Faux-Quad Kraco "4 Channel Quad-Sound Adapter"

Last week on eBay I purchased a Kraco brand "4 Channel Quad-Sound Adapter" unit. This unit attaches to the two leads from your car stereo (yes, it was made when it was common for car stereos to only have two speakers) and adds a pseudo-quad set of rear speakers. There is, apparently a delay effect built into this box that is adjustable. I can't wait to try this out. It is new is the box and never used. It isn't true "quad" hardware, but is still interesting. Based on the packaging, I am guessing this is an early 70s unit.

Certainly not a true quad item, but an interesting period piece. From the graphics it is definitely a Groovy early 1970's item.

This fits in well with the "fake quad 8-track" that I found on eBay today. Check out my post about it.

I have that under another name: Realistic Auto Quatravox, by Radio Shack. The only difference is the printing on the top row of characters.

It's not fake quad. Quatravox is a variation on Dynaquad. It decodes the Dynaquad and Electro-Voice recordings.

Here's one for $50:

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-systeme-de-s...s-125-quad-sound-4-channel-adapter/1087198356

I wonder if that's $50 US? CDN? Quebecian?

My friend, that is 50 Canuck bux. It is about $40 US smackers. Email and see if they will ship. If he needs to ship to a Canadian address, let me know and I will try to help.

Ah, that's cool of you! Is it a worthy device? Seems like opinions are mixed.

I don't think it is any worse or better than any other option short of a discrete digital format. At least you won't have to sort out so much wiring. You can do it your self and buy it for $50 or buy a bottle of Aspirin and make one yourself. If you search long enough, you could find one for around $20, but you would need a bigger bottle of Aspirin for the eye strain! If you go to vintage car swap meets, dig in boxes, there's gold in them boxes!

Three years ago, I was visiting Chester Electronics, an old client of mine in Kensoha, WI: http://chesterelectronics.com/Home_Page.html
I was killing time on the way to visiting a GF. To my amazement, they still had one of these new and in stock. I believe that it was a Speco, but don't quote me on the brand. You'd need to call them to see if they still have it. I recall a price of about $20.

I have found a Realistic Auto Quatravox. Can someone crazy-check for me that it will work with a CD Player/FM/AM deck?
The ad just says FM/Tape deck.

Perhaps someone more technically savvy than I can answer this definitively. Those old adaptors are made for chassis ground systems. Most modern amps don't use that kind of circuitry. My fear is that if your amp isn't chassis ground, it will work for a while, then your output IC/transistors will blow. You might want to PM member Doug G.: https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/member.php?2909-Doug-G
He used to work for a company that built Quad car fi, etc.

Quad Linda said:

You might want to PM member Doug G.

Click to expand...

Done! I went ahead and put in an offer for the Quatravox, 'cause, what the heck, right?

Scored the Quatravox for $15! Will be interesting to see if I can get it hooked up and working.

OH VIENNNAAAAAA...!!!

Oh, hang on, that was Ultravox :spot

In Canada it used to be "Old Vienna", a beer from Carling-O'Keefe breweries.

As Linda indicated, if the unit you bought says something to the effect that the radio you use must be a chassis (or common) ground unit, make sure your radio is such a unit. If the radio uses independent grounds for left and right, bad juju will happen and the output trannies will blow. If the unit you bought says it's safe for all output configurations, it should be OK to use with all radios.

The addition of a CD player or whatever to the basic radio is of no importance. The output circuits are what is involved.

Doug

Home brew Hafler type circuits.