I've never actually heard a Pioneer decode SQ, but it seems the general consensus from everything that I have read, is that even the best Pioneer SQ decoders were inferior to the better offerings from everyone else [Sony, Marantz, Lafayette, etc.]

This is just what I've gathered from reading others oppinions. I haven't heard a Pioneer decode, but I have never seen anyone say anything but negative things about the experience

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OK! I have just finished rigging up my Pioneer QX 949A that I was using as my garage stereo for the last 15 years onto my old collection of Quad lps using my old Technics Direct drive turntable setup. I have no idea why I didn't do this years ago except I really didn't want to use a turntable in my garage until I finally had the epiphany that could move the 60 lb receiver to the records. Groan. [Thats probably why!]

Anyway, my report is no different than most in that the fidelity is great on all settings [SQ, RM? CD4] but the discreteness is not as good as the Q8's i play through the same system so its the usual tradeoff.

Q4's all the way I guess if you have big money.

If you want to see the setup recorded through a cheap Canon Digital here it is on Youtube.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEE5rckem10

ken

• 4

  OK! I have just finished rigging up my Pioneer QX 949A that I was using as my garage stereo for the last 15 years onto my old collection of Quad lps using my old Technics Direct drive turntable setup. I have no idea why I didn't do this years ago except I really didn't want to use a turntable in my garage until I finally had the epiphany that could move the 60 lb receiver to the records. Groan. [Thats probably why!]

Anyway, my report is no different than most in that the fidelity is great on all settings [SQ, RM? CD4] but the discreteness is not as good as the Q8's i play through the same system so its the usual tradeoff.

Q4's all the way I guess if you have big money.

If you want to see the setup recorded through a cheap Canon Digital here it is on Youtube.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEE5rckem10

I know the CD-4 decoder was never great in the Pioneer and the SQ decoder in the QX-949 is crap. Still wondering just how good that full logic SQ decoder is in the 949A. Yes, it's not unusual that your tape sources would be more discrete, but I wish I knew how that SQ decoder sounded in comparison with well respected full logic SQ decoders. Obviously, difficult for you to judge without another SQ decoder for comparison. Let me know if you ever decide you want to part with it. I have relatives in Alberta and am up there from time to time.

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Hi, everyone!!!! My name is Dimitri. I have got PIONEER QX8000 and yet I am going to purchase PIONEER QX949. I WONDER, DOES ANYBODY OF YOU KNOW: if it is possible to adjust a pre-amp to Q949 [if YES - then through what sockets???]. I want my Q8000 to serve as a pre-amp [it has such a function as far as I know]]]] THank you all in advance!

• 6

So far through my relatively short foray into Quadraphonics, I've owned 4 SQ decoders [2 outboard, 2 onboard].

The outboards were a Lafayette SQ-L, and an SQ-W. On boards are from my Pioneer QX-9900 and a Sanyo DCX-3450K.

To start, I'll say the Sanyo is complete junk. I think there may be something wrong with it. I used Sly Stone's Greatest Hits as I have both the SQLP & Q8 so I know where instruments should go. Channel placement on the Sanyo is out in left field. It's relatively discrete, but it'll put drums in the front when they're supposed to be in back left. It'll put vocals in the back when they're supposed to be front center. It does however decode QS very well!

The 9900 has a non-logic decoder though I've read in some articles mention it has front to back logic. Who really knows? It actually separates nicely, though it's hardly discrete. I'm sure it has blend resistors. It also has a nasty habit of making anything that's supposed to appear in back left or back right appear in front center at equal volume. There may be something wrong with it too, but I've been told that's how non-logic decoders work. It decodes QS rather nicely but the QS mode can't seem to steer things to discrete corners. On The Grass Roots' 16 Greatest Hits, during "Let's Live for Today" the call-out "1...2...3...4" is supposed to appear discretely in each channel. That does not happen on the 9900.

Of the two Lafayette's I've owned, I will probably cheese a lot of people off by saying the SQ-L was the better decoder. At least it was the most consistent. It did not load up center-front with rear information like the 9900 but it also wasn't the most discrete either. It did a good job of separating front and back but there wasn't much left-right stuff going on in the rears. It also could not locate the 4 corners during a discrete test tone.

Now the SQ-W is supposed to be a full logic decoder. It was believe it or not the BEST at doing QS. It could almost beam the Grass Roots' 1-2-3-4 into each corner perfectly with nothing but echo in the other channels. Wonderful QS section on this one.