QC-800A + QM800A / Quadraphonic Question

[static_ohm]

Hello! New to the forum..

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?

 

[pustelniakr]

If you select 2-channel material, you can select 4-channel stereo output, If you want to play quad records, you will need a cart that has the frequency response to replicate the carrier (generally a properly set up Shibata stylus on an appropriate cart). You can play Matrix-encoded material, or Phase-Shift-encoded (likely SQ) material with this preamp.

Other folks with more experience with quad are likely to chime in directly...

Enjoy,
Rich P

 

[KeithD]

You can set up that system the way you mentioned. It will be able to “simulate” quadraphonic stereo from any two channel source. I find the Regular Matrix setting does a better job of this than the SQ setting. If you have or pick up an SACD/DVD-A player with RCA output jacks, you can connect the front and rear outputs to the AUX connectors to get surround sound (without the center channel).

The QM/QC set is functionally equivalent to Pioneer’s other quad offerings in the QX line: 8000A, 9900, 949/747/646.

 

[Imprecise]

Hello! New to the forum..

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?

The QC-800A has two quad modes.

What they called matrix is similar to the Dynaquad system of that era. It provides a simple phase difference (L-R) signal for the rear speakers. Despite its simplicity, this kind of system can provide pretty good simulation of being in a concert hall with the rear channels providing the ambience (non-directional reflections). The front channels are untouched. It is not anywhere near as sophisticated as.the later systems with overlapping delayed signals but not too shabby either.

The SQ system takes two channel stereo and makes four new channels out of it. The effect can range from very interesting, especially with SQ encoded disks, but also can sound like WTF? This is especially the case.with live concert recordings or sparse recordings like acoustic folk. The system in the Pioneer is an early version of SQ, not bad but not as good as the later SQ-logic systems. SQ will do a decent job of decoding QS or EV recordings, although you would never know it from the heated debates of that era.

CD-4 records are something entirely different. For that you would need a CD-4 demodulator that recovers the multiplexed quad signals and a special phono cartridge that can handle the ultrasonic carrier signals. Nothing to do with the QC-800A.except that it can accept external 4 channel sources like a CD-4 demodulator. Finding such a unit in good condition and an appropriate cart with a decent stylus and CD-4 records where the super-fine carrier signals have not been worn down over time is IMO hardly worth the effort.

You mentioned stacking speakers. While there might be advantages to that in stereo mode, it would defeat the point of quad mode and probably sound weird if used that way. The QM800A 4 channel power amp could be used to power doubled front speakers by using splitters on the stereo output of the QC unit. But then you would not be using the quad capabilities, just double power stereo.