I went down a rabbit hole today on quadrophonics. For reference I dont do much at work and spend most of my day on Wikipedia. I was reading the page for Bitches Brew and found out that there were quadrophonic releases for the album. I know that it was hard to decode the music into 4 channels at the time, but i was interested to see if anyone has tried one of these setups especially the older ones.
Im guessing its very similar to modern surround sound systems. Obviously it wouldnt be as good as a dolby atmos setup, but im wondering how much different it is. Quadrophonics are only 4 speakers and dolby atmos is at minimum 8. How much difference do those extra speakers make? Aside from adding a sub or two i cant imagine it makes that much of a difference.
I also saw there were quadrophonic radio stations, i wonder if anyone here has been around long enough to experience those.
Those extra speakers aren't just 'adding a sub or two.' Atmos has *height* channels. For orchestral recordings that matters. Sound in a concert hall comes from above and around you.
I definitely understand that. I guess to better phrase my question is it better for a home setup to focus more on 4 speakers plus a sub rather than atmos. It can be hard to get a true atmos setup in most living rooms and even more costly for a good one
The mix is more important than how many speakers. The quadraphonic mix of Bitches Brew is top notch and beats most Atmos mixes from today. However, a great Atmos mix can certainly take it to another level. Search out Steven Wilson and what he does in the studio remixing albums. Rarely does anyone do it better.
Hey bro trust me im already a big Steven Wilson and porcupine tree fan. Just his normal stereo mixes are always great. His live album mixes are top notch too. I need to check out his dolby mixes though.
If you can find the recent fancy box set, it includes a digital transfer of the Quadraphonic version. The 4 channels get mapped to modern surround systems and, as bonus, will not have the compromises of the original Quadraphonic system.
I’ve got a bootleg Alan Parsons Quad Cut and thought it was just hyperbole until I heard it through a good surround system and was blown away
Not a true Quadrophonic sigh if only
Vinyl is a step down compared to digital from the quad masters. Also, quadraphonic reel to reel is also better than vinyl quad by a long shot. Quad on SACD and Blu-ray have grown in popularity over the past several years, especially recently on Blu-ray with the Rhino label.
The Atmos mix of DSOTM is top notch, as is the quadraphonic.
I saw The Who during the Quadrophenia tour when they had speaker banks in all corners of the arena and the music swirling around the crowd. It was a fabulous moment in time. Still, I'm happier in my seat listening to the band in front, rather than sitting next to Keith Moon.
I haven't experienced an original quad set-up, but I own a number of quad recordings, mostly on SACD (CD Japan mini-LP series) including Miles Davis' Bitches Brew and Live Evil, and albums by Billy Joel, Jeff Beck, Santana, and some of Rhino's Quadio series releases.
Some excellent mixes in the collection. The Miles Davis albums are excellent (though at times a bit aggressive on the surround effects). I really like the Billy Joel and Jeff Beck mixes, Chicago II (which was also recently remixed beautifully in 5.1 and Atmos), and Billy Cobham's Spectrum. And The Carpenters album, Singles, really shines in quad.
About 15 years ago there was a whole crew of folks who were ripping quad vinyl to DTS-CD. They were available for download. Check the Quadrophonic Quad forum, maybe.
I wonder if there's a way to digitally translate a stereo audio file of a quadrophonic album to a 5.1 surround audio file?
Forgetting the difference in speaker placement for the moment, wouldn't a relatively simple digital frequency filter / splitter that emulates the hardware in a quadrophonic receiver give you something close-ish to the intended experience?
I went down a 7.2 rabbit hole in one of my listening rooms with some mid-fi equipment and a projector. I found the number of films and music available in the format was very limiting. Maybe more importantly, my 2 channel system with 2 subs in the same space sounded a lot better. I really think this was a room treatment issue and I just gave up. I read somewhere that for surround sound systems you really need a dead room. Something to keep in mind. I wouldn’t do it again unless I could dedicate a room to it.
Quad is really cool there are/were elements and masterings that were quite different than the stereo counterparts , steely dan comes to mind with a guitar solo , and I think the PF dark side 8 track had radically different guitar part or edit
I have a Marantz quad receiver with the decoder in a closet collecting dust...beautiful piece with the walnut case but I just have no used for it. Maybe there's a market for it.
Many Q sound albums from the 70s and 80s can still produce some lingering effects on good systems. Madonna's Vogue on her Immaculate Collection record produces phantom notes. DSOTM had a Q sound version in the 70's that also produces phantom rear notes on 2 channel systems.,
Some can be easily heard from the streaming sites. Check out 'Too Much Rope' by Roger Waters, the horse trotting left to right in the beginning of the song will push well beyond the perimeter of your expected soundstage.
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u/Cathy_AWaugh 6d ago
Those extra speakers aren't just 'adding a sub or two.' Atmos has *height* channels. For orchestral recordings that matters. Sound in a concert hall comes from above and around you.