Would love to get a Quad system..but I have a few questions before I decide.

[eyg2181]

I know about quad receivers, I am looking for a good deal on a Sansui QRX-6500. This appears (to me) To be the best Quad receiver. any suggestions or reccomendations would be appreciated.

Here's the thing though, (keep in mind that this is all new to me), As far as I know, the only way to get true quad sound is from a Reel to Reel and 8 track tapes. Is there anything else I'm missing. CDs and LP's would be cool, but I don't think they exist. I heard that some fm stations broadcasted in Quad back in the 70's, but that's about it.

Right now I just have a regular stereo receiver with cd, turntable, cassette, and 8 track, with DVD player and video equipment hooked to it as well. I'm very happy with that, but I would like to have some true quad equipment instead of regular stereo through 4 speakers.

Any information would be great.

Thanks,
-Russ

 

[KLH9]

Had me going there with the title.

Thought you were talking about a Quad system not a quad system.

Sorry can't help point you where you want to go....

 

[ryuuoh]

There were dedicated turntables and cartridges for matrix quad, and you can still find records encoded with some of the quad formats.

 

[Vintage_Hi-F]

I know about quad receivers, I am looking for a good deal on a Sansui QRX-6500. This appears (to me) To be the best Quad receiver. any suggestions or reccomendations would be appreciated.

Sansui were the kings of Quad (namely because their components could synthesize normal stereo recordings into simulated 4-channel). Though the QRX-6500 is good they had other quad receivers like the QRX-5500 (which I own and love), the QRX-9001 (The big Daddy), QRX-7001 and so on.

Here's the thing though, (keep in mind that this is all new to me), As far as I know, the only way to get true quad sound is from a Reel to Reel and 8 track tapes. Is there anything else I'm missing. CDs and LP's would be cool, but I don't think they exist. I heard that some fm stations broadcasted in Quad back in the 70's, but that's about it.

Quad LP's exist but they are all in different formats CD4 or Direct 4-channel records would require a 4-channel cartridge and a 4-channel turntable which are not easy to find. SQ and QS (Sansui's format) are encoded so they only require a regular turntable and a compatible receiver and I would pretty much just forget about 8-track quad or not their just plain bad, no offens I just don't like them at all.

 

[btus]

Hello eyg2181,you can find eight track and LP's in quad mode on e-bay.Plenty of it out there! You can also take stereo music play it through your quad system and it will simulate quad sound.And just like anything music wise good sound is an individual experience,it's about what sounds good to you!Sansui makes a great sounding unit,but so does Kenwood! Have fun while making your decision!

 

[eyg2181]

Sansui were the kings of Quad (namely because their components could synthesize normal stereo recordings into simulated 4-channel). Though the QRX-6500 is good they had other quad receivers like the QRX-5500 (which I own and love), the QRX-9001 (The big Daddy), QRX-7001 and so on.



Quad LP's exist but they are all in different formats CD4 or Direct 4-channel records would require a 4-channel cartridge and a 4-channel turntable which are not easy to find. SQ and QS (Sansui's format) are encoded so they only require a regular turntable and a compatible receiver and I would pretty much just forget about 8-track quad or not their just plain bad, no offens I just don't like them at all.

so I can just hook up myregular technics turntable and quad formatted records? Or will it simply take the stereo signal and simulate the quadraphonic sound?

 

[eyg2181]

Hello eyg2181,you can find eight track and LP's in quad mode on e-bay.Plenty of it out there! You can also take stereo music play it through your quad system and it will simulate quad sound.And just like anything music wise good sound is an individual experience,it's about what sounds good to you!Sansui makes a great sounding unit,but so does Kenwood! Have fun while making your decision!

Thanks for the help! Any specific models of Kenwood you recommend?

Also, how much should I pay for one of the receivers? Sansui, kenwood, etc.

I see sylvania also made quad receivers. The one I saw was RQ 4748.

 

[Ohighway]

Sansui ...... could synthesize normal stereo recordings into simulated 4-channel.

.... as could Kenwood, and Pioneer, and I'm sure many other brand quad receivers....

Quad LP's exist but they are all in different formats CD4 or Direct 4-channel records would require a 4-channel cartridge and a 4-channel turntable which are not easy to find. SQ and QS (Sansui's format) are encoded so they only require a regular turntable and a compatible receiver and I would pretty much just forget about 8-track quad or not their just plain bad, no offens I just don't like them at all.

Special cartridge yes. Special turntable.... well not exactly. Just about any turntable fitted with low capacitance cables would do.

CD4 was the only discrete 4-channel source from vinyl. SQ disks could be played on just about any table/cartridge combination as mentioned.

I agree with the advice about the 8 tracks. I tried. They suck. Pitiful sound quality.

Unfortunately many of the 4 channel sources suffered from gimmickry. Instead of using 4 channel to help re-create full room ambiance, the recordings were often made to showcase how instruments could be moved around. A guitar coming out of this speaker, drums from another, vocals from another, etc. Nothing like you'd ever hear live

 

[Vintage_Hi-F]

so I can just hook up myregular technics turntable and quad formatted records? Or will it simply take the stereo signal and simulate the quadraphonic sound?

