REVIEW: Dual 1019 rebuilt by fixmydual.com (bohhey)

beatcomber

AK Member
The formerly gummed up 1019 that I bought for $10 is back from bohhey and all of the bugs have been worked out. Bill did a top notch job and everything is working as it should.

Having spent some time listening to it for the past week or so, I kind of have mixed feelings about the 1019. I thought it might be something that could be the main table in my mixed modern-vintage system, but being an over 45-year-old design, I'm learning that it does have its compromises. In 1965, those compromises probably weren't really considered issues.

The 1019 is well-known for its tremendous dynamics, especially with quick transients like snare drum hits and horn blasts - they really pop out at you. Bass is especially powerful and driving. This is a great table for highly percussive music. It has a very big, thick sound, and does a nice job of presenting the front-to-back soundstage. Certain records sound very three dimensional.

On the flipside, It takes about 30 minutes of use for the motor to fully warm up and get 100% on pitch. At start-up, it runs maybe one or two percent slow (as confirmed with a strobe). Bill assured me this is normal behavior. And there is a slight bit of rumble audible even with a "good" idler tire. It's not a huge amount and in no way does it interfere with the music, but if you're accustomed to the inky black backgrounds of modern tables, and your system is decently revealing, you will notice it.

For now, I'm going to keep a vintage Shure M44-7 on it and use it exclusively for mono and early stereo LPs, and for vintage 45s. The big, powerful sound of the 1019 will be a good match for those old platters and for that old Shure cart. I also have a Shure M78S mounted on a second headshell for spinning 78s, another task that the 1019 excels at.

So, all-in-all, it's a cool vintage table with a lot of character and a very distinctive and fun sonic signature, but for my needs it can't beat a quality modern design for finesse. But the 1019 really knows how to rock! A more dynamic table would be hard to find.
 
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Very cool, I have a 1019 en route from Bill that hopefully will arrive this week. Its main duty will be 78s with the M78S, but I plan on adding a second cart on it for playing old 45s.
 
Very cool, I have a 1019 en route from Bill that hopefully will arrive this week. Its main duty will be 78s with the M78S, but I plan on adding a second cart on it for playing old 45s.

I can confirm that this table with the M78S does a superb job for 78s duty. You can also fit a light-tracking conical N35X or N25C stylus to the M78S body for your 45s.
 
I can confirm that this table with the M78S does a superb job for 78s duty. You can also fit a light-tracking conical N35X or N25C stylus to the M78S body for your 45s.
Awesome, I was curious if another stylus could be swapped into that cart. Thanks!
 
You betcha!

FWIW, the N25C is the cheaper of the two options, but I don't think it sounds so hot. Presumably the N35X is a better choice. JICO also makes some styli that will fit this body, including an SAS!
 
Did you mean 30 minutes or 30 seconds for the motor to get up to speed?
 
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Must be colder in Massachusetts than here in Merryland! Or maybe I just never noticed.

I'm sure glad that you got yours restored.
.
 
The formerly gummed up 1019 that I bought for $10 is back from bohhey and all of the bugs have been worked out. Bill did a top notch job and everything is working as it should.

Having spent some time listening to it for the past week or so, I kind of have mixed feelings about the 1019. I thought it might be something that could be the main table in my mixed modern-vintage system, but being an over 45-year-old design, I'm learning that it does have its compromises. In 1965, those compromises probably weren't really considered issues.

The 1019 is well-known for its tremendous dynamics, especially with quick transients like snare drum hits and horn blasts - they really pop out at you. Bass is especially powerful and driving. This is a great table for highly percussive music. It has a very big, thick sound, and does a nice job of presenting the front-to-back soundstage. Certain records sound very three dimensional.

On the flipside, It takes about 30 minutes of use for the motor to fully warm up and get 100% on pitch. At start-up, it runs maybe one or two percent slow (as confirmed with a strobe). Bill assured me this is normal behavior. And there is a slight bit of rumble audible even with a "good" idler tire. It's not a huge amount and in no way does it interfere with the music, but if you're accustomed to the inky black backgrounds of modern tables, and your system is decently revealing, you will notice it.

