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Dual 1009f TT Acquisition

S

stg5clinger

New Member
As my quarantine obsession with vintage audio continues, I just picked up a Dual 1009(F) TT the other day. Bought it from a gal who was helping her widowed mom sell off her dad's old audio gear. Of course the ad read "excellent condition and works great". When I picked it up it was in fact in pristine condition, although the mom tells me as I am walking out the door that it hasn't been played in "years" lol. So the adventure begins.

From what I have gathered in this forum, it appears to be a decent vintage TT with a few fans out there. The cart is a Shure M44-7. This is my first TT so not sure if that is considered any good or not. Honestly still trying to figure out the differences between the headshell, cartridge and stylus lol.

A few other observations once I plugged it in and got it going:
  1. Auto start/stop definitely not working correctly. The lever doesn't move freely between start/stop/manual. Not sure if this is normal, but finally figured out how to get it into manual mode. In start/stop mode it's erratic and sometime plays entire vinyl and sometimes doesn't. It will return the tonearm after the vinyl plays, but won't turn off once the tonearm returns. In manual mode it seems to be operating as it should.
  2. In stereo mode, only getting faint signal from left channel. Volume in stereo mode also seems to deliver at lower levels in general. Mono mode appears to be giving equal strength to both channels (at least from what my amp is showing) and delivers strong sound.
Any thoughts on this TT and some amateur DIY steps I can take to address the problems above?
 
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Remove the cartridge sled and clean the contacts on the sled and arm. That is almost certainly your sound issue.
The underside is a marvelous maze of clockwork levers and gears. It has dried grease that needs cleaned.
Better minds will be along shortly i am sure.
 
Thanks for the comments. I was thinking that a cleaning of the cartridge mechanism could provide a solution, but I didn’t want to try and start removing it without knowing how to put it back together lol. How does the cartridge come off of the headshell and the headshell from the tone arm? I watched a video tutorial on it and those connectors look like you need a microscope and surgical tools to clip them.

I’m definitely digging this table so far. One of the better looking ones vintage ones I have seen....at least in my novice audio price range.
 
stg5clinger said:
Thanks for the comments. I was thinking that a cleaning of the cartridge mechanism could provide a solution, but I didn’t want to try and start removing it without knowing how to put it back together lol. How does the cartridge come off of the headshell and the headshell from the tone arm? I watched a video tutorial on it and those connectors look like you need a microscope and surgical tools to clip them.

I’m definitely digging this table so far. One of the better looking ones vintage ones I have seen....at least in my novice audio price range.
Click to expand...
The little handle on the headshell rotates about 30 degrees away from you and the sled will drop out. Sometimes it needs a little help. When its out you can see the contacts on the sled and underneath the tone arm headshell. Clean these with tuner cleaner or alcohol or even a little dw40 can help. Other things can interrupt or short the signal but the headshell/arm connection is most often the culprit in my experience.
 
Great acquisition! As mentioned above clean the contacts on the cartridge sled. Make sure the wire connectors are tight. Had a 1219 last weak where it was loose. One channel out. The last three Duals had frozen speed selectors that effect the on off cycles. I would recommend splitting the motor apart. Clean and oil it. The Shure M44 is a good match. Change the stylus. Up grade to a N55. Can be bought from Voiceofmusicenthusiests. Or splurge and get Jico HE. Run that combo on a 1219. Back to the sled/headshell. Sometimes the contacts loosen with age. Gently press each contact to see if they are loose. Have used super glue or epoxy glue. A drop on the center of each contact. Let sit 24 hrs. Then gently move the contact up a bit to make a better contact with arm. On my 1219/1229 Duals I have been replacing the sleds with new ones made by Best. On EBay. Might need to clean out old grease on the big gear underneath if automatic runs slow. Once tuned up it will run a long time. Enjoy. Love Duals. Just let go a nice 1219. Hated parting with it. Have two others. Kept a 1229. Hope this helps. There are posts a how to service a Dual here. Good luck and enjoy!

Eric
 
Thanks for the comments here. I do think the sound issue is coming from the cart contacts. One of the contacts is definitely loose and it looks like the clip that holds it in place has broken off. I wasn't sure how fragile these are so good to know I can use some glue or epoxy to re-secure. Regarding the auto start/stop, I have taken a look at that underneath the table and am having a hard time seeing any old grease, but I am guessing I just need to take a closer look. Even with these issues, I am really enjoying this table. True vintage look.
 
You have to do some disassembly to see the places where the problematic grease is.

If you are going to DIY, take lots of photos before you do anything. And keep all the parts you remove in separate containers, Label them as to where they came from.. Once a few hours or days have passed duting the project, good chance you won't remember which part went where, And mind the small clips. They will fly away, never to be seen again.

