QRX-7001 connection question

[FSK1460]

Hello, Well I finally won a Sansui QRX-7001 on ebay after months of trying! It seems there's one dude out there that's like buying these all up. Must have caught him sleeping...

My question is, I have a Pioneer SA-9100 amp and would like to connect the 7001 up to it for the front speakers and then get another SA-9100 to use for the rears. Is this doable and if so, how do I cable it up?

I want to keep my exiting setup and incorporate the 7001 into it if possible rather than having two seperate systems which would require separate speakers.

 

[QuadBob]

Hello, Well I finally won a Sansui QRX-7001 on ebay after months of trying! It seems there's one dude out there that's like buying these all up. Must have caught him sleeping...

My question is, I have a Pioneer SA-9100 amp and would like to connect the 7001 up to it for the front speakers and then get another SA-9100 to use for the rears. Is this doable and if so, how do I cable it up?

I want to keep my exiting setup and incorporate the 7001 into it if possible rather than having two seperate systems which would require separate speakers.

You're going to have a number of issues to resolve. First off, the optimum setup would be connecting "preamp" front and rear outputs from the QRX-7001 to the pair of SA-9100 amps. Problem: The QRX-7001 doesn't have preamp/amp jacks.

Second problem is that the QRX-7001 is designed such that the decoder/synthesizer output is ONLY available at the speaker connections (not the tape loop REC out jacks).

So, you "could" connect the tape 1 or 2 Play jacks for front/rear to the inputs of the Pioneer amps, but this would NOT allow you to hear the output from the VarioMatrix decoder and the QRX-7001 controls couldn't be used for balance/tone/etc.

I'd recommend trying the QRX-7001 driving your speakers directly (eliminating the SA-9100s). The QRX-7001's 35wpc X4 will probably compare quite favorably to the 60wpc of the SA-9100 at normal listening levels. The Sansui's amp/power supply section is I believe slightly beefier than the 9100. Try it that way before developing a final plan (if you haven't already).

Another solution is restoring/modifying the QRX-7001 so that it DOES have preamp/amp jacks added to the backpanel. The advantage is that you could then connect the preamp output jacks from the QRX-7001 to the inputs of the SA-9100's and have full four-channel control using the 7001's controls and all decoder functions would be available as well. That is a normal mod included in my restorations of the QRX-7001 as seen here:

Note the 8 new RCA jacks added (shown with RCA cables jumping them)

I might also have a Pioneer SA-9100 in my storage room.....email me if you want me to confirm this.

QB

 

[FSK1460]

Thanks Bob for the quick reply. Looks like I might be getting a restoration job after all. Can you email an estimate along with your SA-9100, that might be my Christmas present this year.

When the 7001 gets here, I'll try it as a stand alone first and see how it sounds. I was really hoping to hook it up with my current setup. Its gonna kind of hurt if this box ends up sounding better than my recently acquired SA-9100, SG-9500, RG-2, SR-9 & TX9500 II setup.

Its kind of like the guy that spends a fortune on his 4-wheel drive getting 4inch suspension lifts, stabilizers, BFG offroad tires, low-ratio axles, etc.. then realizing it doesn't snow where he's at. Yeah, done that too already!

Another question I been wanting to ask. With Quadraphonic, how important is it to have all four speakers the same? My current speakers are Altec Lansing Valencia's. Not only would two more be hard to come by (expensive too) but I don't have the space to accomodate them. Any particular type best suited for what I got?

Michael

 

[QuadBob]

When the 7001 gets here, I'll try it as a stand alone first and see how it sounds. I was really hoping to hook it up with my current setup. Its gonna kind of hurt if this box ends up sounding better than my recently acquired SA-9100, SG-9500, RG-2, SR-9 & TX9500 II setup.

Another question I been wanting to ask. With Quadraphonic, how important is it to have all four speakers the same? My current speakers are Altec Lansing Valencia's. Not only would two more be hard to come by (expensive too) but I don't have the space to accomodate them. Any particular type best suited for what I got?

Michael

It is very tough (if not impossible) to really compare components that are unrestored and over 30 years old. There is just too many factors.....use, condition, etc. that affect sound and performance. I can say by the specs. that your TX9500 II tuner with its 5 gang FM should be much better than the 3 gang used in the QRX-7001, but comparing the preamp/amp sections is just totally dependent on the condition of the units you have.

