RCVR: Sansui QR-4500 Quadraphonic Receiver

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Quadrockasaurus

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Joined
Jan 11, 2010
Messages
238
Location
Melbourne - Australia
If you have any more photo's or comments to make on this quadraphonic receiver please feel free to post them in this thread....:)

Sansui QR-4500 Quadraphonic Receiver


Rarity: UNCOMMON
Average Sale Price: $100 - $150.00

Most quad fans tend to pass these up thanks to the early decoders....consequently cheap. Last one here in Australia sold for a somewhat pricey $255.00. A couple of the next range higher end QRX-6500's sold here for approx. $300.00 several months back...and they are a better bet if you are interested in a Quad Sansui from this early 70's era for that sort of money, as they (..the QRX Range) are the first with the great "Vario-matrix" Quad Synthesizer that everyone raves about. The QR-4500 is still a versatile, very nice sounding early Quad unit that does a couple of very useful things that the later models do not...

The QR-4500 was second from the top of Sansui's first generation of Quad Receiver's introduced in 1971-ish. Early days for Quad so the decoders are pretty basic....no vario-matrix yet. Still great as a four channel discrete unit connected from an external decoder or even maybe a DVD player set up to mix down to 4 channels. It also includes Quad "Pre amp out" & "Power Amp in" connections missing from ALL later (QRX) Sansui Quad Receivers so you could feed this units quad pre-amp out into much more powerful power amplifiers.

Also note that on these early First Gen. Sansui "QR" Series Quad receivers...you can record a internally Quad decoded signal straight onto a connected Quad recorder...some later QRX Units won't let you do that..!!

Some Basic QR-4500 Info:

Power Output: 27 Watts (8ohms) x 4.
Weight: 41Lbs.

Inputs/Connections Available:
Phono Inputs x 2
Quad Aux In x 1
Quad Tape Loop In/Out x 1
Stereo Aux In x 1
Stereo Tape Loop In/Out x 2

Quad Pre Out
Quad Main In

Sansui QR-4500 Receiver_1972 -A.jpg

Sansui QR-4500 Receiver_1972.jpg
 
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Also note that on these early First Gen. Sansui "QR" Series Quad receivers...you can record a internally Quad decoded signal straight onto a connected Quad recorder...later QRX Units won't let you do that..!!

The QRX-6500 (Sansui's very first model with Type-B Vario-Matrix for both QS and SQ) did allow you decode a QS or SQ album with the Vario-Matrix and record it to either Q8 or Q4 recorders. It would also let you record the Hall or Surround mode synthesized quad result from standard stereo recordings to discrete quad recorders.

I did not know Sansui dropped that ability in later QRX receivers - it seems like a no-brainer to keep as a feature.

I consider it a shame that no one made a quad receiver or stand-alone decoder that could take a discrete CD-4/Q8/Q4 input and encode it to 2 channel matrix quad, either SQ or QS, and let you record it to a stereo recorder. The phase shifters were already there in the matrix decoding sections, so it wouldn't have been very hard to add a matrix encoding mode.
 
The QRX-6500 (Sansui's very first model with Type-B Vario-Matrix for both QS and SQ) did allow you decode a QS or SQ album with the Vario-Matrix and record it to either Q8 or Q4 recorders. It would also let you record the Hall or Surround mode synthesized quad result from standard stereo recordings to discrete quad recorders.

I did not know Sansui dropped that ability in later QRX receivers - it seems like a no-brainer to keep as a feature.

I consider it a shame that no one made a quad receiver or stand-alone decoder that could take a discrete CD-4/Q8/Q4 input and encode it to 2 channel matrix quad, either SQ or QS, and let you record it to a stereo recorder. The phase shifters were already there in the matrix decoding sections, so it wouldn't have been very hard to add a matrix encoding mode.

In the brief time I had it working properly, my later QRX-6001 wouldn't let me record internally Quad decoded sources..It would come out a sort of 4 channel stereo...the only way out you could record the decoded signal was through the Quad Headphone outputs. My QRX-6500 had been modded somewhat, prior to me getting it and I assumed why I could record internally decoded Quad was due to the modding. It seems whenever I read about the later QRX's the complaint would be that they can't record the decoded Quad signal....maybe I should clarify my statement above with a "some". Some of the QRX-5500/7500 owner's might want to chime in to verify whether their units can record a internally decoded Vario/CD4 signal via the units Quad tape loops.

Thanks again for the info...:)
 
In the brief time I had it working properly, my later QRX-6001 wouldn't let me record internally Quad decoded sources..It would come out a sort of 4 channel stereo...the only way out you could record the decoded signal was through the Quad Headphone outputs. My QRX-6500 had been modded somewhat, prior to me getting it and I assumed why I could record internally decoded Quad was due to the modding. It seems whenever I read about the later QRX's the complaint would be that they can't record the decoded Quad signal....maybe I should clarify my statement above with a "some". Some of the QRX-5500/7500 owner's might want to chime in to verify whether their units can record a internally decoded Vario/CD4 signal via the units Quad tape loops.