Or have someone reputable do the restore. A Dual like yours is worth spending some bucks on. The non "F" model preceeding yours is my particularly favorite. I've seen reconditioned examples of those sell for $400 plus in shops. But those were totally reconditioned meaning, lid, base, etc. A nicely resored 1009f would be in the same ballpark. . .

It would be great to have a fully working example for the price paid as found but that rarely happens if ever. One of my 1009's did seem to work well at the get go but within a year, things bogged down and I had to go underneath and work on it. , .
 
stg5clinger said:
As my quarantine obsession with vintage audio continues, I just picked up a Dual 1009(F) TT the other day. Bought it from a gal who was helping her widowed mom sell off her dad's old audio gear. Of course the ad read "excellent condition and works great". When I picked it up it was in fact in pristine condition, although the mom tells me as I am walking out the door that it hasn't been played in "years" lol. So the adventure begins.

From what I have gathered in this forum, it appears to be a decent vintage TT with a few fans out there. The cart is a Shure M44-7. This is my first TT so not sure if that is considered any good or not. Honestly still trying to figure out the differences between the headshell, cartridge and stylus lol.

A few other observations once I plugged it in and got it going:
  1. Auto start/stop definitely not working correctly. The lever doesn't move freely between start/stop/manual. Not sure if this is normal, but finally figured out how to get it into manual mode. In start/stop mode it's erratic and sometime plays entire vinyl and sometimes doesn't. It will return the tonearm after the vinyl plays, but won't turn off once the tonearm returns. In manual mode it seems to be operating as it should.
  2. In stereo mode, only getting faint signal from left channel. Volume in stereo mode also seems to deliver at lower levels in general. Mono mode appears to be giving equal strength to both channels (at least from what my amp is showing) and delivers strong sound.
Any thoughts on this TT and some amateur DIY steps I can take to address the problems above?
Click to expand...
That's a nice vintage Dual and being that no one has been into it... apparently... and that it is in great cosmetic shape it is well worth the attention needs. Most if not all of the issues will be old, dried lubricant that has to be removed and parts cleaned. As has been noted, take pictures before any disassembly and read up about before attempting service, use different sources if one is isn't clear. Channel missing is almost for sure head shell contacts where the cartridge carrier mates to the arm under the head shell. We used to shape a pencil eraser to clean them but be careful as with age the contact strip might have become fragile. Also, the wire clips that connect to the cartridge itself often loose tension and or corrode... cleaning and retensioning will cure but often the wire breaks from the clip and will have to soldered on...which, depending on one's skill with soldering might be easy, or not. Install new audio cables. The controls should have a nice smooth feel to them. The cartridge is a good fit for the table. Good luck with that table, it is a nice worthy period piece.
 
Beyond the cartridge, chances are I will take it to an experienced tech to get the finicky parts looked at and serviced. What should I expect to pay for a routine service like that? I have done some research in my area and techs are tough to find. This unit also has a United Audio branded plinth and dust cover. I didn’t know if that was part of the original production or some aftermarket addition. The good news is that they are both in almost perfect condition.
 
stg5clinger said:
Beyond the cartridge, chances are I will take it to an experienced tech to get the finicky parts looked at and serviced. What should I expect to pay for a routine service like that? I have done some research in my area and techs are tough to find. This unit also has a United Audio branded plinth and dust cover. I didn’t know if that was part of the original production or some aftermarket addition. The good news is that they are both in almost perfect condition.
Click to expand...
In the usa it would have probably come with a ua plinth but they are interchangeable with all smaller duals so its hard to say if it is original. The price for a good refurbishing is north of 150.00 i think. It will be an outstanding deck and well worth it.
 
The 1009 is a nice deck, but requires full cleaning and relube as others have hinted at. There was a guy on the big auction site selling instructions and the right grease. Don't know if he's still doing that. I believe he's an AK member but his AK name escapes me.

Also, yes the sled contacts are a regular problem. Just don't use abrasives on the contacts as it will damage the plating. Use a pencil eraser or de-oxit or other contact cleaner gently. The interconnects are usually corroded and need replacing on duals. I replace the cables on most Duals that I work on as a matter of maintenance. I like to open up the motor on these older Duals and do full service on them. You should find the instructions on that as there are some fiddly steps about that. Once cleaned, lubed and the audio path is working they are tanks, beautiful looking, and are very nice operating. There's no computers in these - it's clockwork mechanisms with old-world craftsmanship. Very cool stuff.

Nice score btw.
 
You may want to check out seller mrow22 on that auction site. He has a comprehensive pdf guide, lubrication kits, steuerpimpel etc. for sale.
He is also an active Dual poster/helper over at vinylengine. No affiliation.
 
T68 said:
You may want to check out seller mrow22 on that auction site. He has a comprehensive pdf guide, lubrication kits, steuerpimpel etc. for sale.
He is also an active Dual poster/helper over at vinylengine. No affiliation.
Click to expand...

That's the guy I was trying to remember!
 
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