Exploring Billboard for Quadraphonic Information

[Old Quad Guy]

February 3, 1973

RCA Campaigns to Arouse Its Artists 'Q Awareness

LOS ANGELES
A campaign to stress the importance of a discrete quadrasonic album is being planned by RCA. The label which previously gave its artists the option to have their LP's released in either conventional stereo or 4-channel, is now pushing for quadrasonic awareness among its performers.
There is a planned sound series of 4-channel music on the drawing board. And an explanation manual for internal distribution to all producers and engineers is being planned using the expertise compiled by RCA engineers Jack Pfeiffer, Dave Bloom and artist Hugo Montenegro.
Many producers and engineers who have never recorded and mixed down in quadrasonic are feeling the anxiety of such a proj-ect, hence the instruction/ educational manual.
Montenegro has just begun his third Quadradise for RCA. His first, debuted last year in Acapulco at the International Music Industry Conference, featured a combination of effects and musical experiments. The second LP, due out shortly, features film themes in a more conventional musical setting.
RCA has been held up in releasing the number of 4-chan-nel records it hoped to have out in its first year of participation in the quadrasonic discrete versus matrix battle with CBS. The problem has revolved around the development of a decoder unit which could handle all sorts of sonic inputs and the development of a proper sound level equal to that available on stereo disks.
RCA and Panasonic are aggressively working on these two problems and they also plan to miniaturize the decoder unit through the utilization of an integrated circuit chip.

 

[Old Quad Guy]

February 3, 1973

Ohio Trade In 'Q' Push

By JOHN SIPPEL

CLEVELAND
Shelly Tirk. general manager of Midwest Dist. here, is spearheading a distributor, dealer and manufacturer cooperative effort to establish quadrasonic records and tape in this vicinity and Akron. Starting Thursday (25), Midwest and Harvey Korman's Piks Dist. here, together with approximately 35 retail outlets and three manufacturers are staging a month-long “Quadrasonic Records & Tapes Sound Great” festival.
A large ad in the Cleveland Plain Dealer opening day kicked off the event, with WDBN-FM here running regular spots pushing the event. Project 3, Quad Spectrum and Ovation labels have contributed financially to the campaign. The participating retailers have store signs, which read: "This Is Your Quadrasonic Headquarters" and "Quadrasonic Spoken Hear (correct)." Special LP divider cards have been printed to isolate 4-channel matrix-only browsers during the program.
Tirk said that participating dealers have generously contributed important floor space and browser boxes for the 4-channel event. Retailers participating include:

Record Rendevous,
4 Stores; Randstand; Recordland (4); Disc Records (4); Record Carnival, Mentor; John Wade; Record Shop, Euclid; Hoffman's House of Stereo, Brookpark; Demshar's, Euclid; Audiocraft; Clarkin's (11); Mr. T's Tape Centers (3); and the May Co.
All retailers have installed matrix playback demo equipment for the program.

 

[Old Quad Guy]

