Pioneer QC-800A + QM800A / Quadraphonic Question

[static_ohm]

Hello! New to the AK forums though I've been referencing them for some years.. I posted this question in the Pioneer forum as well. Not at all trying to spam the rooms- just thought it would apply in this forum as well and potentially be seen by more folks.

Anyway- I'm considering purchasing a QC-800A + QM800A combo- comes with 4 CS-99As, a PL-61 Turntable and an Akai 280D-SS (4 channel "surround stereo" reel to reel machine). Being sold by a single owner that bought the whole thing as a set in 1972. Very well cared for and in great condition. Presumably all works.

I don't have any real experience with a quadraphonic set up.. I'm not particularly interested in going down the hole of collecting quadraphonic tapes and records, but I would LOVE to have a set up that adequately pushes 4 CS-99As for a sort of "double stereo" sound. Like 1 speaker on all 4 corners of a room with L & R being divided up per side.. or to potentially stack the speakers or set them up side by side for a generally louder, "bigger" (for lack of a better term- just.. more) sound.

Anyone around here have any insight on this? If I hook a regular turn table or cassette tape deck up to a quadraphonic system, will I be able to listen to my tapes and records through 4 speakers?

 

[KentTeffeteller]

You can listen to the records through 4 speakers, but to get Quad on records, you will need. The decoder for the format or formats you want to play. Encoded records in that format, you will need for CD-4, a cartridge with 45 khz frequency response and a Shibata stylus.

 

[62vauxhall]

Listening to a quadraphonic system is an interesting experience but requires a fair bit of space to set up speakers in front and behind you.

I was never bitten by the bug when quadraphonic was new on the market but have come to know someone who was and still has the system. It sat a long time and he had me bring it back to working condition. He has a Dual 1229Q, Akai Quadraphonic reel to reel and Akai Quad 8 recorder.

Both tape formats are true quadraphonic as they have separate tracks/information for each channel.

As was mentioned, LP playback requires particular cartridges/styli. To obtain the quad effect from LP's, the information is encoded but will be one of several systems. Those I remember are CD4, SQ and Discrete. A quad receiver will have a selector switch to choose decoding method.

Despite their physical size, quad receivers are not all that powerful. 30/35 WPC were typical from what I've seen and read.

Quad recordings are few and far between "in the wild". LP's are generally by artists I have no interest in and R2R tapes are pricey. Plus, the latter are subject to age related degradation that befalls aging magnetic tape. Surprisingly I've encounterd more interesting (to me) artists/titles on Q8 cartridges.

There are some devotees but not many. Quadraphonic sound is a commitment of money, space and time for what amounts to a novelty. If you have those requirements at your disposal, why not? It is more of a niche hobby than vintage audio in general. The thrill of the hunt for software will have fewer successful endings but as a consequence, might be more satisfying.

There were reasons why Quadraphonic came and went as quickly as it did.