Vintage Dual 1228 Turntable : worth to upgrade cartridge ?

Radni,

The 1228 is by no means the last word in turntables, but it's certainly good enough to get back into the vinyl game. My Dual 1229 is my
personal favorite and gets daily use. 

Get a new Shure, any Audio Technica or Nagaoka cartridge. 
You don't have to spend a fortune to enjoy vinyl playback. Properly set up the 1228 will  blow yhe average  CD player into the weeds. 

N. 

Radni,

JICO is an excellent stylus. The Audio Technica will have a little more sparkle than the Shure cartridge. If your preamp has tone controls don't be afraid to use them. Adjust to taste and enjoy the music. 

You can always find additional drop out headshells for the Dual so swapping cartridges will be easy. 
Make sure to use the Dual alignment guage when installing your cartridge. It will ensure proper over hang. 

Also a good idea to remove the platter and let some machine oil drip down the platter race and onto the platter bearing set. 

Norman

Radni,

The Dual alignment guage is necessary to properly set up the Dual arm.  It can be done without, but it's a real pain.  You can often find them on eBay. I will see if I have a spare I can lend you. 
Maybe that's why Playpen had such a negative experience with his Duals. 
N. 

Playpen,

Thats total Hogwash. A properly set up 1229 will blow the skirt of most entry level tables. Mine certainly does and it isn't just my opinion either.  Come listen anytime.  If your P&E table is vintage, it was built by Dual. Dual bought P&E back in 1972, and built their tables until about 1978 when P&E was phased out. 

My Dual 1229 using a Grace 747 sounds better than my grease bearing Garrard 301 using a SME 3009.  Both were infinitely better than my Linn LP12.  

Norman

Playpen,
Yeah, you're right about the tonearm with regards to VTA. Remember I removed my 1229 tonearm and replaced it with a Grace 747.  This gave me the flexiblity I wanted with regard to tonearm adjustments.  It can be done with the Dual via pickup spacers and yes using platter mats but is a pain.  When I used my 1229 arm I left it level with the platter and used an Oracle Platter matt when I needed to drop the tonearm tail down a bit. I liked the Oracle mat so well that I still use it.

Other mods to my Dual were bearing replacement, and removal of all the automatic functions.  I also pulled the motor apart, cleaned an lubed the bearings.  The Dual continous pole motor is a jewel. Silent and powerful.

The 1229 in stock form (properly restored), its a fantastic table. They are worth seeking out and as i

Your PE2040 is a keeper.  I was never a big fan of the PE tonearms, (they too have pull out headshells....yes?), but they are excellent idler drive tables with that wonderful German build quality.

Be sure to keep the bearing race well lubed and the bearing set in an oil bath or grease pit.  (easy mod, does wonders) 

You might try an arm pod and a different tonearm on the PE?  I would imagine that if you tweak a little it will kill the Rega.

N  

Playpen,

The Dual 1219 is the same table as the 1229.  It just doesnt have the strobe feature, which of course is not necessary.  To realize the performance of any 40+ year old turntable really requires patients and a total tear down and rebuild.  The 1219 is an excellent platform for doing simple mods.  Like your PE, it's a wonderful idler drive table.  I was surprised when I realized that the platter on my 1229 was heavier than the one on my Garrard 301.  When I shut off my Dual, the platter will spin on its own for a good two or three minutes.  That is excellent engineering.
  
Im sure you can find a service manual for the 2040.  Do a tear down and rebuild of one of them.  Replace the arm.  I personally love the older Grace and SME's tonearms.  They can be found quite reasonble on the used market in 9" sizes that will allow them to fit on the existing turntable deck and plinth.  The SME 3009 is especially elegant and sounds wonderul.  

You think the PE is good now?  Give it tune up, it'll blow your socks off.


Norman

Radni,

The platter on my 1229 weighs over twice as much as the one on the 1228. (7.5lbs 1229, 3llbs 1228) Therefore the flywheel effect is greater and that's why is spins longer. 

As as long as the bearing set on the 1228 is well oiled or greased, and the platter race is well oiled you're good. 

N

iopscri,

Thats completely ridiculous. I don't subscribe to audio snobbery as you obvious do. The age and cost of a component says nothing about its performance. 

I used to have a kilo buck LP12, so invested was I that I even bought the service jig so that when my dealer came down to install an upgrade, he didn't have to bring his. In the end and after a decade of upgrades we still couldn't get it to sound as good as a Dual 1229.

Here is what's wrong with the LP12. http://www.high-endaudio.com/RC-Linn.html

 Take time and read it. You'll find like me that many of what he experienced you probably do too. What Linn can do is market. What they can't do is build a turntable that sounds better than an idler driven table. Lenco, Garrard, Dual, Rek O Kut, E. M. T.,  one could go on and on. They're all superior. 

Norman 

The Linn is a decent turntable, but that is about as far as it goes.  If one listens using a blind A/B, you'll never choose the Linn over a good idler or direct drive table.  There are so many 'reviewers' who used to use Linn as a reference.  Art Dudley for example.  I was so excited when I bought my Linn, then when it was home and set up it was disappointing. My dealer told me to 'let it brake in', months went by, then a year.  Then a cartridge upgrade, tonearm upgrade, bearing upgrade, motor upgrade, power supply upgrade, cables upgrade, plinth upgrade, it was never ending. Within three years time we had literally rebuilt the Linn.   I had a Dual 1219 prior to the Linn, with cheap crummy cables, and it sounded better in soundstage, bass, definition, etc.  It was just a more 'solid' presentation.  To me… and that's what mattered.  I bought the 1229, rebuilt it, replaced the tonearm and am very happy.  I then rebuilt a Garrard 301 and mounted a SME 3009 and it too is wonderful.

I have less than half the cost in the Dual, tonearm, Garrard and tonearm then I had in the Linn and that was with a custom plinth for the Garrrard. I am now going to be tackling a EMT, but that is going to take quite a bit as it's kinda rough and parts are expensive.  I will do some of the work, then have a local shop finish it for me.  It has to be perfect.

Enjoy your Dual, when you can, and only if you feel the need too,  upgrade.  But make sure the upgrade is an actual upgrade in sound, not just in cost.

Playpen, sounds like you've found some good tweaks to make the PE even better!  =)

Norman

Radni,

There is a black box on underneath the turntable toward the left hand side. The power cord plugs into it.  Unplug the power cord and remove the two screws.  There you will find a capacitor.  Replace it as it is no longer suppressing the engagement of the switch, which is what you are hearing.  That, or turn the volume down before setting the stylus into the groove.

You can do an online search and get the pdf of the 1228 service manual.

Norman

Radni,

I only have one Dual cartridge alignment jig left.  If you want to send me your mounted cartridge I would be happy yo align it for you (I'll take photos) and send it right back.  My email is n@normansizemore.com

Or, I will loan the jig to you if you promise to send it back.

Norman

Radni,

The JICO is a very good stylus.. You'll be happy with it. Ed Saunders also makes an excellent replacement for the Shure.

N.