Despite the gigantic abundance of vinyl players, which are often futuristic structures made of glass and metal, there are companies that are still true to tradition and occupy their rightful place in the sun without the help of technical outrageousness. One of them is the legendary DUAL, whose history is probably one of the longest among vinyl turntable manufacturers.
DUAL was founded in 1900. It all started with the release of all kinds of mechanical drives, later the era of gramophones arrived, and in 1937 these DUAL sound-reproducing devices received the Grand Prix at an exhibition in Paris. However, the company did not stop there. The next half century became the story of the rise and fall of the largest European manufacturer of record players, whose production facilities in its best years employed over three thousand employees, and annual production standards were measured in hundreds of thousands of items… The biography of this company could well serve as the basis for an entire book. DUAL products still retain their potential at a high level, and the company firmly holds the brand, having gained fame not only at home, in Germany, but also abroad. Thus, in the mid-70s in the Soviet Union, the possession of a DUAL turntable (the price of which in thrift stores or when purchased from “traveling” citizens who brought it from abroad was equal to the average annual salary of a worker) immediately classified the owner as belonging to the upper class and strongly raised authority. And now this award-winning device is available to almost everyone.
Modern DUAL vinyl record players now look like something special, almost another vinyl planet… On the one hand, they are a renowned manufacturer with a huge history and no less accumulated experience, on the other hand, these devices are very different from almost everything that is now on the market. Structurally, DUAL players stand out from the whole variety of vinyl “turntables”: thin, elegant bodies, fully automatic control. The players are very light, which fully fits into the design concept of DUAL: the manufacturer has never had heavy devices, and the emphasis was on dissipating resonance effects. This approach can be seen in all parts and components – in the design of the drive and disk, in the tonearm. Externally, the players are neat, concise and very simple, have almost no settings and are supplied assembled and configured. You just need to take the device out of the box, install the disk, cover and connect the power. Therefore, DUAL players should be considered as a ready-made solution for joining the growing ranks of the army of “recorders” – a title, ease of operation, plus excellent, comfortable analog sound.
If you use these players in a suitable path and do not require them to reproduce the most complex recordings with high precision, then you can enjoy both the music and vinyl as a medium. For many, this device will be more than enough, since it can successfully replace any old Soviet player, and even many budget vintage devices. Well, for some it can become the first step to mastering vinyl production at a more serious level. In general, we can say about the DUAL sound that it is extremely natural, natural and warm and will never tire you, no matter what genres you prefer to listen to. The age-old traditions of the famous brand – giving people joy – are still alive.
