And another "ancient" thread is reborn! I had long forgotten about this thread, and "being crucified" (by a site mod, no less!), but find it amazing that stuff like the Garrard LAB-80, or SL-95 still has adherents.

I sold my best friend a Dual 1009SK around 1967-68, and in 1968 sold his father a Garrard SL-95B. My friend couldn't understand how I could possibly have sold his father such a "piece of junk" (his words, not mine). Why did I do that? Money, plain and simple.

Working for Lafayette Radio in the 60's and 70's was a mixed bag when it came to trying to make a living, or trying to sell the better of two items. We made very little whenever we sold a Dual turntable, but made a disproportionately larger sum whenver we sold a similarly-priced Garrard model. The reason was quite simple: Lafayette's profit margin was far greater on Garrard units than on Duals. Add to that the fact that Lafayette sold zillions of cheapo Garrard 40B turntables (priced around $50) which had no corresponding model in the Dual lineup.

My own ears learned the "audio truth" when I replaced my Garrard Zero-100 (which I actually liked for a while!) with the far superior, and far better sounding Dual 1229Q. And to think how many customers walked out of my store with a Zero-100 instead...