Connoisseur BD1 vs Dual CS 505
Side-by-side specifications and a plain-English account of the recorded differences. Full profiles: Connoisseur BD1 · Dual CS 505.
| Specification | Connoisseur BD1 |
Dual CS 505 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Highlighted difference. £80 (used) | £90 (used) |
| Category | Vintage | Vintage |
| Status | discontinued | discontinued |
| Years | — | 1981–? |
| Drive | belt drive | belt drive |
| Speeds | 33/45 rpm | 33/45 rpm |
| Operation | manual | semi-automatic |
| Cartridge supplied | None | None |
| Phono stage | No | No |
| USB output | No | No |
| Bluetooth | No | No |
| Platter | non-ferrous alloy | aluminium |
| Tonearm | none (sold as motor/platter kit) | Dual ULM (ultra-low-mass) arm |
| Wow & flutter | — | — |
Practical differences
Highlighted cells show a lower reference price, support for more listed speeds, or the presence of a convenience feature. They are not an overall score.
The Connoisseur BD1 undercuts the Dual CS 505 by £10 — £80 against £90.
Both are belt-drive, so that part of the experience should feel similar on either deck: a motor that's mechanically isolated from the platter by an elastic belt, which is the usual route to a quieter noise floor — the default choice across most of hi-fi.
Operation differs: the Connoisseur BD1 is manual, the Dual CS 505 is semi-automatic.
Bottom line: £10 separates these reference prices. That difference is factual; this specification comparison does not assign an overall winner.
Merchant searches
2 UK merchants handle used or discontinued decks like this — each outbound link searches the deck on that merchant’s site.
| Merchant | Type | Delivery | Product search |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBay UK | used marketplace | Varies by seller | Search at eBay UK ↗ |
| Vinyl Revival | music retail | UK delivery | Search at Vinyl Revival ↗ |
Merchant searches
2 UK merchants handle used or discontinued decks like this — each outbound link searches the deck on that merchant’s site.
| Merchant | Type | Delivery | Product search |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBay UK | used marketplace | Varies by seller | Search at eBay UK ↗ |
| Vinyl Revival | music retail | UK delivery | Search at Vinyl Revival ↗ |