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Which Dual to choose

sorinv

sorinv

New Member
Hi guys ... long time reader, my first post.

I currently have a Pioneer PL-200 and while I am happy with the sound, I am not too fond of the plasticky look it has. So I am looking to buy a Dual idler and build a nice wooden plinth for it.

In my country (Romania) for a reasonable amount of money (under $110) I can get these models, all looking good and fully functional:
- 1209
- 1214
- 1218
- 1224
- 1225
- 1226
- 1228

I did my research and I know 1219 and 1229 and the more desirable models, but they are simply not available around here, or priced through the roof.

So my question is: which of these duals would be the better option?

Thanks,
Sorin
 
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1218 would be my choice if possible. The 1219's small chassis sibling. And one of Dual's best not quite top of the line changers from Dual's peak era. The 1225 was 2 speed, and generally a good Dual and performed well also, my first Dual. And second choice here.
 
1228 is another good option. I had one for a while, and it was a solid performer. Not a 1229, but has the strobe and other good features.
 
Thanks for the input, guys.

As far as I know, all of these have 10" platters. Do you agree? Any other Dual (apart from 1219 and 1229) you know of with a 12" platter? Does it even matter that much if it's 10 or 12"?
 
The hefty weight of the larger platters matters more than the size across. My 1229 has effectively zero rumble and holds speed perfectly. The 10" Duals still perform really well, they just aren't quite as good as the 12" models in my experience. I believe all that you listed have 10" platters, which are still great and give you a more compact table.

The 701 has a 12" platter as well, but it's a bit of a different machine than these idlers.
 
I guess 701 would be a good option too, looks really nice and I don't have a problem with DD turntables. Unfortunately these are rarely found around here, but I'll keep an ear to the ground :)
 
I had a 1209, and it was a quality machine. Very little plastic on that one as opposed to the newer Dual tables. Sound was very good with the Shure M93 that came on mine.
 
I acquired a 1019, 1219. 1229 and 701 in the past two years. Refurbished all to like new condition. I sold the 1219 and will be selling the 1229 as soon as I get over parting with something I put so much time into.

The 1019 and 701 will not be going anywhere. Both sound great and and are built to last. Duals 2 best IMO.
 
@ebcdic, lucky you :) . I rarely see these models here and when they show up they are very expensive. Would be cheaper to fly to Germany and search for some there.
 
1218 > 1228 > 1226 > 1225 pretty much

I think the only difference (or at least biggest) between 1226 and 1225 is the 26 has a heavier 1.8kg platter like the 12x8 models. The l 18 & 28 have a more sophisticated arm. Generally the build quality on the earlier 121x models is a bit better to their later 122x counterparts.
 
The 1218 with a stanton 681eee cartridge was my first table back in the 70's i had it for over 10 years and it was great table finally its started having issues, probably just needed to be lubed but i was young and dumb and tossed it it the dumpster. I got another one a few years ago and put the 681eee on it, at least i didnt toss that. Having it twice i would recomend the 1218 from your list. I have shure m91e with lpgear VL stylus that i use with it also and it sounds great
 
Quick update: I finally found a 1229 at a decent price. It was just $50, sold as "for repair or parts". After receiving it, a quick inspection showed that:
- it has no plinth, which is fine, as I wanted to build one myself like this one:
- it has no cart
- lacks the damping fluid so arm drops like a rock. This is a bit trickier, need to see if any service was attempted and botched there.
- does not have the RCA cables (they are desoldered in the muting switch box). No problem, as I have to connect that to the plinth RCA sockets anyway

Rest of it looks functional and recently serviced. Looks like I got myself a nice table, with a bit of work to fix the small issues it has it should be a solid one.

Will likely start a rebuild thread once I manage to get some pictures of the table as it is now.

Thank you all for your advice.
 
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