Description
Dual CS 721 turntable. Classic Vintage. Fully revitalized. Shure V 15 III cartridge. VN35HE stylus.
The Dual company was established on February 1st 1907 in Black Forest (Germany) by two brothers, Christian and Joseph Steidinger, as a fine mechanics factory specialising in manufacturing of clockwork and gramophone parts. In 1927, Gebrüder Steidinger changed its name to Dual in reference to the dual-mode power supplies which allowed gramophones to be powered from the mains or with a wind-up mechanism. Soon after, the company began producing turntables of its own. After the Second World War, it became the biggest manufacturer of turntables in Europe. However, Dual, managed by the Germans, did not withstand the Japanese competition and after the bankruptcy in 1982 it was sold to Thomson. In 1988 it was bought by Schneider Rundfunkwerke AG, a German company. Between 1970 and 1990 it also produced other audio and video equipment such as: cassette players, VCRs, CD players etc.
In 1993-34, Dual was split into:
– Dual Phono Gmbh acquired by a company called Alfred Fehrenbacher, which has continued to manufacture turntables in the Black Forest on the same traditional product line. They can be recognised by the CS code.
– Dual DGC Gmbh selling mostly rebranded consumer electronics made in the Far East (including the turntables with the DT code).
For the American market (after the insolvency of Schneider Rundfunkwerke AG in 2001) the right to use Dual brand was bought by a Chinese company called TCL Holdings, which passed it on to a Korean company called Namsung Electronics in 2002. Currently Dual Electronics Corporation manufactures audio, video and GPS equipment to be installed in cars, boats and at home.
The Dual CS 721 is a fully automatic direct-drive turntable manufactured in the second half of the 70s. It is one of the most appreciated and iconic Dual models in the world. Independent drive test reports have shown remarkably good results. It has been proven, among others, that it is one of the quietest turntables ever made.
Basing on the Feldman Lab FM Guide report, Hirsh – Houck said it was unable to detect any “flutter”.
In addition, the CS 721’s arm has been equipped with numerous new solutions (including height adjustment to be set parallel to the disc), which significantly contributed to a more precise playback.
The presented model is equipped with a good quality Shure V 15 III cartridge and VN35HE an elliptical stylus, dedicated to this cartridge.
The device has been fully reviewed and serviced.
Collector’s item. The device is in perfect condition.
Technical data:
– Shure V 15 III cartridge professionally calibrated with the turntable and VN35HE a dedicated elliptical stylus
– double housing damping system (spring-balanced-damping)
– the plate has been mechanically polished, which gave it a totally brand new look
– direct drive – EDS 1000 – 2 electronically controlled motor
– the cover has been re-polished and waxed, which gave it a totally brand new look
– new power cord and braided signal cables
– suspended motherboard (floating system)
– plate: non-magnetic, dynamically balanced, removable, 1.5 kg, 305 mm
– enclosure made of meranti wood, finishing in oil produced from natural Chinese oils, natural wood colour
– drive mechanically separated and decoupled
– high vibration damping factor
– adjustable speed of 33 or 45 rpm
– pitch control – 10%
– speed control: illuminated strobe
– adjustable anti-skating system, cushioned arm lifting system
– solid, mechanically damped plate with a thick antistatic mat
– auto-stop with the arm lift and return at the end of a record
– noise and flutter: 0.03% WRMS
– rumble: 70dB
– dimensions of the turntable: width 43 cm, depth 37 cm, height 19 cm
– weight approx. 15 kg
– year of production 1977/79