If you have a Sansui you can use the "Vario Matrix" Synthesizer on your standard stereo records to simulate quad yes.

Quad was not one unified format their were multiple mixing formats. CD4 and some other one (can't recall it at the moment) where Direct 4-channel meaning the record was mixed in 4 discreet channels and would need a Quad cartridge and a Quad turntable to be played back in Quad.

Now here's where it gets a little confusing. Their were two other formats SQ and QS (which was sansui's format) these to formats were encoded meaning the the rear channels were mapped to the respective left right (i.e rear right with front right and rear left with front left) and could be played back on a normal stereo turntable because all the decoding was done in receiver.

I hope that cleared that up.

 

[Vintage_Hi-F]

.... as could Kenwood, and Pioneer, and I'm sure many other brand quad receivers....

Really I've never seen any receivers but Sansui's with the function, but then again I was born about 8 years after quad died so I'm running on second hand info.

 

[Ohighway]

Thanks for the help! Any specific models of Kenwood you recommend?

Also, how much should I pay for one of the receivers? Sansui, kenwood, etc.

I see sylvania also made quad receivers. The one I saw was RQ 4748.

My first Kenwood quad was a KR-9340. (40 watts per channel x 4) It came with the plug in CD-4 demodulator. That one got away from me over the years, but about 6 years ago I decided to get another. This time it was a KR-9940, basically the same as the 9340 but was bumped up to 50 watts per channel x 4.

I haven't shopped lately but would think a decent 4 channel receiver could be had for around $200 plus or minus. Shop around , they're out there.

The Sylvania is likely not up to par (quality wise) with the Kenwood, Pioneer, and Sansui offerings.

 

[Vintage_Hi-F]

Yeah you can get a fully functioning QRX-5500 for about $250, they're pretty cheap now what with the format being dead for over 30 years.

 

[ryuuoh]

Akai made some pretty good quad gear, as did JVC.

 

[Ohighway]

Akai made some pretty good quad gear, as did JVC.

Two more excellent choices.

You can even find quad headphones. http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=262650&highlight=quad+headphones

 

[tcdriver]

I know about quad receivers, I am looking for a good deal on a Sansui QRX-6500. This appears (to me) To be the best Quad receiver. any suggestions or reccomendations would be appreciated.

The late Sansui QRX series receivers were outstanding quadraphonic units. The top of the line QRX-9001 is the very best quadraphonic receiver ever made.

Here's the thing though, (keep in mind that this is all new to me), As far as I know, the only way to get true quad sound is from a Reel to Reel and 8 track tapes. Is there anything else I'm missing. CDs and LP's would be cool, but I don't think they exist. I heard that some fm stations broadcasted in Quad back in the 70's, but that's about it.

Quadraphonic era sounces:

Q4 -> quadraphonic reel-to-reel discrete four channel tape. The very best quadraphonic era source material. The good news is that these tapes can sound excellent. The bad news is that there were far fewer titles released in this format and they were expensive then and remain so in today’s secondary market.

Q8 -> quadraphonic 8-track discrete four channel tape. This format was very popular with many titles released. The bad news is that Q8 tapes suffer from all the ills of the 8-track format. i.e. poor signal to noise ratio, wow and flutter, tape and cartridge failure over time.

CD-4 -> quadraphonic discrete four channel phonograph records. With proper set up these discs can sound very good and very discrete. The bad news is that set up is a bit tricky, a special cartridge and demodulator is required and CD-4 records that have been played with a conventional two-channel cartridge may be damaged and no longer playable in quadraphonic mode. There were quite a few titles released, however, CD-4 records were not the most popular format.

SQ -> matrix quadraphonic phonograph records. SQ records used a matrix to encode four channels onto a two channel record. Upon playback through a proper SQ matrix decoder the four channels were reconstituted. No special cartridge is required to play back these quadraphonic records. The good news is that SQ was the most popular quadraphonic format with thousands of titles released. The bad news is that the separation and “discretemess” was not as good as the truly discrete formats.

QS -> matrix quadraphonic phonograph records. QS records used a matrix to encode four channels onto a two channel record. Upon playback through a proper QS matrix decoder the four channels were reconstituted. No special cartridge is required to play back these quadraphonic records. The QS was not nearly as popular as the SQ format. The bad news is that the separation and “discretemess” was not as good as the truly discrete formats.

Dolby Surround -> technically this is not a quadraphonic era format, however, Dolby Surround is a matrix encoded four channel system. When played back through a QRX series receiver’s matrix decoder, one can expect excellent results. Some Dolby Surround music CD’s have been released and are available and there are thousands of Dolby Surround VHS tape and DVD discs so encoded.

The Sansui QRX series receivers have excellent matrix decoders which is good news if you purchase matrix encoded quadraphonic records or Dolby Surround encoded CD’s or DVD’s. The QRX-9001 (and maybe other Sansui QRX series receivers) also has an excellent CD-4 demodulator built into it.

Modern universal (dts-CD, Dolby Digital, SACD, DVD-A) disc players can also be used to source discrete four-channel sound to a quadraphonic era receiver. This is an approach that I highly recommend.