As to your Speakers........search here on the forums and you'll find numerous back posts regarding matching speakers for quad use. Bottomline; Four matched speakers are the optimum. But, dealing with the realities of your listening room and wallet and availability it isn't hard to understand why you might not be setting up four Valencias!!

You might consider going to Klipsch for the rear channels.....take a look at Klipsch Heresy's (or Heresy IIs).........easily available, usually run $300-500 per pair, smaller "bookshelf" size, and with their Horn-loaded (mid/tweeter) and 12" woofer should be a nice match to backup the big Valencias.

QB

 

[aquadad]

My question is, I have a Pioneer SA-9100 amp and would like to connect the 7001 up to it for the front speakers and then get another SA-9100 to use for the rears. Is this doable and if so, how do I cable it up?

Hello,
You might find some useful info in this thread on the same subject...

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/showthread.php?p=43961

 

[Quadzilla]

My question is, I have a Pioneer SA-9100 amp and would like to connect the 7001 up to it for the front speakers and then get another SA-9100 to use for the rears. Is this doable and if so, how do I cable it up?

I want to keep my exiting setup and incorporate the 7001 into it if possible rather than having two seperate systems which would require separate speakers.

Let's look at this from a different angle. Doubling the power of an amplifier ... in the case of a 7001, going from 35 wpc to 70 wpc ... will give you 3 more decibels of sound output. ONE decibel is supposedly the smallest increase or decrease in volume that the human ear can detect. The increase in volume you MIGHT hear is going to be negligible.

On the more subjective side of things, I am sure that the Sansui will SOUND a lot better than the Pioneer. I own one, along with a $hit-load of Bryston stuff, and it is a ballsy unit in its own right. Why don't you do an A-B comparison with a stereo source, using only the front channels of the 7001? Let us know what you find. Mike.

 

[FSK1460]

Well, the 7001 should arrive in a couple weeks or so. I'll have to give a report and see how it compares to the Pioneer. In the mean time, I'll do some research and try to find some rear speakers to go along with my new set.

 

[FSK1460]

Holy Amazement! I've finally tried out my QRX-7001 today and can't believe what I've been missing. Had the mode set to surround sound and with four speakers connected, I'm hooked! Haven't tried any Quad records yet, I'll have to get some soon. It didn't do much of anything just listening to FM, but with the cd player running, it really took off. I see what some of you guys meant by how certain cd's separate the sound and others don't have any effect. Somehow this system knows which speaker to play different parts of the music to. Its really nice. When you switch back to 2-channel mode and don't have the back speakers playing, you realize what you've been missing out on.

Comparing the sound to my Pioneer SA-9100, I have to say the 9100 had a more clearer and fuller sound. But that may just be due to the age and condition of the equipment. The 7001 is probably due for a QuadBob resto, I just don't know if I can send it off for three or four months and do without it. I'm kind of spoiled now!

One problem I've ran into, is the 7001 does not have as many input connections as the SA-9100. Question: can I hook all my devices up to the 9100 and then use its headphone jack (with an adapter) outputed to the aux port on the QRX-7001? Will that work or will I blow something out?

 

[Quadzilla]

One problem I've ran into, is the 7001 does not have as many input connections as the SA-9100. Question: can I hook all my devices up to the 9100 and then use its headphone jack (with an adapter) outputed to the aux port on the QRX-7001? Will that work or will I blow something out?

Don't use the headphone jack, use one of the Tape Outputs from the Pioneer into one of the Tape Inputs of the Sansui. The headphone jack will sound like crap. Glad to see you are hooked! It is a great receiver. Also, you might want to try hooking up the outputs of a stereo TV set or VCR ... MUCH better than Dolby Surround ... and a LOT of TV shows are in surround sound. You will continue to be amazed. A lot of commercials have a pretty cool effect as well. Enjoy! Mike.

 

[FSK1460]

I'll give that a try and see how it works. Thanks!

