I've had my SL-1300 since 1976, 47 years, and the only issue I've had with it was a wandering strobe speed after going away and not using it for months. I removed the platter and lubed it and then let it run for about 5 minutes and once again it worked flawlessly and continues to do so. Got it though APO/FPO as an acquaintance of mine was in Greece in the service. It was $250 which included an Audio Technica AT-SA 15 cartridge which I still use occasionally. That was a lot of money for me back then but boy was it worth it.
About 18 years ago I pulled my Kenwood KD-500 out of a ten year storage stint and the speed would not stabilize. And the speed controls were wonky. I used DeOxit on the controls and simply let the turntable run for 24 hours. All fixed. Been working great ever since. BTW, my brother's KD750, after about 20 years in storage, would not even turn. But I "push started" it and, again, after a 24 hour burn in, it now works great.
Luckily here in Germany we have lots of Dual 1219 and 1229 available. I like the 1219 more, due to its more classical and cleaner look. Usually it has metal levers, whereas the 1229 has plastic levers. It is always a pleasure after servicing a Dual turntable to see it work as if it had just left St. Georgen!
I like the dual turntables I grew up with the bsr type with ceramic carts then as I got older the japanese type of turntables were out I had a couple of pioneer tables ,when I worked in record store in high school all we sold were the sansui types or pioneers I remember as a young kid seeing a dual tt did not know they were made in germany at the time as I got older I never saw in the the audio stores I went to any Duals out there for sale so I kinda forgot about them I remember in stereo review magazine seeing articles for Dual turntables I heard of garrards ,thorens and thought Duals were made in england but I always loved how they were built finally after so many years I got my hands on a Dual 1009sk ,1225 ,1237and just recently 1246 compared to the pioneers and the onkyo I still have these are much better built I see pride in these all of the platters are very heavy the 1009sk platter wieghs in at close to 5 lbs these are to me the best turntables ever !! I think I use these more than my garrard ,bsr and pro-ject debut 3 the mechanicals are so good to me they sound like clockwork the 1009 sk is so mechanical stand sometimes to listen to it when I use the TT it sounds like a well made precision clock I think German technology is better we have cnc machines at my job called optotech and we have optipro made in america the optotech are better built to me the american made are starting to rust and break down a lot more when I see electronic German products I see pride I am routing for Dual always as I am writing this I am listening to my Dual 1246 playing records just got this and all it needed was the stuerpimple for tone arm this thing is very quiet I love it !!!!! and I never liked belt drive cause of what audiophiles said that belt drive was better ,I like idler drive and direct drive but these tt's are making happy 😂JRo
I love my Technics SL-1610 MKII (the Black edition)! It’s a perfect performer and super accurate! It also has auto-breaking too! Glad you included this on the list!
My favorite Duals are a tie between the belt drive 510 and and the direct drive 704. I give additional points to the 704 for VTA adjustment and the fact that the service manual has instructions on how to modify the circuitry to adapt the 45 rpm speed to play at 78 rpm. The Dual tone arms are fantastic and the 510 and 704 both have beefy platters. I’ve owned and sold a bunch of Duals including the 1019 and 1219. Not a fan of idler tire drive systems. I’m very happy with my 704 as I use it to digitize and archive vinyl with a Stanton 681eee MKIII. It’s perfection. I also have a Technics SL-1700 with the floating platter and arm which is an unbelievably great sounding table as well. I also have a Thorens TD-318 MKII that is a beauty, but surprisingly, the arm is the weakest link in that table. And it’s fussy about matching the right cartridge. But I’m very happy with all four of them although the 510 has been retired. I just keep it as backup should anything happen to my 704. And of course, these are all semi-autos, which is plenty for me. I’m kinda surprised a Denon didn’t make the list. I say that as someone who owned a JVC QL-Y55F as I believe JVC built a lot of the Denon tables like the DP-47F. Both great fully auto tables with very sophisticated tonearms. The JVC can use either a straight or s-shaped arm and has simple VTA adjustment.
I have a perfect working Pioneer PL-570 with a plinth redone with real wood and a clean clear dust cover. All refurbished and I love it!! It’s a beautiful beast and looks better than anything to me. I love fully automatic turntables and it must have a repeat button.
My Kenwood KD-5070 has been the only one I've owned for over 45 years. "The Rock" was one of the first manmade quartz tt's. Fully auto and looks sharp.
I'm here to tell you that nobody went into a hifi shop back in the 70s and 80s and asked to look at the Tech-Nicks tables. If they did, the sales person politely took them over to their Tech-NEEKS display. Technics was also the "go to" table if you just wanted a quite platform for playing your records (not vinyles) no matter what price point you picked from. As for Dual, one day I aim to get a 1219. Thanks for another great video!
I´m here to tell you that in Germany we said and say Tech-Nicks. And Dual is and always will be pronounced like this: Du (like in "to do") - al (like in R. Nadal). Agree, great video!
@@BO-kh1iz - totally with you, especially how to say "Dual" ("doo ahl"), as it is German name. I cringe, when I hear how people pronounce as a duel, as if they are about to wield swords or pistols!
I am not an english major I always hated english in high school but the first time I saw the tech-neeks tt I imediately called it tech- neeks it seemed natural to me, and I remember technics were the brand to buy when I was in high school ,I hope you get your 1219 tt I do not have one I have the 1237,1246 and a 1009sk they are very good you will not be disappointed
Another nice and very entertaining video and thank you very much for spelling out the right pronunciation of Technics!!! It makes my ears bleed to hear some UA-camrs mispronounce that historical name. I own an SL-D2 bought new in '79-80, never serviced but still looking great and working with no issues, a "monogamous relationship" lasting over 43 years! That says a lot about the quality of Technics turntables.
Honorable mention goes to the direct drive, single play, fully automatic Dual 721. Great low-mass tonearm. Stunning looker, too. Dual’s top of the line in 1980.
I have that one too-plus the venerable 701-I think the 701 has the edge on quality,because it was made before Dual started to change the way they built them.Made more like the 1219 was.
I purchased a Pioneer PL550 turntable back in the seventies when I was about seventeen. It was so expensive for me, I had to put it on layaway and went on a bus then a train to the big city every week to pay half my paycheck as an installment payment. It took me twelve months to pay for that turntable and take possession of it, but it was the start of my lifelong affliction with a love for beautiful audio equipment. Since then, I have spent many hundreds of times what that turntable cost, but it still ranks as the most impactful and pride filling audio gear purchase I have ever made. I wish I still had that PL-550….
Nothing lasts forever and that's why i love your reviews from a technicians point of view, now i know what is easily serviceable and enjoyable ....thanks for this video !!
I got mine in Japan on 1976. The px had a 4th of july centenial. Also bought 4 CS66 speakers pioneer 4 chan reciever, AKAI 4 chan tape deck. A litining hit killed the tape deck and the receiver. Pl55. Still going strong.
...I just stumbled acrossed your YT channel a couple of days ago & have been geeking out on it! ...& I was especially jacked since you're just down the road from me in DM! ...although it wasn't on your list, I was curious of your opinion of any of Kenwood's "Rock" series of turntables...I have a KD-3055...bought it approx 1978 w/ some of my "detassling & lawn mowing money" from a stereo shop here in Ames...$175! ...I haven't used in in about 20 years (when my kids were being born) & wondered what I need to do to it...I figured a new belt, but didn't know what else you suggest? ...this is a great channel! ...is your shop on Ingersoll or in W.D.M.? ...Thanks!
Hello…I am the proud owner of a cherry Pioneer PL560 that I rebuilt the feet.and had a very nice cartridge built in England…plus a new acrylic dust cover cause my mom and dad used to put their cds on it..plus a very nice canvas cover …what a awesome piece of hifi history….love your channel…😀
A BIG thanks for taking the time and effort to make all these interesting videos.Technics 1600MK2 + Dual 1229 - both in my system. I fully rebuilt the Dual which had the Dearing Ring failure. The Technics SL-1600 MK2 is a heavy turntable (plinth/chasis is made out of a magnesium cast alloy). It also has the VTH height adjustment as found on the SL-1200. I had a Pioneer PL-1800 (alll manual) - a real looker & great performer but I hated having to lift the tonearm at each end of play. I may be busy doing other things and it got annoying to rush back to tend to it. Auto-return suits me better. Auto start is ideal when doing LP rips (start synch for recording). There are pros & cons for each type.
Interesting that the LAB-400 made the list. I have a LAB-420 that I hand made a solid walnut plinth for it. Added an aftermarket new cover and it's beautiful.
I've own a 1229 for awhile now and love how reliable the unit is. The internals are designed to be like a mechanical watch or clock. I also own an old Perpetuum-ebner 3060, might have been the last of the model before they were all under dual brand.
Redoing a PE 2040 my dad bought in like 1975. Any tips? They’re very similar to my Dual 1219 so that’s a plus. I just bought a factory manual as well. PE’s are rare.
@emeeul clean out all the old grease and don't plug it in until you are certain all the adjustments and everything it fine tuned. After, hand spin the units a few time to ensure nothing catches or get stuck, don't forcefully try to move any levers or switches. If it's anything like 3060, you may have some very brittle metal, due to poor materials used for casting, which should be very fragile and brittle at this point. Try not to disturb those parts too much, as part for PE are much more rare nowadays.
