United Audio Dual 1225 Turntable?

PureQuill

PureQuill

AK Member
Subscriber
I have a line on a United Audio Dual 1225 Turntable from its original owner.

I wont ask about value since this is not Dollars & Sense.:no:

But not much on this site or the internet about this model.
Is it any good?
How does it compare to other duals in 1200 series?:dunno:
Thanks
PQ
 
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Check it out at Dual Reference.

If the owner has kept the Dual in good condition, this should be a good turntable for you. If you are buying, I would clean it real good inside and out, and I would say it will be time to re-lube and re-grease the needed parts. I would also check the idler wheel for any cracks or flat spots.

Make sure you post some pics once you get it home. If you need more help, there are plenty members who are familiar with Dual tables and will be happy to help.
 
It's OK, but if I was going to put the effort into a Dual I'd go for a 1219 or 1229. It will probably need the Steuerpimple replaced, and lots of grease removed and replaced on the linkages. Also, I see it has a Pitch control, which means there's a good chance that belt is broken or brittle enough to break the first time you roll it. I've got over a dozen Duals here, all with various issues, but the only ones getting attention most likely will be the 12x9 models.

Don't ever try forcing a frozen Dual lever; something WILL break and you'll regret it.

What cartridge is in it? Sometimes the cartridge is worth the asking price itself.
 
Andyman said:
It's OK, but if I was going to put the effort into a Dual I'd go for a 1219 or 1229. It will probably need the Steuerpimple replaced, and lots of grease removed and replaced on the linkages. Also, I see it has a Pitch control, which means there's a good chance that belt is broken or brittle enough to break the first time you roll it. I've got over a dozen Duals here, all with various issues, but the only ones getting attention most likely will be the 12x9 models.

Don't ever try forcing a frozen Dual lever; something WILL break and you'll regret it.

What cartridge is in it? Sometimes the cartridge is worth the asking price itself.
Click to expand...


So it is a belt not an idler drive?:scratch2:
The cart looks like a Shure M91 or 75.:dunno:
I cant tell it is black has the Shure “S" & says Hi Track.
Cheers
PQ
 
Yes, the 1225 is an idler, but the pitch control uses a small toothed belt to adjust the idler on the brass drive cone to fine tune the speed.

That's what get's brittle and breaks.

Actually, never mind, it's the 505 that uses the belt. The 1225 appears to use gears of some sort. A service manual is located here...

http://www.vinylengine.com/library/dual/1225.shtml
 
At one time I think I had about 5 1225s hanging around here.
With a little love (grease and steurpimpel) and a decent cartridge it can hang in there with alot of pricier decks.
 
Thanks for the info everyone!
Keeping my fingers crossed someone doesn’t buy it out from underneath me!:no:

Thanks again

PQ
 
The 1225 is OK, nothing special, and rather low in the pecking order of the Dual idlers. 1226 and 1228 especially would already be significant improvements. Apart from the 1219 & 1229 people seem to mostly file the all the other models under "small platter", so in practice you can often get a 1228 for similar money you'd pay for a 1225, but the 1228 is already a lot better table (heavier platter, better arm etc.)

I really did like the 1216 I had, it was a very solid build, and didn't even have a steuerpimple to go wrong on you :) It also had the 4lbs platter instead the bit lighter one that is on cheaper models like the 1215 & 1225. It would be roughly equilavent to 1226, but I believe the older series actually had better built quality in places and some parts that used to be metal were replaced with plastic for the 122x, but this differs from model to model.
 
Thanks for all the responses ...
Well I am not holding my breath or lose any sleep over this TT...
I haven’t heard back from the seller.

I think someone beat me to it...I hope it was a fellow AK’er:thmbsp:
Because he had a nice Marantz 2215 to go with it.:yes:
Oh well!
Cheers
PQ
 
Hi everyone during the Corona virus pandemic of 2020.
First, my prayer is that everyone is safe and well.
Second, while we are stuck at home I am considering purchasing a used Dual idler drive turntable and fix it up. My skill is moderate with electrical and mechanical so am wondering if you gents have any recommendations.

I see a few 1019’s for under $50, a 1225 for not much more but NO 1219 or 1229. There’s also a 1209 I can get for about $40 but seller says it runs all the time which is a switch issue from my research. Any idea how hard it it to get the switch replaced. Is the 1225 a simpler model?

Thanks in advance and stay well!
 
Shoot for a 1019, in my experience a little easier to get going as long as nobody had their paws in it making adjustments instead of relubricating.
 
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