Dual CS 518 Manual Turntable

A Manual Turntable Built Around a Serious Tonearm

The Dual CS 518 is aimed at the listener who wants to cue every record by hand and hear the benefit of it. Its twin-gimbal tonearm rides on four precision pivot ball bearings, a step up in tracking precision from a simpler single-bearing design.

An Ortofon 2M Red moving-magnet cartridge arrives pre-mounted and aligned, and a switchable phono preamp is built in, so the CS 518 is ready to play the moment it's connected. A hinged dust cover is included, and there's no automatic cueing, start, or return anywhere in the design.

Speed selection is electronic: a rotary switch on the plinth selects 33, 45, or 78 rpm, with no belt to move by hand. Adjustable tracking force and anti-skating leave room for a cartridge upgrade later on.

What the Twin-Gimbal Tonearm Buys You

Four Bearings Instead of a Single Pivot

A conventional arm turns on a single pivot point. The CS 518's twin-gimbal design spreads that load across four precision ball bearings instead, cutting friction and letting the arm follow the groove with less lag. Dual rates wow and flutter under ±0.1% DIN.

The 305mm die-cast aluminum platter carries a heavy rubber mat for resonance damping, and turns on a hardened steel spindle running in a brass bushing — the same bearing architecture Dual uses across its manual lineup.

Built to Take a Different Cartridge Later

Tracking force and anti-skating both adjust by hand rather than arriving fixed, matched at the factory to the 2M Red's recommended range. That adjustability is what makes a future cartridge swap realistic here, in a way it isn't on Dual's fixed-arm entry models.

An MDF plinth on elastomer-damped feet isolates the platter and arm from footfall and shelf vibration. At roughly 5.8kg, the CS 518 has enough mass to stay planted without needing a separate isolation platform underneath it.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Reviewing the CS 518 for SoundStage! Access, Thom Moon wrote: "It's easy to set up, it offers fine sound quality, it's well constructed, and it looks good doing its part."

What Hi-Fi? reviewed the CS 518 on September 12, 2022, scoring it 5/5 for Sound and Features and 4/5 for Build, and concluding that "Dual's CS 518 is a fine alternative to the established class leaders."

What Hi-Fi?'s one reservation was the onboard phono stage, which it called "a limited performer" next to the rest of the turntable — worth knowing if sound quality is your main priority.

Who Is This Turntable Best For?

• You want to cue every record by hand — there's no automatic start, stop, or return anywhere in this design
• You want tonearm precision above the entry level — the twin-gimbal, four-bearing design tracks with less friction than a single-pivot arm
• You want one cable to any amplifier — the built-in switchable phono preamp handles a line or a phono input equally well
• You expect to try a different cartridge eventually — the fully adjustable arm is ready for one whenever you are
• You want fully automatic tonearm return — the CS 518 is manual start-to-finish, with no auto-cueing built in

How Does It Connect to Your System?

A single RCA cable runs from the back of the CS 518 to your amplifier, with a ground wire attached for a phono connection. A rear switch takes the built-in phono preamp in or out of the signal path.

Leave the preamp engaged to run straight into any line-level input on an amplifier, receiver, or powered speaker. Switch it out if you'd rather use a dedicated phono input or add an outboard phono preamp of your own later.

Pairs Well With

Where the CS 518 goes from here:

• Phono preamplifiers — an outboard phono stage addresses What Hi-Fi's one reservation about the built-in preamp
• Phono cartridges — the adjustable twin-gimbal arm is ready for an upgrade whenever you want one
• Integrated amplifiers — with or without a phono input, since the CS 518 works either way
• Record cleaning machines — a cleaner record surface protects the 2M Red's stylus and quiets playback

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the CS 518 automatic or manual?

Fully manual. You cue the tonearm onto the record and lift it off yourself, with no auto-start, auto-stop, or auto-return.

What makes the twin-gimbal tonearm different?

It spreads bearing contact across four precision pivot points instead of one, which lowers friction and lets the arm track the groove more precisely than a simpler single-pivot design.

Does it have a phono preamp built in?

Yes, a switchable one behind a rear switch. What Hi-Fi rated it as a limited performer, so pairing the CS 518 with an outboard phono preamp is worth considering if sound quality is the priority.

Can I fit a different cartridge later?

Yes. Tracking force and anti-skating both adjust by hand, so the arm is built to accept a cartridge upgrade whenever you're ready for one.

How does speed selection work?

A rotary switch on the plinth selects 33, 45, or 78 rpm electronically, with no belt to move by hand between speeds.

See It in Action

A British Audiophile reviews the CS 518 in depth:

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Learn More

Want to learn more about turntable setup, phono preamps, or cartridge upgrades? Visit our Learning Center for guides, tips, and expert advice.