What you say about the pitfalls of the automatic functions and that the added complexity often leads to technical problems is certainly true. I experienced this with my old Technics SL 1300mk2 as well. But on the other hand, it´s also a joy to watch the automatic working so smoothly on my Dad´s old Dual CS 721.
The pitfalls of automatic functions is mostly a problem with Japanese turntables. Look at any Technics: made entirely of a futuristic recycled plastic which cocoons a bunch of circuit boards screwed into the stuff. The mechanism is clearly designed by the same Electronic Engineers that design their TV Sets & Stereo receivers, who therefore are totally in over their heads trying to do Mechanical Engineering without that degree. Oh, & those direct-drive motors of theirs were the most incredibly noisy pieces of garbage: -78db DIN B claimed, -32db Unweighted, measured. Even the cheapest Dual, like a 1972 idler-drive 1212 or 1214, will measure no worse for Rumble & may well measure a few db less! Then you look at a Dual: always built to a much more robust & costly standard. Always a metal plinth, & for the longest time a wooden base with an open bottom as well. Those older models also came with a dustcover devoid of hinges, so you had to do the right thing & remove it when playing records. Along with the wood & metal construction, the open bottom & top, & the ideal 3 & 4 spring floating subchassis suspension. Duals sounded alot better than any Technics ever made because so much thought & effort went into those suspension systems: 3-point floating, up to the end of production of the 10-series; then 4-point floating, from the 701 & 12-series onwards. Technics never had suspensions; they never even had any subchassis either, the cheap plastic PHONEYS! But they DID have those big spiffy-looking near-useless rubber feet at each corner....😲🤪 Duals used substantial platters that never weighed less than 4lbs. on their idler-drive turntables. And on their first direct-drive, a 10lb. platter! On a Technics, your extra money gets you an ever increasing denser & heavier recycled plastic base (BMC: "Bulk Moulding Compound"🧐. That's clever Japanese doublespeak, direct from the Marketing Department inside the Technics division of Matsushita Industrial Inc.🤗). And as complicated as a Dual automatic mechanism may appear, it's a far better made thing whose operation, due to superior design, is much less confused & inscrutable as a Rube Goldberg Matsushita effort is! More apparent moving parts: metal rods vs. plastic gears. Still far easier to diagnose & pin down a problem, & vastly easier to get at it & fix as well.🤨 Then there's the much lighter mass & far less resonant tonearms with still better bearing quality & overall design than the shiny silver Technics snakes. One tonearm tracks warps with ease. The other, S-shaped one makes your woofers flutter & spasm from warps you can barely see... So one turntable can, & does, play more of your record collection without mistracking & hiccuping over every big warp than the other "fussy" turntable; the one that will have you throwing away a few perfectly playable discs! And guess what effect all these cumulative Mechanical Engineering triumphs (because Duals are designed by Mechanical Engineers & not Electronic ones) have on perceived sound quality? I dare any of you to take the nicest Technics you can think of & play it side by side with a $99 1972 idler-drive Dual 1214. Hint: The metal & wood turntable with the hockey-stick Tonearm will be the one with PRESENCE to its sound. And the other one will lose this A-B comparison, because it completely lacks it...
I currently am using a BSR model made for Sears that was my parent's turntable. They bought it in around the late 70s. It's similar to a Dual that it is a idler drive, plays 3 speeds and has stacking ability. Very easy to service and maintain. I'm surprise that BSRs weren't mentioned because they were very poplar.
They were more of a mass-market table,like V-M's were,before them. Average,kind of lo-fi models,although I do have the cam-drive 710,and it's not bad.Just VERY complicated to service.
Blessed to own a Technics 1300 (which now functions as a semi-automatic) as well as a Dual 1229, serviced after purchase by Bill. They both get used regularly and sound great.
Interesting. I have the sl 1500. Direct manual. I find i prefer the manual tt’s. But mines a workhorse. I found it brand new in its box at a thrift store. 🤦♂️
Great video. I’m looking for a descent Dual 1219 locally. Not much luck so far, but still on the hunt. I might give a serious thought of just buying a fully serviced one from Bill. Having said that my ARXA is pretty great.
Im really loving my new to me Denon dp-47f. I bought it knowing the automatic functions didn’t work but a hour or so of cleaning and everything started working flawlessly. Sounds really really good even with a cheaper 2m red on it! I am going to upgrade the cart soon now that its been working great to a Denon 301mk2. I also have to say. I really think alot of the older (70's-early 80's) Realistic equipment is extremely underrated. Alot of very good turntables,and receivers came from RadioShack back in the day. By the mid1990's they basically sold junk.
I have lots of automatic turntables. I agree about the Technics 1300 and 1400 MKIIs. They are beautiful and mine will probably remain manual. I also have a 1600 MKII that is an expensive paper weight. I have never had trouble getting any of the 1300 - 1600 MKIs working. I have several Pioneer Automatics The PL600 is great, but looks like a Technics!. I would disagree slightly on the 1980 date in terms of performance. I have Pioneer PL707 from 1983. It is sounds fantastic! Much lighter than earlier models. I have never had problems with Yamaha automatics, but all of mine are from the early 80s: P700, P 751 and P850. I have a number of Duals that are not quite working... I don't know why I struggle with them. Love your videos! Thank you, Tom
My first "real" turntable in 1969 was an Elac 50H. I think I could have used the tonearm as a pry bar but it served me well with a Sure m91ED cartridge. Moved to a Technics SL-D3 and am still using that to this day. I like your ranking and, in spite of my 50H falling out of your range, I wish I had kept it. Thanks for another great video.
I too have a '69 Elac 50H II. I used it a lot, of course, up until CDs took over in the mid '80s. It sat gathering dust until about 2005, or 25 years. I brought it out, and have been using it ever since, much more in the past 5 years. It works perfectly, and the only thing wrong is that the brake has stopped working. If you operate it with a gentle touch, all of the time, it just keeps keepin' on. I love it!😁
These videos helps me in my job at the thrift store. I haven’t seen anything in the category of what I see on your lists but you just never know what comes in the door. Keep it up Kevin.
Please keep your eyes open. Unfortunately, things have changed in the Thrift Store arena. Many years ago, I was helping my son load a stupid used desk in my truck, and missed a guy behind me that had seen an entire integrated Carver system, and bought it before I could even drop that stupid desk. Things I have done in the past for my son. Have not seen anything really exciting, in many years now at the Goodwill Store. The dregs of mine are now junked up monitors, ratty old small screen TVs, and orphaned remotes. BUT I STILL GO !! Good Luck in your "Quest". Maybe we will get lucky, one of these days....Rip
I have my original 1973 Dual 701 rebuilt by Bill. Love it, also have a Sanyo model 2010 as my back up if needed also a great turntable,just a tank runs great
I've been on an information search for the SL-1300 because i just inherited my grandpa's original, glad to see that there's a lot of support from enthusiasts to get me into vinyls.
my very first turntable was a Dual 1010. Next in line were Braun PS-500, Sony PS-X9, Thorens TD-126MK/3, Rega Planar3, some Technics. Since 20 years I have got the same Linn Sondek LP12 with some upgrades over the years. The only TT I regret having sold is the Sony PS-X9.
I think you make great points about the reliability and complication of most of the automatic turntables. In the 80s, turntables still held on as a popular medium in Japan and a lot of the big manufacturers like Pioneer and Denon produced a lot of auto lift/shutoff turntables in this period. The Kenwood 9010/990, Denon DP57L/62L, Pioneer PL-50L, etc. These all used electronics but the end of record mechanism was a simple optical sensor and the cueing was on a solenoid. So as the arm go to the end, the optical sensor saw a tiny mirror on the arm shaft and then lifted the arm and shut off the motor. The arm wasn't returned and the mechanism is simple and reliable. The motor control circuitry typically had ICs, and it's a good idea to recap the boards to protect those ICs, but your techs could easily do this. That said, I do have a Dual 701 that was my dad's and I had Bill refurb. I'm keeping that one.
Same here with a couple different Ortofon carts and 2 pairs of RSL 3300 Studio Monitors all purchased at Rogersound Labs. Could swear I was enjoying them all prior to manufacturing dates mentioned. Just by coincidence 11/15/24 uploaded to SketchUp an SL-1650 a kind of stop-motion animated 3D SU17 version displaying many of its functions including spinning platter with record found under same Username as here. Out of curiosity I'll have to dig thru my receipts. BTW still using most of the stuff in mini-HT man cave.
I have a Realistic LAB-420, almost identical to the 400 and it’s built like a tank. The only difference between the two is a slightly beefier direct drive motor on the 420 along with a repeat function if you want to listen to one side of a record 6 times in a row. The cueing lever also went from being a lift rod near the rear of the tonearm to a two position rotating flip knob that looks like the speed and record size controls. And they removed the Realistic logo emblem from the front and silkscreened it onto the tonearm rest plate. I bought it used at a yard sale in the 90s for $10 with a missing foot. An Altoids tin and popsicle stick shim to level the whole thing worked like a charm until ebay came along and I was able to buy four rubber spring feet for $15. This thing has been my daily driver since the day I got it. The only major problem the 420s have is cracked and broken dust cover hinges where the tension springs break through the deteriorated plastic and the covers don’t stay up. You can either buy exact replacement hinges for Linn turntables, look on UA-cam for how to mod the broken hinges with epoxy putty and a nail or just remove the dust cover totally.
