I recently moved and just started using my Dual Turntable again. The arm is acting up - it plays the record then lingers on the record and won't return to the resting place. Is this something I can fix myself or do I need to send it off? If so any suggestions where? I live in Potomac MD.
It really doesn't matter what model is involved here, all Dual tables operate in a very similar manner with very similar mechanics under the platter. The main difference is whether the table is semi-automatic or fully automatic. The direct drive tables did have somewhat different linkage since the motor drives the tonearm return but the basics of how the arm picks up is about the same on most Dual tables from the last twenty years. All 500 series tables operate the same and are generally similar to the 12 series tables in the mechanics of the automatic functions.
Read the archives of this portion of the forum. There are several threads specifically related to Dual tables. You'll find the link to a Dual web site which includes some troubleshooting tips. Since this problem typically requires some amount of tear down involving the mechanics of the deck, it is probably best to find a technician who will do the work and provide a warranty for the repairs. Tables that sit often have grease that gums up and if the tech doesn't do a good job cleaning the parts, the table will need further service in a short while. It's best to have a tech that knows what they are doing. Lacking that, the next best is a warranty on the work performed. No specific tools are required but tools that the average homewner probably doesn't keep around will be needed to properly service a Dual table.
Jan, this should properly be the subject of another thread. But do you find that cartridges are subject to deterioration of various components over time, even if the stylus remains in good condition-in other words, non-wear and tear deterioration? I've heard certain "audiophiles" state that the cartridge should be perodically replaced even if there are no obvious signs of deterioration.
The motor assembly of the cartridge, the magnets and coils will last for decades. However, the cantilever is suspended by an O-ring type damping rubber that holds the cantilever in place as it enters the cartidge body. This rubber will deteriorate over time just as rubber parts on your car harden and crack over time. There is nothing you can do to slow this deterioration without inflicting possible damage to the cartridge. How often you need to replace a cartridge due to this deterioration is dependent on the cartidge and what you hear. My cartridge is over fifteen years old and sounds fine to my ears. There are stories of the cantilever collapsing while playing a record due to a stylus assembly that should have been changed. When this happens the stylus becomes a nail dragging through the groove. There is no warning of this so you can make up your own mind when you should change a stylus assembly.
There's a little rubber tit that goes on the end of the arm lift piston that needs to replaced. The auto return transport uses friction to drag the arm back, the rubber is worn out.
Excuse me, I'm no hi-fi expert. But I have a Dual DD turntable, on which I had a new cartridge installed a few months ago. I had a respected (I think) audio shop do the installation, since there was an adapter involved. Anyway, the technician mentioned to me that the TT was not returning properly, BUT that with use it probably would "loosen up" and start doing so, which it did. Since I had purchased the TT from eBay, and the TT hadn't been used in a while, he said that the mechanisms probably were a bit stiff from non-use, and would work itself out.
There could obviously be other problems, that was the case with me, FWIW.