Dual 1019 Turntable Review

The Dual 1019 turntable first began production in 1965. Like its later model cousin the 1229, it is a fully automatic turntable. Also like the 1229, it is a sought after collector’s turntable, but without some of the bells and whistles.

The Dual 1019, like many other Dual turntables, is a tank. The standard 1019 is without cue and antiskate, but the later model 1019SK has these functions included. The tonearm is relatively heavy as it was manufactured prior to the era of high compliance cartridges that were paired with slightly lighter tonearms. Many modern cartridges are medium compliance, and will therefore suit the Dual 1019 well.

The Dual 1019 is well respected among 78 rpm circles due to its impressive torque. Since it can be found for cheap, a Dual 1019 is a good 78 rpm turntable for those wanting to dip their toes in to the 78 rpm waters. The torque comes from a powerful idler drive that needs some oomph to rotate the 7.5 pound platter. Being automatic, it will turn off the more hardcore audiophiles, and it can be prone to some rumble that the 1219 and the 1229 avoid. The 10″ platter can be prone to poor speed control as it lacks centrifugal force.

With the Dual 10xx series, a common problem is grease having hardened, making the tonearm difficult to move. The first thing to do when looking inside will be to clean out all the old gunk and relubricate it. The people at Fix My Dual do a great job of this for a reasonable price (~$150). The Dual 1019’s headshell is a difficult customer and pretty much impossible to replace, so make sure yours comes with one otherwise you will be forced to MacGuyver yourself one.

Dual 1019 Turntable Specifications

• Drive type: idler drive
• Platter: 3.4kg/7.5lbs
• Wow and Flutter: +/- 0.1%
• Rumble: >59dB
• Tonearm: extremely low mass (Dual’s branding)
• Cartridges: 1/2″ cartridges weighing 1-16 grams, with a tracking force of 0-5 grams.

Dual 1019 Cartridge Suggestions

• Grado Black
• Shure M97xe
• Ortofon OM10
• Stanton 500
• Shure V15 type II
• Shure M91ED (best value)
• Shure M78S (for 78 rpm records)
• Audio Technica AT 95E

It’s no star, but with incredible looks (especially on a wooden plinth), decent performance and excellent playback of 78s, the Dual 1019 turntable is a good buy if you live near a store familiar with fixing idler drive turntables.