Hello,
I currently have a decent stereo and am collecting components for an addition to make it quadraphonic, and I have some general level questions. More specific questions I'll put in the sub-sections. I'll briefly describe what I have going on, what I intend to have going on, then ask a few questions.
The current setup is a stereo receiver with two phono, two tape loops, one aux, and a tuner of am/fm. It pushes 2 speakers wired into the A connections, with nothing in B. The sources include two turntables and a CD player in the usual places. I have a cassette tape deck in loop one, and a program route selector holding a stereo 8 track player, a blue tooth receiver, and a seldom used equalizer. I have a third turntable, unused, which matches my other two (I had a pair, then bought this third one recently).
This started me on the quad route. Since then, I have acquired a CD-4 demodulator (which can do the CD-4 and 4 channel aux in), and a quadraphonic pre-amp. The pre-amp is of the design intention to sit in a tape loop of your stereo receiver (thus accepting sources/sending front channels out to/from it) as well as a stereo out to a separate amp, as well as having multiple sources of its own: a 2 channel tape recorder in/out, a 4 channel tape recorder in/out, and 4 channel inputs for CD-4 or aux. Condensing all that; I can have CD-4, two 4 channel inputs, whatever I send it from the stereo receiver plus one more two channel input, and 2 and 4 channel outs. The pre-amp can do discrete and matrix quad as well as stereo out the rear.
The plan is to acquire a SACD player for the 4 channel aux in. I could pursue a Quad 8 tape deck, and a Quad 4 tape deck. Considering how little even the professional recordings are around, I doubt anyone personally records to either format any more, so both of those would be for playing media (although my stereo 8 track is a recorder, I have never seen a Quad 8 recorder.)
Now, for the questions:
1. A SACD player will need to have 4 channel analog out, and those are not longer made, I believe, so I will look for good used. I do not know if they can be old enough for 4 channel analog out, yet USB in (see question 2). Could I hear some recommendations of a good SACD player with hopefully both 4 channel analog out and USB in?
2. It doesn't seem like there are audiophile DACs for Quad like there are for Stereo. It looks like there are two methods, USB to a DAC in a SACD player that has 4 analog out, or have a good sound card in a PC you can set up to 4 channel analog out. I can handle the sound card end of things. Am I correct in assuming there are no 4 channel analog out stand alone DACs?
3. It also seems like there are no ADCs that do 4 channel other than a full blown mixing board. Ideally, I'd get a great cd-4 record and capture it to 4 channel digital to a PC, then burn to a SACD or just keep it on the hdd or both for normal listening. Am I correct in that conclusion?
4. Am I correct in thinking no one records personally quad 4 anymore? I know of some people recording stereo R2R.
Thank you for recommendations.
I currently have a decent stereo and am collecting components for an addition to make it quadraphonic, and I have some general level questions. More specific questions I'll put in the sub-sections. I'll briefly describe what I have going on, what I intend to have going on, then ask a few questions.
The current setup is a stereo receiver with two phono, two tape loops, one aux, and a tuner of am/fm. It pushes 2 speakers wired into the A connections, with nothing in B. The sources include two turntables and a CD player in the usual places. I have a cassette tape deck in loop one, and a program route selector holding a stereo 8 track player, a blue tooth receiver, and a seldom used equalizer. I have a third turntable, unused, which matches my other two (I had a pair, then bought this third one recently).
This started me on the quad route. Since then, I have acquired a CD-4 demodulator (which can do the CD-4 and 4 channel aux in), and a quadraphonic pre-amp. The pre-amp is of the design intention to sit in a tape loop of your stereo receiver (thus accepting sources/sending front channels out to/from it) as well as a stereo out to a separate amp, as well as having multiple sources of its own: a 2 channel tape recorder in/out, a 4 channel tape recorder in/out, and 4 channel inputs for CD-4 or aux. Condensing all that; I can have CD-4, two 4 channel inputs, whatever I send it from the stereo receiver plus one more two channel input, and 2 and 4 channel outs. The pre-amp can do discrete and matrix quad as well as stereo out the rear.
The plan is to acquire a SACD player for the 4 channel aux in. I could pursue a Quad 8 tape deck, and a Quad 4 tape deck. Considering how little even the professional recordings are around, I doubt anyone personally records to either format any more, so both of those would be for playing media (although my stereo 8 track is a recorder, I have never seen a Quad 8 recorder.)
Now, for the questions:
1. A SACD player will need to have 4 channel analog out, and those are not longer made, I believe, so I will look for good used. I do not know if they can be old enough for 4 channel analog out, yet USB in (see question 2). Could I hear some recommendations of a good SACD player with hopefully both 4 channel analog out and USB in?
2. It doesn't seem like there are audiophile DACs for Quad like there are for Stereo. It looks like there are two methods, USB to a DAC in a SACD player that has 4 analog out, or have a good sound card in a PC you can set up to 4 channel analog out. I can handle the sound card end of things. Am I correct in assuming there are no 4 channel analog out stand alone DACs?
3. It also seems like there are no ADCs that do 4 channel other than a full blown mixing board. Ideally, I'd get a great cd-4 record and capture it to 4 channel digital to a PC, then burn to a SACD or just keep it on the hdd or both for normal listening. Am I correct in that conclusion?
4. Am I correct in thinking no one records personally quad 4 anymore? I know of some people recording stereo R2R.
Thank you for recommendations.