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Is there anyone on here who has a stylus microscope and knows how to properly evaluate styluses. I have several I would like to have someone inspect., At 73, my ears are still a lot better than my eyes!

2 are Stanton SQd4 for CD-4 that I would like to have evaluated before I start "rediscovering" my CD-4 collection.

I also have an Audio Technica AT155LC cart but I am not sure, even if I got a Shibata stylus, that it would do CD_4 response.
Thanks for any recommendations.
 
Basically what Dolby does is boost the high end during soft passages in the music during recording. When the music is loud, it pulls back to normal and allows the loud music to mask the tape hiss. During play back, it attenuates the high end during the same soft passages, attenuating the tape hiss at the same time. Since the high end was boosted during recording, it is now reduced to normal. During loud passages, the Dolby bows out, allowing the music to be as it was recorded, which will be normal level. The playback end is designed to track the record end precisely. Thus yielding a recording with reduced tape hiss, but normal levels across the band. Also, keeping your head demagnetized will help keep tape hiss at bay. A lot of times, pre recorded tapes will not have been recorded with Dolby, so you wouldn't use it during playback. Well, you can, but it wouldn't sound as good as if it was recorded with Dolby. It will still tamp down the tape hiss, but there won't be hot treble on the tape, so it gets tamped down too.

I was accustomed to Dolby through my cassette decks growing up ( I never really felt the need on almost all my cassettes, or never recorded with Dolby on) but never knew how it worked. Thanks.

After I made my post I looked for Sansui or other Dolby adapter devices but really had no luck. Then I looked at the Sansui qrx manual and it looks like the adapter is for recording only. So unlike a cassette player, by selecting either Dolby A, B, C, or S, it would have no effect on playback on a prerecorded reel without any NR.

Then I came across DBX. A few of my blank reels I purchased, someone labeded them as being recorded with DBX. Didn’t know what that was until now after researching the dolby box.

For those not familiar with DBX, it’s another noise reduction tech like Dolby, but it is Mandatory to have a DBX decoder in your system or tape loop to hear the DBX recording without problems.

I think now I’ll just enjoy the tapet’s what got me here in the first place.

Good reminder on demagnetizing the heads periodically

3 Sansui 717’s. That is cool! They look so cool. You have phono amps galore.
 
New member, first post. I joined this forum to get this question answered. Years ago I found an Akai quad R2R for $10 so I got it, had it gone over and began acquiring tapes. The akai has some issues. I recently found a sony R2R at an estate sale of a doctor, along with many quad tapes, everything in fantastic condition. Unfortunatly I left behind about 20 self recorded tapes that were most likely quad. One of the tapes boxes has a paper in it on how to use quad tapes. It says, "place full reel on right hand hub of machine and rewind on to an empty reel on the other hub. Then play back on to the original reel. This procedure will prevent tape damage caused when tape is stored after fast winding". My question is, how does this not play the tape backwards? Or are you supposed to listen to it backwards one time then it starts at the beginning? I still just listen and rewind and store it that way.
 
New member, first post. I joined this forum to get this question answered. Years ago I found an Akai quad R2R for $10 so I got it, had it gone over and began acquiring tapes. The akai has some issues. I recently found a sony R2R at an estate sale of a doctor, along with many quad tapes, everything in fantastic condition. Unfortunatly I left behind about 20 self recorded tapes that were most likely quad. One of the tapes boxes has a paper in it on how to use quad tapes. It says, "place full reel on right hand hub of machine and rewind on to an empty reel on the other hub. Then play back on to the original reel. This procedure will prevent tape damage caused when tape is stored after fast winding". My question is, how does this not play the tape backwards? Or are you supposed to listen to it backwards one time then it starts at the beginning? I still just listen and rewind and store it that way.
Quad tapes play in one direction only, it's best to store tapes that have been played through first (tails out). With this procedure you have to rewind the tape before playing it. Otherwise you would play the tape through and then rewind it, but the rewound tape is not packed on the reel as neatly as if played though. This seems to be the best practice for storing the tapes.
To set the tape up this way you would have to fast forward onto the empty reel, rewind onto another empty reel. Now play the tape using the original reel as the take up reel. Don't flip the tape over or it will play backwards.
 
Quad tapes use all 4 tracks in the same direction so, if left played, you must rewind (till tape is on left reel) before you play. Stereo 4 track tapes have two tracks recorded forward and two backward that can play in reverse if your machine auto reverses. Otherwise you must switch reels between the spindles so the full reel is on the left to play the other two tracks. That puts the tape back on the original reel heads out but properly wound for storage and next playing.
 
Note that on the Sansui receivers and decoders. "PHASE MATRIX" means SQ. They could not put SQ on it because Columbia owns the trademark.
 
Is there anyone on here who has a stylus microscope and knows how to properly evaluate styluses. I have several I would like to have someone inspect., At 73, my ears are still a lot better than my eyes!

2 are Stanton SQd4 for CD-4 that I would like to have evaluated before I start "rediscovering" my CD-4 collection.

I also have an Audio Technica AT155LC cart but I am not sure, even if I got a Shibata stylus, that it would do CD_4 response.
Thanks for any recommendations.
I'm just getting back into quad with the purchase of a Sansui receiver. I have a Shure M24H cartridge and I was told that the stylus still has about 60% of it's life. My dilemma is that there are generic replacement stylus out there for $80. Or I've found originals for about $200. Old stock. I'm a little disappointed with the CD-4 demodulator in the unit. It sound bright but gets "crispy" at times, especially on low passages. I'd love to hear everyone's recommendations, too. (BTW, audiomaster, I'm in SC too. If you're in Greenville, Don Jones Stereo on Laurens Road can probably help look at that stylus.)
 
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