Music for Four Ears and Other Sound Ideas

A Year ago, quadraphonic sound was little more than a gleam in an audio engineer's eye. Granted there were a few units on the market--primarily four-channel amplifiers and a few reel-to-reel tape recorders--but there was virtually no material to play on them, so few stores even bothered to demonstrate the systems. True, a form of four-channel record had been developed in Japan, and in the U. S. some experimental FM broadcasts had been done in four-channel. But even manufacturers who had invested a good deal in research and development to produce prototypes of various four-channel units doubted their acceptability by a public that seemed convinced that if God had meant us to listen to four-channel sound, He would have given us four ears.

But what a difference a year makes. Today we have four-channel everything: tape recorders--cartridge and cassette as well as reel-to-reel units--amplifiers, receivers, special four-channel adapters and even four-channel headphones. While "discrete," or fully separated, four-channel sound produced by the various tape units is with us in much the same form as last year, now we also have "matrix" four-channel sound in which decoders, either as separate plug-in units or built into four-channel receivers or amplifiers, produce quadraphonic sound by decoding the specially encoded records that have begun to appear on the market by the dozens. Perhaps most important of all, the various decoders do an excellent job of simulating four-channel sound from existing stereo records, quite a few (text continued on page 98) of which actually contain, impressed in their grooves, according to some authorities, four-channel information that we were never able to hear before, so that even a nonencoded record can be given a new sense of aural spaciousness. Quadraphonic sound, in short, does not make your present record collection obsolete--if anything, it enhances it.

The problems of compatibility also have been largely solved. A quadraphonic record, played on a regular stereo set, will sound just as good as, if not better than, a standard stereo record. Quadraphonic records that have been encoded via the matrix system can also be broadcast by FM stations with no changes required in station equipment nor, for that matter, with any special permission needed from the FCC. On the receiving end, all that's required is your present stereo FM tuner, plus the decoder, extra speakers and the second stereo amplifier (if necessary) that you've already purchased to listen to your four-channel records. And what if, heaven forfend, you have only monaural equipment? If it's compatible with quadraphonic as well.

Before detailing the various units available, a brief rundown on just what four-channel sound is all about might help. True four-channel sound--called discrete--requires four completely separate sound sources, two stereo amplifiers and four speakers, preferably set in the four corners of the listening room, so you are, in effect, surrounded by sound.

Stereo purists, of course, argue that once four-channel goes beyond adding the ambient effects of the concert hall, it becomes unrealistic, that this is hardly the way you hear sound at a musical performance, where the audience is on one side of the footlights and the musicians are on the other. And they're perfectly right--but four-channel sound has nothing to do with concert-hall realism. What it actually is--sonically speaking--is audience participation. Instead of the audience surrounding the performance, the performance surrounds the audience; namely, you. If you wish to sit in with the second violins, why not? And if you wish to be surrounded by your favorite rock group, it's in no position to object. Four-channel sound is sound in the round, with you at the center of the audio vortex; it's highly egocentric, extremely personalized, electronic and completely nonrealistic--it's a new dimension in sound that has nothing at all to do with what happens when you buy a ticket to see a musical show or sit in a concert hall, or, for that matter, sip coffee at the local coffee shop with your friends while the group on the tiny stage goes through its paces.

And that's the point of quadraphonic sound: It's a brand-new way to enjoy music, and it's as exciting and innovative in its own way as the discovery of perspective was to artists of the 15th Century.

Oddly enough, while quadraphonic sound may have little to do with the way a musical performance is usually presented, it has everything to do with the way we actually hear. "Stereo" sound has always been a misnomer--it's an attempt to equate a sonic presentation with the way we see, not with the way we hear. We see from side to side (and are blessed with depth perception), but we cannot see what is behind us unless we turn our head. Not so with the way we hear. The reason God didn't give us four ears is that He didn't have to; by cleverly placing one on each side of our head, He gifted us automatically with surround sound--we hear in front of us and behind us, as well as from side to side and up and down. We are at all times literally submerged in a sea of sound that washes against us from all sides.