For now, I'm going to keep a vintage Shure M44-7 on it and use it exclusively for mono and early stereo LPs, and for vintage 45s. The big, powerful sound of the 1019 will be a good match those old platters and for that old Shure cart. I also have a Shure M78S mounted on a second headshell for spinning 78s, another task that the 1019 excels at.

So, all-in-all, it's a cool vintage table with a lot of character and a very distinctive and fun sonic signature, but for my needs it can't beat a quality modern design for finesse. But the 1019 really knows how to rock! A more dynamic table would be hard to find.

The Dual 1019 is a great turntable but it is after all a changer. There are lots of parts and bits that are necessary for it to function as such but certainly superfluous as a single record player. As Beatcomber mentioned, the dynamics of this table are quite amazing but are certainly not unique. My Lenco L75 also shows the dynamic side of the idler drive and is certainly quieter (and much simpler) than the 1019. I've never heard the Garrard 301/401 but I suspect from what I've read that they would also be outstanding. I think the compromises in the 1019 design derive more from it being a changer than its age. I find that I cycle the 1019 periodically into my system ( Lenco L75 and Rega P3 otherwise) because it's just fun to listen to the raw power and propulsion it imparts to music, even if it is in fact a coloration.
 
Must be colder in Massachusetts than here in Merryland! Or maybe I just never noticed.

That's a good point. My 1019 resides in an unheated basement, and the temperature down there has been averaging around 55 degrees fahrenheit this month, which is fairly cool. I expect that the 1019 will get up to speed faster during the warmer months. Anyway, a 1% change in pitch is only about a quarter-tone, or slightly flat. Maybe tonight I'll put on a record before warming up the 1019, and see if I notice it. It only came to my attention after I tested it with a strobe.

I'm sure glad that you got yours restored.

Thanks!
 
A half-hour.

Bill explained that the motor needs time to heat the oil and make it completely viscous. Unbelievable, but this is what he told me yesterday.

After having to handcrank the Farmall in the dead of winter, I dont find it incroyable that oils a little stiff at 55 degrees.
Other part of this is, its old stuff. Gone through or not its old stuff. Personally, I prefer old stuff, it has character and personality, thus balancing out its shortcomings. I also bear in mind that my gear sees me every day, and Ive never heard it point out my faults. Its why we get on so well, Im OK, Youre OK.:thmbsp:
 
Reviving this thread after sending a second 1019 off to fixmydual this afternoon.

Like a dope, last year I sold the 1019 that is the original subject of this thread. :(

Naturally, I started missing having one in the house, and when I had the opportunity to buy a filthy but otherwise intact 1019 for the princely sum of $25, I naturally jumped all over it! I cleaned the grime off the outside and re-oiled the UA plinth, and it actually looks very nice. All functions work but it is sluggish and noisy (and one channel is dead), so it just needs bohhey's TLC.

It should be a great 1019 once it's fixed up. Hopefully it will be back in my hands in a couple of weeks.

Question: the aluminum insert in the platter mat has a concentric circle scratched into it, as if someone traced the outline of a 7" disc with something sharp while the platter was spinning. Is there anyway to buff out scratches on the aluminum?
 
I also had Bill revive two Duals for me. The first was a mint 1229 that I bought off CL from the original owner. When that came back, I sent Bill the 1249 that I bought new in 1975.

The 1229 had a nearly unused Acutex M312STR cart on it when I bought it. I moved that cart to the 1249. I put a NOS Sonus Gold Blue on the 1229 that I bought on BT. I also have a Denon DL-110 that gets rotated to the 1229. I had both of these done about a year and a half ago and they've performed flawlessly since then. Hell, they'll probably both outlast me, Two Duals, three headshells, and many hours of vinyl bliss.
 
I was going to say that the ring is anodized aluminum and there's not much you can do about the scratch because if you try to polish anodized aluminum, it changes the appearance drastically.

