonearm geometry, or the micro-processor controlled belt drive, but the sound coming from the CS-5000 is amazingly different than that from the 721 it replaced. Everything sounds better detailed, with more "air" around individual instruments and voices; the soundstage is wider and better defined; the bass is much better in all respects; and, it sounds as if I purchased a new, and better cartridge, even though I'm using the same one I'd been using before.

I've been listening to it now for a while (while a new granite kitchen countertop is being installed) and I'm having a blast. It's reminiscent of the 70's when I bought a new piece of equipment every few months, and then spent hours and hours listening to a particular set of LP's to hear the differences.

A few quibbles though: every now and then, I get a loud hum which is eliminated by twiddling with the rotary connector on the tonearm that affixes the headshell. Either I've had it too tight, or there's an inconsistent connection. It's been working fine for a while now, so maybe that issue is resolved.

Also, when the microprocessors adjust the speed, or turn off, there's often a loud accompanying "crack" through the system which, if I had the volume set high enough, could be potentially damaging to my speakers.

Lastly, the cartridge (both the Shure and the Stanton) picked up acoustic feedback from being too close to the right speaker. Simply moving the turntable about 6" (all I could move it anyway) did the trick.

So, it's back to some more listening. I did compare a couple of LP's and CD's I have of the same material, and in one instance the LP sounded considerably better, but in another the results were the opposite. I'll have to do more comps wherein I have duplicate material on both LP and CD. Still, I don't think I'm going to turn into a "vinyl junkie" any time soon.

Still, the sound coming from this CS-5000 is pretty impressive. It's certainly the best sounding turntable I've ever owned, and that, in and of itself, says a lot!

congrats Ed. hopefully, as you say, the issue with the hum has been resolved. as for the problem with the unit adjusting speed and turning off, perhaps changing the source of your preamp during these operations could be a temporary solution, until a permanent fix is found?

Dual CS-5000 are top-of-the-range of Dual, congrats.

Here's a link for you :
http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk/hfw/oldeworlde...alCS5000tt.html

Bravo, Ed! Congrats.
Regarding the hum, I gently suggest de-oxiting the contacts on both the arm and the headshell.

All seems OK now. The "hum" was a bad, or loose, connection, and is thankfully gone. The feedback is also gone, just by moving the turntable away from the speaker. Now, it's just pure, sweet sound and delightful to listen to. I'm having a lot of fun hearing stuff I've never heard before from many of my records, but with over 1,000 of them, this is going to take a very long time!

i love this aspect, finding something new in all my favorites, its one reason why they never get old.

I concur entirely with you.

Yes, yes, yes. After getting a new component, or upgrading or repairing an old one, I love rediscovering music and finding new details that I never knew existed, even in LPs that are like 30 years old. It's as if the LP is brand new to me.

I'm glad to hear that the turntable was properly packed, and in such pristine condition.

The problems you describe sound like a bad connection. There should be no noise when the speed changes, or when turning the turntable on or off. There should be no hum. I recommend cleaning all connections with Deoxit and then treating them with ProGold.

Amen to that! As I continue to dwell in my newly-discovered sonic nirvana as a result of this "new" turntable, I find myself compelled to ask:

1.) Does one turntable actually sound better than another? or...

2.) Does the better of two turntables simply allow the signal of the cartridge in use to arrive at the phono preamp less fettered and interfered with than another, thereby allowing the cartridge in use to perform closer to its optimum?

While it's much easier to say "yes" to the first question, I think the second is more likely a better description of what's actually going on. A turntable is an entirely passive device: there is no amplification, nor any signal processing. Its motor is supposed to spin a record at a precise speed, without generating any electrical or mechanical sounds that may either be picked up by the cartridge, or which may interfere with certain frequency spectrums reproduced by that cartridge. (I'm referring in this case to the electromagnetic field created by most direct drive motors that audiophiles insist rob a system of bass response.)

The tonearm has a more difficult task: it has to hold a cartridge in place, allowing the stylus assembly to rest precisely within a record groove, and at a very low force with a minimum of tracking error. As the wiggles in a record groove cause the stylus to move back and forth, and up and down, the tonearm shouldn't add any impediment whatsoever to either of those movement - a physical impossibility that's minimized in better arms . That movement of the stylus assembly generates a miniscule electical signal at the back of the cartridge. That signal is then transmitted through the tonearm's headshell, its tonearm, and ultimately to the cables leading from the bottom of the turntable which are then connected to one's preamp. Again, the tonearm should do all of this without imparting any sound of its own, while allowing the signal to go from one end to the other without any deterioration whatsoever - a rather tall order.

When one turntable "sounds better" than another, it is most likely the lack of interference from its motor, its tonearm bearings, mass, etc. that, by more precisely allowing the cartridge's signal to pass through unaffected by such impediments that make it seem "better sounding," rather than some special circuitry designed specifically to improve fidelity.

So, I must state that I am thoroughly enjoying all the sonic marvels I'm experiencing while listening to my Stanton Collector's Series CS-100 (which was the cartridge I'd been using previously) now that the motor and tonearm of my recently-acquired Dual CS-5000 provide a clearer and less interfered with path for the signal generated by that cartridge to arrive at the inputs of my preamplifier.

Or, more easily said, "the CS-5000 sounds better than the 721 it replaced."

Nice catch. The CS-5000 is certainly a very nice looking TT and a great performer (so I've been told).

Here´s a couple of pics.

Front view

Side view.

Just marvel at the engineering in that tonearm.