Jumping Into Quad with Doubts - HELP

[Whittington]

You have one of the best decoders for QS in that receiver. If you have any records that are encoded in that system, by all means, try them. You'll be very pleased with the separation and sound quality from those records. You can also play records encoded with the SQ matrix, which that receiver also handles, with similar results.

For CD-4, you need a cartridge that is designed for CD-4. The requirements are an extended high frequency response, up to 45kHz and beyond, as well as a Shibata stylus. The turntable needs to have low-capacitance wiring, from headshell to receiver inputs, to minimize loss of the high frequency carriers.

Your 9001 is, hands down, the finest quadraphonic receiver ever made. Enjoy the experience.

Thank you. I cant find any sources for styluses for any of the desired cartridges. Am I just looking in the wrong place? And how do you know a record is recorded in SQ Matrix? What are they referred to as? Thanks. Newbie to this whole thing - including this group website and its methods

 

[Whittington]

Note for CD-4 you can't use an external phono pre-amp, the turntable outputs have to be directly connected to the phono inputs on the 9001.

Yes, that much I figured out about bypassing my little phono amp. Maybe this is a dumb question, but some how I have come to own a Step Up Transformer. Is that what they are called? I obtained it years ago. It has two Shure deely bobbers mounted on a case that were supposedly very desirable. Are they of any use? I know they are designed to be used with Moving Magnet Cartridges I think to boost the volume. Its NOS collecting dust. Is it useful inside any of the possibilities here?

 

[Whittington]

Pics would be nice!

Its the receiver pictured in my profile picture. Once everything is dug out of storage and into my listening room I will post some pictures. Im in the process of switching systems. I am tangled in cables and tripping over equipment as i try to get away from the couch as i listen. Been there before. Except his stuff seems to be getting heavier as the years pass. I cant even lift the r2r player. Its trapped upstairs!!!

 

[Whittington]

Thank you. I cant find any sources for styluses for any of the desired cartridges. Am I just looking in the wrong place? And how do you know a record is recorded in SQ Matrix? What are they referred to as? Thanks. Newbie to this whole thing - including this group website and its methods

In order to listen to QS or SQ format with vinyl, do I use my standard stereo set up on my turntable? And, does it have to be plugged into the phono input? Or can it be ran into auxiliary with just the SQ an QS selector buttons pushed?

 

[jaybird100]

Thank you. I cant find any sources for styluses for any of the desired cartridges. Am I just looking in the wrong place? And how do you know a record is recorded in SQ Matrix? What are they referred to as? Thanks. Newbie to this whole thing - including this group website and its methods

If you're referring to a cartridge for CD-4, it's best to have one that works for CD-4, I would recommend seeking out the Audio-Technica AT-15Sa, which is excellent. Replacement styli can be often found on lpgear.com, which either stocks, or can order, whatever you need, Understand, though, that many times the replacement may be from a third party source, but the site will tell you if they also have the original available, too. That one will usually cost more, but it's the surest way to make sure you'll have the best performance from the cartridge. Audio-Technica has been in the cartridge business for over 50 years, and are still actively making cartridges and styli. Many other companies, who made those products, have folded. In those cases, you're limited to aftermarket replacement styli. A stylus, made by JICO for the cartridge in question, is fine. CD-4 cartridges must have a frequency response up to at least 45 kHz, and you need a CD-4 test record to adjust the demodulator controls for best performance.

SQ records are most often marked as such, either on the record label, or the cover. There would be something on the back of the cover, indicating that SQ was used to encode that record. There are also many that use the QS matrix. Any record from ABC, Command, Impulse, and Bluesway, use the QS matrix. Project 3, on many releases, makes the record available in all three formats; SQ, QS, and CD-4. Check the record number, which will have a QD, SQ, or CD-4 suffix. If it's QD, the record is either QS- or EV-encoded. Play it as QS. The EV system decodes very well in QS. You can also decode Dolby Surround as QS, too, since the system was based on QS. If the suffix is SQ, or CD-4, that;s the system to use.

 

[John Svensson]

Take a look at the QQ related Quadraphonic Discography, that's one sure way to identify records available in SQ and QS. The usual sites will have them for sale...Discogs, eBay, local brick and mortar.

