Lafayette SQ-L & SQ-W - what's the diff?

So, what's the difference between the Lafayette SQ-L and SQ-w decoders (besides the fact that one sells for about $200 more than the other )

I've read a couple of online posts concerning one or the other, but never comparing the two; one was a shootout between the SQ-L and the Tate, which seems a little one-sided to me... so what's up?

Clark

ClarkNovak said:

So, what's the difference between the Lafayette SQ-L and SQ-w decoders (besides the fact that one sells for about $200 more than the other )

I've read a couple of online posts concerning one or the other, but never comparing the two; one was a shootout between the SQ-L and the Tate, which seems a little one-sided to me... so what's up?

Clark

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LOL ... I would be careful with your words Clark ... I think I know the guy who wrote that shootout ... in fact most of the sites that you might see about quad are penned by guys around here. LOL

... anyway ... the reviewer is a decent guy, and he will likely not hold it against you. As for the decoders you are asking about; the SQ-L employs logic steering ... kind of a mid-point in the evolution of the technology. The SQ-W used wave-matching logic for more precise placement of signals ... more like the Tate and later designs.

The SQ-W is reputed to be the next-best thing to the Tate designs, so I think that is why this hapless reviewer chose those two as his subjects. Cheers, Mike.

QZ, no slight intended to the reviewer! He even mentions that he'd rather have compared the SQ-W with the Tate, but that there wasn't one to be had. The writeup was very good, but it got me wondering about the two units.

>>So please, dude, if you're reading this... don't take offense!<<

This being the case, is the SQ-L worth having should I find one?

--> Redfaced Clark

ClarkNovak said:

This being the case, is the SQ-L worth having should I find one?

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You can't afford a Tate
You can't wait for the next SQ-W at ebay
You are hooked on vinyl so you have to play the Quad Lps

Only if all of the above is true you should consider other decoders.

The dts transfers give you the most convenient way to enjoy Quad.

The SQ-L is no hell. (whoo! Quadraphonic rhyme)
I'm a big fan of discrete quad, so my review might be a bit biased. But, I've noticed that the SQ-L has a tendancy to "Pump" sound to the rear and the steering is kinda slow.

On the bright side, it is better than the on-board Decoder in my Pioneer QX-9900.

Other than that, I really have nothing constructive to say about the SQ-L.
Matter-of-factly, I'm rather unimpressed with the whole SQ format up to this point. Until I get my hands on a Tate or an SQ-W, I doubt my opinion will change.

But hey, that's just one man's opinion

This being the case, is the SQ-L worth having should I find one?

--> Redfaced Clark[/QUOTE]

In my opinion, if not a Tate or an SQ-W, then a Sony SQD-2010 or 2020 ... I have a 2010 that I used for years before I got my Tate, and I keep it around as a spare. It also has a half-decent QS decoder as well, but not near as good as the Sansui's of course. Definitely NOT a Pioneer of ANY SQ genre!

Mike.

OK, I'm chiming in. I own both Lafayette decoders, Sony SQD 2010 and an Audionics S&IC. (That's just the outboards). Before the Tates, the SQ-W blew 'em all away. What's the difference between the L and W? About 10-15 more db of separation front to back and across diagonals. You play a well-mixed SQ record on a W and you know it is quad recording. All the way through. With the L, that's not the case. There are moments that shine but complex passages collapse the mix. I never experienced any pumping or abrupt clipping with it however. Actually, it is a very smooth decoder. If you find one on Ebay for $50 or under, get it if you are dying to decode SQ records. It's good value for the buck considering the crap that is out there. If you spot a W, sell your car. If you spot a Tate, mortgage the house. The Tate will make those records sound very discrete. All other SQ decoders are, as I said above, CRAP!
Seriously, I think the L is the best half logic SQ decoder out there. Better than the Sony half logics. The Sony SQD 2020 & 2010 are full logic but no where near as good as the W. But they decode slightly better than the L. If you can afford to spend $100-200, best bet is to pick up an SQ-W or a 2020-2010. They pop up on Ebay every other month or so. And hope they are in good condition. My Lafayettes seem to hold up better than the Sonys.

Lafayette last SQ-L was a SQ-Full logic units. There LR-4000 series reciever as well as there LA-84 amp has SQ-Full with Veriblend logic with wave maching.
Front-Back Logic is designed to keep vocals positioned properly; generally at the front speakers. Wave-Matching Logic (also known as gain-riding) operates similar to front-back but operates individually on each speaker. Variable-Blend Logic senses signals from the front channels that are 'leaking' into the rear and electronically cancels out the leakage. Full-Logic combines two or more of the above to minimize signal leakage from one channel to another.
Early SQ decoders were capable of only around 3db (decibels) of channel separation between the front and rear speakers, creating only a small amount of quad effect. Later research produced "logic" decoders which improved channel separation to as much as 30-40db in some cases. From the start CBS wanted to maintain excellent Left/Right Front stereo effect to the detriment of the quad sound.
SQ-type quad is a 'matrix' quad, as are the QS (RM) and EV-4 types. Any matrix-type decoder will 'decode' a matrix-type encoded record. However, the sound coming out the speakers will usually vary from a little to a lot since each system used a slightly different approach at decoding encoded quad input.

Warlock said:

Lafayette last SQ-L was a SQ-Full logic units. There LR-4000 series reciever as well as there LA-84 amp has SQ-Full with Veriblend logic with wave maching.
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Does anyone know which decoder was used in the Lafayette LA-74? Is there anyway to use the LA-74 in conjunction with a quad receiver? I have a QRX-999 and would like better SQ playability since more than half of my quad LPs are SQ. I can pick up a LA-74 for cheap. It looks good, but I'm not into hooking up my turntable and speakers to it every time I play a SQ record. It does have two sets of RCA jacks that say "remote speakers". So maybe I could run that into the 4 channel discrete of the Sansui. Since it just says full logic I assume it is SQ-L and not SQ-W.