In the early ‘90s I took the digital plunge, and I sold my trusty Technics SL-220 turntable and four milk crates of records. I was moving abroad so this was somewhat of a forced choice, but like many, I also believed the future was digital. The Dual 701 and Yamaha YP-701 were not yet on my radar.
Little did I know that vinyl would come storming back 25 years later. I resisted the call to buy a turntable and get back into records, but finally succumbed in September 2018. At this point, I was committedly riding the retro audio train, so the turntable was definitely going to be a vintage model from the ‘70s or early ‘80s. I just didn’t know which one. Much to my surprise it became two.
The decision to go analog again brought on some serious online research. Being “new” to vinyl, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money, but very much wanted a reliable turntable that could deliver great sound. On the high-end side I was drawn to models like the Thorens TD-160, Pioneer PL-518, Marantz 6300 and Linn LP12, but my wallet firmly rejected these options. Perhaps someday in the future, but not right now.
One brand that consistently popped up in searches as a potential price-to-performance winner was Dual; with plenty of article mentions, and every third or fourth vintage table on eBay and Kijiji being one of their tables. They obviously manufactured a lot of turntables in the ‘70s, and their prevalence was proof of quality and durability.
Dual produced their first turntable in Germany in the late 1930s. They started selling internationally in the late ‘60s with their 1009 idler wheel table and added belt and direct-drive players to the product line in the ‘70s. Dual’s best-known units were undoubtedly the 1009, 1219 and 1229 (all idler drives competing with the pricier Garrard, Lenco and Thorens tables of the day) and the 701 direct drive.
I was quite attracted to the design and reported sound quality of the Dual 701, but it was still a bit expensive for my liking. After much research, I settled on a 604 semi-automatic, direct drive for its simple mechanism, low noise, reliability and price. Reports called it one of the more underrated Duals, and I’m a fan of underdogs. A search on Kijiji found one in good, recently serviced condition with a reputable Empire 2000E/iii cartridge. I decided to take the plunge.
To get off on the right foot, I also quickly picked up several essential records: Kind of Blue, Aja, New Gold Dream, Avalon, Blue Train, Flight to Jordan, Blade Runner OST, Idle Moments, Wish You Were Here; all great albums with superb sonics.
To be honest, I didn’t expect to be so smitten by the entirety of the vinyl experience. On the tactile side, I derived great pleasure from the ritual of interacting with the record and player. Removing the record from the sleeve and placing it gently on the platter, engaging the player and setting down the tonearm, settling in to listen, holding the cover and reading the notes and lyrics, flipping the record part way through — This sense of musical ceremony was something I’d missed over the preceding 27-odd years of CDs and digital files.
And the ritual element was matched emotionally on the sound side; the warmth and dynamics of analogue – even the occasional snap, crackle and pop of dust on the record – touches the soul in a way the purity and perfection of digital never can. Vinyl playback is imperfect. Like real life.
I found the Dual 604 to be a very satisfying player and was happy with both my turntable choice and the immersion back into vinyl. Fast forward a few months and we moved from condo to house. Suddenly I had two systems in different parts of the house. Initially the upstairs, living room system consisted of just amp, speakers and an Apple AirPort Express for wireless play from my laptop. The main system had turntable, CD player and wireless sources, but soon enough I wanted a second table for the living room, too.
My interest in the Dual 701 had only grown in the intervening months. Some of my Instagram friends were proud owners, and they regularly encouraged me to pick up “the best Dual ever made.” I started looking out for one, but price was still a hindrance.
One day, shortly before my birthday, an eBay search brought up a new “701” turntable. Not a Dual, but a Yamaha. This wasn’t a turntable I’d heard of before, but it looked beautiful, and I decided to look into it further.
The YP-701 (or YP-700, depending on where it was sold) was Yamaha’s top-of-the-line mid- ‘70s turntable. The belt-drive, auto-return player is a bit of a monster, measuring 480 x 410 x 161mm (18.9” x 16.1” x 6.3”) and weighing 9.2 kg (just over 20 lbs). It features a medium-mass S-shaped tonearm with universal plug-in head shell, heavy die-cast aluminum platter, and double float suspension (arm and turntable are sprung separately from the motor to insulate against vibration and motor noise).