February 3, 1973

Discrete 'Q' LP vs Matrix
Race Tightens

By CLAUDE HALL

LOS ANGELES
Since its unveiling in early ‘72 the discrete disk 4-channel system has been held back by lack of software, but now this is changing. The Warner-Electra-Atlantic combine has joined RCA in discrete disks. However, matrix software has a head start.
More and more, especially as reflected at the winter shows, hardware is being introduced to accommodate both matrix and discrete.
Meanwhile, the war between the quadrasonic disk systems continues unabated . . . but with several interesting facts. One is that the WEA Group was using CBS pressing plants to press records. CBS advocates their own SQ system, of course. CBS officials visited JVC recently in Japan, probably checking out possibilities of pressing WEA in discrete. Pressing is a simple matter, once you get the harder vinyl; it's the masters that count.
Currently, there are not many outlets in the U.S. for cutting discrete masters; this is soon to be solved, according to inside information. And once it is solved and several locations can cut discrete masters, then even the smaller labels can have their product in discrete by having one of these operations cut the master and then take the master to any pressing plant they so choose.
Another factor is that it's best to limit the number of discrete records stamped from any master stamping unit, but, on the other hand, this achieves better quality overall in the records.
Now: RCA is coming out with a bevy of discrete product, as will WEA in April. Both companies plan to be heavy into quadrasonic.
Jac Holzman of Elektra Records feels that quadrasonic is a viable medium and has put considerable time and research into taking the WEA Group toward quadrasonic.
Rocco Laginestra, president of RCA Records, has several times voiced his commitment to discrete quadrasonic and plans to eventually issue product only in quadrasonic, since these records are totally compatible with stereo.
To date, however, the U.S. market is virtually all matrix. Sansui seems to be backing their system more in the marketplace than any other system, although CBS has more SQ records out. It's probable that, even with the WEA Group coming into the discrete fold, matrix will continue to be tops in the field in number of records released for at least all of 1973.
The major problem with the matrix way of quadrasonic is that you need, desperately, the logic gain system. CBS says they have it; this reporter has never heard it demonstrated. Sanui has demonstrated its logic gain system and it's undoubtedly the best matrix system extant. But the cost of these types of matrix systems is detrimental at the consumer level. Discrete systems, too, are rather high at the moment. Eventually, these costs on both matrix systems and discrete systems—will come down somewhat, thus the software will have more meaning at the consumer level.
At any rate, matrix no longer dominates the Japanese market.
CD-4 has really come on strong, largely because the Victor Company of Japan Ltd, has been extremely aggressive in promotion and helped 500 major dealers set up discrete demonstration areas in their stores. One store in the Ginza area of Tokyo reported that discrete was outselling matrix at least five or six albums to one or two. As of December, there was 127 titles available in the CD-4 system in Japan. There were 202 out in regular matrix form and at least 116 in the Sony-CBS SQ sys-tem.
CBS reports that its SQ disks and cartridges (cartridges are discrete) has accounted for more than $4 million in business in the U.S. alone.
The main record firms issuing discrete CD-4 records in Japan include JVC, Nippon Polydor, Nippon Grammophone, Toshiba, and Teicheiku.

 

[Old Quad Guy]

February 3, 1973

'Q' Format Scores at
WGRQ-FM; Jordan

BUFFALO
The so-called "Q” format pioneered in Miami has been launched here by WGRQ-FM, programmed by J. J. Jordan. Opening day drew 500 phone calls in a three-hour period on three hit-lines, "so there's no question about our immediate impact." Jordan said. The advent of the new format—the station previously featured
AIR Production's solid gold service—was heralded via newspaper advertising.
Jordan said the "Q" format had been tailored for the Buffalo audience. The station is playing 23 current records and a vast slate of oldies, starting off the top of the hour with an oldie, then playing a current record for the top 10 of the list, then one from 10-23 on the list, an oldie, a record that has already peaked and is going down the chart such as a big Carole King record, etc. The stereo station is now live and air staff include George Hamberger, music director
George Christian. Bill (Mother Bear) Stedman, and Chuck Stevens.
Jordan said he added only three new records the first week, but that the amount of new product exposed depended on the amount of good product that arrived each week.
Playlist distributed to record stores will be in a poster form.
The "Q" format was originated by WMYQ-FM, Miami.

 

[Old Quad Guy]

