Dual: Dule or Do-All?

[Wigwam Jones]

I grew up pronouncing the Dual brand name as "do-all," but I've seen YouTube videos where experts pronounce it "dual" like the word for two of something, like dual carburetors.

So which is it?

 

[SansuiHafler]

Dual, like your second example. Same as Duel, like gunfight duel.

 

[Hajidub]

Dule for me, of course I'm an idiot and don't want to sound so bougie.

 

[tarior]

I pronounce it junk.

 

[justjed2]

like dual carburetors.

I'd rather have four dual-throat Webers than a dual-quad Edelbrock setup, but it's close. Yea, and verily, they both suck, but they sound different doing so. Classic, and classy.

Different kind of music, sorry. Back to your regularly scheduled programming......

 

[tarior]

I'd rather have four dual-throat Webers than a dual-quad Edelbrock setup, but it's close. Yea, and verily, they both suck, but they sound different doing so. Classic, and classy.

Different kind of music, sorry. Back to your regularly scheduled programming......

The cool factor of either is hard to deny. However, for cool factor, 3X2 is hard to beat.

 

[lini]

(...) So which is it?

Depends. The latter in case of English pronunciation.

Whereas in case of original German pronunciation, "do-all" in my view wouldn't quite fit. I.e., the "do" as in the English verb "(to) do" for the "Du" part would work, but next would be a dark, somewhat elongated "a" as in the English word "father" (or the German "Vater"), followed by an "l".

If you want to hear it pronounced several times by a couple of Germans (also including Dualfred (*)), you could watch this recent video:

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

*) With him pronouncing "Dual" in a somewhat more Bavarian way.

 

[triple20]

The cool factor of either is hard to deny. However, for cool factor, 3X2 is hard to beat.

Have a 3x2 I'm building for my Oldsmobile.

 

[Tonoje]

I grew up pronouncing the Dual brand name as "do-all," but I've seen YouTube videos where experts pronounce it "dual" like the word for two of something, like dual carburetors.

So which is it?

It's probably futile to try to get consensus on pronunciation of brand names. It varies from one country to the next, and also within each country. I don't see any real justification, either from the original Japanese or from the official English spelling, to pronounce Technics as "techniques": I can't think of a single other English word or name ending with that spelling pattern that would be pronounced that way. However, if it's widely pronounced as techniques in one of the major markets, that in itself is correct. Specifically, one of the correct ways in which it can be pronounced.

Note also that the stressed syllable in a word or name may vary: there can be major differences between North American and other forms of English. And then it all gets filtered through people's accents, whatever those might be. I strongly doubt that everyone on this forum speaks the "standard" version of their country's English with no discernible regional accent, so even if agreement is reached on a single pronunciation style, vowel sounds, stresses, and duration are going to be all over the place.

I'd say that Dual could be pronounced (if attempting English, of course) "duel" or "dool" without raising too many eyebrows: even in parts of England, you'll hear "new" pronounced "noo". I wouldn't think many people in English would try to get too close to the German pronunciation, and I've never heard anything close to the German video linked above.

 

[Wigwam Jones]

Depends. The latter in case of English pronunciation.

Whereas in case of original German pronunciation, "do-all" in my view wouldn't quite fit. I.e., the "do" as in the English verb "(to) do" for the "Du" part would work, but next would be a dark, somewhat elongated "a" as in the English word "father" (or the German "Vater"), followed by an "l".

If you want to hear it pronounced several times by a couple of Germans (also including Dualfred (*)), you could watch this recent video:

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

*) With him pronouncing "Dual" in a somewhat more Bavarian way.

Ah! That does sound somewhat similar to how I've been pronouncing it. More of a du-ahl type thing. Definitely an emphasis on the 'ahl' sound, yes?

 

[Sansuiman]

This is reminiscent of the Jaguar versus "zhagyouare" pronunciation used in their advertising of recent decades. I always pronounced Dual something like "duel" or "dool", and yes Technics is "Techniques" because that is the prevailing pronunciation pretty much anywhere I've heard the brand discussed. I'll admit the latter may not make much sense by grammatical rules, but then proper nouns are generally exempt from said rules.

Then there is the whole Marantz thing, is it pronounced "Merants", or "Meronts"?

 

[malden]

I say "dool" but not "doowall"

 

[Thorsten R.]

Definitely an emphasis on the 'ahl' sound, yes?

Exactly.

 

[lini]

More of a du-ahl type thing. Definitely an emphasis on the 'ahl' sound, yes?

Yup, both - but not too much of an emphasis on the "ahl". So "Do - ahl" would fit, while "Do-ahhhl" would be exaggerated. But you could hear it in that video anyway...

Oh, and btw., attentive watchers of the video might have already spotted the new tonearm variant for the upcoming, new CS718Q there. That will bring back dynamic balancing and additionally also sport stepless tonearm height adjusment. It'll still take a while, until that will come to the market, though.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[SaSi]

If memory serves, I recall reading about the origin of the brand name was they came with dual drive capability, spring winding and electric motor. So, the name reflected that and should be pronounced "du-al".

 

[Wigwam Jones]

As a humorous aside, perhaps I should mention that while I have no Dual turntables, I have four Perpetuum Ebner tables. Some were made by Dual, though.

 

[Blue Shadow]

However, for cool factor, 3X2 is hard to beat.

I'll see your 3-ply carb and raise you another 3-ply. For racing purpose only, please.

from: https://gtspirit.com/2018/08/29/ferrari-250-gto-sells-record-48-2-million-expensive-auction/

Of course, to keep this on topic of general audio discussion, these are fitted with Trumpets.

 

[justjed2]

I see a buncha tennis balls......

 

[restorer-john]

and yes Technics is "Techniques" because that is the prevailing pronunciation pretty much anywhere I've heard the brand discussed

Nobody calls it "Techniques" outside of the US. It's Technics, always was. Matsushita used to have the correct English pronunciation spelled out in their sales documentation back in the day and were insistent the American pronunciation of their brand was disgraceful. The Japanese put a very short 'u' at the end that you can barely hear. Go listen yourselves.


A bit like Janome sewing machines. It was never Ja-no-me. Their sewing machines even had a metal badge on the underside that said "pronounced Ja-no-may" (means the snake eye as that what the round bobbin housing looked like when they invented it and changed sewing forever). But stupid Australians and English still get it wrong to this day.

 

[Doug G.]

Well. when you sell products world-wide, I guess you have to expect various pronunciations. There is no disgrace involved and it's not stupidity.

Doug