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Dual 1019 Rescue Mission

The foam oil wicks are long-gone.
With all the work you have put into it, take apart the darn motor.
Either all of your turntables are way out of spec or your app is. Your wow/flutter is twice or more of what it should be.
The app's the one at fault. It's precise, but it's not accurate-it gives consistently similar readings between trials, but does not reflect real world performance as measured on a proper test setup. We can probably safely halve those numbers, given that the 1229 was spec'd at 0.06% wow and flutter (DIN standard), and the L1000 is spec'd at 0.05% (WRMS). We'll see how that number improves once I refoam the motor and really grind down the idler. It seems as though it was one of many idler tables that was put away in play mode, so the thing has a bit of a flat spot that causes a nasty "kathunk" against the platter with every rotation. Reckon that can be ground down, or am I better off just swapping it out?
 
The cartridge carrier came in the post right as I was taking my lunch break, so I wasted little time getting a spare Pickering mounted up. Gotta say, this aftermarket one (Best Audio) is very nicely made, but it feels a bit big ‘n bulky compared to the sled on the last 1019 I had (which I suspect was an older aftermarket), and the interconnects are hellaciously tight. Nevertheless, I was able to pop it in, fired and wired it up, popped an acrylic mat on it, and crossed my fingers.

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After some judicious contact cleaning, it sounds great! Pitch is accurate and seems stable, and I’m getting good clean sound out of both channels. Perhaps not the best idea to run it flat on the table here, so we’ll hold off on any critical evaluations until the plinth gets here.
 
Also, the power cord. Hard nope on that one. Not even going to plug that sucker in.

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Looks like the power cord I had initially on my Sanyo TP-1020 I got for free. I actually did plug it in though... was very careful though. Always unplugged after a test.
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Wise of you not to plug in though. Good luck! Very excited to see the results, I’m a big fan of the Dual look.
 
Looks like the power cord I had initially on my Sanyo TP-1020 I got for free. I actually did plug it in though... was very careful though. Always unplugged after a test.
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Wise of you not to plug in though. Good luck! Very excited to see the results, I’m a big fan of the Dual look.
Jeez, not sure if I'm shocked or relieved to see a wire cap on that thing. At least it's better than duct tape and a solder joint?

Since eBay seems to be devoid of any 1009/1019 power cords, I might look into just ripping this one out, cutting off the end of one of my many standard 2-prong IEC plugs that I've got laying around, and wiring that into the harness. I had to do something similar with the motor cables on my 1229 when I accidentally ripped off one of the power pins, so I reckon it should be doable. Haven't messed around with replacing power cords before, so I am a bit apprehensive. Currently, I have it only plugged in for brief tests, using an easily switchable extension cord just in case.

Currently, I've got it spinning some tossable Reader's Digest box set while I work ("The Organ Plays Golden Favorites", oh joy!). Seems to be running just fine, although I'm running through a little Bose table speaker at low volume, so I can't comment too much on sound quality right now. The sound does seem to be cutting out, but I suspect that the cables I'm using between the preamp and the speaker aren't the greatest.
 
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Cleaned up nicely underneath. Looked like some ijit sprayed WD40 or something all underneath it in order to rejuvenate the old grease, causing it all to harden and left this weird white residue all over the bottom.

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The cam gear was especially heinous, and filled with this dreadful black sludge and covered in what I hope was glitter, but was probably parts of the original platter gear. Yikes!

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I get zero resistance when I turn the platter by hand and all automatic functions are smooth and silent, but I’ll test it under power once I clean out the motor and sort out that dreadful power cord. The new plinth and head shell will be here on Thursday!

Back in the days when repairing turntables was a good second job for me, I saw many tables coming in that had been sprayed with WD40. That would usually result in an extra charge for undoing the damage caused by the WD40, before I coyld even get to the initial problem. No surprises for such was stated in my price list. Duals suffer greatly from the WD40 syndrome.

I always told customers that a turntable doesn't belong in the same county as a can of solvent spray such as WD40 (which is an excellent product when used as intended).
 
Bit of an update-I suspect the tonearm wiring is busted, as the wires to and from the preamp are OK from a quick inspection, and I get a buzz when I plug in the RCA's, but no buzz or static or really anything when I attach the sled to the headshell or wiggle the cartridge wires.

That'll be FUN to deal with!
 
