Just bought a Dual 701 5 mos. ago and already it is malfunctioning the motor will not move the platter, but I see the light so I know it is on. The arm will not move more than an inch from its holder. Beware of old full automatic TTs. Anyone has an idea of what the problem is just let me know.

After first becoming involved with Dual turntables in 1976 I really like the way they play records. I started with a 1245 in 1976, then moved to a 1229Q, and then a CS741Q. But I always wanted a 701.
One day I heard from my friend Bill Neuman of Fix My Dual and he said he had a 701 in stock that he overhauled and was ready to go, complete with a solid walnut base and Shure V-15 III cartridge. So I bit and he promptly shipped it to me in 2009. I have been using it ever since. It's just as good as I always imagined.

The 701 is a nice piece of equipment to look at. The solid wood base looks just like the original except that it is solid, and I do mean solid. It dampens resonance even more than the standard base.

The downsides: The original turntable bases were veneered particle board and over the years moisture has attacked them and unfortunately a lot of them are falling apart. United Audio should have been ashamed of themselves sending out these units in these bases. Another downfall of Dual's is the fact that Dual used very cheap audio output cables. Those cheap 99 cent cables you find in most dollar stores would be an improvement over what Dual supplied them with. Fortunately these are easy to replace and the solid walnut bases are easy to find too. I had mine replaced before it was shipped to me,

But how does it sound?
I didn't like the supplied Shure V-15 Type III on this turntable. To me the music sounded flat, without dimension.
I then replaced it with an old Pickering XSV/3000 cartridge. The difference is between day and night. The XSV/3000 cartridge really brought the 701 to life. The music now has dimension and fullness that the Shure cartridge never had. It is all so smooth. So I highly recommend this upgrade to the 701. As far as the Pickering cartridge goes, LP Gear still carries replacement styli for them.
The speed on the 701 is always rock solid. Once you set it, it stays put. And I like the torquiness of the direct drive system. Everything about this turntable is quiet. No mechanism noise during operation, when the stylus hits the record it's already at speed, no waviness while the stylus engages the record. The cue control is nice and soft as well. This is one quiet turntable.

The Controls:
The control system on the 701 is easy to use. You have a start/stop lever. Just move it towards start and the turntable will start and set the tonearm down on the record. Move the lever towards stop and the tonearm will return to home base and the turntable will turn itself off. You can also start the turntable simply by moving the tonearm towards the record for full manual mode.
The speed control is a lever that selects 33 or 45. What's nice about this is that the pitch control adjustment knobs are on top of these levers. The pitch control knob for 33 is on top of the speed selector switch, and the pitch control for 45 is on top of the start/stop switch. Everything you need to operate this turntable is right in the same area on top of the turntable. The controls are heavy duty. There is no flimsiness to anything on this turntable.

The Tonearm
The tonearm Dual used on the 701 is a low mass tonearm. It doesn't have enough mass to run any MC cartridge. But that's the selling point of Dual turntables, low mass = low record wear according to Dual's philosophy. Proper set up of the 701 tonearm for the cartridge you are using is essential. The users manual gives complete details about how to do this. It takes 5 minutes or so, and then you are set.

In closing the 701 is a rock solid turntable that will still give you years of excellent performance and trouble free service. And should you ever need service parts are still generally available for it through Dual parts dealers.