 

[Owen Smith]

Step up transformers were for moving coil cartridges to get their level up to something like you would get from a moving magnet cartridge. I have no idea what effect a transformer would have on CD-4, but given the need for low capacitance cabling I'd have thought you want as little as possible between the cartridge and the receiver's phono inputs.

 

[Sonik Wiz]

My mind draws a blank when you suggest hooking it up to my computer. All my hair is grey so pardon the pause here, buy isn't my computer just stereo? And where do I get four channel recordings to download into my computer to begin with? How would my computer output four channels? Some sort of interface I suspect... But this has me completely unknowledgeable about this idea. Could you elaborate some please?

Ah, gray hair, white hair, no hair.... that's my demographic. In the early days of Windows you were indeed doing good just to get stereo. But Win Millennium came out promoted by MS to be The Multimedia PC OS. I liked it better than most people did. At any rate before ya know it MCH sound cards from Turtle Beach became all the rage.

Of course you still needed a MCH player within Windows to play back what have you & I gravitated to VLC Player. Alltho I still use VLC many people here on the forum use KODI as a player. That doesn't really fit my needs as I use my PC more for upmixing stereo to surround rather than just storage & play back.

My sound card is an oldish Delta 1010 that I'm still happy with. Most people here have moved to newer hardware devices for recording/playback with a USB interface such as the MOTU products.

It might be useful to check out the permalinks on the forum front page. I think most of us tend to overlook this resource as we just check for "What's New" and sail right by it. But in those links you will get gems like this:

http://www.4channelsound.com/

 

[jupp369]

I'm a CD-4 fan from first days !
but if you don't have many LP's - forget it!!! Don't start with that, comsumes money and a lot of time!
It is a pretty good system if you know how to handle it.

I never wanted the Dolby things before, but a 4.0 or 5.x feeded to your amp is a lot easyer and better to get: look around for 4.0 recordings, they are very good.
(for 5.x you'll need 2 cheap additional amps ($100): a subwoofer and a normal for voice only, both 24V (cheap from china, amazon or aliexpress))

You have a multichannel tape? record the tapes to flac (or so) before all high tones are lost and there is no brilliance anymore!
Use a Tascam 4ch, it's pretty good. If you're above Win8, the Tascam can also play back via USB (as for recording), but better is a media-player as an Oppo or (I have a cheaper Dune Max).

(just yesterday I suprised my wife with a lot downloaded 4.0 and 5.1 (at the bodyshaker))

 

[jaybird100]

Yes, that much I figured out about bypassing my little phono amp. Maybe this is a dumb question, but some how I have come to own a Step Up Transformer. Is that what they are called? I obtained it years ago. It has two Shure deely bobbers mounted on a case that were supposedly very desirable. Are they of any use? I know they are designed to be used with Moving Magnet Cartridges I think to boost the volume. Its NOS collecting dust. Is it useful inside any of the possibilities here?

Step up transformers are for moving COIL cartridges, which mostly have a much lower output than a moving magnet. If you're using a moving coil cartridge for CD-4, the transformer needs to be connected to the phono input of the receiver, and the leads from the turntable into the transformer. Don't forget the ground wire!

SQ records are generally identified as SQ-encoded on the label or somewhere on the album cover. Look for an SQ symbol there.

 

[Electric Moo]

My mind draws a blank when you suggest hooking it up to my computer. All my hair is grey so pardon the pause here, buy isn't my computer just stereo? And where do I get four channel recordings to download into my computer to begin with? How would my computer output four channels? Some sort of interface I suspect... But this has me completely unknowledgeable about this idea. Could you elaborate some please?

I've ripped my surround dvd's onto a hard drive as backups, and found it's easier to just play everything from a computer instead of searching for dvd's & navigating dvd player menus etc.

Music Media Helper is here, it's a fantastic utility:

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...ls-for-multichannel-audio-music-videos.22693/
As mentioned above, you'll need some kind of interface for playback, depending on your computer specs. I repurposed an old PC with an M-Audio delta 66 PCI card as a generic media server. It gives me 4ch audio outs. There's lots of newer USB interfaces out there though.