February 3, 1973

Car Stereo Healthy
-Doyle of Pioneer

By BOB KIRSCH

CHICAGO
The car stereo market is becoming more healthy than ever rapid and is growing at a rate, according to Jack Doyle, president of Pioneer Electronics of America, primarily because more types of stores are carrying the configuration, the industry is looking at it as a legitimate product and manufacturers are putting more emphasis on quality.
"After being out of the business for awhile and getting involved again relatively recently,
Doyle said, "I can see the change we're selling to different dealers. There are more independents and more audio specialty shops getting into the market. This is now a legitimate product, and people such as Panasonic, Sanyo and ourselves are just a few of the firms putting an emphasis on quality as well as price.
Doyle added that "the consumer is more knowledgeable, the industry is doing more advertising and the consumer is becoming more selective.
We did some research
through focus groups," he said.
We took ten or so people in the under-24 age bracket, who we find are the majority of the car stereo business and found that many were on their second or third car unit. They wanted an upgraded system from their last and weren't so concerned with price anymore. Don't forget, three years ago this was mainly a price business.
"One problem is that the business is going in three different directions,
Doyle added. "We have
in-dash units, under-dash, cassettes and quadrasonic. Cassette is a definite trend. I think we can see that here at the show and I think manufacturers are finding their consumers asking for the unit more, especially those with automatic reverse and radio.
In 8-track, fast forward, repeat, FM radio and in-dash are all growing trends.
As for 4-channel, I have to say that this is a fairly good market for us and I think for many others in the industry.
"In the quadrasonic market," Doyle continued, I think the hardware manufacturers have certainly done their part. Now it's up to the software people. The hardware arm has built units of all types and at many price ranges, there has been a lot of advertising and there has been a good deal of consumer education through educating the retailer. Now, I think the software people will have to produce a bit more."
Doyle also feels that a dealer must know his clientele. This is
a must if he wants to be successful," he added.
"A specialty shop may want to do more in cassette, while someone else may find 8-track a more lucrative market. The
same is true for configurations within configurations. If a dealer is going to sell in-dash units, he should be prepared to install or let his customer know where to have the unit installed." Pioneer has several installation centers, including ones in the Los Angeles and San Diego markets, and will soon open them in the New York and Chicago areas.
"I do think this has been a healthy show for car stereo,”
Doyle added, “and I think the market should continue to be healthy if quality merchandise is turned out and the consumer interest continues at its present rate.”

 

[MidiMagic]

Given more time, CD-4 would have been made more practical, but at the same time, matrix decoders would have caught up as well. My guess is that someone would have done, much sooner, what Involve has done today, with high separation decoders that could support both QS and SQ.

Matrix is, for sure, still relevant. New recordings have been released, mainly by independent labels, that use one form, or another, of Regular Matrix. The SQ system seems to have gone into hibernation. It still has relevancy for those of us with large quad record collections, Discrete is, of course, still the best. The digital era made it more practical.

Maybe they could find a way to use AI to remove the sound of each ground-in dust crash.

 

[Doug G.]

Maybe they could find a way to use AI to remove the sound of each ground-in dust crash.

You must have listened to some very poorly taken care of records and the system wasn't set up quite right. That doesn't happen when a system IS set up correctly. Scratches/dust sound no different from a regular two channel system.

Doug

 

[MidiMagic]

The high end frequency rolloff was my complaint (of CD-4) right from the start. In fairness Quadradiscs were intended for the mass market and so that limitation would not have mattered much. It would matter more in the high end world.

Back in the 1970s, it mattered to me. I could hear to 22 KHz.

Love it! Realistically a discrete system can do everything that a matrix system can and more! It's all in the mix.

It can't be recorded on a cassette or sent over FM-stereo radio with the quad intact. Matrix can.

Quadradiscs were more durable than regular stereo records due to the use of special vinyl.

I've bought many used ones and most play fine. You need the right equipment properly set up.
The finicky set-up moved CD-4 to a niche market, the average person did not have the inclination nor the patience to set things up properly and to keep records clean etc.

The biggest part of the problem is when someone could not afford the recording when it came out and later has to get one on eBay. He does not know whether he will get a pristine disc or one with thousands of ground-in dust crashes. Many of them were played with non-CD-4 players. And accidents can happen. I was listening to a Quadradisc in a stereo store when a woman put powder on her face using a mirror near the turntable. Snap crackle pop! The salesman could not remove the damage.

That is the talk that we didn't need. There was no need for the discrete supporters to trash matrix!!!! They should have recognised the need to use only two transmission channels for quad at times as well as the need for stereo to quad enhancement. They should have conceded that their system was not perfect and had its own limitations.

This sounds like making a fake upmix to 5.1 instead of an actual Dolby PL decoder.