I have a lab-400 on my daughters system. Its really a nice player. I also have a lab-440 and 500. Both are also full auto and great players. The Lab-420 is the most sought after one in the Lab 400's series. Would love to find the Canadian marketed lab-8500. Realistic is the most over looked audio gear there is. In reality its some of the best vintage out there.
What do you think about the Hi-end linear traking (tangential) turnables from Pioneer, Mitsubishi, Aiwa, Revox., SONY, Luxman, Technics, Marantz and others?
I owed he RCA Studiomaticfrom the late sixties, early seventies. It is the only one haveeer seen with a floating cartridge along in strobe and cueing lever as well as a stylus for 78 records. My 1969 still looks and plays like new with regular service.
Hi Kevin, I really enjoyed that video and I would like to make some comments on it. The Realistic is an interesting one. They are very hard to find in Europe, so it shows how sales where distributed between the two continents and how important they where in the US. Other than that, you might as well lump all C.E.C. turntables of the same platform together. As for the Dual, Bill said that the 1219 was the first Dual made for LPs. But over here in Europe we have the 1209 which is still very common on the second hand market. With the Dual 10xx and 12xx series I always thought the 10/12 denominates the platter diameter in inches, the third digit denominates the generation (lower is older) and the last digit denominates the price class (higher is more up market). It could be cool to ask Bill if that is correct. As for automatic versus manual: Older people like pensioners and people with children can really benefit from automatics. And personally I always get a kick out of popping a record on my 1019, moving over a lever and turning my back on it whilst it does its thing with soft clicking noises. Also when I catch it on its return routine, still puts a smile on my face.
Love my Tecniques SL 1350 , Bought new & its trouble free & Smooth after all these years ! Had Pickering Cartridge to start , Now have a Grado Cartridge .
Great video. I have an Elac 40a that I use for old 45s and old 33s, and 78s when I get a cartridge, built like a tank full auto works great. Have a conrad-johnson sonographe SG3 manual turntable for my good 33 1/3 records. I love to put the needle down on the record but sometimes I would really like an auto return, so how about a video on semi-automatic auto-return turntables? Again great job and thanks for the vid.
I have a Technics SL-5200 in perfect condition, plus a "Studio Standard by Fisher" which has a bit of a problem in that the speed regulator seems to have died. When the turntable spins it goes to about 200 RPM. I wonder if it is worth trying to repair.
Well, here in the UK it is most definitely Tekniks. What I don't understand about this list is that in the 1970s automatic turntables were an absolute no-no if you were serious about music because the mechanisms would have a detrimental effect on the arm's function.
The big advantage of the old Duals is that they are mechanical masterpieces. Like cuckoo clocks from the black forest in Germany. I had several and there was none, that I was not able to bring to run. Most of the Japan turntables are to overcomplicated and not reliable. With an 1019 or 1219/1229 you've got a friend for life, when always serviced. Even the "little" Duals (1218, 1228 down to 1225 are very good !). The climax of idler wheel driven turntables is still the 1229. You can buy unserviced, but running ones in Germany for 50 dollars. Greetings from Germany
Great list I’ve recently picked up a Lab 420 in 10/10 condition. Very similar is style and build almost identical to the Lab 400. Can defiantly see the value in these units
As a Teenager in the early 70's, I remember lusting after the Dual Turntables at my local Sears Canada store. The just seemed to be the ones to have, however they were out of my price range.
While I am a great fan and owner of Dual 1019, 1219, and 1229Q, I believe Most people could do with a SEMI-automatic table. There are a LOT of choices in that category. The mechanics are Much less complex than in a fully automatic machine while still providing arm return and shutoff. I hope to see a poll and top-5 list of these sometime soon. My choice in this category would be almost any Pioneer or Technics direct-drive unit with a decent tonearm. Both of those brands have made some less-than-desirable semi-auto models, but their better stuff is hard to beat.
I have a fully automatic SL-1600 MK2. It has an amazing isolation system. I heard they used to be used at radio stations because of it. Anyway, they have the tonearm height adjustment, and are very easy to work on. I would recommend one to anyone looking for a nice Full Auto. I think I paid $520 for mine a couple of years ago and it was in Mint + condition. Still looks and works like brand new. Using a AT Microline cart on it. (MM).
In 1990 I bought a Sansui turntable and a Sansui amplifier foe 40 aussie dollars, BOTH were in use this morning, I also have a Rotel amp as a back up as Sansui tend to blow capacitors. I thought Sansui were up there with the best ? Still sound great through my Marantz 12 inch speakers-
OK Kevin, this was an eye-opener to some extent, but very good all things considered. Now what about top 5 manual TT list? And is a turntable considered manual if it just stops ant the end and lifts? Thanks so much.
I picked up a 1219 and then a 1229 at garage sales decades ago. I basically bought them for the cartridges. I thought they were nothing special and stuck on the storage shelf to collect dust. Boy, was I wrong. The 1229 needs a lot of work, but the 1219, despite some cosmetic issues, really surprised me. After watching the full interview with Bill, I'm putting them both in the restoration queue this winter.
i own and love all of my 10 Duals and one I got for my sister. I own a 1229 that Bill called mint. Then some lower ends but still great. I have my dads 1215S and a second now. In1980 bought a used 1216 and another now, 1218, 1225, 1226, and two 506 ( semi automatic). Everyone is reliable. I also had bought a 1241 for my sister. My 1216 never let me down, but got sticky 15 years ago. Bill went through it and all of the tables. Getting him to service them, I get more time playing them. Realistic in some areas gets a bad shack. Some of what they sold junk. On the other hand a lot was great. I love my STA2700 realistic receiver I bought new. 5 tables hooked to it. Then bought another and have 3 tables on it. I my Dads SX626 Pioneer with a 1215S and the 1229. I use Realistic preamps where needed.
I have serviced a couple PL-570 tables. And your right they are a huge pain in my but. One needed minor service the other I had to tear down the auto function mechs and completely go through and clean and re grease. The re alignment was a nightmare. Pain in the butt.
I buy, refurb, and resell probably a dozen tables each year at my record store. I get a lot of the belt drive and direct drive fully or semi automatic Technics built between 78-85 and a shockingly high percentage of them work perfectly, even before any maintenence is performed. They were doing something right.
I have three turntables right now, a full manual Thorens TD125, a Dual with auto stop, and a fully automatic Pioneer PL-560. In the end, the PL-560 is my go to table. I've had it with the Thorens. And I don't like that the Dual doesn't have a removable head shell. I have a line on a Realistic. Depending on condition, the Dual could be the next to go.
I had Dual turntables from 1965 (in a system I built for my parents) until 2021: 1009; 1212; 1219; CS-622; CS-5000. Of all, my favorite was the CS-622 - single-play, direct-drive automatic with a great arm and sound. Great automatic mechanism. I bought it in 1980; used it until 1993; gave it to a friend who still uses it with one service to lubricate and change the "steuerpimpel" - a little rubber thingy that makes the auto-return work. Great deck!!!
Few Questions please... I picked up a Realistic LAB 3200 for $20 that needed a new belt and some cleaner. My son is using in college to pick up chicks, lol. Gave him a matching Realistic receiver with cassette player built in too. I have a nice Kenwood KD660F (linear tracking tt) that was new in a rack system I bought in 1986. Still works great. What's a good stylus you would recommend? And can I make any adjustments to tone arm with this TT? I have a JC Penny MCS 6710 turntable made by Technics. Got it for 20 bucks. I need to reconnect one side of the line out cable but all else works great. Have you seen this one? My aunt recently gave me my uncles Sony PS X500. Could you please tell me more about this one? Thanks! Note: my daily driver is Fluance RT83. The auto platter off is a must IMO to preserve stylus in case I miss the end for any of a million reasons. Great video!
I have the SL-1400 MKII. It has that same broken plastic piece. But in "manual" mode, it's still my favorite table. (And I have a dozen or so.) Great video.
