Have I been doing cd-4 wrong all this time?

QuadraphonicQuad

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I did a Marvin Gaye conversion, but I believe the one I released used Tad's files from the CD4-50. I didn't do Jackson 5, but I did do a Supremes. But Cai had also done one of that as well.

When I started working with the CD400, I didn't have a marantz calibration record, I have the fisher one with CD4 on side 1 including calibration sounds, and SQ on side 2. So I was relying on some comments on threads and guesswork to calibrate. I had been turning the knob clockwise until the test tone stabilizes on a tone. With the test tone, you can get a stable tone on either end of the dial, with it breaking up between the two in the middle. When reading the instructions on the marantz record, it says to start with the dial all the way clockwise, it will be distorted, and turn it back until there is no distortion. So....I was completely at the wrong end of the dial with that knob.

However....it seems that for most cases, if a system is stable, it will make for a stable playback that is less noisy, but dulls the high end a bit. Which may have worked in my favor.

Perhaps it's a marantz version of the holy grail. From going back over threads, it seems QB's gripe with the CD400 was it let too much noise through. And I believe part of his calibration for the "holy grail" demod was making it not pass through as much noise. I suppose some of us stumble on ways to calibrate things wrong for more desired results. Although, I think my mistake made some records break up at some loud spots in a way. Which wasn't much of an issue for Japan CD4 records, as those tend to be mastered more quiet, which contributes to them being easier to demodulate.

Anyways....here's hoping that software demodulation continues to improve, making all of this unnecessary.
 
Ok, one would think they with a bright cart, carrier tone of utmost importance - the better dialed in the demodulator- highend would not be subdued.

I wonder if one can calibrate with just listening to rear chans. When they come into focus, you got it right?

I recall trying to calibrate a CD-4 system when I was 18 or 19. Marantz, with Aqualung and gave up after turning that knob around forever and not hearing it lock in. So I know the system is a bitch to say the least.

But yes there must be a good software solution fix, what with digital output you would think anything is possible at 24/192
 
re: the Japanese Motown CD-4 discs, while i've found the pressings to be generally far superior to the domestic (especially WEA) CD-4 LPs, with nice big run out grooves so all the modulated music's squished up where the turntable's tracking's better, my trouble's been finding the Motown's in great condition for anywhere approaching affordable money and even though i've found multiple copies of some of them (incl off the top of my head 2 x Temptations' 1990, 2 x Diana Ross' Last Time I Saw Him, 2 x Supremes Live In Japan) each duplicate copy has its own unique problem(s), noise and wear being the biggest issues.. but just as an example the Temptations' All Directions CD-4 disc i picked up was pressed pretty badly off-centre and the wow really got on my thruppenies towards the end of "Papa Was A Rolling Stone"! i could ream out the spindle hole a bit and give it another go but seeing as there's a great conversion out there already (is it Cai's?) i threw in the towel, stopped short of mutilating the disc and just left it as it is! you've done great things with CD-4, not many have conquered it and disseminated the fruits of their labours, thanks for all the hard work.
 
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