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FedEx guy just dropped off the new plinth, which I wasted no time installing.

Lookit thaaaaaaat
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All that remains now is finding a way to secure the headshell back in place (locktite, maybe?), and likely replacing the idler tire, as it left a gooey residue on my sandpaper when I sanded it. Yuck. Nonetheless, I am EXTREMELY pleased with how this thing has come out in such a short period of time :D
 
I'm extremely pleased with it! I hooked it into my system, and I'm actually pretty impressed with the sound so far, just using the beater Grado F3+ I threw on it. Very bright and punchy!

What's y'all's favorite carts for the 1019?
 
The cartridge carrier came in the post right as I was taking my lunch break, so I wasted little time getting a spare Pickering mounted up. Gotta say, this aftermarket one (Best Audio) is very nicely made, but it feels a bit big ‘n bulky compared to the sled on the last 1019 I had (which I suspect was an older aftermarket), and the interconnects are hellaciously tight. Nevertheless, I was able to pop it in, fired and wired it up, popped an acrylic mat on it, and crossed my fingers.

View attachment 1993275

After some judicious contact cleaning, it sounds great! Pitch is accurate and seems stable, and I’m getting good clean sound out of both channels. Perhaps not the best idea to run it flat on the table here, so we’ll hold off on any critical evaluations until the plinth gets here.

I thought the same thing about the Best Audio sled for mine - very difficult to get the interconnects on and the sled almost seemed too big for the headshell. I eventually got it all sorted.
 
I sliced open the rubber on the open part of the crimps, and that made it significantly easier to install the leads. It’s definitely a bit chunkier than the head shell on my last 1019 (which I suspect was an older aftermarket), but the quality is fantastic otherwise. The alignment gauge makes installing cartridges a snap, too. Wish I had that years ago!
 
I suppose this saga isn't entirely finished yet. I've still yet to replace the idler tire because this thing rumbles like a truck, and I noticed the other day that the mounting base is warped near the motor mount (no surprise there), causing the turntable to sit lopsided in the plinth. I see that there's a company in Canada offering new idler tires for these Duals for about $50 or so-anyone know if they're worth it or not? The plinth will be a different can of worms, since I'm now sketchy of all UA bases and I'm not quite sure what to do with this current one.
 
I hear good things about the Canadian idler.
Someone must have sprayed something on the old one, as they never turn gooey. They simply occasionally harden. The red urethane ones do crack though.
 
I sliced open the rubber on the open part of the crimps, and that made it significantly easier to install the leads. It’s definitely a bit chunkier than the head shell on my last 1019 (which I suspect was an older aftermarket), but the quality is fantastic otherwise. The alignment gauge makes installing cartridges a snap, too. Wish I had that years ago!

Best Audio makes a nice sled.
Good tip on slicing open the rubber. I'm going to try that the next time it's off the table.
 
Regarding rumble: hows the motor mounts on the 1019?
If there are any rubber bushings they may have hardened letting motor vibrations cause rumble. I'm not familiar with the 1019 though. But on my Garrard Zero 100 the bushings were the main cause of rumble, not the idler.
 
Curiously, there doesn’t seem to be any motor isolation on this deck, just bolts. Seems to be a bit of an oversight, if you ask me.

I do wonder if I’ll ever get this thing as quiet as my first 1009. That thing was dead silent, but I was an idiot and thought I *really* needed antiskating. None of my other Duals have been quite as quiet, alas. I did snag one of those Canadian idlers, so we’ll see what happens!
 
Well I'll be damned, the Canadian idler I bought on Wednesday showed up in the post today! I wasted no time on the install, which was very straightforward. They included all the extra pieces, and a handy little handling cloth, and the instructions are very concise. All in all, seems to be a very professional job. There is a bit of a snag, as now the new idler rubs against the chassis at 78RPM when I try turning up the pitch control (pushing the idler down). Perhaps some adjustments are in order.

Shown here is a spectral analysis of the rumble, before and after installing the new idler tire. I put the overhang gauge near the start lever, and rested the stylus on it while the motor was running, which is a pretty good way to check for any rumble or isolation issues. You can see that rumble and noise are drastically reduced in the subsonic region, but there's a bit of a hum and harmonics now in the 60-120Hz region. The manual does ask you to run it at 45RPM overnight to burn in the new rubber, so I reckon I'll grab a few drinks and dig through my collection tonight.

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