I'd really be interested to know if there's a significant difference in term of reliably (serviceability) between a "full-auto" vs a "semi-auto" (auto return only)
It all depends on how it is built internally. Old Technics full autos are like the Energizer Bunny, same with basically all CEC models, sold with Sanyo, Hitachi, and many other badges. Audio Technica AT-LP60 and LP3 are modern players, that are sold new under warranty, and they are the epitome of accumulated know-how in reliable full-auto mechanisms. What I like about full autos, is if anybody else ever uses it, they cannot wreck my records and styli, and they do not really cost more than manuals. I CRINGE, when I see people picking up and setting down the arm with their clumsy fingers, without using the lift, because they enjoy the "feel" of it, making little "MMMM" sounds, while they scrape the stylus over the record, instead of just pushing the button and letting the machine do it safely. Now, there is a unique variation, with Dual's groove assist! You can swing the arm with it turned on, and it hits a notch at the 33 and 45 entry points, where the arm gets a wee stuck. The lift is forced UP, until you hit that spot, then you can lower it. Ultimate simplicity, fool-proof (nah ... seen to many fools breaking stuff, but they tried hard with that design!) You get simple almost full auto operation (arm lifts when done and spinning stops) and you hit the groove every time with a wave of the hand, and the mechanism is dirt simple and never breaks, ever! That groove assist is on models 510 and 606. The 606 was my first HiFi table, bought new in 1980. I sold it later, because I was stuck with the Ortofon proprietary ULM cartridge, a modified OM series (OM10). There were adapter kits for the ULM arms to mount other cartridges, but they did not sound right on those arms. The 510 has a regular TK series 1/2in headshell, and I have 2 of them. Nice machine, would NOT trade it for a prissy Thorens at all!!
Hmm, I own a Dual 1218, how does that compare? I am not currently using the 1218. An LAB440 is the last turntable that I had in my system. It has a straight carbon tone arm & I like the ease of adjusting the tracking & anti skate, compared to other turntables I have owned. It is decades since I gave the 1218 a spin maybe I should again one day.
I have fixed many Duals for a friend's store. I personally never cared for the large prime beasts, like 1219/29, 1249, 701, with their additional selector and adjustment functions, which just added more things that could and would break. The 1237 is my favourite automatic Dual, a belter with the 28cm platter (11in), which is just right sized to not be too heavy, so it does not tear itself apart, but nevertheless a solid performer. It is the most reliable of them all, and I still have a 1242 and 1246 in operation as well! Belts are certainly easier and much cheaper to come by than rim-wheels. A lot of Radio Shack's "Realistic" gear was also actually quite good! It was simply a name that was so relied upon by the post WW2 consumers, who were working parents and grand-parents, and it delivered electronics on a budget so well, that it became the unloved work horse nobody appreciated anymore! I certainly miss seeing all the old stuff, but we also have very good HiFi nowadays, if you know what to look for and where to search for and find it :) Do not make the same mistake again by overlooking Parts-Express "Dayton Audio", because it is the modern equivalent of Radio-Shack on the web, and they have fine and affordable gear. It may not be the world's best, but for the money (sane budgets!), you cannot get better than what they sell! Between my vintage Dual turntable collection (all belters, no rimmers!), my MusicHall MMF2.2 (aka Pro-Ject Debut, a descendent of Tesla's NC500), a few Superscope/Marantz receivers (Superscope R-310, R-340, Marantz 4270), and Dayton Audio amps and speakers, I am quite happy.
'69 bought a 1019 at the PX in Okinawa, shipped it Stateside, It was sold in '72 when we got our 4004. Jump to 2024... We bought a restored 1229. DW is now enjoying the 600+ 78s she collected over the years. (POI.. I 'gotta admit it is a hoot) Plus we have a lot of old 33s that we enjoy that are in rough shape that I'd rather not expose to the Soundsmith Voice on the B & O. Spin Happy 😁 Bob & Sandra ☮
PL-570 is by far (in my opinion, at least) the best looking of the bunch. Beautiful combination of natural wood and "industrial" metal. That being said, I love my SL-1300 MK1 and SL-1600 MK1. I love the way they sound, as well as the minimalist design that just feels "analog", vs the MK2s that to me look cheap and more "80's disposable".
Natural wood? It’s a cheap vinyl wrap prone to peeling after all of these years. I have stripped one to it’s base and re-veneered one. It’s one hugely complex unit, in many ways like a Swiss watch.
@@SinnerSince1962 My comment was strictly on appearance, I'm well aware that the vast majority of 70's TTs and components were just vinyl-wrapped press board.
I love my Dual 1239A and use the full automatic function only with the changer spindle. It needed minor work, just en new steurpimpel, belt and a little oil. Just upgraded the cartridge and stylus to a AT-VM95E.
Great video. I somehow lucked up in the fact two of my three tables are a 1219 and an SL-1600. The third is a DD Akai 206c, also great. Both #1 and #2 are like tanks I agree. Maybe the Dual is the Mercedes G-wagen of turntables and the Technics is the Toyota Land Cruiser of turntables (for you car enthusiasts out there).
Love my Dual 1019 changer. I was lucky to have acquired mine from a meticulous engineer, wow it’s been 30 years now. It was and still is in absolutely perfect condition, even the dust cover and walnut base look factory new. And best of all, it came with the long changer LP spindle, the short single play LP spindle, and, OMG! a NOS 45 RPM changer stacker spindle. And I have a couple hundred 45s I bought as a youngster in the late 50’s and 60’s. It more than deserves its top five spots on your list.
The 1219/1229, 1019 are by far my favorite tables to restore. Technics was pronounced differently in different regions. The 570 is seriously problematic.
I bought my Technics SL 1600 new in 1978 and it has served me incredibly well. Since that time it has only required service only once and I can't even remember why it needed service it was so long ago. Even if it is months between uses, as soon as I turn it on it goes almost perfectly to 33 1/3 speed after the slightest of adjustment. I pretty much use in as an auto return table as I like placing the tonearm on the record manually. I am a great admirer of the Technics SL 1200 manual in one of the various"MK" versions over the years and have seriously considered buying one however I only have room for one turntable at the top of the rack and I can't bring myself to replace the SL 1600 which has been the staple of my constantly changing system more so than any one of the system components. I guess if I buy an SL 1200, I would have to buy a double-wide rack which can hold both an SL 1600 and and SL 1200 at the top. Looking forward to seeing your selection of top 5 manual turntables.
I brought back a PL-570 from Japan in '78. I still use it, but as a manual only, as the auto function has gotten a bit "wobbly". The good thing is they kept the auto functions separate from the main motor, so there is no impact on its basic purpose! And the vinyl has not peeled or deteriorated at all.
I own a Dual 1219. Fantastic turntable. However, I prefer my Garrard Lab 80 and a BIC 981 to the Dual. The Garrard I like because there's just something about it that sounds great. Hard to put my finger on exactly why, but it just does. The BIC is a much simpler design, yet it is well-made, and seems to be maintenance-free once I got it running. It's probably the one I use the most.
I fixed and sold a Lab 80, probably should have kept it. Also did a BIC which was kinda nice considering how more plasticky it is. But I have 3 Type As, an RC 80 and RC 90, plus i just got a 401. But my main changer is an ELAC 50. Love the auto options and the overhang gauge. Still need a 45 adopter though, yow those are pricy.
I love my Dual 1219. I have had it for decades and it still works like a champ!
I have two-STILL running! Duals RULE!
I have a Pioneer PL-530 refurbished with real wood veneer, and it is beautiful and my favorite turntable. Such a joy to use.
Getting a PL-550 tomorrow!
Wow! You fixed the one bad thing. The one thing I did not like about those TT's was the vinyl wrap. I'll bet that sucker is beautiful now!
I've had my SL-1300 since 1976, 47 years, and the only issue I've had with it was a wandering strobe speed after going away and not using it for months. I removed the platter and lubed it and then let it run for about 5 minutes and once again it worked flawlessly and continues to do so. Got it though APO/FPO as an acquaintance of mine was in Greece in the service. It was $250 which included an Audio Technica AT-SA 15 cartridge which I still use occasionally. That was a lot of money for me back then but boy was it worth it.
About 18 years ago I pulled my Kenwood KD-500 out of a ten year storage stint and the speed would not stabilize. And the speed controls were wonky. I used DeOxit on the controls and simply let the turntable run for 24 hours. All fixed. Been working great ever since. BTW, my brother's KD750, after about 20 years in storage, would not even turn. But I "push started" it and, again, after a 24 hour burn in, it now works great.
Luckily here in Germany we have lots of Dual 1219 and 1229 available. I like the 1219 more, due to its more classical and cleaner look. Usually it has metal levers, whereas the 1229 has plastic levers. It is always a pleasure after servicing a Dual turntable to see it work as if it had just left St. Georgen!
I use my 1229Q to play my 78s. Beautiful machine!
I like the dual turntables I grew up with the bsr type with ceramic carts then as I got older the japanese type of turntables were out I had a couple of pioneer tables ,when I worked in record store in high school all we sold were the sansui types or pioneers I remember as a young kid seeing a dual tt did not know they were made in germany at the time as I got older I never saw in the the audio stores I went to any Duals out there for sale so I kinda forgot about them I remember in stereo review magazine seeing articles for Dual turntables I heard of garrards ,thorens and thought Duals were made in england but I always loved how they were built finally after so many years I got my hands on a Dual 1009sk ,1225 ,1237and just recently 1246 compared to the pioneers and the onkyo I still have these are much better built I see pride in these all of the platters are very heavy the 1009sk platter wieghs in at close to 5 lbs these are to me the best turntables ever !! I think I use these more than my garrard ,bsr and pro-ject debut 3 the mechanicals are so good to me they sound like clockwork the 1009 sk is so mechanical stand sometimes to listen to it when I use the TT it sounds like a well made precision clock I think German technology is better we have cnc machines at my job called optotech and we have optipro made in america the optotech are better built to me the american made are starting to rust and break down a lot more when I see electronic German products I see pride I am routing for Dual always as I am writing this I am listening to my Dual 1246 playing records just got this and all it needed was the stuerpimple for tone arm this thing is very quiet I love it !!!!! and I never liked belt drive cause of what audiophiles said that belt drive was better ,I like idler drive and direct drive but these tt's are making happy 😂JRo
Still have and play my Dual 1019, which I purchased in 1968 at the Zweibrucken PX in Germany. Thanks for the video.