 

[MidiMagic]

You must have listened to some very poorly taken care of records and the system wasn't set up quite right. That doesn't happen when a system IS set up correctly. Scratches/dust sound no different from a regular two channel system.

Doug

It was more than one system.

The owner of the stereo store I worked for and I tried to set up CD-4 on my quadraphonic system. We had a JVC 4DD-5 demodulator connected to the discrete inputs on my system. I had put low capacitance cables on a Perpetuum-Ebner 2038 changer and installed the Audio Technica cartridge (which model I can't say - he took it back to the store).

We put on the calibration record. The record made snaps and pops through the demodulator. Switching it to 2CH made the pops disappear. Cleaning the record with a Discwasher didn't reduce the noise. The record was kept in its paper sleeve.

Adjusting the vertical angle with the knob on the cartridge shell made no difference. Neither did adjusting the antiskate. I used a gage to check the offset angle of the pickup.

He had a copy of the Elvis Aloha Via Satellite record and we tried that. It made the same popping noises. Again, cleaning the record didn't change anything.

I was in another stereo store and they had on a CD-4 record that was playing without noises. I turned my head and noticed the cogging effect (which I had already discovered with EV-4). Then a woman walked up to a mirror near the turntable and put on face powder. Immediately the record started making the awful popping sound I already knew.

The manager ran up and asked what I did to cause it. I said the woman put powder on her face at the mirror. He tried to clean the record several different ways. There were fewer pops on the parts that were not yet played, but were cleaned, but the parts already played were as bad as before. He took the record into the back room.

Then he brought the record back out and put it on. It played noiselessly. Then I heard him tell an employee that another CD-4 record was ruined. He had opened another copy of the album.

I want to know how you get it to work.

 

[Doug G.]

You always repeat the "woman putting face powder on" story but it just doesn't ring true because CD-4 records are NOT that fragile. I have heard similar stories about various things from record/stereo store owners many times and I have reached the conclusion they mostly were making things up, not being technically proficient.

I have heard the echoey, explosive sounds from CD-4 records and it has to be related to out of phase signals reaching the various sections of the demodulator at different times which would chiefly be caused by tracking issues

I have zeroed tracking in on my system and I don't experience any of the "devil's work" issues commonly claimed for CD-4 reproduction. As I have said many times, playing CD-4 records, for me, is no different from playing regular two channel records.

And, I don't feel I have had to work my ash off to acquire that result. Just have always followed the CD-4 rules and used equipment proven to work.

And yes, I have the separation at maximum so it's not the matter of sacrificing separation for improved performance.

Doug

 

[Old Quad Guy]

 

[fizzywiggs41]

View attachment 95950
KIRO-FM'S QUADMOBILE greets people in a Seattle parking lot as it preaches the quadrasonic gospel.

August 25, 1973

KIRO-FM Takes 'Q' to People

SEATTLE-
KIRO-FM is encouraging the growth of quadrasonic radio by bringing quadrasonic sound personally to thousands of people in the Pacific Northwest with a unique promotional tool—the Quadmobile, a 23-foot deluxe motor home totally equipped with both matrix and discrete 4-channel sound. There are speakers in each corner of the vehicle and often a "quadraphonic coffee table" under an awning just outside the unit to accommodate large gatherings.
The Quadmobile has visited shopping centers, department store openings, community celebrations, and other summer events, announced Dick Dixon, KIRO-FM vice president and station manager. He also said that in their "good music format they broadcast in full quadrasonic sound eight times weekly, including an evening show on weeknights, afternoon segments on Saturday and Sunday, as well as a Sunday morning feature of a taped service by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City.
They use both matrix unit on the air, employing the CBS SQ and Sansui QS systems. The station has pioneered 4-channel broadcasting since 1970 and says that they receive hundreds of calls weekly expressing interest in quadrasonic sound.

What they failed to mention , is that KIRO FM Seattle , received one of the first of 26 EV-4 Encoders for broadcasting , in early 1971, when Electro Voice issued their first batch of Encoders.
The majority of EV-4 Encoders went to FM broadcasters , only 4 went to Studios in New York City , Chicago , and Hollywood.

