Quadraphonic Setup - What's Needed?

[tcdriver]

...I may also try my DVD-A / SACD player. I should be able to set it for 4.0 output over the 5.1 analog jacks....

That is a great idea and one that I highly recommend.

There are quite a few multi-channel SACD, DVD-A, Dolby Digital, dtsCD and Blu-ray discs that will sound great on a quadraphonic setup.

 

[Doug G.]

Or it’s haunted by the spirit of Jim Morrison.

Actually, you may THINK it's haunted the first time you hear Morrison's whispered vocals from the back channels in "Riders On the Storm".

Also, all four channels depend on the ultrasonic engravings to recreate the four discrete channels, not just the back. The normal, audio frequency engravings contain the sum of the front and back channels and the ultrasonic engravings contain the difference information. These are algebraically combined in the demodulator to make the four discrete channels. It was done this way so when you played a CD-4 record on a regular two channel system, you would hear all the information in the two channels, not just the front information, missing the back.

And, there was no need for separate inventory of CD-4 records. Another myth/lie during the quad era was that CD-4 records would be ruined by playing them with regular stereo cartridges. It just wasn't/isn't true. The stereo cartridges just wouldn't work for CD-4 because they couldn't trace the ultrasonic frequencies.

There are many quadraphonic records on eBay of the three major formats (CD-4, SQ, and QS) with QS being in the minority.

Doug

 

[twiiii]

Passed on Quad at the time as it really wasn't the best sound. A friend had a Sansui Q9000 as I remember and loved to take stereo records and later CD's and used one of the modes to give a ambient sound from the rear. Not the discrete sound you are looking for. I would just buy a 5.1 system with the correct player and use SACD discs. Some of Telarcs recordings had a very similar sound to Quad but the over all results were much better. I imagine that there might be other SACD recordings on different lables that will make you happy. The only issue SACD is also becoming rare. Its just easier to go with 5.1 recording or Atmos if you want more. I have some 3.1 classical DVD's I really enjoy.