No signal is passed until after the stylus is actually on the record, so there is no thud as the needle comes in contact on start-up.
The sound of the YP-701 has been compared in reviews with Thorens tables of the same time period, which may be at least partially due to similarities in the suspension design; in fact this model of Yamaha was nicknamed the “poor man’s Thorens” by some. I decided this would make a great addition to my audio collection, and a great birthday present, and so a purchase was made.
As a side note, I’ve since learned that turntable purchases on eBay can be fraught with issues, the most pervasive of which is shipping damage. I got lucky with the YP-701 in that the seller knew what they were doing and shipped with all pieces suitably wrapped and protected, with bomb-proof double boxing and insulation from vibration and impact. Fortunately, the table arrived in perfect condition. If you’re buying a turntable online, always check seller feedback and confirm proper packaging before finalizing a purchase.
On arrival, the YP-701 went into rotation in the downstairs listening room, and the Dual 604 moved upstairs to the living room. I was super impressed with the Yamaha from the first few records. The styling is immaculate, and performance was all that I could have hoped for. The independently suspended platter, motor and arm make this a very quiet turntable.
It is a delicate sounding player, particularly sweet in the midrange and treble (not surprising for a Japanese table), but some might find the low end a bit thin and lacking in authority. I found (and find) it particularly good with jazz, classical and acoustic music where detail is of the essence. It may not have the thicker midrange of the classic Thorens tables like the TD-160 Super and TD-125, but it’s a very capable deck with a good cartridge.
In spite of this Yamaha-induced contentment, something still nagged at me. My Dual 701 friends continued to prod me (yes, I’m pointing at you in particular, Chad G), both to get one, and to do a 701 Battle Royale. My Instagram community was rather interested in the Yamaha, so I decided that I needed both.
Editor-in-Chief, Ian White, who is a huge vintage Thorens user and big proponent of the work performed by New Hampshire-based, Vinyl Nirvana, took a fancy to my trusty YP-701 and made an offer on it that I couldn’t refuse.
He’s been running it with the Grado Timbre Opus3 and Goldring E3 and has had nothing but praise so far for it. He did have one minor setup issue because I forgot to mention removing the motor cover to install the belt.
The Dual 701 (1973-76) is a table of pure simplicity, with platter sitting directly on top of an innovative, electronic, low speed motor with feedback-controlled speed precision. The 701’s motor is so quiet and resonance-free that it does not require isolation mounting and is attached directly to the table’s chassis. At the time of production, it was considered to be the “quietest turntable ever made,” as evaluated in independent laboratory tests.
Everything I read and learned from owners online, convinced me that I needed this Dual. Then on the last day of 2019, there was a new Kijiji listing for a Dual 701. Original owner. With Shure V15iii cartridge. In Calgary. Just 30 minutes from my house. And the price was about half of what I’d become accustomed to seeing in other ads. No time for thinking. The call was made, and I was on my way to check it out.
![Dual 701 vintage turntable in the sunlight](images/dual-701-turntable-in-the-sunlight.jpg)
Some days – you just get lucky. Like hit the jackpot lucky.
The seller was definitely a lover of music. An older gentleman, downsizing before moving into a senior’s home. He’d sold off most of his system, and the Dual was the last piece to go. Aside from a little wear on the plinth, it was in wonderful condition. I could sense his disappointment at this parting, but also felt he was happy it was going to a home where it would be treated for years to come with the same reverence he had for it. A deal was struck, and I ended the year on the ultimate high.
The Dual 701 was all I imagined it to be. It features a straight tonearm (common on all vintage Dual tables), shuttle cartridge mounting system, internal grounding (no finicky grounding wire to attach to the amp), a 2.9 kg (6.4 lbs) non-magnetic, dynamically balanced, detachable platter, auto-start and return, stroboscopic pitch control, and a beautiful wood plinth. It has a relatively small footprint at 420 x 362 x 145 mm (16.5” x 14.3” x 5.7”) and weighs a hefty 10.9 kg (24 lbs).