 

[fizzywiggs41]

Now RCA had their own matrix system known as "Dimension IV".

I wonder if they ever used it on any of their albums? It is noted it was included in a stereo console line of products including Zenith.

 

[par4ken]

One comment about the high frequency "limitation" of CD-4. I doubt that the vast majority of people, even the high-end "audiophile" crowd, can hear a difference between a system that has a response from 20Hz - 20kHz and a system that has a response from 20Hz - 15kHz. There just isn't that much up there and most people can't hear to 20kHz, anyway. And, most of us, as we age, are extremely lucky if we can hear even to 15kHz.

That would be the argument used by the CD-4 systems designers, it doesn't fly in the "Audiophile" world.

Back in the day the televisions Horizontal Oscillator (15,750 Hz) was clearly audible, but older folk could not hear it.

 

[Doug G.]

Sure, I could easily hear it when I was younger but I wonder if I could now. I haven't tried, lately, and there are really no TVs oscillating at that frequency around anymore to try it.

In my twenties I could easily hear to 20kHz and maybe even higher. I know I can't hear that high now.

But, that's not the only factor. How much information at frequencies above 15 kHz is there on records and I mean all records? When frequencies get that high, they all sound the same anyway and are almost more of a sense that something's there than actually hearing them, anyway.

And, in my opinion, a lot of the "audiophile" crowd are more full of it rather than having true knowledge. I am not aiming that at anybody here in this forum.

Doug

 

[kfbkfb]

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...-4-demodulator-archive.9035/page-9#post-72563^^^
...to roll off frequencies above 13 KHz. This has remained pretty much a standard.


Some interesting info from Louis Dorren from the disc mastering perspective.


Kirk Bayne

 

[Old Quad Guy]