 

[FSK1460]

Well, I tried connecting my sa-9100 tape out to the aux port on my QRX-7001 and it worked. My tape, cd, phono, tuner, etc is connected to the sa-9100 and the 7001 handles the volume, balance, etc controls.

However, the sa-9100 doens't add any kind of amplification to the signal like I thought it would. In fact it doesn't even have to be powered on, it acts only as a switching/patch panel.

Since the sa-9100 has pre-amp connectors, could I connect the pre-amp out from the 9100 to the aux on the 7001? Would that work? If not, could I hook the "tape out" on the 9100 to the "pre-amp in" on the 9100 and then hook the "pre-amp out" to the QRX-7001 aux?

Thought I'd ask before experimenting. Snap, Crackle, & Pop isn't my favorite sound!

 

[QuadBob]

Well, I tried connecting my sa-9100 tape out to the aux port on my QRX-7001 and it worked. My tape, cd, phono, tuner, etc is connected to the sa-9100 and the 7001 handles the volume, balance, etc controls.

This is exactly how you should be doing it. Leave it this way unless/until you're ready for a more complex arrangement.

However, the sa-9100 doens't add any kind of amplification to the signal like I thought it would. In fact it doesn't even have to be powered on, it acts only as a switching/patch panel.

This is fine, and you DO NOT want it to be amplifying the signal if you're feeding it into the QRX-7001.

Since the sa-9100 has pre-amp connectors, could I connect the pre-amp out from the 9100 to the aux on the 7001? Would that work? If not, could I hook the "tape out" on the 9100 to the "pre-amp in" on the 9100 and then hook the "pre-amp out" to the QRX-7001 aux?

No, you do not want to do this! The preamp connectors on the SA-9100 are there ONLY so that you can substitute either another preamp (replacing the internal preamp of the 9100) or another amplifier (replacing the internal amplifier in the 9100). As the QRX-7001 stock DOES NOT have preamp/amp connections.....you should not feed these into the "line" level inputs expected at the QRX-7001's AUX, Tape, etc. connectors.

Doing so risks overloading the line level input of the 7001 (if you turn the 9100's volume up to much), and doesn't really accomplish anything other than adding another set of volume and balance controls which the 7001 already has (and that you can't presently bypass anyway).

QB

 

[FSK1460]

Thanks Bob for the clarification. I didn't think it would work, but thought I'd ask before trying (I'm a non-smoker!). You had mentioned before you could modify the QRX-7001 to incorporate pre-amp connections...

Would hooking the SA-9100 (I'd need two of them one for fronts the other for rears?) to the pre-amps on the QRX-7001 actually bypass the amp circuit in the 7001 or does it just add to it?

 

[Quadzilla]

Thanks Bob for the clarification. I didn't think it would work, but thought I'd ask before trying (I'm a non-smoker!). You had mentioned before you could modify the QRX-7001 to incorporate pre-amp connections...

Would hooking the SA-9100 (I'd need two of them one for fronts the other for rears?) to the pre-amps on the QRX-7001 actually bypass the amp circuit in the 7001 or does it just add to it?

Just leave it as you have it. The preamp modifications that Quad Bob is talking about are to allow you to use the QRX-7001 as a quad preamp/decoder and feed 4-channels of power amplification. That is not at all what you are trying to do. It is a great idea if you want to add power down the road, but then you wouldn't be using your Pioneer units.

If you DID want to upgrade a bit, get a good quality preamp in place of the Pioneer integrated (since you aren't using it's power amp anyway). I use a Bryston 0.5B to feed my Sansui QSD-2 ( basically your QRX-7001 without everything BUT the decoder). Live with things as they are for now.

Did you try the TV out yet? Mike.

 

[FSK1460]

I guess I'm a little confused now. What I'd eventually like to do (I think) is connect two SA-9100's to my QRX-7001. One driving the front speakers and the other driving the rears. The purpose being to simply have more watts running to my speakers.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what everyone tells me, supplying more watts (via bigger amp) to your speakers gives a richer fuller sound or better quality sound?

That being the case, I thought adding the 60wpc from the SA-9100 to the 35wpc from the QRX-7001 would equal or surpass that of the QRX-9001.

Besides the Dolby NR, isn't the additional watts the main advantage of having the 9001 over the other models?