I obtained my 701 to complete a lineup with a 1219 and a 601, three top Duals from the early seventies, with the three different driving mechanisms (Idler, belt and DD).
I had to come to terms with the 701. From the start it sounded too 'harsh', too unsophisticated, and not nearly as threedimensional as the other two. Could this be the legend everybody was writing about??
I found out the 701 is very susceptable to tweaks (much more so than the other ones), it really has to be set up properly.
Now it has been rehoused from the dreadful plastic 'box' into an old but nice and heavy wooden plinth (made by Grundig for my second 1219), with a layer of foam placed inside it (did some experimenting with different materials). I played around with several carts, and ended up with an Ortofon Nr.2. An Mc-cart, but within the range of the tonearms' capabilities. It playes out the TT's major strengths, to my experience at least. I also use the Mitchell record clamp on top, to significant effect. And I also experimented with the suspension underneath the TT. All his brought its sound into the same leage as the other ones. But each one with its own character, and its own musical preferences.
The 601 (even in its plastic plinth) is the most relaxed sounding of my Duals. It 's also very colourful.
The 701 has that magical 'drive' one expects from a DD. The above mentioned harshness has gone, it 's been tweaked into a very desireable 'attack' of the notes, with lots of detail. The plinth/suspension provided the 701 with a much more threedimensional soundstage (though not as much as the 1219). It also relaxed the sound a bit (but not to such an extend that it could be confused with the 601). It is a TT thats creates excitement, more than relaxation.
The 1219 sits in between, combining much of the other tt's virtues, and adding extra soundstage-qualities of its own. It's a real allrounder, and by far the least cumbersome to set up. It's only drawback is it's inability to accept the record clamp, due to its removable spindeltop (being a recordchanger) and I don't want to use a weight. And stop about Idler driven TT's creating lots of rumble! It's very quiet, although not as much as the 701, which is indeed dead-silent!
The 701 draws me towards modern music, much more so than the other ones, and there it can exhibit its strenghts to great effect. This basic character is unchanged by swapping carts, e.g. with a Shure M-95.
The tonearm is fine, but I still have a preference for the one on the 1219, even if the 701's arm is more elaborate.
The obvious thing to do now, is upgrading the wires, because this majestic TT deserves much better than the standard ones. The 701 certainly infected me with the tweaking bug I'd long forgotten!

Long lived and reliable.

Good direct drive motor lacks problems in others of the time, despite this one not being quartz locked.

Better sound than you'd ever imagine with the right cartridge, due to unique counterweight system.

Very gentle auto system.

Lacks cachet of other vintage decks.

Some people feel the world begins and ends with Moving Coil cartridges so would pass this deck by.

Spares not available, although cartridge carriers can still be sourced on the web.

I've known this model since it came out in 1976 or thereabouts and used a 1229 idler drive model for some years before succumbing to the Linn Sondek LP12 along with so many others. I remember the 701 being the only turntable to really make a Shure V15 III sound sweet and jumped at the chance of buying a good used one in 1990 for not much money £50 approx).

When my huge Notts Analogue Mentor turntable became too much I resurrected the 701 and have used it ever since. The arm is too light for many moving coil types, but it copes superbly with my V15VMR, vintage Sonus Blue and a motley collection of much loved ADC's and it sounds great to me. The only mods I've done is to free the suspension off a little, stretch an over compressed spring and to replace the original audio lead out wires to the amp with one from a Linn ittok arm. Oh yes, I use a Notts Analogue Spacemat on top of the stuck on Dual one, despite the arm now playing slightly low at the back...

You don't get the expansive scale of a modern top end turntable, but it's better than a Rega Planar 2 or 3 even, retaining all the musical information, but presenting it in a smaller, less expansive form. I love the auto function, which has no effect on the arm friction or overall handling at all. The auto mech: is very quiet in operation too and the muting circuit, once adjusted, cuts in and out smoothly.

Now the deck is getting on a bit (over thirty years old), the platter sometimes starts off and accelerates to high rpm. A quick knuckle rap to the clear motor control board cover always cures it for a year or two.

I look forward to many more years with this old friend. I love it!

Customer Service

None in the UK now for a deck this age, sadly.

Similar Products Used:

Dual 1229, plus I sold many other Duals. Thorens, Rega, Linn, Notts Analogue, Pro-ject etc...

