Dual Turntables

SacheenM

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If any one needs help with restoring Dual Turntables in India, I can help.

My Collection :
Dual 1229 - idler drive
Dual 1228 - idler drive
Audio Technica PL120 - direct drive
Akai AP 004 - belt drive
Philips 242 - belt drive
Sansui 717 - legendary amp
Sansui 555 - legendary amp
Sansui 331ss - tuner
Luxman C12 - reference preamp
 
I also have few Duals in my collection including
Dual 1229 2 nos
Dual 1019 2 Nos
And a few others. I would consider the Dual 1019 to be the best among the Duals and rate Dual 1019 to be as good as the best vintage idler wheelers.
 
The first Dual turntable I saw in my life was in 1974 or 75..(I think it was DUAL-1010).My father got one from his friend. I still preserve the unopened needle(DUAL DN-5) in its original box...., came along with it.

Currently, I have following DUAL TTs with me.

1. DUAL 1019 with DUAL CDS630 and Dual DN 311 Needle, changer Spindle and original Manual.


2. DUAL CS 617Q ULM Series turntable with Ortofon Dual TKS-55E cartridge.
 
Hello Anil,
Thats a great collection of Duals & cartridges.
Its nice to hear that you have preserved these items and care for.
What is your view on those cartridges?

I have shure M97xe, M44-7,M55e, M95ed, ortofon 155e


Regards
Sacheen
 
If any one needs help with restoring Dual Turntables in India, I can help.

My Collection :
Dual 1229 - idler drive
Dual 1228 - idler drive
Audio Technica PL120 - direct drive
Akai AP 004 - belt drive
Philips 242 - belt drive
Sansui 717 - legendary amp
Sansui 555 - legendary amp
Sansui 331ss - tuner
Luxman C12 - reference preamp
hi Sacheen...
Great Line up you have !
I'm looking forward to buying a Dual Turntable, from their present product line which one would you recommend?
Advise please
 
Hello Sacheen,

I collected a Dual idler wheel TT a few years ago and it is a 110V version. It is without a plinth. I have kept it since I bought it about 3-4 years and have kept it since for a project that I will take at a certain time in the future. Your thread got me interested so it will be great if we can speak to explore. Will PM you my contact number.

Regards
Kartick
 
My experience with Dual TT was not that pleasant even after spending a bomb to buy them. Later i switched to Technics and till date there are no issues with the Technics.
 
@ kartick
Hello Sir, The American Electricity Runs at 110 Volts and 60 Hertz Frequency.
Indian Electricity Runs at 220-240 Volts and at 50 Hertz..
So this Difference in Frequency of The reqspective two voltages, the Step down Transforfer Used to Step-Down 220 Volt to 110 Volts converts the Voltage only but not the frequency. And this is the reason the Turntable will Run 20% Slower or Faster (step-down or step-up).
To Change the Frequency of turntable, u will need to change its pully also from any donor turntable or u can design it.
 
Have seen a few myself, mostly with dodgy tone-arm mechanicals, but when they played, sounded pretty good and accurate. Never owned one though, happy with Technics and Garrard.
 
Got a Dual 1019 today which would be used for 78 RPM records exclusively. It was with a FM but there was speed issue. A friend of mine, changed the idler and serviced it, now it's running fine. I have fitted a new Shure 78s cart and the SQ is quite good. Hope to enjoy some of my 78s now!
 
I am also using a Dual 1019 only to play 78 rpm . I would rank 1019 even above 1229 for performance especially to play 78 rpm records. I also use Shure 78 cartridge and use Sony 2000 F preamp and Quad 2 monoblocks. Speakers are vintage 12" full range. The quality of some of the Malayalam 78 rpm records are outstanding. Even better than most English and Hindi 78 rpm records. I did some research and the likely reasons are 1. Only limited number of pressing 2. All these recordings were by one Mr.Kannan in studios in Madras. Mr. Kannan I believe was a stickler for highest quality in recordings. Believe me. People used to come to my listening room to listen to my 33 rpm records but once they listen to some of the 78's, they prefer to listen to the 78's
 
I had my own little experience trying to buy a Dual Turntable.
I was on a holiday recently in Croatia and came across someone selling Dual 1019 and 1229 in fully working condition. After a lot of to n fro and much messaging and mailing i finally managed to get to his place which was quite far from Central Zagreb where i was staying.
He had 2 fully restored turntables and a 1019 of his own which he didn't want to sell. Spend a good couple of hours but wasnt happy with the way they were sounding. I am no expert and wanted a tt in great condition (which they were) with no repairs needed.Not sure what was wrong in his chain. Maybe it was the cartridge or his amp. Heard many lps, and tried many permutations but finally decided not to buy.It was disappointing, but the saving grace was the local travel away from city center and tram journey:). An experience nevertheless.
 
I had my own little experience trying to buy a Dual Turntable.
I was on a holiday recently in Croatia and came across someone selling Dual 1019 and 1229 in fully working condition. After a lot of to n fro and much messaging and mailing i finally managed to get to his place which was quite far from Central Zagreb where i was staying.
He had 2 fully restored turntables and a 1019 of his own which he didn't want to sell. Spend a good couple of hours but wasnt happy with the way they were sounding. I am no expert and wanted a tt in great condition (which they were) with no repairs needed.Not sure what was wrong in his chain. Maybe it was the cartridge or his amp. Heard many lps, and tried many permutations but finally decided not to buy.It was disappointing, but the saving grace was the local travel away from city center and tram journey:). An experience nevertheless.

The problem with Duals is the headshell contacts. They are likely to give contact problems very often. Maybe that must have been the reason for it's poor performance
 
@ kartick
Hello Sir, The American Electricity Runs at 110 Volts and 60 Hertz Frequency.
Indian Electricity Runs at 220-240 Volts and at 50 Hertz..

The ac motors are usually very low powered. Some users build or buy stand alone power oscillators ( basically a low powered amp !) to drive the motor. You can make the oscillator as complex as you want to have crystal locked frequency stability. Typically from 7 to 25 watts or thereabout. So the unit could be quite small.
If it's a dc motor it is much easier to make an external power supply !
 
The problem with Duals is the headshell contacts. They are likely to give contact problems very often. Maybe that must have been the reason for it's poor performance

You may be Right Sir.The sound wasn't open at all. it was sounded choked and lacked energy. Does that happen due to headshell issues?

As i said earlier, i am no expert and had no way of ascertaining the cause in my limited time there.
 
You may be Right Sir.The sound wasn't open at all. it was sounded choked and lacked energy. Does that happen due to headshell issues?

As i said earlier, i am no expert and had no way of ascertaining the cause in my limited time there.

Yes. It can happen due to headshell. If there's any sort of oxidation, there can be choked sound or intermittent break in sound. Dual's headshells have this inherent problem.
 
The Duals need proper servising as most are already 45+ years old. They sound very clean & are enjoyable . In case any one needs help with them.. let me know.
 
I love the 78,s. but these could be played in the 60,s in India only with idler drives. You may have the best idler, but they do tend to be wavy at times, specially due to wear and tear of the idler rubber, or the idler rubber turning a bit hard. In such a scenario I would place in order.
1st ... direct drive . (Though 78 RPM is possibly not available, except 33. 1/3 RPM or 45.)
2nd ....Belt Drive.
3rd..... Idler Drive. I have 3 such idler drives, dual 1226, Hmv, Pye
 
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