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Are there any aftermarket, dual 1218 compatible, cartridge sleds that have that little single/multi knob? Does it even matter?

R

red888

Active Member
I've been fixing up a dual 1218 and I'm finally to the point where I'm aligning the cartridge. The little s/m knob is not present on the sled- from what I understand they are fragile and always break.

I love record changers and I'm going to stack records frequently- but of course will play single records too.

I see a lot of aftermarket sleds on ebay, but none have that little knob. Was wondering if there are aftermarket ones that employ a more reliable s/m knob.

OR should I just forget it? Should I align the cart for multiplay and just keep it like? Would I even notice a difference? I don't have the most HIFI setup. I also currently use an elac 10h which is permanently aligned for multi and it sounds fine to me.

Also curious if I could retrofit my own little widget on the sled for this and what that would require. Im guessing I cant just 3d print a knob and plug it in right?
 
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Changing the tracking angle, some need it exact, some don’t care. There isn’t much difference in sound over a small range, don’t know about six record thicknesses.

Try it and see, listen to the same record on the platter, then as the top record of the stack. You might find little difference or enough to make you want to have the adjusting headshell. I don’t know your system, your hearing or how well the adjusting headshell works.

When we did the adjusting of a tonearm with on the fly changes the sound did change but not to the point that I’m going to fine tune the adjustment for each record. There was a range where the sound did not suffer that could be enough to allow 6 records to stack which would mean if you set the cartridge for the middle records it will be fine for 1 through 6.
 
What kind of stylus shape are you using? If you are a diehard conical user the adjustability isn’t really a big deal.

I used the Best Audio sled (no adjustments) and it worked very well. Sold the table a few years ago.
 
As far as I know, all aftermarket Dual sleds are TK-14 or TK-24 type. You need a TK-15 (or a TK-25), so you should to look for a used one.
If your TK-15 is complete, with the original springs, it can be fixed making a custom lever. That isn't to difficult if you have the original broken lever to use as a model.
 
Outsider373 said:
As far as I know, all aftermarket Dual sleds are TK-14 or TK-24 type. You need a TK-15 (or a TK-25), so you should to look for a used one.
If your TK-15 is complete, with the original springs, it can be fixed making a custom lever. That isn't to difficult if you have the original broken lever to use as a model.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure it was a TK-24 model from Best Audio sled worked just fine in a 1218.
 
I don't have the knob but looks like it maybe just popped off. unclear to me how it works, appears to just move that metal piece forward/back?

20250918_102446.jpg


I got a spare cart/styli with the table but I'm not sure which one to use. Assuming the ame-3 is the best cart and prob good enough for me, but I do need to replace the stylus. Are these conical?
20250918_102401.jpg
 
Well...
I have the successor of the 1218, the 1228. If you use an aftermarket TK14 or TK24 with these turntables and their relatives (1214 Hifi / 1225, 1216 / 1226) you automatically get the VTA for the changer operation. If you - like me always - use the single mode operation, you could add a small wedge (available from different sources) between TK and cartridge. But: This all depends on the dimension of the cartridge. With several carts the VTA is quite right for single mode with a TK14 /24. With several carts I simply put a cork mat of appropiate thickness on the platter for single mode.

I have several TK15 with broken camshaft and aftermarket camshafts (a member of our German Dual-board.de makes them), but I don´t use them. Too complicated, too heavy.
 
I'm going to use multiplay more than single. I have one of those shims but not sure how to install it.

From the photos you can see its kind of floating. The multiplay setting is where its tilted down right? Are there aftermarket tk15 compatible sleds that are fixed in multiplay mode?
 
You know I just realized I might as well just permanently set it to multi play and just stack one or two thick acrylic mats on it so its in alignment. Thats like 20% more effort for a lot less headache trying to fix/find an adjustment knob which will probably break anyway. Appreciate any help on how I should permanently angle it for multi! Should I buy an after market one and use the shim?

For what its worth though I did find a guy in Germany that makes adjustment knobs "through steel core" which I'm assuming means he fixed the fragility- I wonder how much extra weight it adds. But whatever I'm just gonna set it to multi and find a thick mat.
1758297443373.png
 
Yes, tha´s the guy who is very active in the Dual-Board.

If you want to use a wedge then the thin edge of it must be on the front side, as if you are looking at it. The thick edge must be on the side with the contact pins of the cartridge.
 
If you are of the opinion that rigidity in the mounting of the cartridge matters, those automatic/manual sleds may be a cure worse than the disease. Everything depends on spring tension and small contact points. I'm not a fan. And then, of course, the mechanism itself breaks a lot, which I assume is why you are asking.
 
Just wanna confirm, how should I set this up for multiplay permanently?