Very Quite simple operation , it's automatic, Direct Drive

None

I purchased my DUAL 701 from a little old lady who runs the local thrift shop, for the price of $20.00. I took it in for servicing to a Dual tech, who charged me $100.00 for a complete service check up. Don't we all go to the Dr. once in awhile? I was told that this turntable was manufactured between 1973/76 and sold then for $400.00.It was considered the flagship . This was the first DIRECT DRIVE turntable from Dual. Well one year later and lots of hours spent RE-listening to my records all over again. I can tell you this IS one turntable you've got to get your hands on. The measured performance of the Dual 701 speaks for itself, it's silence during operation is as impressive as its performance. Can't imagine spending thousands of dollars on a turntable, you don't have to....

Customer Service

Excellent lots of parts available

Silence, arm, stability, in fact everything that is necessary for real hifi.

Still not found. Attention: the first serie has a cover that is made too heavy: the springs of the hinge in the chassis can't keep the cover opened and often plastics are broken. Very soon after Dual has used a less heavy cover.

Just bought my second Dual 701for only € 40 !!!!! The needle of the cartridge costs already more.....The first 701 (by that time expensive: 1100 guilders, about €500) I have since 1976, without any problem, so now a second one for my studyroom. The best you gan get, total balance in quality (arm, turntable, Shure V15III). People just don't know the ever resting value of this model. Fits excellent with my other classics: Nakamichi OMS 4 E cd-player, Quad 34 and 606, Elipson 1303 loudspeakers. Get one, I see often good 701's on Ebay Germany.

Similar Products Used:

Elipson 1303, Quad 34 and 606, Nakamichi OMS 4 E

Very solid. Very quite in operation. Easy to maintain. Excellent direct drive.

Mechanical system often needs cleaning and oiling after 30 years.

Still one of the best turntables for the money. Top of the line tonearm. Better than most Linn, Micro Seiki or Technics... Best used with original Shure V15 Type 3 and DUAL CV 240 quadrophonic amplifier or the very good 70´s DUAL CV 1600 stereo amp. For spare parts try this German former Dual Hifi shop, they still have some spare parts and they also can copy a repair manual for you. Its a real tricky guy, he can repair any old DUAL machine. He especially loves the 701. Mr. Otmar Langer, DUAL Service Hifi Shop Neanderstrasse 5 40699 Erkrath Germany Phone 0049 -2 11- 24 41 Fax 0049 211- 24 28 34 For buying a 701 try Ebay here in Germany (www.ebay.de) the 701 still sells for under 100 Dollars, because people here just do not know the quality of this fantastic machine. Dual just has no reputation here.

Similar Products Used:

Lenco highend beltdrive.

very smooth and noise free sound

heavy unit and the price is only going to go up

The best turntable for the money! smooth action and noise fre no wow and flutter here! Dual is great and get it while you can.

Similar Products Used:

Hitachi, technics etc

Electronically-regulated Direct Drive Motor with Exclusive Overlapping Coil System, 9.7 lbs. Platter (plus rotor) dynamically balanced to provide optimum flywheel effect, Resonance-cancelling filters integral with counterbalance.

NONE

For the ultimate transcription turntable, look no more than having a Dual 701. This is the standard reference unit by which the audiophile connosseuir goes by up to this day. The measured performance of the Dual 701 speaks for itself. It would indeed be difficult to improve on this unit, most of whose technical performance characteristics surpass to a greater or lesser degree, those of any other integrated record player. Its operation is as simple and foolproof as could be desired, and its silence during operation is as impressive as its performance specifications. There's never a sound of a spurious click, buzz, whir, or hum, either mechanically from the record player or electrically from the speakers during play. Obviously, the price of the Dual 701 removes it from consideration as "Every man's record player," but for those who appreciates a superior product and are willing to pay for it, this unit merits the most serious consideration.

Similar Products Used:

Dual CS-5000

I have listened to this turntable for over 25 years. It still is the best in my mind. It's built like a tank and
runs like a smooth Mercedes(thats German engineering for ya)