Grado and Dual...Match made in listening heaven

Awhile back my AR XA developed a hum issue that I finally believe is due to a broken wire in the tonearm. Above my pay scale to fix it myself. So it's been relegated to the waiting to fix pile. No big deal, have 4 other tables that are working well and that I love. But the XA, because of Professor Morin's inspiration, was the table that I used my Grado carts combined with the great 8MZ stylus on. Fabulous match. While I'm an avowed fan of cruder carts/styli like the Stanton 500 and Shure M44's, I did like what I was hearing with the Grado/AR combo. So the other night, I mounted a Grado F1+/8MZ on my Dual 1019 and listened. Wow. Talk about synergy. Have no idea if the 1019 arm is "right" for this cart, but I assume it's in the ball park, because the combo of the finesse of the Grado, mixed with the idler muscle of the 1019 makes for a pretty swell mashup. The muscle is still there, but the tshirt has been replaced with a tux. If you get my drift.

Anyway, it's Saturday. If ya got nothing better to do with your time, and you have a Dual(or any idler table for that matter) and a Grado(hopefully with the 8MZ) and you haven't yet, give 'em a whirl. Hopefully you'll get as much of a kick as I am.

 

Dual arms are a terrific match for Grados!

Do you have a wedge shim for the 1019, for correcting the VTA?

 

Nope. I am using a cork mat that you recommended that pretty much brings the VTA to what it would be with 3 records on there.