February 3, 1973

Car Stereo Market
Outlets Expanding

By GRIER LOWRY

KANSAS CITY, Mo.-
The types of stores handling car stereo are proliferating, according to
Roy Johnson, general manager and vice president, Medallion Automotive Products division of Midland International here. He and Bob Caldwell, vice president and general manager of Impact Advertising Agency, Midland's own house shop, mentioned that even laundries are offering tape player equipment (Billboard, Dec. 30).
"We're also seeing
car stereo going into more and more brown goods departments at department stores and discount houses and other home appliance dealers," said the adman. “I see this trend growing simply because it does fit easily into the picture anywhere radios are sold.
The company's products are also sold in service stations, auto supply stores and seat cover centers.
The shrinkage in demand for seat covers is prompting many of these dealers to use stereo as a fill-in item. "Car dealers are selling many in-dash radios and beating the factory price,"
Caldwell observed.
"They can cut $100 off the price with our units and this puts them in a more competitive position. An increasing number of car dealers are engineering tie-ups with tape dealers with the tape dealer supplying the equipment and the car agency selling and installing the radio.
"More car agencies are exploiting this radio price advantage," emphasized Caldwell. "They are saying to the prospect. 'Look I can cut $100 off the price of the deal if you'll let us install a Medallion player or radio instead of the factory model and you won't be able to tell the difference in quality."
Another growing market cited by Roy Johnson is the boat and recreational vehicle field. This is a pulsating market for both 8-track stereo and radio. The company is marketing some products expressly for the recreational vehicle market including a speaker and tape player with special housing and designed for mounting on the roof of a motorhome. Majority of these units are installed at the factory and offered as optional equipment by the dealer. Concord Mobile Home company is one of the companies incorporating this equipment in their units.
Custom Music Corporation typifies the companies who are turning in a big job on hi-fi equipment and related goods. With about 30-plus stores strung over the Middle West, CMC has the kind of display, installation and salespeople required to make it big in hits and car stereo, believes Johnson. As to which will get the biggest piece of the market, the strictly car stereo dealer or the CMC type operation, Johnson feels it boils down to which works hardest at promoting and working the line. He points to CMC and Playback as among the concerns who have the knowledge and the facilities to service customers.
But he also sees Carl Geller and his K.C. Auto Sound as the type of company with people who can talk the merchandise and answer customer questions on the floor.
Where is 4-channel going? "How long is a piece of string?" asks Roy Johnson, in reply. He dwells on the problems inherent with the two different systems, matrix and discrete, and deplores the confusion which the two systems have created in the minds of the public as well as the dealers who are reluctant to put their money in a product which is engaged in a tug of war.
"In our opinion, the only true 4-channel system is discrete and this is the direction we have gone with our own product," Johnson explained. "This is a whole new dimension of sound. You can compare 4-channel with stereo and monaural.”
He feels that 8-track cartridges are so far ahead in this country cassettes will never catch up.
Then he points out that the opposite is true in Europe where cassettes are outstripping 8-track. The fact that 8-track systems became more or less standard with General Motors and other automobile manufacturers was a strong influence on the overwhelming edge it has.
Only an individual with a vested interest in cassettes would push it.
He views multiplex 8-track and multiplex radio as enjoying growing popularity but believes the greatest volume will be concentrated in single units for some time.
The paramount importance of good packaging in merchandising sound equipment isn't overlooked by Medallion. Their package designers keep refining their craftsmanship. By tradition, automotive products have been sold in good, colorful packaging, points out Johnson.
Taking the position that different type sales outlets need different sizes and types of displays, Medallion has a good choice of display fixtures holding from four to twelve units.
For the present, the advertising program, the responsibility of Impact Agency, the house agency, is aimed at the trade rather than the consumer publications. The thinking is that Medallian must be well established at the trade level first and then branch into the consumer area. In the past year, the company has initiated a catalog program and is also making presentations at various shows and exhibits.
"You can say we're approaching the market very aggressively from an advertising standpoint," Caldwell said.
The revaluation of the yen in Japan, which dropped the rate of exchange from 360 yen per $1 to 306, prompted Medallion to look to other countries in the Orient for a portion of its production.
Areas such Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Korea which haven't been sharply affected by the revaluation though tied to it to some degree, are among the countries to which the Kansas City concern has turned to as sources for some of its laboring. In all instances, however, engineering supervision continues to come from Japan.
The revaluation of the yen hasn't driven us out of Japan by any means," said Johnson. "I know some watchers of the industry feel Japan will be eventually forced out of electronic production.
Personally, I don't feel that will happen. The country has achieved a major role in the world market and won't relinquish that role if for no other reason because of its superior technology."

 

[Old Quad Guy]

Japanese record buyers look over 4-channel releases in a Giza shop.

February 17, 1973

THE INTEGRATED
CIRCUIT CHIP

The race is on to develop it
Why? Because it reduces the size of the quadrasonic disk demodulator.

