arcorob
Addicted Member
This is an easy easy project costing about 20 to 25 dollars..and you can ensure you will never have a Dual sled issue or hum issue ever again.
I have a Dual 721 with the typical Dual sled. LOVE the table but have always hated 1) Intermittant sled/headshell connections 2) Chasing hums that never quite go away 100%
SOLVED.
Recently I bought a LITZ wire kit online. Very awesome tonearm wire and connectors I used for my DIY table. Well, they sent me so much, I had enough for another table (and a bit left over). Was fed up with the Dual issues since I got my AT150Mlx back, sometimes I would have to press the back of the sled to get a good connection and there was always some residual hum...very low..BUT I KNEW IT WAS THERE.
So I decided. Make or break, I am not putting up with this anymore.
The project steps.
1) Identify where your tonearm wires connect in the table (underneath) because that is your destination.
2) Get your replacement wires ready.
I cut 4 same length strands and on the one end I soldered new connector tags - Red White Blue Green - on the opposite end I used magic marker to color code the wire because the wire is all one color (silk) so it hold the maker well.
3) Now that you have your wires you want to use the OLD wires to feed it through (this wont work but I'll tell you of the attempt anyway and tell you what DOES work)
4) Remove the back plate in the headshell by sliding it down and pulling the wires forward...Looks like this
5) Clip that puppy off and pull the old wires forward a bit so you can grab them.
6) Tape the new set of wires to these securely because you are going to PULL the wires from inside the table to feed the new ones through. Why did I say it doesn't work ? Because unless these things are skinny, flexible and soldily mated when you pull them through, it wont make the 90 degree bend when it gets near the tonearm pivot. Yikes. I knew that would happen.
Well, never fear. If you feed them down the arm tube and talke off the counterweight, they feed straight out the back of the arm. The counterweight shaft is slotted and the wires fit throough there just fine, so you can now feed them down through the hole (from the back of the tabel look at the arm pivot, to the right is a hole that doesn''t move and the wires go there)
7) Feed them under the table.
Now you will note, the original wires had 5 (1 black ground) but I only showed you 4. Forget the black ground wire from the arm. You will not need it.
8) Connect your wires for the RCA's inside the table - They go where these were
9) Now take one of your Dual sleds and clip the wires off and get rid of the back pins. Will look like this.
10) Connect your new dangling wire tags to the cart pins while its in the sled.
11) Insert your sled as it normally goes and lock it in...no worries about back plate connections, etc.
Now play the thing...No hum, no bad connections and I tell you this, the Litz wire is incredible ...It does make a difference in sound (I would not have believed it) but it is superb.
Does this help ?
Total time with soldering and being careful - 1 hour
Total cost - 1/2 of the $25 I spent on wire (so $12 ) plus used a set of cart tags I got with an AT cart (the kit with those 4 stiff wires..lol)
Now you will LOVE your Dual forever because it is flawless.
BTW..the ground ? You still connect your table ground but no ground wire to the arm.
11)
I have a Dual 721 with the typical Dual sled. LOVE the table but have always hated 1) Intermittant sled/headshell connections 2) Chasing hums that never quite go away 100%
SOLVED.
Recently I bought a LITZ wire kit online. Very awesome tonearm wire and connectors I used for my DIY table. Well, they sent me so much, I had enough for another table (and a bit left over). Was fed up with the Dual issues since I got my AT150Mlx back, sometimes I would have to press the back of the sled to get a good connection and there was always some residual hum...very low..BUT I KNEW IT WAS THERE.
So I decided. Make or break, I am not putting up with this anymore.
The project steps.
1) Identify where your tonearm wires connect in the table (underneath) because that is your destination.
2) Get your replacement wires ready.
I cut 4 same length strands and on the one end I soldered new connector tags - Red White Blue Green - on the opposite end I used magic marker to color code the wire because the wire is all one color (silk) so it hold the maker well.
3) Now that you have your wires you want to use the OLD wires to feed it through (this wont work but I'll tell you of the attempt anyway and tell you what DOES work)
4) Remove the back plate in the headshell by sliding it down and pulling the wires forward...Looks like this
5) Clip that puppy off and pull the old wires forward a bit so you can grab them.
6) Tape the new set of wires to these securely because you are going to PULL the wires from inside the table to feed the new ones through. Why did I say it doesn't work ? Because unless these things are skinny, flexible and soldily mated when you pull them through, it wont make the 90 degree bend when it gets near the tonearm pivot. Yikes. I knew that would happen.
Well, never fear. If you feed them down the arm tube and talke off the counterweight, they feed straight out the back of the arm. The counterweight shaft is slotted and the wires fit throough there just fine, so you can now feed them down through the hole (from the back of the tabel look at the arm pivot, to the right is a hole that doesn''t move and the wires go there)
7) Feed them under the table.
Now you will note, the original wires had 5 (1 black ground) but I only showed you 4. Forget the black ground wire from the arm. You will not need it.
8) Connect your wires for the RCA's inside the table - They go where these were
9) Now take one of your Dual sleds and clip the wires off and get rid of the back pins. Will look like this.
10) Connect your new dangling wire tags to the cart pins while its in the sled.
11) Insert your sled as it normally goes and lock it in...no worries about back plate connections, etc.
Now play the thing...No hum, no bad connections and I tell you this, the Litz wire is incredible ...It does make a difference in sound (I would not have believed it) but it is superb.
Does this help ?
Total time with soldering and being careful - 1 hour
Total cost - 1/2 of the $25 I spent on wire (so $12 ) plus used a set of cart tags I got with an AT cart (the kit with those 4 stiff wires..lol)
Now you will LOVE your Dual forever because it is flawless.
BTW..the ground ? You still connect your table ground but no ground wire to the arm.
11)
).