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Your Favorite DUAL 'Belt-Drive' Turntable

malden

malden

Lunatic Member
I've always liked DUAL 'Idler-Drive' turntables, they are well built and sound great but I just found a 1245 'Belt-Drive' turntable that sounds as good, and maybe better than any of my other belt-drive turntables including AR XA, Empire 598 & Thorens TD 160.

What are some other great DUAL 'Belt-Drive' turntables?
 
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malden said:
I've always liked DUAL 'Idler-Drive' turntables, they are well built and sound great but I just found a 1245 'Belt-Drive' turntable that sounds as good, and maybe better than any of my other belt-drive turntables including AR XA, Empire 598 & Thorens TD 160.

What are some other great DUAL 'Belt-Drive' turntables?
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Are you serious? Better than an Empire 598? That one i find hard to believe... AR XA, hell yeah, I believe you. TD160, well, maybe (i don't like BD Thorens too much)

Maybe with a better tonearm the Empire 598 would come out ahead...

That being said, I think Dual is an admirable manufacturer. They excelled at idler drive, belt drive and idler wheel drive, they could bring out great TTs with any drive system.

I just wish they hadn't used that goofy plastic headshell system, though.
 
flavio81 said:
Are you serious? Better than an Empire 598?
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I rotate my turntables regularly, past few weeks it's been the 598, I love it and don't foresee putting it back in the closet anytime soon. I only listened to a couple of albums with the 1245 but was really impressed with the quality of sound, never really felt that way with the AR or Thorens.

Both the DUAL and Empire have Shure V15 III cartridges but I haven't yet listened to those same two recordings on the 598. It will be interesting.
 
malden said:
I rotate my turntables regularly,
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What? Don't they rotate by themselves? You forgot to plug them in...

malden said:
past few weeks it's been the 598, I love it and don't foresee putting it back in the closet anytime soon. I only listened to a couple of albums with the 1245 but was really impressed with the quality of sound, never really felt that way with the AR or Thorens.

Both the DUAL and Empire have Shure V15 III cartridges but I haven't yet listened to those same two recordings on the 598. It will be interesting.
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The V15-III is probably a much better match for the Dual arm. After all Dual had its own Dual-branded version of the V15-III.

I have the Pioneer PL-41 which is a sort-of japanese Empire 598, and I love it. Mine is paired with a SME 3008/III.
 
flavio81 said:
What? Don't they rotate by themselves? You forgot to plug them in...
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:whip::)
flavio81 said:
The V15-III is probably a much better match for the Dual arm. After all Dual had its own Dual-branded version of the V15-III.
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I had one of those V15 III DU that I installed in the 1245, no mounting screws means less mass at the business end
flavio81 said:
I have the Pioneer PL-41 which is a sort-of japanese Empire 598, and I love it. Mine is paired with a SME 3008/III.
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I had a PL-41D, regret selling it though.
 
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Among the "newer" models technically the best would be the 750-1, nicest looking one for my taste the Golden 11 (= 750-based successor of the Golden 1). Technically the best among the low-profile models is the 503-2.

Among the classic models with 8-pole AC-motor my pick would be the 510(S) or maybe even just a 502(-1S) for its clean look.

Personal fav: The 505-4 - preferably 1st gen., 'cause that also was technically the best 505er. But I also have a heart for the 455-1M.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
 
I like the Dual 1246 (1978) which basically your 1245 with a strobe light and strobe markings on the platter. The dual 521 is the single play version of this turntable so it has a shorter dust cover which makes it easier to open close to a back wall. The plinth/base on thes models leaves something to be desired with its thin faux-wood veneered particle board accents, but It would be relatively easy to replace the particle board accents with taller real stained hardwood as it's basically just 3/4 of a tall picture frame with a groove cut in the back.
 
Since you didn't stipulate a price point, cost no object my favourite dual-belt turntable is the Döhmann Helix 1 mk3. I heard that deck at the recent Melbourne Hifi & AV show and was impressed by the improvements over the Mk2. It is a very quiet, natural sounding tt which has well balanced tone/timbre. It just gets out of the way and makes you want to listen to records. I regard it as one of the top 10 turntables of all time, and cost no object it would be one of the 3 tt's i'd have in my dream system.

1705599702550.jpeg
 
malden said:
I've always liked DUAL 'Idler-Drive' turntables, they are well built and sound great but I just found a 1245 'Belt-Drive' turntable that sounds as good, and maybe better than any of my other belt-drive turntables including AR XA, Empire 598 & Thorens TD 160.

What are some other great DUAL 'Belt-Drive' turntables?
Click to expand...
I like my 1246. To me it's a nice deck that can still be found at a reasonable price.

Mike

sweet.jpg
 
lini said:
Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
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Dual sends you greetings from St. Georgen im Schwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg...


1705613483076.png


Fun fact: The above motor which offers both (DUAL) electric AND mechanical clockwork operation, was the beginning of the DUAL name.

So Dual is perhaps the only manufacturer to excel in clockwork drive, idler drive, belt drive and direct drive!!
 
Great tables - my only negative was (as a service person) the split drive variable speed mechanism - used to see lots with issues due to springiness (is that a word) of the splines which controlled the diameter of the drive pulley.
 
malden said:
I've always liked DUAL 'Idler-Drive' turntables, they are well built and sound great but I just found a 1245 'Belt-Drive' turntable that sounds as good, and maybe better than any of my other belt-drive turntables including AR XA, Empire 598 & Thorens TD 160.

What are some other great DUAL 'Belt-Drive' turntables?
Click to expand...

The one I own, of course. I have a 1245 and love to use it. Has Shure V-15 III.
 
sregor said:
Great tables - my only negative was (as a service person) the split drive variable speed mechanism - used to see lots with issues due to springiness (is that a word) of the splines which controlled the diameter of the drive pulley.
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The split drive pulley was frozen in my 1245. I carefully took it apart, chucked the pulley in a drill press and cleaned it with a green scotch pad. I then reassembled and put a drop of light-weight oil inside the plunger which opens and closes the pulley and it works flawlessly now.
 
sam562 said:
I like the Dual 1246 (1978) which basically your 1245 with a strobe light and strobe markings on the platter.
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although my 1245 has a strobe light, I just saw one on ebay with strobe markings on the platter but no strobe light. I've seen other Dual turntables with platter strobe markings but no light.
 
Well, the service manual for the 1245 definitely shows the strobe light at several spots (pic, explosion drawing, parts list), so a 1245 without strobe light would seem pretty unusual. There definitely were several models, that sported a platter with strobe marks, but didn't sport a strobe light, though - including for example the 505, 505-1 and 505-2.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
 
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