World War III of the phonograph record manufacturing industry is a-brewin', veterans say, and it could break out in Japan this year with the production of a "secret weapon" already known to the electronics industry as an “IC chip.”
The Victor Company of Japan, assisted by its parent concern, Matsushita Electric, is known to be working on development of an IC chip that would reduce size and cost of the CD-4 disk system demodulator that is essential for discrete quadrasonic reproduction. Their ally, RCA Corp. is assumed to be undertaking the same project.
On the other hand, Sony Corporation is currently developing an IC chip that would not only reduce size and cost of the SQ matrix logic decoder but also provide "discrete" separation in playing back quadrasonic records. And, likewise, it may be assumed that CBS Laboratories, which developed the SQ system, is working on the same project.
Japanese veterans of the two "world wars” in the phonograph record industry predict that both sides will brandish their respective "secret weapons" at about the same time this year, but according to the Electronic Industries Assn. of Japan (EIA-J) and the Japan Phonograph Record Assn., both the CD-4 and SQ systems will continue to co-exist.
However, the veterans say that the first shots were fired in New York Nov. 10, 1971 when RCA Records announced its support of the CD-4 system developed by the Victor Co. of Japan in the presence of the latter's parent company. Matsushita Electric, after shooting down rumors it had adopted the SQ system.
Adoption of the SQ system developed by CBS was announced in Tokyo by Sony Corp. and CBS/Sony Records Inc. June 10, 1971, simultaneously with the joint announcement made by Columbia Records and Sony, at Billboard's International Music Industry Convention (IMIC) in Montreux, Switzerland.
The war clouds started spreading across Europe and the United States to Japan early in January 1972, the veterans say, when EMI announced its adoption of the SQ system. And, they assumed, Toshiba Musical Industries (Toshiba EMI/Capitol joint venture) would immediately follow suit.
To date, however, Toshiba has not adopted the SQ system and is planning to release CD-4 Quadradiscs this year.
In the meantime, Toshiba has renamed its so-called QM system RM in compliance with the "regular matrix” standard adopted in March 1971 by the Japan Phonograph Record Assn. And the Toshiba electrical concern has marketed a CD-4 system disk demodulator but not an SQ matrix decoder for its line of “compatible” quadrasonic stereo ensembles.
Besides Toshiba (Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co.. Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd., Onkyo (now a Toshiba subsidiary), Sanyo (a company "friendly” to Matsushita), and Trio have marketed CD-4 demodulators. To date, however, Nippon Columbia, a member of the Hitachi group, has not marketed either a CD-4 demodulator or SQ decoder. Hitachi and Toshiba also are offering the CD-4 pickup cartridge under their respective brand names and the required Shibata stylus.
And, of course, Matsushita has marketed a CD-4 disk system demodulator along with the Victor Co. of Japan (JVC/Nivico). As a matter of fact, Matsushita is outdoing JVC in the way of CD-4 promotion all over Japan, following a joint advertising campaign last year that was considered by separate name brand proponents to be unique.
To recapitulate, the CD-4 camp in Japan presently includes Hitachi, Matsushita, Onkyo, Nippon Phonogram (Philips- Matsushita/JVC joint recording venture), Sanyo, Teichiku Records (a member of the Matsushita group), Toshiba, Trio, and of course the Victor Co. of Japan and Victor Musical Industries. Inactive members of the CD-4 camp include Nippon Columbia, Pioneer, Sharp. Toshiba Musical Industries, and Warner Pioneer.
On the other hand, Akai joined the SQ camp in Japan in Decem ber 1972. Besides Sony, and CBS/Sony Records, the SQ proponents include Aiwa, Trio, Cybernet, Pioneer. Standard, Nippon Columbia, Sanyo, Roland, Toshiba, Onkyo, Hitachi, Nikko, Warner Pioneer and Canyon. Las year, Polydor suspended its production of CD-4 Quadradiscs.
Total sales of home stereo units, 80 percent of them quadrasonic, and components in Japan are estimated to have reached anywhere between 120 billion and 150 billion yen ($400 million-$500 million) last year with the inauguration of easy payment plans by the major manufacturers, but showed little increase in volume over 1971 according to disappointed retailers.
And, with the return of Okinawa to Japan in mid August 1972, the 43.6 percent diffusion of stereos among the nation's near 110 million population, as announced by Japan's Economic Planning Agency, was not expected to show any appreciable increase by the end of last year, in stark contrast to the near 80 percent diffusion of color TVs from the 69.5 percent as of Aug. 31, 1972.
In turn, despite the opening of Okinawa's market to Japanese manufacturers of phonograph records and tapes, total nationwide sales in 1972 are estimated to be somewhere between 112.5 billion and 120 billion yen ($375 million $400 million), assuming there are no carry overs or returns. These figures show, at best, a 7 percent increase over 1971, or hardly any difference at all if im. ported product is excluded.

Building quadrasonic hardware: an expanding scene.

Checking out 4-channel reproduction: a popular pastime.

 

[kfbkfb]

^^^
RCA Records...shooting down rumors it had adopted the SQ system.


First I've heard of this about RCA Records, also, the matrix proponents like to use the word "discrete" when describing their logic systems:

...SQ matrix logic decoder but also provide "discrete" separation in playing back quadrasonic records.


Kirk Bayne

 

[Old Quad Guy]

A CD-4 display unit showcasing best sellers.