The 701 is authoritative and dynamic, with a big, robust tone. The low-end is nice and thick; compare it to any inexpensive turntable made overseas today and you’ll hear the difference. The midrange is warm and fleshed out with good detail retrieval. Treble is pleasing and certainly not lacking, though perhaps outshone by the quality of the lower registers. The slightly forward presentation and excellent sense of pace make it an excellent choice for any genre of music.
So, quest done? Probably not. The Dual 604 was sold soon after the Dual 701 arrived. I’ve since inherited a Technics linear tracking turntable which spends its days as part of the living room system. And I still have a hankering for a Thorens, Linn, or maybe an old Empire. The adventure never ends, but the joy is in the journey and not the destination.
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Chris
March 22, 2021 at 11:34 am
Great piece!
Ian White
March 22, 2021 at 11:37 am
Chris,
Two great tables.
Thank you for reading.
Ian
Lynn
November 2, 2021 at 7:03 pm
I just my husbands old 701 turntable in box. Dont have clue whats worth? Its a Dual.
Ian White
November 2, 2021 at 7:12 pm
Lynn,
I will get you an answer. It does depend on the condition and if there’s a cartridge on the tonearm.
Best,
Ian White
Ian White
November 2, 2021 at 9:02 pm
Lynn,
It really depends on the condition and where you live. If you are based in the U.S., we’ve seen 701s go from between $400 – $550 without a cartridge.
If you are based in Canada, the prices would be in the range of $300 to $650 CDN depending on the condition.
There are a number of vintage audio dealers that might pay you a better price versus someone on eBay who will try to nickel and dime you on the purchase.
Turntables are hard to ship properly if you don’t know how to do it and there is a risk of things getting broken which can became a nightmare for the seller.
The best option would be to sell to someone local who can pick it up.
Ian White
Eric Pye
March 29, 2021 at 10:45 pm
Cheers Chris. Appreciate the feedback. If it wasn’t clear in the article, I sure do love both my 701s! Do you have experience with one or the other?
Yoda boy
November 19, 2022 at 3:42 pm
I am the original owner of a Dual 701. It still looks brand new which is to be expected as I am extremely fussy about my equipment. I use various ADC cartridges, an older ZLM for records that are not in pristine condition and an XLM mark 2 for my good records. I also have some old D to D LPs that have been minimally played. They sound wonderful. I recently had this unit reconditioned professionally by a gentleman in St. Thomas, ON and it again works perfectly. So, after 50 years, I have something that still performs wonderfully. I did not know until after the reconditioning that the unit is internally ground so you do not have to do this yourself. I am contemplating upgrading the wires from the TT ( I’ll have to take it apart ) and expect that this would make a further improvement in sound.
Eric Pye
December 3, 2022 at 12:26 am
Are you talking changing the power cable, or the RCAs to the amplifier? Some 701s (mine included) have RCA plugs on the underside and replaceable cables, so it’s easy to hook new ones up.
Joe Rosen
February 15, 2023 at 12:45 am
A few comments:
1) Replacing the power cord will NOT result in any audible difference. This coming from a “High-End” Audio tweako nutcase!
2) Darn tootin’ you should replace your crummy old RCA interconnect cables with something alot better. The problem is though, that you have to shop carefully to get an appropriate type specifically for phono use. And many of those wires will cost you multiples of what you paid for your 50yr. well-used turntables!
I recommend cables made with Teflon insulation inside & out, which usually means that the wire is either pure silver (!) or silver-plated(good enough!).
The main thing is that the cable needs to be “low capacitance” if you’re using a MM (“Magnetic”) type phono cartridge. Most fancy “High End” cables, whilst sounding great, are about 60pf/ft. Anything much over 200-250pf (total) will cause audible treble loss. 1 metre cuts it fine, & usually that’s too short for most of us; I like to keep it no longer than 5ft. myself. 60×5=300pf…too much! I keep expenses way down by using a MIL-SPEC wire called RG316B/U, which is only 30pf/ft. You can find short lengths cheap on eBay, should cost less than $50 for 10-50ft.!
