Dual 721 Iconic Fully Automatic TT - German Engineering, So Extra

The CS 721 was Dual’s flagship turntable towards the end of the 1970s and is, by many, considered to rank among the best Dual turntables ever made. The CS 721 was a direct drive design (DD) and, in all fairness, had the most audiophile specifications in terms of rumble, wow, and flutter of most all the belt drive tables of the 1970s. However, we at HHA do not listen to specifications but to music, of course, and this deck package just sounds right.

In its time, the CS 721 was not considered the most beautiful deck on the market however, the pressure to surpass its competition by means of sophistication assured the CS 721 some highly sophisticated features that are rarely found on turntables of any age.

This particular 721 has been fitted with an "better" Adcom MM cart of the same period. The result is a tonally rich, precise, and undisturbed sound, just as one would expect from one of Dual’s top players.

Next to its precise and quiet motor, rigid tonearm, and superstar Adcom cartridge, the CS 721 offered a host of adjustable settings that were class-leading at its time. Like all Duals of this period, it offered three transport screws to clamp down the chassis during transport. Even the dust cover lift could be adjusted on the CS 721 just in case the spring should soften with age. The tonearm had a 2-fold dampened, adjustable counterweight and could additionally be altered in lateral length to perfectly accommodate most cartridge weights.

The vertical tracking of the CS 721 tonearm could be calibrated via a lever. Most other turntables only offered socket screws for the purpose. In a similar way, one could adjust the lift angle and the precise touchdown position of the stylus on the record groove. The touchdown speed could be adjusted to suit the weight of the cartridge. It was interesting to note that the manual lift function was not affected by adjustments to the lift height, as this, too, was set via a separate control. When playing back records, the CS 721 could be set from single to infinity mode, by which it would repeat playing a record until it was manually interrupted... how bout that! While the tonearm was adjusted by changing the lateral length of the arm and then via the knurled ring of the counterweight, a further adjustment ring was available to set the stylus down force. In combination, this was one of the most sophisticated settings I had ever seen. Anti-skating could be adjusted to suit conical and bi-radial styli.

Lots of words to describe a really great table but know that all those features come together perfectly in this classic Dual. It's a killer table set up to mean business with its Platter Matter aftermarket mat to its Monster Cable upgraded gold plated RCA's and its Adcom MM Cart. It didn't just come to play, it came to win!

Come experience this fine Dual full automatic TT here at the Andover shop.

Dual CS 721 Fully Automatic Turntable with upgraded Mat, platter mat & Adcom Cart: $489 plus sales tax and shipping when applicable