That Toyo decoder is not intended as much to decode quad records, although it would probably do better with QS, or EV Stereo-4, than SQ, as it was to enhance stereo records into derived surround. If the decoder were designed to decode SQ, it would have a separate button for it. You should be using the "4 channel" button to play those records. Considering the technology, when this decoder was made, it's as good as a cheap add-on decoder would be.
Thanks for the info. I think Quad could have caught on if the decoding techniques weren't proprietary. All receivers could have started including it standard.
Toyo claims their 'qaudio' system is QS and SQ compatible but those systems are different in the phase differences they encode the channels with. So neither standard will be decoded like they should. The Toyo will, however, respond to the phase differences. Basic SQ decoders are pretty cheap though, and if you can solder you can make your own. The basic models with the bare minimum of channel separation have just 8 or 10 transistors. For those you can expect about 6dB front to back separation, and about 3dB between the rear speakers. Better ones like sony's SQA200 are a bit more expensive but have control circuitery to direct signal to the front or rear based on the relative strength. They get about 12dB. With Adobe Audition scripts, you can get by far the best separation. I used to have scripts for AA 1.5 but i think i've lost them :( and neither do i have a working copy of 1.5 anymore. You can also encode with Audition!
Funny, I just realized I do have a QS-encoded disc (Paul D. Millar's Truck Month) that I could have tried. Maybe some day I'll have to drag it out again and see.
The Toyo unit is more on the lines of a Stereo-4 decoder. The earliest quad decoder was known as a Halfler circuit which extracted the stereo difference (L-R and R-L) from a normal stereo recording and piped it through a single speaker in the back. Later, through resistors and clever mixing, companies like ElectroVoice were able to mix certain sounds so they appeared in this stereo difference and eventually through two back speakers. The settings on the Quadio unit merely change the blend resistors which control how much mono information gets through to the back and other synthesizing effects (or in technical terms they change the decoding coefficients). For this box I suggest picking up a Stereo-4 record like "Big Band Moog" and trying it out. QS/RM is very similar to Stereo-4 although it uses phase shifting as an encoding/decoding parameter. The Toyo box should be able to place QS encoded signals in the correct speakers well enough as compatibility is fair. Your Panasonic reciever was made for a ceramic phono cartridge (BSR changer most likely) which explains why your turntable didn't directly work with it. Phase 4 was a multitrack recording process used on Decca/London stereo albums. Hope this helps. :)
That Toyo decoder is not intended as much to decode quad records, although it would probably do better with QS, or EV Stereo-4, than SQ, as it was to enhance stereo records into derived surround. If the decoder were designed to decode SQ, it would have a separate button for it. You should be using the "4 channel" button to play those records. Considering the technology, when this decoder was made, it's as good as a cheap add-on decoder would be.
Thanks for the info. I think Quad could have caught on if the decoding techniques weren't proprietary. All receivers could have started including it standard.
Toyo claims their 'qaudio' system is QS and SQ compatible but those systems are different in the phase differences they encode the channels with.
So neither standard will be decoded like they should. The Toyo will, however, respond to the phase differences.
Basic SQ decoders are pretty cheap though, and if you can solder you can make your own. The basic models with the bare minimum of channel separation have just 8 or 10 transistors. For those you can expect about 6dB front to back separation, and about 3dB between the rear speakers.
Better ones like sony's SQA200 are a bit more expensive but have control circuitery to direct signal to the front or rear based on the relative strength. They get about 12dB.
With Adobe Audition scripts, you can get by far the best separation. I used to have scripts for AA 1.5 but i think i've lost them :( and neither do i have a working copy of 1.5 anymore. You can also encode with Audition!
Funny, I just realized I do have a QS-encoded disc (Paul D. Millar's Truck Month) that I could have tried. Maybe some day I'll have to drag it out again and see.
@@wa27 nice, I love that record!
The Toyo unit is more on the lines of a Stereo-4 decoder. The earliest quad decoder was known as a Halfler circuit which extracted the stereo difference (L-R and R-L) from a normal stereo recording and piped it through a single speaker in the back. Later, through resistors and clever mixing, companies like ElectroVoice were able to mix certain sounds so they appeared in this stereo difference and eventually through two back speakers. The settings on the Quadio unit merely change the blend resistors which control how much mono information gets through to the back and other synthesizing effects (or in technical terms they change the decoding coefficients). For this box I suggest picking up a Stereo-4 record like "Big Band Moog" and trying it out. QS/RM is very similar to Stereo-4 although it uses phase shifting as an encoding/decoding parameter. The Toyo box should be able to place QS encoded signals in the correct speakers well enough as compatibility is fair.
Your Panasonic reciever was made for a ceramic phono cartridge (BSR changer most likely) which explains why your turntable didn't directly work with it.
Phase 4 was a multitrack recording process used on Decca/London stereo albums.
Hope this helps. :)
Great info, thanks!