3) All those crazy Germans have a silver fetish, which is a very BAD material once it gets old enough to start tarnishing (about a month!). After 50yrs.x 12 months, that 600x awful!!! I therefore HIGHLY recommend that you replace the RCA jacks in the turntable to nickel-plated ones (gold looks pretty but sounds & works IDENTICAL). You will also note that the cartridge pin sockets in the “headshell” are also made from silver, & are a mottled black & grey colour. YEEEEECH! These also need to be replaced with nickel or gold connectors. HUGE sonic improvements if you do these things!
GDS
April 14, 2021 at 10:43 am
thank you for your article.
I´m owner of a YAMAHA YP700 for more than 40 years
CARTRIDGES: SHURE V15TYPE III tracking force 0.75 to 1,0 g (symphonic music and quadriphonic (SQ SYSTEM) Lps, . For all purpose music: SHURE M97xE tracking force 1.25 to 1.50 g (dumping brush up); GOLDRING 1,5 to 1.75 gr.
Quite; NO ISSUES, but sometimes is difficult to find the right anti-skating level (appears to depend on the LP itself ?!).
And more recently, needs to change the belt…
GDS
Eric Pye
April 22, 2021 at 3:16 am
Glad you enjoyed it. YP700 was the Japanese domestic equivalent of the 701 international model, right? It’s a great player.
Joe Rosen
February 15, 2023 at 1:00 am
Setting up anti-skating properly is an arcane black art; you need good eyes,good test records, & a decent ear. It’s usually best left to a professional TT setup technician (which I happen to be🧘). I suspect that 0.75-1g VTF with your Shure V15 Type III is too low for clean tracking; Shure (& most other cartridge companies…🙄) liked to lie about that sort of thing for cynical marketing purposes. I like 1.4g for the M97xE, & no less than 1.3g for my V15 Type IV. I’d bring up your VTF to at least that for your Type III!
Another possibility is stylus wear; stylii with over 500hrs. of use show a very noticeable decline in their tracing ability & should be replaced at the first sign of fuzziness in music peaks!
I’d also have a professional inspect the tonearm bearings & make sure that friction is 20 milligrammes or less in both horizontal & vertical planes.
REMEMBER: Audible tracking distortion = PERMANENT LP DAMAGE!
The sooner you get to the bottom of your tracking troubles, the less FURTHER & permanent damage you’ll do to your (precious?) LP’s!
Gregg
April 25, 2021 at 1:09 am
Great piece! Having been a fan of Dual 1219 and 1229 for a rim drive, you couldnt beat em. I still have my 1229 and an Empire 698 both in great operating condition and I added the B&o 8002 to round out the collection. I never stopped playing vinyl. Vinyl is king
Eric Pye
April 25, 2021 at 3:37 pm
Some day would like to try one of the Dual idlers. For now I’m happy with my 701.
Joe Rosen
February 15, 2023 at 1:06 am
You’re not missing much, Ian!
Not that the 1229 (or 1219, or 1019…) are stinkers compared to the 701. Just, IMHO I can’t see them being any better sounding (as awesome as they sound), & almost certainly are noisier (rumble-wise, & maybe mechanical hum too).
Charles Edward Huggins
May 18, 2021 at 11:59 pm
Great article and turntable face off. I’ve had my Yamaha YP-701 since 1975. Will be listing it shortly.
Ian White
May 19, 2021 at 10:06 am
Charles,
I bought Eric’s YP-701 to make my vintage system complete.
Ian White
Dana Evan White
November 4, 2021 at 2:59 pm
Really enjoyed reading of your discovery and appreciation. I purchased my Dual 701 in 1975 when it was $600 retail and it took that whole year to save enough for the purchase. The cartridge of choice was the Shure V15, and an Audio Technica for four channel discrete Quadraphonic recordings.