However, looking at mine again, I'm not so sure it's anodized. It kind of looks like it and kind of not.

Regardless, you would have to polish the whole thing to make it look acceptably consistent.

If it makes you feel any better, when I bought mine, the ring had a barely perceptible, very small dent in it. Just the one little dent. Otherwise perfect. And then I dropped the edge of a 78 on it and now it has a very perceptible crease in one spot. I was so mad, I didn't play any 78s for a month. I got over it, though.

And, referencing the earlier part of this thread, I second that 78s on a 1019 with an M78S cartridge sound fabulous. It is a true joy listening to the 78s my dear late father bought in the late forties on it.

Doug
 
I was going to say that the ring is anodized aluminum and there's not much you can do about the scratch because if you try to polish anodized aluminum, it changes the appearance drastically.

However, looking at mine again, I'm not so sure it's anodized. It kind of looks like it and kind of not.

Regardless, you would have to polish the whole thing to make it look acceptably consistent.

I don't think its anodized. My wife is a professional metalsmith, so I will consult with her first, but I'm thinking the solution is to polish it while the platter is spinning (something you can't do with the average belt drive, heh heh). Or I may just leave well enough alone.

If it makes you feel any better, when I bought mine, the ring had a barely perceptible, very small dent in it. Just the one little dent. Otherwise perfect. And then I dropped the edge of a 78 on it and now it has a very perceptible crease in one spot. I was so mad, I didn't play any 78s for a month. I got over it, though.

I know exactly how you feel! The last 1019 I had also had one little crease in the aluminum, and it bugged the crap out of me.

And, referencing the earlier part of this thread, I second that 78s on a 1019 with an M78S cartridge sound fabulous. It is a true joy listening to the 78s my dear late father bought in the late forties on it.

Yeah, 78s sound HUGE on the 1019! I've used an M78S (and M91ED) on the last 1019, but I'm presently planning to use an ancient Stanton 681EE on this new one.

I have three styli for it - JICO Shibata (for 'good' records), a Plainview D6807A light-tracking conical (for mono and iffy records), and a Florida D6827 for 78s.
 
Cool

Must be colder in Massachusetts than here in Merryland! Or maybe I just never noticed.

I'm sure glad that you got yours restored.
.

Never noticed that when I had a 1019. Have a 1010S with a M55, nice sound. Have a 1015 that looks a lot like the 1010S with a nicer arm and a heavier platter. Havent noticed a speed difference here. Bought a M95HE from an AKer and put that on the 1015. Played it tonight on the shop amp,a Marantz 4270. Cant believe how good the 1000 series Duals sound. Even the low 1010S sounds decent. It has a light platter and you cant track at 1.5 grams like the 1015.

Good luck with the 1019. It will last on long time. Get em all cleaned up and you are good to go. I prefer working on these as opposed to a 1229. You will be very pleased with it. Have 3 1000 series Duals and they have been great:thmbsp:

Eric
 
I bought a 1019 from Bill a year ago and love it. Bill put one of his cherry wood bases on it and it looks great too. I'm using a V-15 II with a Jico SAS stylus on it sounds fantastic too. There's just something about that idler wheel sound. I also have a 701 that a bought from Bill that I use with a V-15 III DU/Jico SAS and it's a great rock solid turntable but the 1019 just has a special sound about it. It really has some punch to it and it's a big, open sound too. I can see why you want to have one hanging around the house.
 
I bought a 1019 from Bill a year ago and love it. Bill put one of his cherry wood bases on it and it looks great too.

I believe that Bill also runs a woodworking business!

There's just something about that idler wheel sound. I also have a 701 that a bought from Bill that I use with a V-15 III DU/Jico SAS and it's a great rock solid turntable but the 1019 just has a special sound about it. It really has some punch to it and it's a big, open sound too. I can see why you want to have one hanging around the house.

Indeed, there is something very special about the idler-drive sound. Big, bold, and punchy. I'll be happy to have one back in the collection, and this one will be staying around!
 
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