I ran a Lab 400 from buying it new around 79 to 2018 When I passed it on to my daughter when she left for college. Great table, silky smooth tone arm.
My PL514 is coming up on 50 years old. Had it serviced a couple times over the years. Complete overhaul last year. Works great.
I love my Technics SL-1610 MKII (the Black edition)! It’s a perfect performer and super accurate! It also has auto-breaking too! Glad you included this on the list!
My favorite Duals are a tie between the belt drive 510 and and the direct drive 704. I give additional points to the 704 for VTA adjustment and the fact that the service manual has instructions on how to modify the circuitry to adapt the 45 rpm speed to play at 78 rpm. The Dual tone arms are fantastic and the 510 and 704 both have beefy platters. I’ve owned and sold a bunch of Duals including the 1019 and 1219. Not a fan of idler tire drive systems. I’m very happy with my 704 as I use it to digitize and archive vinyl with a Stanton 681eee MKIII. It’s perfection. I also have a Technics SL-1700 with the floating platter and arm which is an unbelievably great sounding table as well. I also have a Thorens TD-318 MKII that is a beauty, but surprisingly, the arm is the weakest link in that table. And it’s fussy about matching the right cartridge. But I’m very happy with all four of them although the 510 has been retired. I just keep it as backup should anything happen to my 704. And of course, these are all semi-autos, which is plenty for me. I’m kinda surprised a Denon didn’t make the list. I say that as someone who owned a JVC QL-Y55F as I believe JVC built a lot of the Denon tables like the DP-47F. Both great fully auto tables with very sophisticated tonearms. The JVC can use either a straight or s-shaped arm and has simple VTA adjustment.
I have a perfect working Pioneer PL-570 with a plinth redone with real wood and a clean clear dust cover. All refurbished and I love it!! It’s a beautiful beast and looks better than anything to me. I love fully automatic turntables and it must have a repeat button.
SUPER TURNTABLE!
Did you re-veneer it yourself or have it done elsewhere?
I have do a PL570, got lt as a second hand around 10 years ago, still goes strong 🙏
Great video. Kevin, are you going to do a video on the top vintage manual turntables?
My Kenwood KD-5070 has been the only one I've owned for over 45 years. "The Rock" was one of the first manmade quartz tt's. Fully auto and looks sharp.
I'm here to tell you that nobody went into a hifi shop back in the 70s and 80s and asked to look at the Tech-Nicks tables. If they did, the sales person politely took them over to their Tech-NEEKS display. Technics was also the "go to" table if you just wanted a quite platform for playing your records (not vinyles) no matter what price point you picked from. As for Dual, one day I aim to get a 1219. Thanks for another great video!
Lol
I´m here to tell you that in Germany we said and say Tech-Nicks. And Dual is and always will be pronounced like this: Du (like in "to do") - al (like in R. Nadal).
Agree, great video!
@@BO-kh1iz - totally with you, especially how to say "Dual" ("doo ahl"), as it is German name. I cringe, when I hear how people pronounce as a duel, as if they are about to wield swords or pistols!
I am not an english major I always hated english in high school but the first time I saw the tech-neeks tt I imediately called it tech- neeks it seemed natural to me, and I remember technics were the brand to buy when I was in high school ,I hope you get your 1219 tt I do not have one I have the 1237,1246 and a 1009sk they are very good you will not be disappointed
Another nice and very entertaining video and thank you very much for spelling out the right pronunciation of Technics!!! It makes my ears bleed to hear some UA-camrs mispronounce that historical name. I own an SL-D2 bought new in '79-80, never serviced but still looking great and working with no issues, a "monogamous relationship" lasting over 43 years! That says a lot about the quality of Technics turntables.
Honorable mention goes to the direct drive, single play, fully automatic Dual 721. Great low-mass tonearm. Stunning looker, too. Dual’s top of the line in 1980.
I had a Dual 521 semi-auto. Was great until the head shell contacts on the tone arm wore out... Just returning was so much better than manual.
I have that one too-plus the venerable 701-I think the 701 has the edge on quality,because it was made before Dual started to change the way they built them.Made more like the 1219 was.
I purchased a Pioneer PL550 turntable back in the seventies when I was about seventeen. It was so expensive for me, I had to put it on layaway and went on a bus then a train to the big city every week to pay half my paycheck as an installment payment. It took me twelve months to pay for that turntable and take possession of it, but it was the start of my lifelong affliction with a love for beautiful audio equipment. Since then, I have spent many hundreds of times what that turntable cost, but it still ranks as the most impactful and pride filling audio gear purchase I have ever made. I wish I still had that PL-550….
Awesome!
Nothing lasts forever and that's why i love your reviews from a technicians point of view, now i know what is easily serviceable and enjoyable ....thanks for this video !!
Thanks!
I have a Technics SL23 love this machine bought in 1977 ,played all night long on many occasions.
I loved my 1975 Pioneer PL55 Direct Drive Turntable. I had it for 40 years before passing it down to my nephew.
I got mine in Japan on 1976. The px had a 4th of july centenial. Also bought 4 CS66 speakers pioneer 4 chan reciever, AKAI 4 chan tape deck. A litining hit killed the tape deck and the receiver. Pl55. Still going strong.
...I just stumbled acrossed your YT channel a couple of days ago & have been geeking out on it!
...& I was especially jacked since you're just down the road from me in DM!
...although it wasn't on your list, I was curious of your opinion of any of Kenwood's "Rock" series of turntables...I have a KD-3055...bought it approx 1978 w/ some of my "detassling & lawn mowing money" from a stereo shop here in Ames...$175!
...I haven't used in in about 20 years (when my kids were being born) & wondered what I need to do to it...I figured a new belt, but didn't know what else you suggest?
...this is a great channel!
...is your shop on Ingersoll or in W.D.M.?
...Thanks!
Hello…I am the proud owner of a cherry Pioneer PL560 that I rebuilt the feet.and had a very nice cartridge built in England…plus a new acrylic dust cover cause my mom and dad used to put their cds on it..plus a very nice canvas cover …what a awesome piece of hifi history….love your channel…😀
A BIG thanks for taking the time and effort to make all these interesting videos.Technics 1600MK2 + Dual 1229 - both in my system. I fully rebuilt the Dual which had the Dearing Ring failure. The Technics SL-1600 MK2 is a heavy turntable (plinth/chasis is made out of a magnesium cast alloy). It also has the VTH height adjustment as found on the SL-1200. I had a Pioneer PL-1800 (alll manual) - a real looker & great performer but I hated having to lift the tonearm at each end of play. I may be busy doing other things and it got annoying to rush back to tend to it. Auto-return suits me better. Auto start is ideal when doing LP rips (start synch for recording). There are pros & cons for each type.
i love the repeat button on the MK-II
Interesting that the LAB-400 made the list. I have a LAB-420 that I hand made a solid walnut plinth for it. Added an aftermarket new cover and it's beautiful.
I've own a 1229 for awhile now and love how reliable the unit is. The internals are designed to be like a mechanical watch or clock. I also own an old Perpetuum-ebner 3060, might have been the last of the model before they were all under dual brand.
Redoing a PE 2040 my dad bought in like 1975. Any tips? They’re very similar to my Dual 1219 so that’s a plus. I just bought a factory manual as well. PE’s are rare.
@emeeul clean out all the old grease and don't plug it in until you are certain all the adjustments and everything it fine tuned. After, hand spin the units a few time to ensure nothing catches or get stuck, don't forcefully try to move any levers or switches. If it's anything like 3060, you may have some very brittle metal, due to poor materials used for casting, which should be very fragile and brittle at this point. Try not to disturb those parts too much, as part for PE are much more rare nowadays.
What you say about the pitfalls of the automatic functions and that the added complexity often leads to technical problems is certainly true. I experienced this with my old Technics SL 1300mk2 as well. But on the other hand, it´s also a joy to watch the automatic working so smoothly on my Dad´s old Dual CS 721.
The pitfalls of automatic functions is mostly a problem with Japanese turntables. Look at any Technics: made entirely of a futuristic recycled plastic which cocoons a bunch of circuit boards screwed into the stuff. The mechanism is clearly designed by the same Electronic Engineers that design their TV Sets & Stereo receivers, who therefore are totally in over their heads trying to do Mechanical Engineering without that degree. Oh, & those direct-drive motors of theirs were the most incredibly noisy pieces of garbage: -78db DIN B claimed, -32db Unweighted, measured.
Even the cheapest Dual, like a 1972 idler-drive 1212 or 1214, will measure no worse for Rumble & may well measure a few db less!
