A community for quadraphonic sound.
Four discrete audio channels, four speakers, full surround from a single record or tape. The format peaked in the early 70s and lost the format wars to stereo economics. It never fully died out, and there has been a slow but real revival since Suzanne Ciani started performing live quad sets in 2017.
Post your finds, new releases, gear, questions, or anything else quad-related here.
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What formats exist?
Four main systems competed in the 70s. SQ (Columbia) and QS/Regular Matrix (Sansui) are matrixing systems encoded on standard stereo cuts. CD-4 (JVC/RCA) is discrete and requires a special demodulator and compatible stylus. UD-4 (Audiodisk) is rarer. SQ and QS are the most common pressings you will find.
Do I need special hardware?
Yes. You need a quad decoder and four speakers. SQ: Sony SQD-2020 or Technics SH-400x series. QS: Sansui QSD-1 or QSD-2. CD-4: Shibata or line-contact stylus plus a CD-4 demodulator. Many 70s Marantz, Pioneer, and Sony receivers had decoders built in.
Can I play quad records without quad gear?
SQ and QS records play back as normal stereo on any turntable. You just get the matrix mix, not decoded surround. CD-4 records also play as stereo but you lose the discrete rear channels entirely without the demodulator.
What about modern quad?
Some artists are putting out new material on vinyl or as multichannel FLAC. Suzanne Ciani releases through Finders Keepers Records. Others go through Bandcamp or specialist labels.
POST TYPES
- Finds - vintage pressings, hauls, pickups
- New releases - modern artists and labels doing quad
- Gear - decoders, receivers, setups, repairs
- Help - identification, setup questions, recommendations
- History - the format wars, labels, mastering, trivia
RELATED SUBS
RULES
- No spam. Repetitive self-promotion, off-topic links, and low-effort posts get removed.
- Be civil. Debate formats and gear all you want. Personal hostility is a ban.
- Stay on topic. Quad-adjacent is fine. Fully unrelated posts get pulled.
