Yes - 1229,1219 1019, 1009, 1257, 1218 especially. |
Bought my top of the line 1219 new in 1971. The idler wheel had a flat spot after about 15 years. Never actually noticed it until my cassette deck showed the bump on its meters. It was an easy fix. I'd guess as long as you get a Dual with the full sized 12" platter you'll be OK. The arms are fixed mounted so not tweakable. The headshell does come with a clear plastic jig to set the optimal stylus placement point. After the 1229 the Duals may be direct drive which may be another animal. Steer clear of the entry level 1215 unless it's $10 or less. |
Thanks to both of you for the info.
Which country is Dual from (back then)? My gf's parents had one and they are from Germany. Just curious.
If it's one of these models and I can talk the guy into a better deal then I'll pick it up. Need one for the basement anyways. |
Yes, the old turntables were made in Germany. |
Another belt-drive Dual to consider is the 1245. I owned one for a long time without any trouble. I used it with a Shure V15 III. I then progressed to the new AR table and then to a Sota Saphire III, which I still use today. |
I owned a 505-3, or was it a 503-5? Honestly don't recall but it was a nice belt drive that always peformed well. Try this web site for a lot of good info on vintage Dual tables: http://www.compassnet.com/concept/tableinx.htm |
I believe the 701 is the most popular and sells for the most. I have a CS-5000 but I don't use it. |
Rwwear, how is the CS-5000. I have a chance to get one for $275. Is that a decent deal? It would be replacing a B&O RX turntable. Would this be a major improvement? Thanks. |
If you want a belt-drive or idler wheel TT, with modern amenities like non-intrusive auto shutoff and/or quartz lock regulation, Duals are as good as they get. By the time the CS-506 and CS-5000 were being produced, Japan had gone whole hog into DD.
The older ones from the 70's (with the typical start-stop lever) had unreliable Auto start and Stop mechanisms, so make sure that is working. I've had three of them over the years, and while they look and feel a bit clunky compared to the Japanese, the sound was IMO better than the Japanese DD.
On the other hand, for a cheap basement system the Japanese TT's are much easier to find, set up, and use.
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The 5000 is nice to look at but has a lot of plastic parts on the tonearm assembly and is hard to get the feet adjusted. It seems to work fine but I have never used it in my main system. It is known for being in the movie the Lair of The White Worm. |
Not sure if anyone reading is actually interested in these minutiae but, I still have a CS-5000 too, and yeah, and when I first got it those crazy feet took a while to figure out! Not user friendly until you get the concept, but they make sense from a design standpoint, in a German kind of way. I still don't know what the red slider things do....
The only plastic is in the headshell assembly (not the tonearm) to keep weight down, since it incorporates a Vertical Tracking Angle adjuster, which would be too heavy even in aluminum. I considered removing the adjuster and just using the barebones headshell, but I think the inherent value of good VTA far exceeds whatever would be accomplished by removing excess plastic. |
The other plastic part I was referring to is the cover at the base of the tonearm which appears to be aluminum but is actually plastic. |
Just bought a 1257 with QLM 32 MK111 cartridge. Any comments? I remember my audiophile cousin had a Dual when I was a kid and I marveled at it. So simple yet it really had a pristine, sweet sound. Then he was drafted, but he sent $ home to have his family purchase LPs.
I purchased the 1257 to play the beat up Lps I pick up at Goodwill. (Just got 4 old Cal Tjader LPs in horrible shape, but the covers are too cool). It sounds pretty good. Any info/comments about this table and cart would be appreciated. |
I have passed them up for real cheap $10., would not even want one for that price!
All plastic, even the internal moving parts.
Very overrated in my opinion, a Thorens will step all over Dual. |
what cartridge and stylus are the best for the dual 1218?? thanx dan ryan |
Stick with the belt drive versions. Even then, they don't compete with today's better brands, but for under $100, if you're on a budget, then they can be a good value.
Dave |
the old 701 or 721 was a good table for the late 70's. it was my standard for many years and was a very reliable table. I think the newer tables in the 80's and later are better, but for a cheap plug and play, the 701 was hard to beat with a shure MM cartridge |
yes they are....1019, 1229, 5000, the workhorse 505-4 |
Put a high quality cartrige on a Dual and your good to go.I put a Soundsmith cartrige and never looked back. My set up is Bat-3ix pre amp,Sony sacd modified by Modwright,Usher speakers x719, Morrow audio cables, Dual 601 with Soundsmith cartrige. |