This turntable shared home with JVC separate Tuner and Preamp, Macintosh MC2105 and SAE Mark XXXIB power amps. My speakers were the Infinity WTLC (wave transmission line columns) and Infinity Monitor Jr.
A later change to bi-amplification came by adding a Pioneer active crossover and a speaker rewire on the WTLCs. The Monitor Jr.speakers moved to system #2, which was in the bedroom.
The new found clarity of bi-amping was stupendious! The Mac’s 141 w/ch. and the SAE’s 72 w/ch. (both tested at point of clipping) were exactly the prescription for the power hungery Infinitys. Never ever exceded the speakers capability in my home enviornment. Also never felt a need for a subwoofer as the response was so low that it compared very well to my live performance references.
I recommend everyone experience an active crossover feeding multible amplifiers, if only two amps like my system.
Eric Pye
November 13, 2021 at 5:48 pm
Funny, I just picked up an MC2105 and C28. In the shop now being checked over. Looking forward to this being the heart of my system, with Dual and Empire as sources and ADS L1230 (when they’re back from the shop) as endpoint. Should make a beautiful noise!
Ian White
November 13, 2021 at 7:21 pm
Dana,
Eric has created a monster. I’m now looking for a McIntosh preamp for my Acoustic Energy AE1 powered loudspeakers.
Ian White
Doug
January 12, 2022 at 3:03 am
Heck , my Thorens TD 166 to me is all I’ll ever need. Same one my room mate bought in the late eighties and played only a hand full of times before CDs came along and parked it in a closet.
Finally talked him out of it about ten years ago and installed an Ortifon blue MM . Bliss
Loved the article
Ian White
January 12, 2022 at 4:11 am
Doug,
I use a restored Thorens TD-160 Super and TD-145 MKII in my main system. Love them both.
Ian White
Eric Pye
January 12, 2022 at 11:44 pm
Can imagine I’d be pretty happy with a TD 166 too. And love the story of how you got it; one of the great things about collecting vintage audio equipment is the stories!
TG Moon
September 17, 2022 at 10:28 pm
I’m a long-time Dual fan, beginning with a 1009 for my parents’ system in 1965, a 1212 for mine in 1970, a 1219 in 1973 while I was in the US Army, a 622 in 1983 and finally, a CS 5000 bought used in 1994. Still have the 5000 equipped with a Sumiko Oyster “Moonstone”. Great sound although the belt-drive system seems to be losing steam after all these years and a couple service events
Eric Pye
October 25, 2022 at 5:47 pm
Which was your favourite? I’ve always been curious about the Idlers but haven’t yet had the pleasure of hearing one.
RockinRonnie
October 23, 2022 at 8:01 pm
Some great and informative comments here! I just wanted to chime in on my 701. I got it 25 years ago from an aircraft mechanic who gave it to me for an incredible $200.00 CAD! My vinyl collection never sounded so good! It really is the quietest turntable ever!
Ian White
October 23, 2022 at 8:03 pm
RR,
I love my YP-701 the I purchased from Eric Pye. I put a better Ortofon headshell on it with a Grado Opus3. Sounds amazing.
IW
Eric Pye
October 25, 2022 at 5:48 pm
Glad you enjoyed the article. I love the 701 and keep returning to it; it’s my keeper if I ever have to go down to one deck.
ORT
October 25, 2022 at 6:04 pm
Beautiful ‘tables and for me, Semi-Auto and full Auto are the ONLY way to go. The canard that “noise” is introduced is farcical as in my decades of enjoying music with Automatic turntables, including those all in one systems of the ’70s, I have NEVER heard any noise coming from the turntable.
Unless you include that ridiculous drum solo from Iron Butterfly.
ORT
Eric Pye
December 3, 2022 at 12:27 am
Yeah, I don’t understand how a mechanical auto system adds noise. But to each his or her own.
