Death in the Shanty - QRX-9001

[Obbop]

Sniff.

Huddled within my shanty upon the barren blizzard-swept tornado-ridden plains of the cultural backwater of Nebraska I weep, silently, grief-ridden.

My beloved soul-mate died.

The Sansui QRX-9001 gave up the ghost.

For several years she was sick. For quite a spell only the "Hall" mode of the wondrous Vario-Matrix functioned...but that was enough for me.

Tonight, nothing. No audio output despite what was inputted or switch on the 9001 was selected.

Lacking the ability/knowledge/skill-set/etc to repair the unit, it is time to let her go. To rest in peace.

Sniff.

Lacking the funds for repair/rebuild, it is time to buy a new unit. I am hoping that somebody who is up-to-date with the current state of audio affairs can suggest a new audio soul-mate.

There are some parameters.

I seek a synthesized surround sound using 4 speakers L/F R/F L/R R/R.

Not interested in using encoded material other than the SQ and QS stuff I have that was transferred to CD. Most of what I listen to is stereo anyway.

On a serious budget. The one good job I finally found was sent overseas, along with the jobs of 1,400 others. Just scraping by now. MUST keep the cost as low as possible.

Tried to find data/info/opinions/etc regarding the various new-fangled stuff that may create a synthesized-from-stereo surround sound. But, other than the "mainstream" stuff such as Dolby, THS, etc there is little info I can find.

It's sorta' like trying to find out about Vario-Matrix or Vari-Matrix or SQ-W, SQ-L and other proprietary stuff the different manufacturers placed within their machines. Plenty of info about SQ, QS, CD-4 but much less about all the other stuff.

I don't need a LOT of power since my shanty's listening room is small. I betcha' 50 watts per channel would be enough.

I, the Mighty Obbop, star of neither stage nor screen, would appreciate any advice/tips/hints/ideas on what unit might provide me with the synthesized-from-stereo 4-channel surround format I seek. The unit can possess more channels than that, I just wouldn't use them.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

[JonUrban]

How about the smallest Denon, the AVR-588

There are some on eBay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300173842306

and I'm sure they can be had during the Christmas break for under $300

 

[tcdriver]

I would suggest that any modern receiver with Dolby Pro-logic II would work well at giving a reasonable synthesized four channel sound.

I use a Kenwood VR-410 with Circle Surround and I have found that it gives me better results, when playing my matrix quadraphonic records, than any of my stand alone SQ or QS matrix decoders. The Kenwood VR-510, VR-509 and VR-507 were updated versions of the VR-400 series. The advantage they have over my unit is that they have both Circle Surround and Dolby Pro-logic II decoding. The later Kenwood AV receivers were less user friendly for adjusting speaker levels on the fly, but otherwise, may also be worth consideration.

I hope this helps.

 

[John Svensson]

Herr Obbop, don't know specifically of any electronic repair geniuses on here but I'm sure they do exist...put the Sansui QRX up for sale, maybe someone can save it and it can subsidize the cost of its replacement. John

 

[Obbop]

For sundry reasons I departed eBay, with those lads supposedly removing my credit card and personal info from their database.

Noticed that over time I began receiving far fewer phishing attempts.

Also, fewer worries about the hackers/crackers who are becoming ever-more creative from accessing eBay's database and grabbing info about me.... if eBay really did expunge my data.

Will peek at the units suggested above.

Anybody have any experience with that Nero thing? Or was it Nero 6?

Sadly, here in the cultural backwater, the few retail establishments offering audio equipment have a MUCH smaller offering than in the California cities I dwelt within or nearby. Makes sense.... Nebraska has fewer citizens in the entire state than the number found in MANY cities.

It's nice being able to hear a unit perform before buying.

This area is so consumer unfriendly that only a small minority of display units are set-up to allow the potential buyer to hear the audio output.

Heck, even a request to read the manual that accompanies a product is typically met with blank stares and vocalized wonderment why anybody would want to do that!!!!!

Guess that's what to be expected when living "over yonder 'cross the holler."

Okay, thanks for the imput.

Will check back from-time-to-time to peek at any new input.

 

[The Quadfather]

Obbop:
Have you considered sending your Sansui to Quad Bob for a rebuild? He might could do something with it.

The Quadfather

 

[Obbop]

Greetings Herd,

Budget constraints overrode the lust for a receiver with built-in synthesizing capabilities.

Lo, residing within the shanty is a Sherwood RX-4109 stereo receiver with the ability to play through 4 speakers, allowing the use of the NuReality SRS Circle Surround outboard unit to deliver at least something better than plain old stereo.

If you are looking for a relatively cheap Xmas gift Radio Shack (????!!!!!) has these units for a mere $69.

That's cheap. The price is supposedly this low only Nov 23 and 24... though if there are any left in stock they may sell later at the low price.

Sure, nuthin' special other than the low price but it's better than no music.

Hoping that plumbing in the Circle Surround will give that "little extra" to the output.

The tired worn-out 9001 will go into storage. Maybe, in the future, finances will allow a repair.

Or, maybe sell it to some one who can afford a rebuild or can scrap it for the parts within.

Thanks for the input. Wanted to grab a unit with some modern synthesizing abilities but what with all the good jobs hereabouts having been sent overseas.... well, what is a blue-collar old fart to do?