Dual Turntables

[BrettMc]

Hi All,

I have my fathers Dual 1218 functioning. The people that did the work on it installed an ortofon 2m red stylus.

Goals:

1) I am looking for the highest quality audio output I can get from a Dual 1218. Full tonal range, excellent dynamics and punch with the largest possible soundstage—so pretty much I’m looking for everything! I will be playing mostly progressive rock and I am looking to digitize my vinyl collection.
2) I want to be able to swap in a headshell and cartridge and stylus for dedicated 78 playback. I don’t want to mix more modern vinyl with 78’s (I fear that 78’s might punish whatever needles are runnin those groves). If you think one setup will be fine for both, I defer to the groups expertise.

Questions:

1) With what I have here what’s the best setup for ‘audiophile level’ playback?
2) For 78 playback what’s my best bet?
3) What do I have here with all these needles and cartridges?
4) one of the Dual mounts still has the springs that were standard. Should I be using that as my primary mount?
5) One of the mounts the wires have come free but I still have the plastic piece to pin them back down. Is this worth doing?
6) For supreme audio playback, should I consider something beyond what I have?

Thanks all! Your time and expertise are appreciated.

Best,
Brett

 

[J!m]

78s need dedicated cartridges for sure. Generally spherical and high tracking force.

I listen to a lot of prog and the ortofon will be fine. The phono preamp you use will have an impact as well- you need different EQ settings for old 78s v. RIAA EQ for modern records. This is why people often have dedicated set ups for the 78s and another for RIAA records.

 

[Bob Boyer]

Following on Jim's comment -the Ortofon Red will be an improvement over a stock M91ED Shure. They tend to skew towards the shrill side in stock form, though not badly so. The Stanton may give it a run for its money if it's in good shape but I think, the Ortofon still wins. For your normal listening, the Ortofon is great. But as Jim said, search out a dedicated spherical-stylus cartridge that can track heavy to keep it in the grooves.

It looks like the turntable came with extra cartridge sleds; I'd mount the mono cartridge on one of them so you can switch back and forth. If you can purchase something like SOTA's Pyxi phone preamp at $300-ish, you can switch settings back and forth when you switch cartridges. The new Phonomena preamp has even more control but I'd get lost if I had to remember how to reset all those switches when changing between listening to regular LPs and old 78s. If switching's a pain, I'd personally leave it set for the best sound from the Ortofon and sacrifice the SQ when listening to your 78s.

 

[J!m]

In case there is confusion, I was suggesting a dedicated cartridge and preamp for the 78's and the Ortofon and dedicated preamp for the "normal" records.

Requirements of the 78's are very different, from stylus shape to EQ, so always best to dedicate it.

As far as mono records go, I run the same "normal" cartridge for both mono and stereo, often not even bothering with the mono (summing) switch on my preamp, as they sound just fine in "stereo" although both channels play more-or-less the same material when coming off a mono record (probably a tiny timing difference but under my current listening conditions, imperceptible).

 

[mr_rye89]

I think Ortofon 2M series has a 78 stylus that tracks pretty light (or was that the OM series?) I've got a pretty serious 78 setup at home I'll post pics of when I get there.

 

[wattsabundant]

Any of you Dual fans own a 1218 ? That was my first TT back in '75.

I no longer have it, but have the original OM, a review reprint and an original product brochure. Also have the stack spindle out of the 1218.

PM me if you want it ... pay for shipping.
Al

1226

 

[mr_rye89]

I think Ortofon 2M series has a 78 stylus that tracks pretty light (or was that the OM series?) I've got a pretty serious 78 setup at home I'll post pics of when I get there.

Technics sl-120mk1 with a SL-1200mk2 tonearm, modified motor controller circuit and switch on the side for 78 rpm, AT3600 cartridge with an aftermarket 78 stylus and 2 gram headshell weight so I don't have to rebalance the arm, a Wyn Palmer phono preamp (Sota Pyxi), and an Esoteric Sounds/Rek O Kut re-equalizer for all those different 78 equalization curves.

 

[J!m]

If you built the Wyn preamp it’s better than the Sota.

 

[Bob Boyer]

If you built the Wyn preamp it’s better than the Sota.

Just curious, what's the difference, Jim? I have the original SOTA version (Pyxi). I know yours is more heavily modified.

 

[J!m]

Wyn had to make some compromises for SOTA production.

His original design was only compromised in that it is designed to not require much in the way of testing- build n go. But all parts were optimized for performance. Building one unit, a cap costing 5 cents more for better performance is no brainer. Building 1000 of them, it's a larger concern. Tight tolerance resistors ensure the actual build closely follows the design and simulations too. No trim pots and no "set up" after build.

Mine is a bit odd in that I have a fully discrete construction with dedicated boards- one for MM and one for MC, but it can be built with one board as the loading and gain are both adjustable. I think a variant of that is what the Pyxi ended up being, but it is a completely new board layout and design by SOTA.

Still, you will be hard pressed to better the pyxi for under a grand. Probably under two grand actually. It is a giant killer.

 

[J!m]

Yes, I'm remembering on the build thread someone designed a daughter board that attached to the main board and allowed adjusting R and C via rotary switches. The board was designed from the start with friction sockets so you can swap caps and resistors. Gain was set with another resistor (one per channel).

I also utilized the "fine balance" option on mine (it can be jumped out), but it allows 5db max (or so) "swing" on the balance, which is all that is needed if the cartridge is aligned.

I also have a +10dB gain switch, a mono switch and the elliptic filter "warp filter" can be switched on and off, but I leave it on always. I believe his latest design has an even better warp filter but I haven't been over there to check that thread in a few months...

 

[Bob Boyer]

I think that was Kyle that had the pots on the front. I saw a photo of it earlier in this thread.

 

[J!m]

That may have been the hard wired version. I recall a small vertical board and the pots were accessible from the rear. Board isn’t very wide so they’d be maybe 2 inches apart.

 

[mr_rye89]

My WP phono preamp is the one on the top of the tape deck in the full width rackmount case and has one button to turn it on and off. That thing with the knobs is the Esoteric Sounds Re-Equalizer for 78 records