Dual 721

[BrandXRC]

I just picked up a Dual 721 at a yard sale. Looks like a pretty decent table.? It has a Shure V-15 type III cart with no needle. Any opinions. Is it a keeper, or just another table.

 

[lini]

Keeper - belongs to the best Dual tables.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[bohhey]

A fussy Dual. Properly set up, it's nice. The adjustable height tonearm can cause troubles - it needs to be disassembled and the old grease removed, or it will bind and not track properly. LOTS of little parts here. There's also a cap in the power supply that needs to be replaced - when it fails, it blows the fuse. This is in addition to the normal service that it will require to operate properly.

 

[dave b]

On this adjustable tonearm height thing....what does this mean? When you balance the tonearm to parallel to set the weight...is this the time to "mess" with tone arm height, or after everything is done. I know the premise is correct vertical tracking angle????????? . One other quickie the Dual alignment tool for cartridges..I guess this is SUPER critical??? possibly some of my Sure have High frequency difficulties...they need to be pushed back some.... some of this stuff is driving me to you know wattttt.

 

[nashvillebill]

Setting the tonearm height doesn't have anything to do with balancing the counterweight. Balancing the CW, you set the tracking force to 0, then adjust the CW so the tonearm "floats" in the air, and stays there. Then after you set the tracking force and set the needle on the record--still with the turntable unplugged from the wall--adjust the tonearm height so the tonearm is parallel to the record. For most cartridges, this'll be very close to the correct cantilever angle.

You don't need the Dual alignment tool, the appropriate record protractor works better actually, but the Dual tool is a decent approximation, I think. It's actually just a plastic piece that slips over the end of the cartridge holder with a V indicating where the stylus should be.

 

[BrandXRC]

Thanks for the thoughts and set up tips. I guess I will have to give it a listen. I think I have a M995ED around here somewhere that I can use. What about the V-15 cart? Is it worth a new needle?