Some New Quadraphonic Hardware Being Released But...

[Q8]

Who is going to make the new Q8 deck for the 21st century?

We have Lou making a new CD-4 Demodulator, Reality Technologies serving QS (and SQ as well soon) to the digital age, but when will we get a new Q8 deck?

But seriously folks (even though a new Q8 deck would be nice). One thing that we are missing that I would think could be easily built/manufactured, would be a new Quad Oscilloscope.

The original 70's quad scopes are extremely rare now, and a lot of them probably have failing tubes. Not to mention that when you do find one, they are priced to the max!

I would think that with some simple wiring, some sort of control board (probably the hard part) and a 3 inch LCD screen, one could make a modern digital quad oscilloscope.

I guess the hard part would be the software and the graphics.

Maybe if we put our heads together we could design a kit to make one with modern parts?

 

[quadsearcher]

Don Patterson laid some of the groundwork, but an LCD controller to do a simple (on a CRT) X / Y display is amazingly complicated unless there are some development tools available.

Great idea though! I know I want one.

 

[Quad Linda]

Q8 deck for the 21st Century? I want some of what you're smoking!

 

[leevitalone1]

Q8 deck for the 21st Century? I want some of what you're smoking!

and me! too!

 

[Q8]

Q8 deck for the 21st Century? I want some of what you're smoking!

 

[Q8]

Don Patterson laid some of the groundwork, but an LCD controller to do a simple (on a CRT) X / Y display is amazingly complicated unless there are some development tools available.

Great idea though! I know I want one.

It wouldnt necissarily have to use an LCD display. I just thought it may be the best way to go for cheapness/availibility. But I see the issue with programming the thing to create the image on the display.

I wonder if we could work out any way that they could be built from scratch with parts available today? I'm guessing that most of these at the very least used custom PCBs. Hmm. Maybe somehow you could take a modern testing unit, and use some of those parts?

Its sad that there is currently no solution whatsoever for quadiophiles that have never owned a scope, or have one in disrepair.

Working vintage units are extremely rare. Possibly the rarest type of quad equipment overal. Even if you find one and lay down the big cash, there is no telling how long it will last.

I'm surprised that there has never been any newer models released for 5.1

As i was typing, I found this:

http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/philips/audioanalyzers/msd600c-5.1.htm

But unfortunately this is no longer available Lame

All I see are software only versions of this.

 

[Q8]

I also found this: http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/philips/audioanalyzers/pt0660m.htm

Waaaay, out of most people's price range.

and this

http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/leader/lv5836b.htm

That is discontinued as well, but doesnt that look familiar

 

[dr8track]

I'd say the modern day Q8 deck is never gonna happen. As far as the quad Oscilloscope, I bought this unit a few years back. Not even sure what possessed me to buy it since I have to be one of the most non-technical people there is. I've never even tried to hook it up. It is sitting in my storage room in a box.

 

[Q8]

Ah, thats the uber Technical one they made. Interesting. You can always PM me if you want to free it from the storage room.

 

[Quad Linda]

We had one on our switching console i my store. Let me know if you're interested in selling it.

 

[Q8]

And Linda makes a move on it too. lol. Popular item.

 

[Quad Linda]

It was a fun tool/toy. It would go nicely on my main system. Then, I'd move my Technics SH-3433 to my second system.

And Linda makes a move on it too. lol. Popular item.

 

[OptiquesJeff]

We all want it!

Total technotwit here. I love displays that 'do stuff' lol

I have an EQ thingie with a spectrum analyzer display, a 3 band dynamic range expander with a really cool display (Pioneer EX9000), the SQuiD-2020 with its 4 meters, a Yamaha M70 power amp with its vertical power display, and a bunch of other lights on all the stuff (the red lights on the eq sliders look like strings of xmas tree lights to some people LOL).

There have been several quad scopes on ebay recently...they all sell for $200 to $400.

 

[Quad Linda]

The old analog Quad stuff looks so cool.

My B&K preamp & amps are phenomenal performers, but no great shakes to look at. The pieces on my main system that make it look impressive are the SH-3433, SQuid-2020, and the Sansui QRX-5500, which I use only for QS decoding and synthesizing. 8 meters and a Quad scope stacked on top of each other look far more impressive than the modern high-end components. All 6 pieces are integrated with 25 other pieces, including a 60" plasma & 27" iMac.






B&K Reference 50 7.1 THX Ultra Preamp, Reference 4430 Amp 250w x 3, Reference 4420 Amp 250w x 2:

We all want it!

Total technotwit here. I love displays that 'do stuff' lol

I have an EQ thingie with a spectrum analyzer display, a 3 band dynamic range expander with a really cool display (Pioneer EX9000), the SQuiD-2020 with its 4 meters, a Yamaha M70 power amp with its vertical power display, and a bunch of other lights on all the stuff (the red lights on the eq sliders look like strings of xmas tree lights to some people LOL).

There have been several quad scopes on ebay recently...they all sell for $200 to $400.

 

[OptiquesJeff]

yUP...the top three are the coolest looking....makes me want to pull out my Kenwood 7340 Quad receiver and hook it up just to see all of its meters and lights working LOL

 

[leevitalone1]

That stuff from then was so cool to look at! NOt like now with all black faces and no scopes or dancing VU's. It took me a while to accept the digital displays over analog.
Nothing like a cool light show in your house!

 

[Q8]

Yep, I would give my left... for a scope. That's part of the point of the thread. With the shortage of scopes, it may be time for us to make our own. And yes, the vintage gear looks soo much better

 

[Q8]

That stuff from then was so cool to look at! NOt like now with all black faces and no scopes or dancing VU's. It took me a while to accept the digital displays over analog.
Nothing like a cool light show in your house!

Some of the digital display equipment puts on a good light show. Especially older stuff. I have an 80's JVC reciever packed away that I used to use that I loved looking at in the dark. Most A/V recievers were fairly pretty up through the early 2000s

Then it seemed that everything went boring and cheap looking.

But still, the quad era wins for best looking equipment. There are not many quad receivers that don't mesmorize me. Some of the low-fi ones were a little fuggly though.