As far as concert-hall realism goes--the moment you buy a record, you're far removed from anything that's realistic. You hear the performer with a clarity you seldom hear in the concert hall, you can "sit" anywhere you wish by merely turning the volume knob up or down, and if you so desire, you can call him back for an endless number of encores. Concert-hall realism? The concept becomes even more absurd when you consider that few groups--or symphony orchestras, for that matter--could possibly create at a live performance the equivalent of the multi-channeled, overdubbed, carefully engineered and edited performances that are released on records. In short, the purist who complains about the unreality of quadraphonic sound is one with those who hooted Bob Dylan off the stage when he showed up with an electric guitar instead of his standard acoustic one. Their numbers dwindle every day and, with time, even they will admit that alongside quadraphonic, stereo sound may have become as old-fashioned and as unsatisfying as monaural.

Discrete four-channel programed material is currently available in this country only in tape format, primarily four-channel cartridges called Q8 and released mainly by RCA, although some reel-to-reel material is available. The quadraphonic records currently on the market are made by mixing four separate sound sources (via an encoder) into two channels and then, using your little black box to decode the two channels, back into four on playback. This matrix four-channel is not quite comparable to discrete four-channel when it comes to separation between channels, but aurally speaking, it can be quite good indeed, and by adding more circuits to some of the decoders, the separation in matrix four-channel becomes very nearly the equal of discrete.

There are at this writing a number of decoders on the market, most of which are compatible with one another--at least to a degree; a record encoded via one system can usually be quite successfully decoded with another system's decoder. Since this is not true in all cases, be sure to check before you buy. Every decoder, however, will enhance the listening qualities of your present stereo records.

One of the simplest and least expensive decoders is die Dynaco Quadaptor ($29.95 factory assembled, $19.95 in kit form). Of the major decoders available, it is the only one that does not need an additional stereo amplifier--your present stereo unit can drive all four speakers. While few records have been encoded via the Quadaptor approach, the unit is recommended for use with all Stereo-4 encoded records (those encoded with die Electro-Voice EVX-4 system, which includes discs by Ovation, Project 3, Crest, Crewe and a number of others). However, a system using the Quadaptor is a minimum system and if later you wish to go into discrete four-channel sound as well, you'll have to buy that extra stereo amplifier.

The EVX-4 Decoder (Electro-Voice, $559.95) requires that you purchase another stereo amplifier but boasts this advantage: There are a number of quadraphonic records on the market encoded specifically for his system. As with other decoders, use of the unit does not degrade the high-fidelity aspects of the records played nor of the system itself. (A kit version of the EVX-4 Decoder is available from Heath as Model AD-2002 for $29.95.)

As opposed to the Quadaptor and the EVX-4 Decoder, which have minimum controls, die Sansui QS-1 Synthesizer is equipped with VU meters for each channel as well as a number of other controls, and costs correspondingly more ($5159.95). Although few records encoded via the Sansui method are available, it does a creditable job of decoding Stereo-4 encoded records and can also handle sound from a discrete four-channel source such as a four-channel tape deck, cartridge unit, etc. As with the EVX-4 Decoder, it requires another stereo amplifier in addition to the one you already have. (Additional models are available with built-in amplifiers.)

Although the Quadaptor, the EVX-4 and the Sansui QS-1 are more or less compatible, the SQ decoders developed jointly by CBS Laboratories and Sony Corporation of America are not. Based on another matrix system, they differ radically from the others and, while they're just as capable of enhancing ordinary stereo records, it would not be advisable to use these units to decode records encoded via other systems. The Sony SQD-1000 ($96.50) has additional circuits to improve front-back separation, but, like the EVX-4, a rear-channel amplifier is required. The SQA-200 costs more ($127.50) and doesn't have the added circuitry of the (continued on page 204) Sound Ideas (continued from page 98)first unit, but does have a stereo amplifier built in; all you need to add to your present stereo setup is the decoder plus an extra set of speakers. The SQ system also has the advantage of starting out with an initial 52-record release by Columbia, Vanguard and Ampex; these are scheduled to be priced at a dollar above regular list.

There are numerous decoders available, but these are the major ones and most of the others differ primarily in model designation and not significantly in circuitry. Most of the systems, except for the CBS / Sony units, have a degree of compatibility, but at least one company, Electro-Voice, will be on the market in the late winter with a universal decoder capable of decoding both the Stereo-4 and the CBS / Sony systems (other manufacturers will undoubtedly follow). The unit, costing only slightly more than the present EVX-4 model, will automatically sense the encoding mode and switch to it.