I've also ripped most of my CD's as well, and do the same with audio. I even needledropped my surround LP's and play them back via PC sometimes. Matrix surround LP's are stereo, so you only need 2 ch. recording capability. The QRX9001 decodes stereo->4 ch.

But have a look through the forums here, it's a great resource: there are lots of options & everyone has their own preferences, and hardware.

 

[somethingcleveridunno]

My mind draws a blank when you suggest hooking it up to my computer. All my hair is grey so pardon the pause here, buy isn't my computer just stereo? And where do I get four channel recordings to download into my computer to begin with? How would my computer output four channels? Some sort of interface I suspect... But this has me completely unknowledgeable about this idea. Could you elaborate some please?

For a good 20 years, actually, we've had add-on cards and even built-in capability on gaming-oriented PCs to have discrete 8-channel output, and Windows has been able to address quad, 5.1 and 7.1 speaker setups. I'm typing right now on my Windows 10 gaming PC, that has a SoundBlaster Z card connected to a late-90s Kenwood receiver using 3.5mm to RCA cables., all analog once it leaves the computer. I could just as easily set it up for quadraphonic instead of 5.1, and that would work perfectly with your Sansui.

 

[jupp369]

I've ripped my surround dvd's onto a hard drive as backups, and found it's easier to just play everything from a computer instead of searching for dvd's & navigating dvd player menus etc.

Music Media Helper is here, it's a fantastic utility:

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...ls-for-multichannel-audio-music-videos.22693/
As mentioned above, you'll need some kind of interface for playback, depending on your computer specs. I repurposed an old PC with an M-Audio delta 66 PCI card as a generic media server. It gives me 4ch audio outs. There's lots of newer USB interfaces out there though.

I've also ripped most of my CD's as well, and do the same with audio. I even needledropped my surround LP's and play them back via PC sometimes. Matrix surround LP's are stereo, so you only need 2 ch. recording capability. The QRX9001 decodes stereo->4 ch.

But have a look through the forums here, it's a great resource: there are lots of options & everyone has their own preferences, and hardware.

so you have your PC in front while listening. It is a solution. special if you are searching for the next title.
But using a media-player you'll have only a remote control in your hand and can quickly select what you want ... music only, music with viedeo, movie

 

[Electric Moo]

so you have your PC in front while listening. It is a solution. special if you are searching for the next title.
But using a media-player you'll have only a remote control in your hand and can quickly select what you want ... music only, music with viedeo, movie

Well I did say:

" But have a look through the forums here, it's a great resource: there are lots of options & everyone has their own preferences, and hardware."

I don't use remotes. And my media PC is out of the way on a shelf: I use playlists & can run it for days without touching it.

But as I said, everyone has their own preferences

 

[jimfisheye]

My mind draws a blank when you suggest hooking it up to my computer. All my hair is grey so pardon the pause here, buy isn't my computer just stereo? And where do I get four channel recordings to download into my computer to begin with? How would my computer output four channels? Some sort of interface I suspect... But this has me completely unknowledgeable about this idea. Could you elaborate some please?

I'll try to keep this very short. You can look up more if you want to.

The computer is literally unlimited. Think of it as a digital tape deck with unlimited channels. And unlimited storage! You can play back 12 channel atmos mixes in perfect studio quality. Or 5.1 or quad. You can preserve audio in perfect quality and play back anything you want on demand.

There ARE some things to learn. Sometimes the industry gets a little greedy and creates some hoops to jump through. The modern component style (disc players and AV receivers) is worse and lends itself to copy protection shenanigans that prevent you from playing some formats sometimes. The computer always has an answer to put you back in front of your music with front row seats.

I think the learning curve is worth it. Everything has a little computer in it now. Components that appear to be old school stand alone style stuff is computerized. They can hide software inside and gaslight you. Might as well go 'full computer' and take over yourself!

Oh, and if you DO have some obscure or rare old analog copies of music, preserving them with HD digital is not only useful to you but might be welcome to others.

 

[MidiMagic]

In order to listen to QS or SQ format with vinyl, do I use my standard stereo set up on my turntable? And, does it have to be plugged into the phono input? Or can it be ran into auxiliary with just the SQ an QS selector buttons pushed?

It depends on what pickup cart6ridge is in your turntable.