Joe Rosen
February 15, 2023 at 12:19 am
No,there are other problems with automatic turntables like the Dual (and the Bang & Olufsen radial trackers i.e. 1602,1700). Two main things:
1) The tonearm is dragging along a metal rod that slides through guides that trip the lift & return mechanism(s). They add substantial drag, especially if your cartridge has a low VTF: 2.5g or less. Tracking ability is noticeably degraded & there’s audible distortion, which often isn’t noticed with (ahem!) mediocre low-resolution systems such as I suspect most of you own. Certainly the improvement will be heard when the mechanism is disabled properly, as if you upgraded to a substantially better cartridge!
2) All those pieces that are required to do the litany of little operations that constitute full and/or auto-return operation usually number around TWO DOZEN metal & plastic bits. They’re not secured very strongly,in order to keep frictional forces to a minimum.
Again, removing all this rattling KRAP substantially “cleans up” the sound of the turntable. Here the sonic improvement is even more dramatic in a “before” & “after” comparison.
Bear in mind that a turntable acts as a transducer; not just your cartridge! And with outputs of less than 1 millivolt coming out of MM cartridges & less than 100 MICROvolts from MC cartridges during typical music passages, it’s no wonder that the smallest things get so greatly magnified when you listen.
Ian White
February 15, 2023 at 1:59 pm
Joe,
I had one of the automatic Duals and it was a nightmare. I now have 3 restored Thorens tables (Vinyl Nirvana) that have been problem free for years. TD-145 MKII, TD-160 Super, and a TD-125 MKII. The Yamaha gets a lot of use in my bedroom system. I replaced the head shell with a new one from Ortofon and have a Grado Opus3 on the arm now. Table is on an isolation platform and I have zero issues with it.
Best,
Ian White
Roy H Larson
July 25, 2023 at 4:57 pm
I have the Yamaha YP701 sitting unused for some time. The foam suspension disc’s have collapsed and appear to be disintegrating. Do you have any sources for suitable replacement.
Ian White
July 25, 2023 at 5:07 pm
Roy,
Can you email me a photo? I will ask around for you.
Best,
Ian@ecoustics.com
Joe Rosen
February 15, 2023 at 1:16 am
Talk about weird coincidences! I was checking out the Yamaha YP-701 for a friend who brought it to my attention. I didn’t know anything about it prior. The same friend recently sold me his “backup” Dual 701; I don’t think I’ve ever heard a better turntable…& I’ve heard my more-than fair share of megabuck TT’s like Linn LP12, Oracle Delphi, Jean Nantais hyper-modified Lenco, Brinkmann Bardo (with TUBE power supply!🙄), etc. etc. blah blah blah!
And here I stumble across a blog, thank Big Brother Google & his sneaky-clever algorithms, that puts 2 & 2 together!!!🤪🤯🤣🤣🤣
Hmmm…I may just buy that Yamaha YP-701 if my buddy takes a pass on it. Start a 701 collection. Now, what other brands of turntable made one that also has the number “701” in it?🤔🤔🤔😏
TonyE
August 13, 2023 at 7:30 am
You think the Dual 701 sounds better than an LP12?
What kind of LP12?
The Thorens belt drives can come close to a plain stock older LP12 in need of a new suspension… but a properly maintained and reasonably kitted out LP blows them out of the water: for one thing, the LP12 can be made into an extremely low noise table… specially if you update it to the Karousel.
The Dual is nice, but, just a nice vintage design. The old Thorens have a lot more going for them.. better build, more isolation between the plinth, tonearm, etc… BUT, the LP12 is a living design and like “Grand Pa’s axe” it’s a new design.
So, again, what kind of LP12 did you listen to? Because it seems to me like you are passing a gross generalization.
TonyE
August 13, 2023 at 7:24 am
I had a Dual 510 from ’77 to ’89. Towards the end, the cartridge on it was more expensive than the table proper.
At that point I got a used Linn LP12. Which I still have, having done upgrades along the way, Lingo, Trampolin, Karousel… a couple of rebuilds and a list of cartridges and what now..
As much as I figure you love your Dual… trust me, if you can get a well priced used LP12/Lingo/Trampolin/Karousel/Ittok table you WILL never look back. Indeed, you will be looking at a good cartridge and a really good preamp.
It will likely affect your vintage reviews, but as a music lover and audiophile you will be in Heaven.