My Dual 1229 is finally singing tonight

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by rischa, Oct 13, 2021.

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  1. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    I had a rocky start with the 1229 I got from Bill at fixmydual this summer, but after a couple months of mild frustration (not with Bill, he's a good man), it's finally playing to its potential tonight.

    I wasn't expecting the 50yo Dual to compete with my upgraded RP3, but I'd say they're on surprisingly equal footing. They sound different, but of equal quality. This is the perfect deck for an audiophile with a family. The automatic features make it convenient for busy lives and kid-friendly, but it's also audiophile enough for the parents in the evening.

    [​IMG]

    I'm really enjoying 70s music on the 1229. I just played RAM (best I've heard it sound), and now I'm being a cliché and playing Aja. Got to put it through its paces you know, ha ha.
     
    Ingenieur, Slimwhit33, BSU and 17 others like this.
  2. lobo

    lobo Music has always been a matter of Energy to me...

    Location:
    Germany
    Wonderful reduced setup. What speakers do you use? Those guys look big. ;)
     
    rischa likes this.
  3. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    Thanks! The speakers are Omega Super Alnico High Output XRS's. Their wide baffles make them look big for sure. Not too tall, but wide for living room speakers nowadays.

    The system isn't staying this simple for long. I'm adding a turntable shelf and TD-160 this weekend (assuming I don't flub the tune-up, lol).
     
    lobo likes this.
  4. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    I own three Duals that I've bought from Bill over the years and they are all great. What cartridge are you using?
     
    rischa likes this.
  5. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    AT VM540ML. It was sounding good overall but kind of dull at first, but opened up and sparkled after I decreased vtf to 1.5. Bill said I should set vtf to 1(!) even though the cart specs say 1.8 - 2.2. I'm not brave enough to go that light so I settled on a middle ground. I have to admit it sounds better running light.

    What carts do you use on your Duals?
     
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  6. bever70

    bever70 Let No-one Live Rent Free in Your Head!

    Location:
    Belgium
    Now go get the elbow grease out and make that platter all shiny :edthumbs:!
     
    jonwoody, lazydawg58 and rischa like this.
  7. EddieMann

    EddieMann I used to be a king...

    Location:
    Geneva, IL. USA.
    I have a thrift store 1229 that Bill resurrected for me about 10 years ago. Had a custom base made for it and fitted it with a Denon DL-160 cartridge. It’s my everyday showpiece turntable.
     
  8. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    On my 701 and 1229 I use the Shure V-15 III DU. On my 1019 it's the V-15 II. I bought my fist V-15 III in 1973 and it's always been a favorite. I'd stick with the 1.5 grams if it's working for you. You have a beautiful setup there!
     
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  9. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    That looks great and I'm glad it's sounding so good for you! As a music lover on a budget I have to say the Dual is just the ticket. I got my first from a TT repair guy about 5 years ago when I was looking to move up from a middle of the pack consumer level 1980s TT and also be able to play my Mother's old 78s. I got a 1219 with a makeshift plinth and a ill fitting dustcover. From there it's been a great journey. I've found a couple in thrift shops, bought 3 as "repair or parts" purchases on ebay and started learning for myself how to service and repair them. Now I have two 1219s, a 1229, and two 1019s. Some have old carts (Shure, Pickering) but I put a Ortofon Super OM 10 on one of my 1019s and for $125 (sled and cart) I'm getting great sound out of it! So much so that I'm putting the same thing on one of my 1219s.
     
    rischa likes this.
  10. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    I'd like to learn how to restore these myself. What a great skill to have. I'm currently working on tuning up a TD-160 (oil, new springs, etc.), but its guts are much less complex than the 1229's.
     
    lazydawg58, bever70 and ssmith3046 like this.
  11. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    My first decent stand alone turntable was a brand new AR-XA.
    Talk about simple! I loved that thing and used it for many years.
     
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  12. Kristofa

    Kristofa Enthusiast of small convenient sound carrier units

    Location:
    usa
    I have an Ortofon 2M Bronze on my 721 and think it works well. I would love to send it in to Bill for an overhaul. The grease has congealed, the RCA jacks are significantly corroded, and I don’t really trust it keeping speed anymore. I dream of putting a custom wood plinth on it too. But it isn’t called on very often, so I really can’t justify the expense right now.
     