Thanks again for the info...:)

Did you have the original manual for it? I ask because the QRX-6500 instruction manual shows the hook-up's and how to decode QS or SQ and record the decoded output to discrete tape.
 
bbsansuibtn.JPGaabb1c.JPG I have 2 QR-4500's this one need some fuse holder replaced and I soldered in a new power cord. I paid around $100 with shipping, it works good, the wood cabinet needs to be stripped and refinished.
 
I know this is an old post but I just recently acquired one and just wondering where I could get or find a user manual, I downloaded the service manual from another forum. Also how do you guys connect a sub woofer? I dont want to use the speaker input too many wires. Thanks in advance.

Cheeh
 
Here is my 4500 and manuals at HIFI engine website.View attachment 27407

Can you tell me where I can find online, or can you post the users manual? My son just got a restored and refurbed 4500. Its really sweet. He's 16 and just got into vinyl last year and decided he needed to do quad a well. I was shocked. Yeah, I know the decoders are simple and he may be disappointed since he's used to hearing what I run, which is a tate and a qsd 2. But I have quite a few double copies of SQ and QS records that he will no doubt want to sample.
There's a weird control in terms of decoders, though on the 4500. I know they weren't licensed to use SQ, so where is the SQ setting on it? Is it the 45 degrees shift setting? Any help is great, although he's using it for 2 channels at the moment, I can't imagine its going to last long...
 
I spotted one of these yesterday in a local used vinyl shop with a $345 price tag.

It has the original owner's manual, and the receipt from the military exchange on Okinawa. ($276)
Very clean. Comes with the original box!

Spoke to the proprietor / tech (who was in the back working on the matching quad R to R deck).
He said he only cleaned the controls, since everything works did not re-cap.

What a piece of history, as seen here and in post #2 of this thread: https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...1972-Navy-Exchange-Catalog-Scans-(Large-Files!!)

No way am I in the market at this point in my life, but if anybody's interested, here's the business info:
http://www.lincolnvintagevinyl.com
https://www.facebook.com/LincolnVintageVinyl

Open 12-6 CST, should be getting in right about now.



If you have any more photo's or comments to make on this quadraphonic receiver please feel free to post them in this thread....:)

Sansui QR-4500 Quadraphonic Receiver


Rarity: UNCOMMON
Average Sale Price: $100 - $150.00

Most quad fans tend to pass these up thanks to the early decoders....consequently cheap. Last one here in Australia sold for a somewhat pricey $255.00. A couple of the next range higher end QRX-6500's sold here for approx. $300.00 several months back...and they are a better bet if you are interested in a Quad Sansui from this early 70's era for that sort of money, as they (..the QRX Range) are the first with the great "Vario-matrix" Quad Synthesizer that everyone raves about. The QR-4500 is still a versatile, very nice sounding early Quad unit that does a couple of very useful things that the later models do not...

The QR-4500 was second from the top of Sansui's first generation of Quad Receiver's introduced in 1971-ish. Early days for Quad so the decoders are pretty basic....no vario-matrix yet. Still great as a four channel discrete unit connected from an external decoder or even maybe a DVD player set up to mix down to 4 channels. It also includes Quad "Pre amp out" & "Power Amp in" connections missing from ALL later (QRX) Sansui Quad Receivers so you could feed this units quad pre-amp out into much more powerful power amplifiers.

Also note that on these early First Gen. Sansui "QR" Series Quad receivers...you can record a internally Quad decoded signal straight onto a connected Quad recorder...some later QRX Units won't let you do that..!!

Some Basic QR-4500 Info:

Power Output: 27 Watts (8ohms) x 4.
Weight: 41Lbs.

Inputs/Connections Available:
Phono Inputs x 2
Quad Aux In x 1
Quad Tape Loop In/Out x 1
Stereo Aux In x 1
Stereo Tape Loop In/Out x 2

Quad Pre Out
Quad Main In
 
Can you tell me where I can find online, or can you post the users manual? My son just got a restored and refurbed 4500. Its really sweet. He's 16 and just got into vinyl last year and decided he needed to do quad a well. I was shocked. Yeah, I know the decoders are simple and he may be disappointed since he's used to hearing what I run, which is a tate and a qsd 2. But I have quite a few double copies of SQ and QS records that he will no doubt want to sample.
There's a weird control in terms of decoders, though on the 4500. I know they weren't licensed to use SQ, so where is the SQ setting on it? Is it the 45 degrees shift setting? Any help is great, although he's using it for 2 channels at the moment, I can't imagine its going to last long...
No SQ on those, the 45 degrees refers to speaker location, usually labelled quarter turn, half turn or left quarter turn, half turn, right quarter turn. Assuming a traditional four corner quad setup you could rotate the speakers depending on which way you're sitting! Cool feature latter abandoned.
 
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