Location: East Riding of Yorkshire these days
Posts: 4,779
I'm Shaun.
Alex
Main System: Digital: HP Laptop/M2Tech Hiface/Logitech Media Server/FLAC; Marantz SA7001 KI Signature SACD Player and other digital stuff into Gatorised Beresford Caiman DAC Vinyl: Garrard 401/SME 3009 SII Improved/Sumiko HS/Nagaoka MP-30
Amplifier: Rega Brio R. Speakers: Spendor SP1. Cables: Various, mainly Mark Grant. Please see "about me" for the rest of my cr@p! Gallery
A.o.S. on Facebook - A.o.S. on Spotify - A.o.S. on Twitter
There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing Aristotle
I'm intending putting a write-up with pictures on Audio-Talk, but it means taking it to bits to show the innards, and it's sounding so good at the moment I'm loath to disturb it. There are still a few little tidy-up jobs to do, so next time I've got a day spare I'll have a go at it.
I used all the original electronics and the platter from the Dual. I tried the TT2 platter, which is about half the weight, but it lost all the drive and integrity the the Dual does so well. What it doesn't inherit from the Dual is the cramped and blurred soundstage or the total lack of depth and height.
Last edited by shane; 14-09-2009 at 19:26.
Location: East Riding of Yorkshire these days
Posts: 4,779
I'm Shaun.
Thanks for the input everyone. The responses were varied but as I expected in that, whatever your price point, I doubt that there is any new turntable/arm/cart combination that is actually worth investing in. For sensible money it would appear that it is definitely best to get involved in a classic with some renovation.
My prejudice is for Nottingham Analogue but that's mainly because I used to sell them through my own business back in the nineties, however, I do consider them to be a stout investment, long term.
Now Shane - have you listened to the 701 fully intact with proper counterweight? I'm *very* grateful indeed for the plinth and remains of the donor, but I understand that this sample had a damaged arm - the tuned counterweight and re-set bearings, together with freed-off suspension, does help a lot, even if it's no good for a DL103. The "glimmlampe" has no audible effect IMO, any "difference" being imaginary IMO..
I get great depth on my 701, easy to hear reverse absolute phase and the only main criticism is that better turntables have a "bigger" sound, the Dual keeping proportion but making everything a little "smaller." It's tons better than a Planar 3, which seems unbalanced and somehow "flat" by comparison.
So there
Last edited by DSJR; 14-09-2009 at 20:51.
Tear down these walls; Cut the ties that held me
Crying out at the top of my voice; Tell me now if you can hear me
Hi Shane,
Go right ahead, but don't forget about us here, too!I'm intending putting a write-up with pictures on Audio-Talk...
It would be an excellent article for our D.I.Y section, so when the time comes please copy and paste it there for our delectation.
Marco.
Main System
Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.
Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.
Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.
CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.
Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.
Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.
Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.
Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.
Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.
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Yes please, i'd like to see what I'm missing
Tear down these walls; Cut the ties that held me
Crying out at the top of my voice; Tell me now if you can hear me
Sorry Dave, you're quite right. The arm on the Dual was extremely tired, with both the bearings and the counterweight best described as knackered, so it's probably unfair of me to criticize it. Fortunately the motor is in VGC, and a beautiful piece of engineering it is too.
Marco, will do. Might be a week or two though.
Location: Tuscany Italy
Posts: 25
I'm getting one of these in a few days:
It'll be interesting to hear what it's like vs my 301 on slate. I have high hopes....
http://www.trans-fi.com/turntables.htm