Then you look at a Dual: always built to a much more robust & costly standard. Always a metal plinth, & for the longest time a wooden base with an open bottom as well. Those older models also came with a dustcover devoid of hinges, so you had to do the right thing & remove it when playing records. Along with the wood & metal construction, the open bottom & top, & the ideal 3 & 4 spring floating subchassis suspension. Duals sounded alot better than any Technics ever made because so much thought & effort went into those suspension systems: 3-point floating, up to the end of production of the 10-series; then 4-point floating, from the 701 & 12-series onwards.
Technics never had suspensions; they never even had any subchassis either, the cheap plastic PHONEYS! But they DID have those big spiffy-looking near-useless rubber feet at each corner....😲🤪
Duals used substantial platters that never weighed less than 4lbs. on their idler-drive turntables. And on their first direct-drive, a 10lb. platter!
On a Technics, your extra money gets you an ever increasing denser & heavier recycled plastic base (BMC: "Bulk Moulding Compound"🧐. That's clever Japanese doublespeak, direct from the Marketing Department inside the Technics division of Matsushita Industrial Inc.🤗).
And as complicated as a Dual automatic mechanism may appear, it's a far better made thing whose operation, due to superior design, is much less confused & inscrutable as a Rube Goldberg Matsushita effort is!
More apparent moving parts: metal rods vs. plastic gears. Still far easier to diagnose & pin down a problem, & vastly easier to get at it & fix as well.🤨
Then there's the much lighter mass & far less resonant tonearms with still better bearing quality & overall design than the shiny silver Technics snakes.
One tonearm tracks warps with ease. The other, S-shaped one makes your woofers flutter & spasm from warps you can barely see...
So one turntable can, & does, play more of your record collection without mistracking & hiccuping over every big warp than the other "fussy" turntable; the one that will have you throwing away a few perfectly playable discs!
And guess what effect all these cumulative Mechanical Engineering triumphs (because Duals are designed by Mechanical Engineers & not Electronic ones) have on perceived sound quality?
I dare any of you to take the nicest Technics you can think of & play it side by side with a $99 1972 idler-drive Dual 1214. Hint: The metal & wood turntable with the hockey-stick Tonearm will be the one with PRESENCE to its sound.
And the other one will lose this A-B comparison, because it completely lacks it...
Dual's RULE!
I've got a PL-518 that I love, although it is now on my other system. Runs like a champ
Would love you to do a segment on the pioneer PL 1000. I have a Pl1000A.
I currently am using a BSR model made for Sears that was my parent's turntable. They bought it in around the late 70s. It's similar to a Dual that it is a idler drive, plays 3 speeds and has stacking ability. Very easy to service and maintain. I'm surprise that BSRs weren't mentioned because they were very poplar.
They were more of a mass-market table,like V-M's were,before them. Average,kind of lo-fi models,although I do have the cam-drive 710,and it's not bad.Just VERY complicated to service.
Blessed to own a Technics 1300 (which now functions as a semi-automatic) as well as a Dual 1229, serviced after purchase by Bill. They both get used regularly and sound great.
Semi ??? I thought the 1300 is fully automatic
Interesting. I have the sl 1500. Direct manual. I find i prefer the manual tt’s. But mines a workhorse. I found it brand new in its box at a thrift store. 🤦♂️
@@lcollingwood5959 Stop Lying
@@kingofuseddurablecars.ls6040 you are correct. Mine no longer works in full auto mode. Thus I said it functions a semi-automatic
Great video. I’m looking for a descent Dual 1219 locally. Not much luck so far, but still on the hunt. I might give a serious thought of just buying a fully serviced one from Bill. Having said that my ARXA is pretty great.
If nothings broken they likely just require a relube. The electricals can be pretty buggy til you sort out the tarnish.
Still using my late '70's PL200! Great video and reviews.
Im really loving my new to me Denon dp-47f. I bought it knowing the automatic functions didn’t work but a hour or so of cleaning and everything started working flawlessly. Sounds really really good even with a cheaper 2m red on it! I am going to upgrade the cart soon now that its been working great to a Denon 301mk2.
I also have to say. I really think alot of the older (70's-early 80's) Realistic equipment is extremely underrated. Alot of very good turntables,and receivers came from RadioShack back in the day. By the mid1990's they basically sold junk.
I have lots of automatic turntables. I agree about the Technics 1300 and 1400 MKIIs. They are beautiful and mine will probably remain manual. I also have a 1600 MKII that is an expensive paper weight. I have never had trouble getting any of the 1300 - 1600 MKIs working. I have several Pioneer Automatics The PL600 is great, but looks like a Technics!. I would disagree slightly on the 1980 date in terms of performance. I have Pioneer PL707 from 1983. It is sounds fantastic! Much lighter than earlier models. I have never had problems with Yamaha automatics, but all of mine are from the early 80s: P700, P 751 and P850. I have a number of Duals that are not quite working... I don't know why I struggle with them.
Love your videos! Thank you, Tom
My first "real" turntable in 1969 was an Elac 50H. I think I could have used the tonearm as a pry bar but it served me well with a Sure m91ED cartridge. Moved to a Technics SL-D3 and am still using that to this day. I like your ranking and, in spite of my 50H falling out of your range, I wish I had kept it. Thanks for another great video.
I too have a '69 Elac 50H II. I used it a lot, of course, up until CDs took over in the mid '80s. It sat gathering dust until about 2005, or 25 years. I brought it out, and have been using it ever since, much more in the past 5 years. It works perfectly, and the only thing wrong is that the brake has stopped working. If you operate it with a gentle touch, all of the time, it just keeps keepin' on. I love it!😁
have a D3 now having sold D2 back in 80's.
These videos helps me in my job at the thrift store. I haven’t seen anything in the category of what I see on your lists but you just never know what comes in the door. Keep it up Kevin.
Please keep your eyes open. Unfortunately, things have changed in the Thrift Store arena. Many years ago, I was helping my son load a stupid used desk in my truck, and missed a guy behind me that had seen an entire integrated Carver system, and bought it before I could even drop that stupid desk. Things I have done in the past for my son. Have not seen anything really exciting, in many years now at the Goodwill Store. The dregs of mine are now junked up monitors, ratty old small screen TVs, and orphaned remotes. BUT I STILL GO !! Good Luck in your "Quest". Maybe we will get lucky, one of these days....Rip
Goodwill cherry picks out ALL the good stuff and puts it on eBay or their own website. Even the junk now.
I have my original 1973 Dual 701 rebuilt by Bill. Love it, also have a Sanyo model 2010 as my back up if needed also a great turntable,just a tank runs great
I've been on an information search for the SL-1300 because i just inherited my grandpa's original, glad to see that there's a lot of support from enthusiasts to get me into vinyls.
my very first turntable was a Dual 1010. Next in line were Braun PS-500, Sony PS-X9, Thorens TD-126MK/3, Rega Planar3, some Technics. Since 20 years I have got the same Linn Sondek LP12 with some upgrades over the years. The only TT I regret having sold is the Sony PS-X9.
I love my 3 Sansui FR 4060's.
But would consider a automatic or semiautomatic upgrade.
Got my TECHNICS 1600mk2 serviced with new tonearm belt & gear. Cleaned switches & new grease. Platter is suspended. Quartz lock is rock steady.
I think you make great points about the reliability and complication of most of the automatic turntables. In the 80s, turntables still held on as a popular medium in Japan and a lot of the big manufacturers like Pioneer and Denon produced a lot of auto lift/shutoff turntables in this period. The Kenwood 9010/990, Denon DP57L/62L, Pioneer PL-50L, etc. These all used electronics but the end of record mechanism was a simple optical sensor and the cueing was on a solenoid. So as the arm go to the end, the optical sensor saw a tiny mirror on the arm shaft and then lifted the arm and shut off the motor. The arm wasn't returned and the mechanism is simple and reliable.
The motor control circuitry typically had ICs, and it's a good idea to recap the boards to protect those ICs, but your techs could easily do this.
That said, I do have a Dual 701 that was my dad's and I had Bill refurb. I'm keeping that one.
I have a Technics SL1650 auto changer. Works great and sounds great.
Same here with a couple different Ortofon carts and 2 pairs of RSL 3300 Studio Monitors all purchased at Rogersound Labs. Could swear I was enjoying them all prior to manufacturing dates mentioned. Just by coincidence 11/15/24 uploaded to SketchUp an SL-1650 a kind of stop-motion animated 3D SU17 version displaying many of its functions including spinning platter with record found under same Username as here. Out of curiosity I'll have to dig thru my receipts. BTW still using most of the stuff in mini-HT man cave.
I have a Realistic LAB-420, almost identical to the 400 and it’s built like a tank. The only difference between the two is a slightly beefier direct drive motor on the 420 along with a repeat function if you want to listen to one side of a record 6 times in a row. The cueing lever also went from being a lift rod near the rear of the tonearm to a two position rotating flip knob that looks like the speed and record size controls. And they removed the Realistic logo emblem from the front and silkscreened it onto the tonearm rest plate. I bought it used at a yard sale in the 90s for $10 with a missing foot. An Altoids tin and popsicle stick shim to level the whole thing worked like a charm until ebay came along and I was able to buy four rubber spring feet for $15. This thing has been my daily driver since the day I got it.
