I went to an amazing estate sale

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gvl_guy

1K Club - QQ Shooting Star
QQ Supporter
Joined
Apr 23, 2019
Messages
1,049
Location
Greenville, SC (via NJ, Philly, ATL & SoFL)
It was Saturday outside of Atlanta, in Woodstock GA. There must have been 50 reel-reel decks...maybe more....and some looking very clean. Some brands I didn't recognize, but most were Sony, Teac, Akai, etc. Turntables, receivers, Q8 decks, switchers, headphones. Some were really unique, too. There were those fancy turntables with loaded buttons on the front were you could choose the track you wanted to hear. (I think it was ADC?) Unbelievable. More than I ever saw in a showroom back in the 70s.

If you're on Facebook, there are some fantastic pictures here. Quadraphonic And Surround Sound Audio | Facebook

The guy who passed away was apparently a quad freak and hoarder. I would say that most of the stuff needed repair. The family and a friend who understood some of the equipment tested some of it, especially the reels and Q8s because of motors, but much was untested. I felt really bad because the family was trying to sell this stuff (rather than dump it) to raise money to help settle issues with the man's estate. They also understood that, although they didn't understand the stuff, they new that this would be valuable/important to some people and didn't want to just dump it.

I drove 3 hours to get there. Another guy that was there drove from nearby Chattanooga TN, about an hour and a half drive.

I ended up with two receivers, one CD-4 cartridge and a Johnny Mathis SQ album. (Unfortunately, they sold the lot of his quad albums (and I assume tapes) to a record store in nearby Athens GA. I was told it was a LOT, but no figure was given. Given the size of this collection, it had to be in the hundreds.) I missed out on the JVC demodulator. That was going for $50. I would have loved a backup.

Here are some photos of my "winnings."

The ride home in the Subaru Outback. The Grado F-1+ looks almost new, but I bought one of those $20 microscopes a while back on Amazon so I'll be able to check out the stylus. (I quick internet search shows that LP Tunes still sells this cartridge, new, for $199. :oops: So I'm guessing they might have a replacement stylus if needed.) Johnny's riding on top.
estate 11.jpg

A better photo, when I got home. Sony SQR-8750. Basic matrix, no CD-4 but in PRISTINE looking condition. And a Lafayette LR-5000 with SQ full logic and a CD-4 demodulator built in. It looks like it really needs to be cleaned up. The switches are a bit stiff. I ordered my first can of Detoxit. :)
estate 1.jpg

estate 3.jpg

I'm not comfortable opening up and tinkering with electronics. So the Detoxit will be my first experience since an electronics class in high school back in 1976 or so. I'm hoping things are functional and it's only minor cleaning.

Wish me luck! (FYI. I really only wanted a receiver as a backup for my QRX-9001 which seems to go in the shop these days more than sit in my mancave. :confused: But I couldn't pass up some of the other stuff.)
 

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It was Saturday outside of Atlanta, in Woodstock GA. There must have been 50 reel-reel decks...maybe more....and some looking very clean. Some brands I didn't recognize, but most were Sony, Teac, Akai, etc. Turntables, receivers, Q8 decks, switchers, headphones. Some were really unique, too. There were those fancy turntables with loaded buttons on the front were you could choose the track you wanted to hear. (I think it was ADC?) Unbelievable. More than I ever saw in a showroom back in the 70s.

If you're on Facebook, there are some fantastic pictures here. Quadraphonic And Surround Sound Audio | Facebook

The guy who passed away was apparently a quad freak and hoarder. I would say that most of the stuff needed repair. The family and a friend who understood some of the equipment tested some of it, especially the reels and Q8s because of motors, but much was untested. I felt really bad because the family was trying to sell this stuff (rather than dump it) to raise money to help settle issues with the man's estate. They also understood that, although they didn't understand the stuff, they new that this would be valuable/important to some people and didn't want to just dump it.

I drove 3 hours to get there. Another guy that was there drove from nearby Chattanooga TN, about an hour and a half drive.

I ended up with two receivers, one CD-4 cartridge and a Johnny Mathis SQ album. (Unfortunately, they sold the lot of his quad albums (and I assume tapes) to a record store in nearby Athens GA. I was told it was a LOT, but no figure was given. Given the size of this collection, it had to be in the hundreds.) I missed out on the JVC demodulator. That was going for $50. I would have loved a backup.

Here are some photos of my "winnings."

