1-27-11
Quad LP’s / Quad 8-track tapes
This has really been a multi-channel week, thus far! I am still diggin’ my Sony DAV-DZ170 5.1 Set-up. Yes, it’s a small 5.1 set-up, but it sounds OK to me. I suppose I can always add better speakers…maybe some Art Audio little white speakers…
In the 70’s, both my brother and father went for Quad. My brother had a Sansui quadraphonic receiver, but I don’t think he ever particularly went for quad LP’s or tapes. I think he had a reverb (to make a quad listening field?). My dad had a quad Pioneer receiver, and he bought a Panasonic Quad 8-track Tape player!
I have my Frank Zappa quad 8-track tapes. But I don’t think I ever went for anything else. My current collection has a few quad LP’s – but – without a decoder – no way to play ‘em in quad anymore! My most-treasured quad LP? Jethro Tull “Aqualung”, with the really re-recorded “Wind Up”!
Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side Of The Moon” has really made the format rounds: LP, Quad LP, cassette, 8-track tape, quad 8-track tape, reel-to-reel, half-speed mastered LP, CD, re-mastered CD, SA-CD…is there any other format it’s been done on that I’ve missed? There’s isn’t a Mini-disc for it, however. “Wish You Were Here” had quite a few variants as well – LP, half-speed mastered LP, cassette, 8-track tape, reel-to-reel, CD, re-mastered CD, Mini-disc…
The reason quad failed in the 70’s: too many formats – SQ, QS, Discrete, CD-4…what if you had the wrong decoder on the wrong LP? Quad reel-to-reels were few & far in between – I bet they were expensive – and probably they were they only way it (the format) ever had a decent discrete quad sound!
Since a year ago August, I started focusing on Super Audio CD’s. Even without having knowledge of multi-channel amusement, I could easily hear their improved frequency response – likely due in large part to DSD mastering (Direct Stream Digital). Getting to discover the multi-channel aspect of SA-CD’s has been astonishing, and fun. It makes me want to stop being concerned with ones that are merely ‘stereo only’, and just get multi-channel surround ones!
And as you could tell from yesterday’s post, I am a bit disappointed in the audio on Music DVD’s – absolutely no consistency! Some sound great, others – bleh!
Guess I’m just a ‘format baby’: LP, reel-to-reel, cassette, 8-track, CD, Mini-disc, DVD…
Yeah yeah yeah…just stick with stereo, you moron!
My, but those King Crimson 5.1 mixes on DVD-Audio do sound fine!
Here endeth the lesson. Clean out your ears, and focus on whatever sounds good to you!