After the development of decoders, the next step was the manufacture of add-on stereo amplifiers with built-in decoders to give four-channel ability to existing stereo sets. With these units, plus two additional speakers, your system can handle either discrete or matrixed four-channel sound sources. The Electro-Voice Model E-V 1244X amplifier has a built-in EVX-4 Decoder and, when tacked on to your present system, enables you to play either quadraphonic records or four-channel tapes ($129.95). Another add-on unit is the Toshiba Quad Matrix Model SC410 ($169.95), essentially a stereo power amplifier with a built-in matrix decoder; it also allows for handling discrete four-channel formats. And Dynaco has combined its Quadaptor with an integrated stereo amplifier (the Quadaptor, as you recall, did not need four separate channels of amplification) in its Model SCA-80Q ($249.95 factory assembled; $169.95 in kit form) for an all-in-one unit.

As might be expected, four-channel amplifiers have proliferated since last year and there are few companies that do not offer at least one or two models. Some will handle four-channel discrete sources but will require plug-in units for decoding quadraphonic records; others will handle both. The Kenwood Model KA-8044 Quadrix Amplifier is a completely integrated amplifier with provisions for discrete four-channel or matrixed four-channel sound ($299.95). Scott's most recent four-channel unit is the Model 495, rated at a continuous 25 watts per channel in a four-channel mode, or 50 watts per channel in an optional stereo mode, and will handle matrix material as well as discrete ($349.95).

The ultimate in four-channel equipment, of course, are the units that will do everything--four-channel stereo receivers. Among the most expensive units going, they also offer the greatest flexibility and convenience. The Fisher Model 801 ($749.95, without cabinet) offers 44 watts continuous per channel, has an FM sensitivity of 1.7 microvolts, remote-control tuning and will handle both discrete and matrixed four-channel material. It also comes close to having a built-in universal decoder but is most compatible with the EVX-4 system, though somewhat less so with the SQ system. And if and when discrete four-channel FM broadcasts (as opposed to matrixed) become reality, the Model 801 will be ready for that, too.

Another giant when it comes to flexibility is the Sansui QR6500, which is actually an AM/FM two-channel and four-channel stereo receiver-synthesizer-decoder-amplifier and control center ($679.95 plus partial surcharge). For four-channel sound, it will do everything that's currently possible--synthesize quadraphonic sound from stereo records, decode it from encoded records, handle four-channel discrete sources, etc.

As with stereo, there are four-channel compacts, some of which exhibit a flexibility that's truly amazing. The Panasonic SC-8700 is a four-channel receiver with discrete four-channel ability as well as that of decoding encoded material. One of the joys of the SC-8700, which it shares with a few other units, is that it can actually provide two program sources to two different rooms in the house--you can, for example, play conventional FM-stereo in your living room while piping music from stereo records to remote speakers in a distant bedroom. (With one set of speakers, $429.95. Additional SB-170speakers, $99.95 the pair.)

In discrete four-channel, the biggest breakthrough is in the cartridge format, partly because of RCA's release a year ago of a number of tapes in the Q8 mode. (Bear in mind, incidentally, that since half of the eight tracks are used for the rear channels, the total playing time is also half of what it would ordinarily be.) Any number of manufacturers are making four-channel cartridge players, both for the automobile and for the home, but among the leaders are Fisher, with its Model CP-100 cartridge tape deck, which not only will play two- and four-channel program material but automatically switches to the correct mode ($169.95). The Qaudio Model 702 cartridge tape player by Toyo is complete in itself, with its own power amplifiers, tone, balance and volume controls, plus a VU meter for each channel. (With four speakers, S249.85.)

As of this writing, four-channel cassette units are very scarce, but Astrocom has a superior unit in its Model 307 ($499.95). This is a four-channel stereo cassette deck, capable of two- or four-channel record and playback of cassettes or automatic reverse play of prerecorded two-channel stereo cassettes (which means it's not necessary to turn them over to play them back). For four-channel record and play, your total tape-play time--like that of cartridge tapes--is halved.