The only major problem the 420s have is cracked and broken dust cover hinges where the tension springs break through the deteriorated plastic and the covers don’t stay up. You can either buy exact replacement hinges for Linn turntables, look on UA-cam for how to mod the broken hinges with epoxy putty and a nail or just remove the dust cover totally.
I have a lab-400 on my daughters system. Its really a nice player. I also have a lab-440 and 500. Both are also full auto and great players. The Lab-420 is the most sought after one in the Lab 400's series. Would love to find the Canadian marketed lab-8500. Realistic is the most over looked audio gear there is. In reality its some of the best vintage out there.
What do you think about the Hi-end linear traking (tangential) turnables from Pioneer, Mitsubishi, Aiwa, Revox., SONY, Luxman, Technics, Marantz and others?
I have two Dual CS 741Qs and one Dual 1214.
I owed he RCA Studiomaticfrom the late sixties, early seventies. It is the only one haveeer seen with a floating cartridge along in strobe and cueing lever as well as a stylus for 78 records. My 1969 still looks and plays like new with regular service.
Hi Kevin, I really enjoyed that video and I would like to make some comments on it. The Realistic is an interesting one. They are very hard to find in Europe, so it shows how sales where distributed between the two continents and how important they where in the US. Other than that, you might as well lump all C.E.C. turntables of the same platform together. As for the Dual, Bill said that the 1219 was the first Dual made for LPs. But over here in Europe we have the 1209 which is still very common on the second hand market. With the Dual 10xx and 12xx series I always thought the 10/12 denominates the platter diameter in inches, the third digit denominates the generation (lower is older) and the last digit denominates the price class (higher is more up market). It could be cool to ask Bill if that is correct.
As for automatic versus manual: Older people like pensioners and people with children can really benefit from automatics. And personally I always get a kick out of popping a record on my 1019, moving over a lever and turning my back on it whilst it does its thing with soft clicking noises. Also when I catch it on its return routine, still puts a smile on my face.
Love my Tecniques SL 1350 , Bought new & its trouble free & Smooth after all these years ! Had Pickering Cartridge to start , Now have a Grado Cartridge .
Great video. I have an Elac 40a that I use for old 45s and old 33s, and 78s when I get a cartridge, built like a tank full auto works great. Have a conrad-johnson sonographe SG3 manual turntable for my good 33 1/3 records. I love to put the needle down on the record but sometimes I would really like an auto return, so how about a video on semi-automatic auto-return turntables?
Again great job and thanks for the vid.
I have a Technics SL-5200 in perfect condition, plus a "Studio Standard by Fisher" which has a bit of a problem in that the speed regulator seems to have died. When the turntable spins it goes to about 200 RPM. I wonder if it is worth trying to repair.
I still have my "Tech-neeks " SL1400 bought new in the 70s. Love it!
Well, here in the UK it is most definitely Tekniks. What I don't understand about this list is that in the 1970s automatic turntables were an absolute no-no if you were serious about music because the mechanisms would have a detrimental effect on the arm's function.
When i bought my Technics SL 1300 back in 1974 with a Shure V15 cost me $379 in NYC.i still have it .50 years old and still works....
The big advantage of the old Duals is that they are mechanical masterpieces. Like cuckoo clocks from the black forest in Germany.
I had several and there was none, that I was not able to bring to run. Most of the Japan turntables are to overcomplicated and not reliable. With an 1019 or 1219/1229 you've got a friend for life, when always serviced.
Even the "little" Duals (1218, 1228 down to 1225 are very good !). The climax of idler wheel driven turntables is still the 1229. You can buy unserviced, but running ones in Germany for 50 dollars.
Greetings from Germany
А сколько и каких проигрывателей у вас было из Японии??? Прежде чем громогласно утверждать нужно обосновать такие выводы.
Great list; thank you, Kevin!
Great list I’ve recently picked up a Lab 420 in 10/10 condition. Very similar is style and build almost identical to the Lab 400. Can defiantly see the value in these units
As a Teenager in the early 70's, I remember lusting after the Dual Turntables at my local Sears Canada store. The just seemed to be the ones to have, however they were out of my price range.
Greetings from Germany, I still own my Dual 1249 and will never change.
While I am a great fan and owner of Dual 1019, 1219, and 1229Q, I believe Most people could do with a SEMI-automatic table.
There are a LOT of choices in that category. The mechanics are Much less complex than in a fully automatic machine
while still providing arm return and shutoff. I hope to see a poll and top-5 list of these sometime soon.
My choice in this category would be almost any Pioneer or Technics direct-drive unit with a decent tonearm.
Both of those brands have made some less-than-desirable semi-auto models, but their better stuff is hard to beat.
I have a fully automatic SL-1600 MK2. It has an amazing isolation system. I heard they used to be used at radio stations because of it. Anyway, they have the tonearm height adjustment, and are very easy to work on. I would recommend one to anyone looking for a nice Full Auto. I think I paid $520 for mine a couple of years ago and it was in Mint + condition. Still looks and works like brand new. Using a AT Microline cart on it. (MM).
I have one, although a 1200, which was used in an FM station. DJ sold it to me for $75.
Not automatic.
In 1990 I bought a Sansui turntable and a Sansui amplifier foe 40 aussie dollars, BOTH were in use this morning, I also have a Rotel amp as a back up as Sansui tend to blow capacitors.
I thought Sansui were up there with the best ? Still sound great through my Marantz 12 inch speakers-
OK Kevin, this was an eye-opener to some extent, but very good all things considered. Now what about top 5 manual TT list? And is a turntable considered manual if it just stops ant the end and lifts? Thanks so much.
Wow!!! I’m glad I listened to the whole video before I commented! I have a duel 1219. With a separate ground wire. Would you update the electric cord?
I picked up a 1219 and then a 1229 at garage sales decades ago. I basically bought them for the cartridges. I thought they were nothing special and stuck on the storage shelf to collect dust. Boy, was I wrong. The 1229 needs a lot of work, but the 1219, despite some cosmetic issues, really surprised me. After watching the full interview with Bill, I'm putting them both in the restoration queue this winter.
Good idea! Worth the effort for sure!
i own and love all of my 10 Duals and one I got for my sister. I own a 1229 that Bill called mint. Then some lower ends but still great. I have my dads 1215S and a second now. In1980 bought a used 1216 and another now, 1218, 1225, 1226, and two 506 ( semi automatic). Everyone is reliable. I also had bought a 1241 for my sister. My 1216 never let me down, but got sticky 15 years ago. Bill went through it and all of the tables. Getting him to service them, I get more time playing them. Realistic in some areas gets a bad shack. Some of what they sold junk. On the other hand a lot was great. I love my STA2700 realistic receiver I bought new. 5 tables hooked to it. Then bought another and have 3 tables on it. I my Dads SX626 Pioneer with a 1215S and the 1229. I use Realistic preamps where needed.
Thanks for the clear, concise wrap. I was expecting to see Thorens mentioned but I guess that's just how the cookie crumbles...
I have serviced a couple PL-570 tables. And your right they are a huge pain in my but. One needed minor service the other I had to tear down the auto function mechs and completely go through and clean and re grease. The re alignment was a nightmare. Pain in the butt.
Of course!!! I bought mine from Bill. Never regretted my purchase. I had one in 1972 and just had to have another. Bill is awesome. Great review.
I buy, refurb, and resell probably a dozen tables each year at my record store. I get a lot of the belt drive and direct drive fully or semi automatic Technics built between 78-85 and a shockingly high percentage of them work perfectly, even before any maintenence is performed. They were doing something right.
Agree!
I have the Realistic Lab 420, I play my vinyl on it daily. Love the sound of vinyl...
I bought a PL 530 brand new in the 70s. it looks good and plays well. I would like to update the stylist, which would you suggest?
I have three turntables right now, a full manual Thorens TD125, a Dual with auto stop, and a fully automatic Pioneer PL-560. In the end, the PL-560 is my go to table. I've had it with the Thorens. And I don't like that the Dual doesn't have a removable head shell. I have a line on a Realistic. Depending on condition, the Dual could be the next to go.
I have a S l 1300 bought new in 1976. Have trouble with my strobe not holding also, I'll try lubbing it up. Thanks for the tip.Craig
I had Dual turntables from 1965 (in a system I built for my parents) until 2021: 1009; 1212; 1219; CS-622; CS-5000. Of all, my favorite was the CS-622 - single-play, direct-drive automatic with a great arm and sound. Great automatic mechanism. I bought it in 1980; used it until 1993; gave it to a friend who still uses it with one service to lubricate and change the "steuerpimpel" - a little rubber thingy that makes the auto-return work. Great deck!!!
I have a Technics SL-1500. I really like. Unfortunately, the potentiometers for setting the speed need to be cleaned often.
Few Questions please...
I picked up a Realistic LAB 3200 for $20 that needed a new belt and some cleaner. My son is using in college to pick up chicks, lol. Gave him a matching Realistic receiver with cassette player built in too.