February 17, 1973

THE 4-CHANNEL
PICTURE: CD-4
Actively Battles
Against SQ

The total number of quadrasonic albums released in Japan surpassed the 500 mark before 1972 ended.
But despite the payment of “record" winter bonuses and the Christmas New Year holiday spending spree, sales results were seen to be disappointing.
As of Christmas Day, 138 compatible discrete 4-channel (CD-4) album releases were listed by Victor Musical Industries, the former musical enterprise division of the Victor Co. of Japan (JVC/Nívico), Three CD-4 albums were available from Nippon Phonogram, the Philips-Matsushita/JVC joint recording venture, as of Nov. 25, and three were listed by Teichiku Records, a member of the Matsushita group, as of Oct. 25. Earlier in 1972, the Japan subsidiary of Polydor discontinued production of its two CD-4 albums. Thus, the total number of CD-4 albums listed in the Japanese catalogs amounted to 144.
Meanwhile, the total number of SQ quadrasonic records available in Japan was also expected to reach 144 as of Feb. 25, 1973, including 114 releases from CBS/Sony: 27 from Warner Pioneer, two from Canyon Records, and one from Trio.
While the manufacturers of CD-4 Quadradises in Japan have not revealed any pertinent figures, the CBS/Sony joint venture claims that it has sold over one million SQ records since its initial release Oct. 21, 1971. (JVC released its first CD-4 album May 25, 1971).
Exactly 1,130,743 SQ records have been sold in Japan by CBS/Sony Records, as of Oct 21, 1972, including 379,826 LP's and 750,917 seven inch pieces, according to the Tokyo based record company.
Of the 379,826 SQ albums, 274,569 were of international origin (218,044 popular and 56.525 classical) and 105.257 Japanese, according to the manufacturer. Of the 750,917 SQ singles 671,424 were of Japanese origin and 79,493 comprised international pops.
Standard retail price of an SQ album produced in Japan is about $7, while an SQ single retails for about $1.70, about the same as for conventional stereo records, and CD-4 Quadradiscs.
The only quadrasonic stereo album listed among the top 30 best sellers in the dealer oriented “Record Monthly" published by the impartial Japan Record Promotion Co.. Ltd was Leonard Bernstein's "Mass” pressed and released in this country Sept. 21, 1972, by CBS/Sony Records. It was priced at the equivalent of some $16 retail.
At the same time, the London recording of Holst's “The Planets" by Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, pressed in Japan by King Records, stole the number one spot long held by the Philips recording of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" by I Musici, produced in this country by Nippon Phonogram. Both are conventional stereo disks.
As a matter of fact, "Record Monthly” has suspended separate listings of 4 channel disks, beginning with its December 1972 issue, barely seven months after the Japan Phonograph Record Assn. and the Electronic Industries Assn. of Japan (EIA.J) adopted the CD-4, SQ and RM (regular matrix) systems of quadra sonic recording and reproduction as standard.
The EIA J's adoption of the three quadrasonic systems as standard was announced in Osaka at the opening of the Third Kansai (West Japan) Audio Fair sponsored by the Japan Audio Society (JAS), April 12-17, 1972.
The major Japanese music stores like Kotani, Jujiya, Yamaha (Nippon Gakki) and Yamano have more recently discovered that better sales results are achieved by mixing the quadrasonic disks with conventional stereo albums in browser boxes under artists’ names and musical categories, rather than selling them in separate display racks. Likewise, the major Japanese electrical stores like Ishimaru Denki, Shintoku Echo and Yamagiwa which have record sales departments.
Ratio of CD-4 to SQ sales depends on the popularity of the artist or title released each month, according to Kotani's main store in Shinjuku, the most heavily trafficked area in Tokyo today. This store is selling 30 quadrasonic records a month at best. On the other hand, Yamagiwa's audio department says it has sold up to five or six CD-4 albums for every one or two SQ.
The total number of Sansui QS regular matrix system disks and other quadrasonic records listed in the Japanese catalog was 236 as of the end of last year, according to a head-count made by Billboard's Tokyo news bureau.