Open-reel tape manufacturers have gradually increased the number of their four-channel models and for the quadraphonic enthusiast it's important to remember that this is the system that offers the best fidelity of the various discrete four-channel systems. Akai has entered the lists with a compatible two-or four-channel tape deck, the Model 173OD-SS, a two-speed unit (71/2 and 33/4), featuring automatic shutoff ($389.95).

Sony/Superscope has four tape decks in its Quadradial line, of which the Model TC-366-4 is a relatively inexpensive unit with automatic total mechanism shutoff, tape / source monitoring, sound-on-sound capability and many other features ($499.95). As with cassette and cartridge four-channel units, total recording time for any specified length of tape is cut in half when used in the four-channel mode. Like the Akai unit, the model is completely compatible with stereo recording and playback. Incidentally, forget about automatic reverse in the four-channel record-and-play mode--if you wish to replay, you will have to rewind.

Which just about covers quadraphonic sound--except for the most striking development of all, four-channel headphones, made possible by the addition of an extra reproducer in each earpiece mounted slightly toward the rear. The Koss Model K2+2 Quadrafones ($85) are compatible with conventional stereo amplifiers as well as with four-channel ones. And available from Electro-Voice in the near future: headphones that contain their own decoder and that will create the effect of four-channel sound when plugged into the conventional stereo amplifier (and when playing a quadraphonic record). This means four-channel sound without adding either an extra amplifier or an extra set of speakers.

Before leaving quadraphonic sound, some reminders: Compatibility may be a problem. Before you buy a unit, be sure you know with which systems it's compatible. Also remember that the position of the listener is more critical with respect to four-channel sound than it is with stereo. And if you're a tape-recording enthusiast, don't forget that the running time of tapes in four-channel is just half that of stereo. Finally, and definitely on the plus side, remember that quadraphonic sound will, in most cases, give you a sonic flexibility you never dreamed of with your old stereo set.

And speaking of stereo, that field has been just as active as quadraphonic. Receivers have traditionally offered the most value for the dollar and the new models are no exception. Particularly surprising this year has been the appearance of really excellent units priced around $200. Representative of these is Sherwood's Model S-7100 ($199.95), an AM/FM-stereo receiver rated at 25 watts continuous per channel with an FM sensitivity of 1.9 microvolts. It features front-panel headphone and tape-recording jacks, as well as a main- and remote-speaker switch, and the price includes the walnut cabinet--an unbelievable bargain when compared with units of just a few years ago. Besides Sherwood, Pioneer, Sansui, Fisher, Sony, Marantz and other manufacturers offer units in the same price range and with just about the same degree of flexibility. Contenders for honors at the upper end of the receiver spectrum include Altec Lansing's Model 725A, a high-powered (60 watts continuous per channel) unit with an FM-tuner sensitivity of 1.8 microvolts and front-panel tape-recorder input and output jacks as well as a host of other features. You name it, the 725A probably has it ($699, without cabinet).

In an age when some of the new top-of-the-line speakers seem to have become progressively less efficient, the amplifiers needed to drive them have become correspondingly more powerful--some of them could drive not only all the speaker systems in your house but half of those in Washington's John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as well. Marantz, for example, offers the professional Model 500, rated at 250 continuous watts per channel when connected to eight-ohm speakers and an incredible 500 when connected to four-ohm systems ($1200). In addition to Marantz, Phase Linear has the Model 700, which puts out a continuous 350 watts per channel ($779), and a Model 400, more conservatively rated at 200 watts per channel ($499). In the small, select field of superb preamplifiers, one of the more recent entries is by JVC. Its Model PST-1000E/5011 features a graphic tone controller for each channel, which splits the audio-frequency spectrum into seven sections with a separate slider control for each ($699.95).

One of the more visually fascinating items, introduced a year or so ago, is the digital readout tuner, which has no tuning scale as such but indicates station frequency via the illuminated numbers on readout tubes. The most recent model is Sherwood's SEL 300 ($579), a top-of-the-line unit with an FM sensitivity of 1.5 microvolts, a four-channel output jack for use when (and if) a system of broadcasting four discrete channels is approved by the FCC, front-panel jacks for headphones and tape dubbing, a noise filter and even a control for regulating the brightness of the readout numbers.