 

[eyg2181]

If you have a Sansui you can use the "Vario Matrix" Synthesizer on your standard stereo records to simulate quad yes.

Quad was not one unified format their were multiple mixing formats. CD4 and some other one (can't recall it at the moment) where Direct 4-channel meaning the record was mixed in 4 discreet channels and would need a Quad cartridge and a Quad turntable to be played back in Quad.

Now here's where it gets a little confusing. Their were two other formats SQ and QS (which was sansui's format) these to formats were encoded meaning the the rear channels were mapped to the respective left right (i.e rear right with front right and rear left with front left) and could be played back on a normal stereo turntable because all the decoding was done in receiver.

I hope that cleared that up.

that pretty much cleaned it up, so tell me if i have it correct.

so the Vario Matrix on a Sansui will take any stereo turntable and any stereo album, and simulate Quad. (or does the album have to be in one of sansuis formats?)

or you can use CD4 records on any Quad receiver, but in order to use them, you have to have a quad cartridge and a quad turntable

 

[eyg2181]

The late Sansui QRX series receivers were outstanding quadraphonic units. The top of the line QRX-9001 is the very best quadraphonic receiver ever made.

Quadraphonic era sounces:

Q4 -> quadraphonic reel-to-reel discrete four channel tape. The very best quadraphonic era source material. The good news is that these tapes can sound excellent. The bad news is that there were far fewer titles released in this format and they were expensive then and remain so in today’s secondary market.

Q8 -> quadraphonic 8-track discrete four channel tape. This format was very popular with many titles released. The bad news is that Q8 tapes suffer from all the ills of the 8-track format. i.e. poor signal to noise ratio, wow and flutter, tape and cartridge failure over time.

CD-4 -> quadraphonic discrete four channel phonograph records. With proper set up these discs can sound very good and very discrete. The bad news is that set up is a bit tricky, a special cartridge and demodulator is required and CD-4 records that have been played with a conventional two-channel cartridge may be damaged and no longer playable in quadraphonic mode. There were quite a few titles released, however, CD-4 records were not the most popular format.

SQ -> matrix quadraphonic phonograph records. SQ records used a matrix to encode four channels onto a two channel record. Upon playback through a proper SQ matrix decoder the four channels were reconstituted. No special cartridge is required to play back these quadraphonic records. The good news is that SQ was the most popular quadraphonic format with thousands of titles released. The bad news is that the separation and “discretemess” was not as good as the truly discrete formats.

QS -> matrix quadraphonic phonograph records. QS records used a matrix to encode four channels onto a two channel record. Upon playback through a proper QS matrix decoder the four channels were reconstituted. No special cartridge is required to play back these quadraphonic records. The QS was not nearly as popular as the SQ format. The bad news is that the separation and “discretemess” was not as good as the truly discrete formats.

Dolby Surround -> technically this is not a quadraphonic era format, however, Dolby Surround is a matrix encoded four channel system. When played back through a QRX series receiver’s matrix decoder, one can expect excellent results. Some Dolby Surround music CD’s have been released and are available and there are thousands of Dolby Surround VHS tape and DVD discs so encoded.

The Sansui QRX series receivers have excellent matrix decoders which is good news if you purchase matrix encoded quadraphonic records or Dolby Surround encoded CD’s or DVD’s. The QRX-9001 (and maybe other Sansui QRX series receivers) also has an excellent CD-4 demodulator built into it.

Modern universal (dts-CD, Dolby Digital, SACD, DVD-A) disc players can also be used to source discrete four-channel sound to a quadraphonic era receiver. This is an approach that I highly recommend.

Awesome.

i want to Thank everyone for all the information that was given and and any information that is to come. its good to have a place to go for help and advice where people are willing to help out.

 

[Vintage_Hi-F]

that pretty much cleaned it up, so tell me if i have it correct.

so the Vario Matrix on a Sansui will take any stereo turntable and any stereo album, and simulate Quad. (or does the album have to be in one of sansuis formats?)

Yes it with simulate quad with any stereo record when in QS Synthesis mode.

or you can use CD4 records on any Quad receiver, but in order to use them, you have to have a quad cartridge and a quad turntable

Yes CD4 does require special equipment to be played back.

 

[Ohighway]

so the Vario Matrix on a Sansui will take any stereo turntable and any stereo album, and simulate Quad. (or does the album have to be in one of sansuis formats?)

Any of the matrix settings on any of the receivers will synthesize quad from a stereo source, turntable, tape, CD whatever. Some will work better than others depending upon the source and matrix used. ( SQ might sound better on a source than QS or RM matrix)

you can use CD4 records on any Quad receiver, but in order to use them, you have to have a quad cartridge and a quad turntable

No. Not all quad receivers have a CD-4 demodulator, which you need to play CD-4 discs. You'll only be able to play CD-4 disks if the receiver you buy already has it's own CD-4 demodulator -or- if you buy an an outboard CD-4 demodulator.

 

[eyg2181]

One more question... If I'm listening to the radio, or a stereo 8 track on a quad deck, or a 2-channel auxillery source, will it still play through the rear speakers?