I have a nice Kenwood KD660F (linear tracking tt) that was new in a rack system I bought in 1986. Still works great. What's a good stylus you would recommend? And can I make any adjustments to tone arm with this TT?
I have a JC Penny MCS 6710 turntable made by Technics. Got it for 20 bucks. I need to reconnect one side of the line out cable but all else works great. Have you seen this one?
My aunt recently gave me my uncles Sony PS X500. Could you please tell me more about this one? Thanks!
Note: my daily driver is Fluance RT83. The auto platter off is a must IMO to preserve stylus in case I miss the end for any of a million reasons.
Great video!
favorite manual..Pioneer PL41
I have the SL-1400 MKII. It has that same broken plastic piece. But in "manual" mode, it's still my favorite table. (And I have a dozen or so.) Great video.
I have 2 SL-1300's. They both are excellent
I'd really be interested to know if there's a significant difference in term of reliably (serviceability) between a "full-auto" vs a "semi-auto" (auto return only)
It all depends on how it is built internally. Old Technics full autos are like the Energizer Bunny, same with basically all CEC models, sold with Sanyo, Hitachi, and many other badges. Audio Technica AT-LP60 and LP3 are modern players, that are sold new under warranty, and they are the epitome of accumulated know-how in reliable full-auto mechanisms. What I like about full autos, is if anybody else ever uses it, they cannot wreck my records and styli, and they do not really cost more than manuals. I CRINGE, when I see people picking up and setting down the arm with their clumsy fingers, without using the lift, because they enjoy the "feel" of it, making little "MMMM" sounds, while they scrape the stylus over the record, instead of just pushing the button and letting the machine do it safely.
Now, there is a unique variation, with Dual's groove assist! You can swing the arm with it turned on, and it hits a notch at the 33 and 45 entry points, where the arm gets a wee stuck. The lift is forced UP, until you hit that spot, then you can lower it. Ultimate simplicity, fool-proof (nah ... seen to many fools breaking stuff, but they tried hard with that design!)
You get simple almost full auto operation (arm lifts when done and spinning stops) and you hit the groove every time with a wave of the hand, and the mechanism is dirt simple and never breaks, ever!
That groove assist is on models 510 and 606. The 606 was my first HiFi table, bought new in 1980. I sold it later, because I was stuck with the Ortofon proprietary ULM cartridge, a modified OM series (OM10). There were adapter kits for the ULM arms to mount other cartridges, but they did not sound right on those arms. The 510 has a regular TK series 1/2in headshell, and I have 2 of them. Nice machine, would NOT trade it for a prissy Thorens at all!!
Great video! My favorite is the TEK-NEEEKS 1700mk2. Repaired and owned the Dual 1229Q which even my wife admired. Currently looking for both!
I just lucked into a 1229Q for under $100 a couple years ago, had it serviced and it’s been amazing.
Still love my Technics SL-2000, it reminds me of my parents buying one back in the late 70's. My spare one is a serviced SL-D2. Love this one as well.
Hmm, I own a Dual 1218, how does that compare? I am not currently using the 1218. An LAB440 is the last turntable that I had in my system. It has a straight carbon tone arm & I like the ease of adjusting the tracking & anti skate, compared to other turntables I have owned. It is decades since I gave the 1218 a spin maybe I should again one day.
I have fixed many Duals for a friend's store. I personally never cared for the large prime beasts, like 1219/29, 1249, 701, with their additional selector and adjustment functions, which just added more things that could and would break. The 1237 is my favourite automatic Dual, a belter with the 28cm platter (11in), which is just right sized to not be too heavy, so it does not tear itself apart, but nevertheless a solid performer. It is the most reliable of them all, and I still have a 1242 and 1246 in operation as well! Belts are certainly easier and much cheaper to come by than rim-wheels. A lot of Radio Shack's "Realistic" gear was also actually quite good! It was simply a name that was so relied upon by the post WW2 consumers, who were working parents and grand-parents, and it delivered electronics on a budget so well, that it became the unloved work horse nobody appreciated anymore! I certainly miss seeing all the old stuff, but we also have very good HiFi nowadays, if you know what to look for and where to search for and find it :) Do not make the same mistake again by overlooking Parts-Express "Dayton Audio", because it is the modern equivalent of Radio-Shack on the web, and they have fine and affordable gear. It may not be the world's best, but for the money (sane budgets!), you cannot get better than what they sell! Between my vintage Dual turntable collection (all belters, no rimmers!), my MusicHall MMF2.2 (aka Pro-Ject Debut, a descendent of Tesla's NC500), a few Superscope/Marantz receivers (Superscope R-310, R-340, Marantz 4270), and Dayton Audio amps and speakers, I am quite happy.
'69 bought a 1019 at the PX in Okinawa, shipped it Stateside, It was sold in '72 when we got our 4004.
Jump to 2024... We bought a restored 1229. DW is now enjoying the 600+ 78s she collected over the years. (POI.. I 'gotta admit it is a hoot)
Plus we have a lot of old 33s that we enjoy that are in rough shape that I'd rather not expose to the Soundsmith Voice on the B & O.
Spin Happy 😁
Bob & Sandra ☮
PL-570 is by far (in my opinion, at least) the best looking of the bunch. Beautiful combination of natural wood and "industrial" metal. That being said, I love my SL-1300 MK1 and SL-1600 MK1. I love the way they sound, as well as the minimalist design that just feels "analog", vs the MK2s that to me look cheap and more "80's disposable".
Natural wood? It’s a cheap vinyl wrap prone to peeling after all of these years. I have stripped one to it’s base and re-veneered one. It’s one hugely complex unit, in many ways like a Swiss watch.
@@SinnerSince1962 My comment was strictly on appearance, I'm well aware that the vast majority of 70's TTs and components were just vinyl-wrapped press board.
I have a technics SL 1350 and isn’t it a step up from the 1300?? Or comparable? I have my dual 1229 right next to my pioneer pl 570 and I love them.
I love my Dual 1239A and use the full automatic function only with the changer spindle. It needed minor work, just en new steurpimpel, belt and a little oil. Just upgraded the cartridge and stylus to a AT-VM95E.
Great video. I somehow lucked up in the fact two of my three tables are a 1219 and an SL-1600. The third is a DD Akai 206c, also great. Both #1 and #2 are like tanks I agree. Maybe the Dual is the Mercedes G-wagen of turntables and the Technics is the Toyota Land Cruiser of turntables (for you car enthusiasts out there).
That Akai 206c is neat as well :) I have a 207 myself.
Got three 570. Love them. Only one working well. Two that need repair? Looking for a repair shop?
Really interesting choices, I love these Top type videos and what a terrific interview with Bill! Thank you.
My first quality turntable was a Dual 1219. Great turntable!
Love my Dual 1019 changer. I was lucky to have acquired mine from a meticulous engineer, wow it’s been 30 years now. It was and still is in absolutely perfect condition, even the dust cover and walnut base look factory new. And best of all, it came with the long changer LP spindle, the short single play LP spindle, and, OMG! a NOS 45 RPM changer stacker spindle. And I have a couple hundred 45s I bought as a youngster in the late 50’s and 60’s. It more than deserves its top five spots on your list.
Not my list :) I didn't vote
The 1219/1229, 1019 are by far my favorite tables to restore. Technics was pronounced differently in different regions. The 570 is seriously problematic.
I bought my Technics SL 1600 new in 1978 and it has served me incredibly well. Since that time it has only required service only once and I can't even remember why it needed service it was so long ago. Even if it is months between uses, as soon as I turn it on it goes almost perfectly to 33 1/3 speed after the slightest of adjustment. I pretty much use in as an auto return table as I like placing the tonearm on the record manually.
I am a great admirer of the Technics SL 1200 manual in one of the various"MK" versions over the years and have seriously considered buying one however I only have room for one turntable at the top of the rack and I can't bring myself to replace the SL 1600 which has been the staple of my constantly changing system more so than any one of the system components.
I guess if I buy an SL 1200, I would have to buy a double-wide rack which can hold both an SL 1600 and and SL 1200 at the top.
Looking forward to seeing your selection of top 5 manual turntables.
I brought back a PL-570 from Japan in '78. I still use it, but as a manual only, as the auto function has gotten a bit "wobbly". The good thing is they kept the auto functions separate from the main motor, so there is no impact on its basic purpose! And the vinyl has not peeled or deteriorated at all.
You are lucky almost every 530 and 570 we see is peeling bad.
I own a Dual 1219. Fantastic turntable. However, I prefer my Garrard Lab 80 and a BIC 981 to the Dual. The Garrard I like because there's just something about it that sounds great. Hard to put my finger on exactly why, but it just does. The BIC is a much simpler design, yet it is well-made, and seems to be maintenance-free once I got it running. It's probably the one I use the most.
I fixed and sold a Lab 80, probably should have kept it. Also did a BIC which was kinda nice considering how more plasticky it is. But I have 3 Type As, an RC 80 and RC 90, plus i just got a 401. But my main changer is an ELAC 50. Love the auto options and the overhang gauge. Still need a 45 adopter though, yow those are pricy.