Surprisingly enough, turntables--ordinarily items that differ relatively little from one year to another--have recently undergone some radical transformations. The Garrard Zero 100 ($189.50), a two-speed automatic turntable, offers almost zero tracking error by virtue of an articulated tonearm head that slowly swivels as the arm travels across the record, so that the stylus remains perpendicularly tangent to the record groove at all times. Panasonic, usually noted for its excellent moderately priced units, offers an expensive--and novel--model in its SP10, a two-speed table featuring a D. C. servomotor with the record platter mounted directly onto the motor shaft; the unit is claimed to have virtually no motor hum, wow, flutter nor rumble ($335, including base but no tonearm; dust cover optional for $15). Toshiba's Model SR-50 has a photoelectronic cartridge in which the stylus effectively modulates a beam of light (with anti-skating and viscous damped cuing, $449.95, including base). A precision English import is the Transcriptor hydraulic reference turntable. It has a tonearm with a unipivot to minimize friction; the pivot is immersed in a silicone oil bath for proper cartridge damping. (Includes transparent Perspex hinged cover, $365, from Audiophile Imports.)

McIntosh, a company well known for its ultrareliable amplifiers and tuners, has invaded the speaker field this year with three different models--a bookshelf unit and two floor-standing models, ranging in price from $312 for the bookshelf MLIC to $1012 for the ML4C. The first features a 12-inch woofer and a seven-inch midrange, plus a dome radiator and a coaxial super radiator to handle the treble ranges; the latter adds three more 12-inch woofers, three additional dome radiators and an extra super radiator.

Another speaker company, JBL, has created quite a stir with its Model LI00 Century, the "supershelf," a three-way adaptation of its studio monitor, with front-mounted controls hidden under the waffle grille ($273); while the Bose Corporation has introduced a modified version of its original Direct/Reflecting design in the new Model 501; this gives almost comparable performance to its more expensive Model 901, at a substantially lower price ($124.80). Yet another recent entry in the loud-speaker field that utilizes the rear and side walls of the listening room to reflect much of the sound from the speaker, thus contributing to a sense of spaciousness, is EPI's Model 601 ($249), a multispeaker unit with a linear-frequency response of from 35 to 18,000 cycles.

The state of the art in speaker systems is probably best represented by Infinity Systems Servo-Statik I ($1995 in walnut finish; Brazilian rosewood, add five percent), consisting of two electrostatic panels for the left and right channels and an 18-inch bass feedback woofer housed in its own commode. Along with the panels and the woofer goes a 110-watt monophonic amplifier for driving the bass speaker; this unit also contains an electronic crossover network and level controls for highs and lows. Separate stereo power amplifiers are needed to drive the mid- and high-frequency sections of the electrostatic panels, so the total financial outlay for the Servo-Statik I is not exactly small; on the other hand, the dedicated stereo buff will find the quality of sound hard to surpass.

On the tape front, chromium-dioxide and cobalt-oxide tape formulations have improved signal-to-noise ratios substantially. More and more cassette units have been equipped with the Dolby noise-reduction system, while several additional manufacturers are offering separate versions of the Dolby system for use with both cassette and reel-to-reel recorders. Teac, for example, offers the Model AN-50 for cassette decks ($49.50), though more elaborate versions are also available. Kenwood offers another system featuring different circuitry, the Model KF-8011 Audio De-Noiser ($199.95). More open-reel recorders are having noise-reduction systems built in while, at the same time, their over-all performance continues to improve. The Tandberg Series 4000X has a Crossfield head for better reproduction of highs, offers sound-on-sound and echo effects, electronic remote-control start-stop facilities and built-in 7"x4 " speakers ($459). The series is available in quarter-track stereo (Model 4041X) or half-track stereo (Model 4021X).

No roundup would be complete without mentioning record care. The perennial Dust Bug ($6.50) has been joined by the SA-100 Record Cleaning Machine from Syantific Audio, which retails for a mere $595 and not only sudses your discs with a special cleansing agent but has a vacuum system that sucks up the goop and dirt afterward. (A less expensive model will soon be available for $179.95.)

This past year, the developments have come so thick and so fast (last-minute news is that RCA, Panasonic and JVC have come close to perfecting the compatible, discrete four-channel disc) that it's difficult to imagine much room left for further improvement. But don't worry; there is. And we'll tell you all about it next year.

Because of the surcharge and revaluation of overseas currencies, prices of various components may differ somewhat from those at the time we go to press.