It looks like the shim is for single play right?

So does that mean the aftermarket tk14 sleds are already angled for multiplay?
 
My understanding is this: Changer arm height is usually set somewhere in the middle of the height of the stack of records so that the lack of parallelism of the headhsell/cartridge top with the record won't be too extreme either on record one or on record six. But if you are only playing one record at a time, that means that your vertical tracking angle is always off. As elliptical styli came into fashion, this constant error was a problem. Hence the multiplay/single play sled.
But if you never use the changer function, you can shim the back of the cartridge so that, while the arm tilts down, the cartridge top is parallel to the record. This will be much more rigid than the (necessarily) somewhat flimsy adjustable mechanism.
Some of the later Duals had an arm height adjustment to achieve the same effect as the adjustable headshell, but over the half century since they were built, the plastic parts seem to often break.
 
The Duals with the two-step adjustable tonearm height are 1219/1229 and 1249. And the mechanism at the tonearm base under the chassis breaks, because the rubber ring that encircles this mechanism hardens up and loses its elasticity. A new rubber ring must be changed before the mechanism is operated. It´s an easy fix.

Back to the 1218: If you use this turntable as changer only just fit your cart into a simple aftermarket TK14 / TK24 without additional measures.
 
Thorsten R. said:
The Duals with the two-step adjustable tonearm height are 1219/1229 and 1249. And the mechanism at the tonearm base under the chassis breaks, because the rubber ring that encircles this mechanism hardens up and loses its elasticity. A new rubber ring must be changed before the mechanism is operated. It´s an easy fix.

Back to the 1218: If you use this turntable as changer only just fit your cart into a simple aftermarket TK14 / TK24 without additional measures.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info, I got an aftermarket, but I had to shave down sides of the holes a bit so the clips would snap in and not pop out.

1758836286072.png

After doing that it clipped in pretty securely.

But the angle seems way off. Is this normal and something I will be adjusting when I align the cart with the arm settings?

1758836361959.png
 
Parallax error is always an issue when looking at cartridges on records, but that cartridge looks pretty properly angled to me. The Pickering bodies and stylus assemblies have a lot of angled tops and bottoms. The mounting surface of the cartriddge is the only thing you should pay attention to when setting VTA, unless you want to get involved with determining the axis of the contact area of the stylus, which is beyond most of our abilities to figure out and, anyway, is probably less important than how the system sounds, which, if you want to try, is done with ears, not eyes.
 
This is a pickering V15 AME3:
* https://hifi-wiki.com/index.php/Pickering_V-15_AME-3
* https://www.vinylengine.com/cartrid...chi=&stid=&masslo=&masshi=&notes=&prlo=&prhi=

I'm going to replace the stylus with an identical repro, can't seem to find official docs on the OG stylus but this looks like a drop in replacement from "turntableneedles.com". Should I get my replacement from them here?
https://www.turntableneedles.com/DA...kering-V-15AM-3-etc-Stock-605-D7M_p_1187.html

So with the original sled where the s/m knob is broken it just kind of floats on the springs and the needle touches the album but assuming the angle is prob way off.

Nat said:
Parallax error is always an issue when looking at cartridges on records, but that cartridge looks pretty properly angled to me. The Pickering bodies and stylus assemblies have a lot of angled tops and bottoms. The mounting surface of the cartriddge is the only thing you should pay attention to when setting VTA, unless you want to get involved with determining the axis of the contact area of the stylus, which is beyond most of our abilities to figure out and, anyway, is probably less important than how the system sounds, which, if you want to try, is done with ears, not eyes.
Click to expand...
Are you saying its not an issue and when I configure the tone arm correctly the needle will touch the record? right now its not touching the record (the brush is lower than the cart).

Thorsten R. said:
How high (mm favoured) is the cartridge? Dual tonearms are thought for carts with 14 mm heigh.
Click to expand...
Sorry I'm a super newb with this stuff still. High in what context? I know this cart is compatible with this tt because the original owner was using it from what I can tell (probably 50 yrs ago). Added links above to all the specs.
 
Oh - if the needle is not touching the record, that is a problem. Is there a cuing adjustment?
If there isn't, the solution may be a flat shim between the sled and cartridge.
But I notice that the brush seems to be stuck in place on the stylus assembly - the brush ought to 'float', pivoting freely on the stylus assembly, I can't tell whether that is because it is binding, or because the arm can't go any lower. Or because the tracking force is incorrect, so that the arm isn't applying enough force. With the dustamatic attached, when you balance the arm, your zero value includes the one gram of the weight of the dustamatic, but when the arm is lowered, the gram weight is supported by the brush. So you need to add a gram to your tracking force to compensate.
 
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