When you visit the website www.dual.de, you can see that the German brand clearly offers a choice between automatic and manual models for its turntables. In reality, even the manufacturer’s “manual” models are semi-automatic—that is, if you leave this function enabled, the tonearm lifts automatically at the end of playback and the platter stops, which is not the case with a purely manual turntable.
Because in the audiophile world, high-end turntables are inevitably manual. So, while Dual’s automatic lineup starts with the “3” series—beginning with the CS 329 (399 €) and extending through the CS 429 (699 €) and the CS 529 Bluetooth (999 €) to the CS 629 Q—the manual lineup begins directly with the number “4” and the CS 418 (549 €). It then expands to the CS 518 (699 €), followed by the CS 618 Q with its Direct Drive control (1 199 €). And since the last Vienna show, a new CS 718 Q has been added to the lineup.
A worthy successor to the 1973 CS 701—the first direct-drive turntable manufactured in Europe—the CS 718 Q is now one of three models in the lineup, alongside the CS 618 Q (see our review in VU#52) and the CS 629 Q, to feature Direct Drive technology. And like the models in the 6 Series, Dual’s new flagship turntable adds a “Q” to its model number to indicate that it incorporates a highly precise quartz speed control, ensuring a speed variation (more technically measured as wobble and flicker) of less than 0.05% (DIN), whether playing at 33, 45, or 78 rpm.
Its 1.9 kg aluminum platter, with a diameter of 305 mm, is topped with a 4 mm-thick rubber mat. It is mounted on a hardened steel spindle with a brass bushing, which is in turn inserted into an MDF chassis that brings the turntable’s total weight to 10 kg. To support this weight and minimize vibrations, four 68-mm-diameter feet with elastomer are positioned underneath and are height-adjustable to ensure perfect levelness.
Designed exclusively for the CS 718 Q, the tonearm’s tube consists of a carbon-aluminum sandwich that is both highly rigid and very lightweight, finished with a machined shell equipped with an azimuth locking mechanism. Its ball bearing, connected to the end of the machined rotation shaft, is paired with a high-precision double-gimbal spindle mount.
Available in walnut or satin black finishes, with a transparent cover included but without a cartridge, this top-tier turntable from Dual also stands out for its connectivity options—it can be connected to the phono preamp via either a pair of RCA or XLR terminals—and for its more exclusive price tag of 2 490 €.