 

[Quadzilla]

I guess I'm a little confused now. What I'd eventually like to do (I think) is connect two SA-9100's to my QRX-7001. One driving the front speakers and the other driving the rears. The purpose being to simply have more watts running to my speakers.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what everyone tells me, supplying more watts (via bigger amp) to your speakers gives a richer fuller sound or better quality sound?

That being the case, I thought adding the 60wpc from the SA-9100 to the 35wpc from the QRX-7001 would equal or surpass that of the QRX-9001.

Besides the Dolby NR, isn't the additional watts the main advantage of having the 9001 over the other models?

Did you not see my earlier post about watts? Rather than repeat it, let me just say that your 9100s are NOT a lot more powerful than your 7001 ... and you are WRONG about more watts giving you richer fuller sound anyway. It is simply NOT that easy. There are a LOT of factors that come into play ... including the design of the amps themselves ... AND your speakers.

I have a Yamaha 6.1 home theatre receiver with 90 or 100 watts per channel, but I bypass its amplifer and use it as a preamp/processor to three Bryston 2B-LP power amplifiers with "only" 60 watts per channel each ... BECAUSE the sound is "richer and fuller" and LOUDER from the "smaller" amps.

PLEASE read my earler post. There is no good reason to try and incorporate your Pioneers, other than as switching units. The Sansui is simply better on its own.

Mike.

 

[FSK1460]

Hey Mike, Regarding the power rating of the SA-9100, I wasn't saying it was more powerful than the QRX-7001. What I was getting at was if I could combine the two together (35wpc + 60wpc) that would generate more than what the QRX-9001 puts out. Or, have two 9100's connected to the 7001 (one for the fronts and one for the rears) after having the pre-amp modifications done of course.

I understand there are many factors in what makes a good amp and that more watts alone does not make a better unit. But isn't the main reason to owning a 9001 vs 7001 is to get more wpc? That being the case, wouldn't having a bigger amp then provide a richer sound? Otherwise why get the bigger amp in the first place? I understand some low-watt tube amps sound really good, but then why would you even need a 100wpc or more amp?

Based upon my A/B test, I have to say the Pioneer sounds a bit smoother and richer to me. Again, that may simply be due to the condition of the QRX-7001. I do plan I getting it restored when I can.

Finally got to try it connected up to the TV. Without having any center speakers, it just didn't seem right somehow. I'm used to voices coming from the direction of the TV and not the stereo speakers in the corner. Kind of like watching the old Japanese Godzilla movies where the lips and the words don't sync up. Were those movies suppose to be comedies?

 

[Quadzilla]

Hey Mike, Regarding the power rating of the SA-9100, I wasn't saying it was more powerful than the QRX-7001. What I was getting at was if I could combine the two together (35wpc + 60wpc) that would generate more than what the QRX-9001 puts out.

It simply doesn't work that way. Someone ease might want to jump in here. I'm kinda done. Mike.

 

[FSK1460]

Sorry Mike, wasn't disagreeing with your statements. I was just trying to understand the reasoning behind having a bigger amp. If my QRX-7001 has plenty of power, wpc, or whatever, then what is the benefit of having a bigger amp such as the QRX-9001 which has almost double the watts per channel 60wpc vs 35?

If it doesn't provide a richer or better sound, then what's the purpose of having more wpc? Is it just for those with inefficient speakers, bragging rights, or wanting to play music loud enough for neighbors down the road to hear?

If someone can explain that, perhaps it would make a little more sense. Thks

 

[aquadad]

Hello FSK,

I'm not sure of what you are trying to configure but you may want to check out this thread: https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/showthread.php?p=42431#post42431
A picture is worth a thousand words, check out this thread too: https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/showthread.php?p=47599#post47599

Also, the 7001 is known for having a grainy sound (sonically speaking)compared to the 9001. QB modifies it so that the grainyness disappears. This is a mod that is in addition to the recapping which also makes a significant improvement in the sonics.

Another difference between the two is that the CD-4 demodulator in the 9001 is an improved design over the 7001's that is capable of getting better results with less hastle. You also get the 4 vu-meters on the 9001 so you can see how discrete your results may or may not be... just in case your ears are failing more than you eyes are