The ride home in the Subaru Outback. The Grado F-1+ looks almost new, but I bought one of those $20 microscopes a while back on Amazon so I'll be able to check out the stylus. (I quick internet search shows that LP Tunes still sells this cartridge, new, for $199. :oops: So I'm guessing they might have a replacement stylus if needed.) Johnny's riding on top.
View attachment 79154
A better photo, when I got home. Sony SQR-8750. Basic matrix, no CD-4 but in PRISTINE looking condition. And a Lafayette LR-5000 with SQ full logic and a CD-4 demodulator built in. It looks like it really needs to be cleaned up. The switches are a bit stiff. I ordered my first can of Detoxit. :)
View attachment 79155
View attachment 79156
I'm not comfortable opening up and tinkering with electronics. So the Detoxit will be my first experience since an electronics class in high school back in 1976 or so. I'm hoping things are functional and it's only minor cleaning.

Wish me luck! (FYI. I really only wanted a receiver as a backup for my QRX-9001 which seems to go in the shop these days more than sit in my mancave. :confused: But I couldn't pass up some of the other stuff.)

What a field trip! Definitely worth the drive just to look around if nothing else. And yet you found misc stuff & two receivers to bring home. So now you have three quad receivers? Double that number & you too can be promoted from mere collector to quad hoarder!! :)(y)(y)
 
What a field trip! Definitely worth the drive just to look around if nothing else. And yet you found misc stuff & two receivers to bring home. So now you have three quad receivers? Double that number & you too can be promoted from mere collector to quad hoarder!! :)(y)(y)
My spouse puts up with it because I have music he likes. But I think I'd be pushing my luck with more. LOL
 
I'm down below in central Florida and was tempted to drive up there after seeing all those RtR decks but thinking about going down that expensive rabbit hole I came to my senses and decided nope.
The reels were really nice. Too many to choose from. I even loved those Akai Q8 recorders. But then I thought, "other than looking cool, when would I actually ever use them?" So, no. I opted not to go that route. The guy from Chattanooga bought 4 reels and I think all the Q8 recorders. His wife was actually with him! Lucky dog. (He whispered to me that he was $20 short on everything he wanted and needed to borrow money from her. "
 
Testing out the Sony SQR-8750. Other than some crackling of the speaker switch (for some deoxIT, 😉) it's perfect. All lights working. Powered up just fine. 30w x4 with a nice warm sound. Genesis Invisible Touch DVD Audio sounds great through it! Still need to test the phono. But I'm really confident. No CD-4 and the SQ matrix decoder is basic....I think. The service manual I downloaded from HiFi Engine shows "SQ decoder with front/back and waveform comparator logic circuits."

For $200, I'm super happy. Back to music until my Sansui is back from the shop.
PXL_20220523_194141448.jpg
 
Detoxit? The stuff used for improving electrical contact is called "deoxIT," not Detoxit. "Detoxit" is serious medicine for quad addicts who have all sorts of gear they don't really need but trip out by having it lying around the house.
yeah, us QQ folk might need DeToxit to get rid of the MCH worm! (which we DON'T!!)
 
yeah, us QQ folk might need DeToxit to get rid of the MCH worm! (which we DON'T!!)
Yeah, I think Keith Richards used to use a lot of DeToxit back in the day...

To @gvl_guy that looks great! Like brand new. Meters work n everything to? Yes I know how is when one piece of the audio chain goes down & it's like a black hole has filled your home. What do you think is wrong with the Sansui?

Edit: Hey wait a minute. It is named DetoxIT????
https://www.capitalvending.com/detoxit-spray-5-oz.html
Edit#2: Hey wait a minute. It sez Deoxit on the can???o_O
 
Testing out the Sony SQR-8750. Other than some crackling of the speaker switch (for some deoxIT, 😉) it's perfect. All lights working. Powered up just fine. 30w x4 with a nice warm sound. Genesis Invisible Touch DVD Audio sounds great through it! Still need to test the phono. But I'm really confident. No CD-4 and the SQ matrix decoder is basic....I think. The service manual I downloaded from HiFi Engine shows "SQ decoder with front/back and waveform comparator logic circuits."

For $200, I'm super happy. Back to music until my Sansui is back from the shop.
View attachment 79222
VU Meter envy! Why can't modern kit have those mesmerising meters.
 
I bet they sold the records to Wuxtry Records in Athens, GA. I bought many a used record from their shop when I lived there including the only QUAD album I own just incase I ever got a chance to play it... Luckily, have the SACD now.
View attachment 79226
Actually, they sold them to Low Yo Yo Stuff in Athens.
 
Congratulations! LR-5000 is one of the few pieces I'd want from the classic era, because I'm a Lafayette fan and 9001s are out of my price range. i heard a 8750 in a record store that was going out of business last year, it was the owner's and he wasn't selling it, but it sounded great in the store.
It would've been something like a 9 hour drive for me, but the R-Rs looked great, and one of the Akai 8-tracks looked different on the faceplate, but $$.....
 
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