The cheaper ones with ceramic cartridges have line outputs. They can feed any line-level input, (tuner, tape, aux or the input to a decoder). Also, the RIAA de-emphasis is built into the pickup.

A moving magnet (MM) magnetic cartridge has a much lower signal level and no RIAA de-emphasis. It must be fed into a magnetic phono input. This provides the amplification and the RIAA de-emphasis.

A Moving coil (MC) magnetic cartridge has an even lower signal level, and needs an MC input or a transformer to convert it to MM.

A semiconductor or electret cartridge must be connected to an input made for it.

 

[Electric Moo]

I picked up a more recent 7.1 surround receiver & have to confess I have a remote now

You need one! It's the only way to run the thing. It works well though.

 

[kwd kwd]

it's always better to walk into quad, that way you can't slip and fall and possibly injure yourself

 

[jaybird100]

Hello! New to the group here. Whittington is my name. I'm in my late sixties. I love to create music. I play a Hammond/Leslie Organ. I enjoy listening to music. I like most kinds of music except a few types. I collect gear and am an amateur hobbyist with a soldering gun. I enjoyed Quad in my customized Chevy Van in the seventies. I have a '67 Chevy van project in the works and plan on reviving that memory. I started collecting for it by getting the Craig tape deck I had and many Q8 tapes. Then, I figured, what the heck? I will research what the best play-back system for the house would be for the tapes until the van was complete.

Like I said, I collect stuff. In my stack of receivers what do you know?! There was a Sansui QRX 9001. Eventually, I sent that off to QRX Restore in Eugene, OR. last fall. Its getting the "full enchilada" complete rebuild and restore Holy Grail...etc etc. I'm even having them add a plug for the Sansui QBL-100 Remote which I bought a while back and had set aside. The receiver is mint in appearance which excites me. I bought a AKAI CR-80D-SS eight track player. I have collected a fair share of Reel to Reel players and had acquired a Tascam 34B. I sent it out for restoration and calibration. My turntable is a Thorens 121 with a custom made stylus and cartridge from Sound Smith that he claims will work great for Quad. My speakers are ADS 1590ii (2) and ADS 1290ii (2).

I think I have all the goodies. The receiver is expected to arrive in March. I let go of my JBL L200s and picked up the first set of ADS 1590s. still waiting on the smaller 1290s. These speakers are great. Very great!! Low efficiency though. They are known to require high wattage and high current to sound their best. Which leads me to posting here. Since landing those speakers, I joined an ADS group. Today, after posting asking about the similarity of the two models of speakers mentioned, since one pair has yet to arrive, I instead got lambasted for even doing Quad when they found out. I was informed that the quad format was dead for a reason. That it was so inferior, fake, and anything but high fidelity and that I should forget the Sansui route.

So.... doubt kills the warrior. I have been collecting this kit for a few years at least. Lots of money sunk into it. I have grown to enjoy "high fidelity". The work on the receiver is going to set me back a couple grand. At QRX RESTORE, they say I will be blown away. But man,... Those ADS guys got into my head.

PS. This is not going to be my only system. But I am assuming it
will be showcased and primary at the very least.

What's the truth Quad People? Will I be disappointed? My expectations have been so high over the years getting to where I am. I was on a waiting list at QRX Restore for well over a year and had spoke with Jim over there before he passed away. This is no time for cold feet. But, I sure could use some reassurance.

Thanks in advance,
Whittington

You won't be disappointed. The 9001 is a superb receiver, and the tweaking that's done to its QS and SQ decoders, makes a big difference. The Q8 machine you have, the Akai, will work beautifully with it. Proceed with confidence.

 

[jaybird100]

Thank you. I cant find any sources for styluses for any of the desired cartridges. Am I just looking in the wrong place? And how do you know a record is recorded in SQ Matrix? What are they referred to as? Thanks. Newbie to this whole thing - including this group website and its methods

SQ records are usually very clearly marked as such. Columbia, and its sister labels, mark them very clearly. Look at the album jacket to be sure. Some QS records tell you, some don't. ABC was notorious for this. Their Command Quadraphonic records don't specify, but they are QS. Rule of thumb... if you hear sound in the rears, but don't hear much separation between them, you're probably on the wrong system.