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  13. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    The 721 is my dream Dual. I actually ordered the 1229 from Bill because I couldn't find a 721 worth buying. But just in the last few weeks a beautiful 721 has come up for sale on ebay and I'm kicking myself for not waiting. Some day.
     
    Kristofa likes this.
  14. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    If I could only keep one out of my three it would be the 701. But the 1229 and 1019 are really beautiful turntables and are unique in their own way.
     
    rischa likes this.
  15. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    I forgot to mention how I got the 1229 singing. When the table arrived, it had very audible pitch variation throughout playback. I finally emailed Bill (should have done that at the beginning) and he said that pitch should be rock-solid so something must be wrong. He thought there was probably some dust or debris on the idler wheel and suggested I sand the edge with an emery board for a couple minutes while it spins at 78 rpm. This did the trick! What a relief. I'd almost given up thinking this was all I could expect from a 50yo turntable. Glad I was wrong.
     
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  16. stereoguy

    stereoguy Its Gotta Be True Stereo!

    Location:
    NYC
    Thats great! I used a DUAL 1229 for years until I was introduced to Regas! I've got a DUAL 510 that needs total rewire, I bought the wires, havent had time to work on it yet. They are GREAT budget tables when brought back to spec.
     
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  17. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    Service and repair on them is surprisingly simple. Qtips and iso alcohol will clean out the old dirt, crud and grease. Once done, a drop of oil on the correct places, grease on the cam, some simple adjustments and replacement parts as/if needed and it's all done! There are some good YouTube videos showing how to do most of it and the service manual can be downloaded. If I can do it anyone can. But the key is do you have the time to mess with it?
     
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  18. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    I'm adding that to my toolbox!
     
    rischa likes this.
  19. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    A lot of good tips on the Audiokarma site too.
     
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  20. Kristofa

    Kristofa Enthusiast of small convenient sound carrier units

    Location:
    usa
    Thank you for the encouragement! I really should give it a try. I will check out the YouTube videos, as that will likely be the easiest way for me to learn about the right places to put the oil.

    I sure love it and can’t see myself ever wanting to let it go.
     
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  21. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    I love the way the 1229 reproduces classical guitar. The attack of string plucks is so fleshy and dynamic compared to the belt and direct drive tables I've heard.

    Listening to Julian and John right now. I've never enjoyed this album more.

    [​IMG]
     
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  22. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    I'm enjoying the 1229 more and more as the AT VM540ML breaks-in. This has turned out to be such a great deck. I love the dynamic and effortless sound, and I don't know how I lived without auto start and return. Pressing the lever to start a record and seeing and hearing the mechanicals in action is so satisfying.

    10 years ago I would have turned my nose up at a Dual. It's interesting how relaxing my audiophoolery over the past few years has allowed me to enjoy this hobby more than I ever have. That's not to say the 1229 isn't an audiophile-level deck -- it definitely is -- it's just that my bias prevented me from giving vintage gear a chance. Dumb dumb dumb.
     
  23. bever70

    bever70 Let No-one Live Rent Free in Your Head!

    Location:
    Belgium
    While I really prefer the handling of the tonearm, cueing etc. to do myself (I'm even considering getting a new deck because of this as all my vintage decks have lowering of the tonearm by some kind of turning knob and not a lowering handle), I definitely agree on auto-liftoff (or even auto return), which is so easy to live with!
     
    rischa likes this.
  24. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    Agreed. As much as I'm enjoying the Dual and its auto features, I think it will still end up being my "fun" deck, and a fully manual table will end up being my audiophile table. I've been tinkering with a TD-160 and I find the cueing knob to be really smooth and easy to use. The table itself isn't quite ready for prime-time, but I could definitely see it taking on the serious listening duties when it is. (I'm also considering moving my fully-manual Rega or Luxman tables back into the system to fill this role. They're both great sounding tables but I my ears developed a case of wanderlust this summer so I put them in storage to try something new.)
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2021
  25. bever70

    bever70 Let No-one Live Rent Free in Your Head!

    Location:
    Belgium
    The cuing knob on the Td160 is good, better than the sliding knob on the Td125mk2 (which I hate) but I'd still prefer a 'stick' next to where the tonearm is seated to lower it.
     
    rischa likes this.
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