Acoustic Research AR EB101 vs Dual 1229
Side-by-side specifications and a plain-English account of the recorded differences. Full profiles: Acoustic Research AR EB101 · Dual 1229.
| Specification | Acoustic Research AR EB101 |
Dual 1229 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Highlighted difference. £160 (used) | £180 (used) |
| Category | Vintage | Vintage |
| Status | discontinued | discontinued |
| Years | 1984–? | 1972–1974 |
| Drive | belt drive | idler drive |
| Speeds | 33/45 rpm | Highlighted difference. 33/45/78 rpm |
| Operation | manual | fully-automatic |
| Cartridge supplied | None | None |
| Phono stage | No | No |
| USB output | No | No |
| Bluetooth | No | No |
| Platter | aluminium | non-magnetic, dynamically balanced (approx 3 kg class) |
| Tonearm | AR/Jelco-style low-mass arm | Dual gimballed arm |
| Wow & flutter | — | — |
Practical differences
Highlighted cells show a lower reference price, support for more listed speeds, or the presence of a convenience feature. They are not an overall score.
On price alone the Acoustic Research AR EB101 costs less, coming in £20 (about 13%) below the Dual 1229.
The mechanics differ too: the Acoustic Research AR EB101 is belt-drive, the Dual 1229 is idler-drive.
The Dual 1229 is fully automatic — press start and the arm cues itself and lifts at the end of the side — where the Acoustic Research AR EB101 needs you to cue the arm by hand.
Bottom line: £20 separates these reference prices. That difference is factual; this specification comparison does not assign an overall winner.
Merchant searches
2 UK merchants handle used or discontinued decks like this — each outbound link searches the deck on that merchant’s site.
| Merchant | Type | Delivery | Product search |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBay UK | used marketplace | Varies by seller | Search at eBay UK ↗ |
| Vinyl Revival | music retail | UK delivery | Search at Vinyl Revival ↗ |
Merchant searches
2 UK merchants handle used or discontinued decks like this — each outbound link searches the deck on that merchant’s site.
| Merchant | Type | Delivery | Product search |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBay UK | used marketplace | Varies by seller | Search at eBay UK ↗ |
| Vinyl Revival | music retail | UK delivery | Search at Vinyl Revival ↗ |