I can see that you are even more desperate and pissed off about the CD-4 debacle than me, but I had never heard about antistatic fluids (OK, VOCs would definitely do them in) ruining the playback of these discs. I'm still trying to figure out which is the more devious invention of the devil...CD-4 or golf.
It will be a travesty if both Gordon Lightfoot quads never see the light of day on blu-ray.
LOL
I go back to the early 70's with CD-4. First with a Harmon Kardon outboard demodulator bolted onto a H-K 150+ SQ (barely) receiver, then on to the Sansui QRX9001.
My "love" with CD4 is more like love-hate. When the LP is a good pressing, new or mint, not been played with an elliptical stylus or otherwise abused, kept immaculately clean (I used Discwasher liquid and brush), then it usually, but not always, had glorious playback. Sometimes, brand new LP's didn't play "perfectly" with noise.
Finding used CD-4 LPs in good shape on Ebay is an exercise in: door #1 - total waste of money, door #2 - feeling that at least it plays if noisy, door #3 - getting awfully lucky in which case you thank the CD-4 gods for taking pity on you that day.
I've learned 1) not to take Ebay seller descriptions at face value and 2) only look at mint or no less than near-mint. Anything other than new, still sealed, mint or near-mint is throwing your money away. Even near-mint is a crapshoot. The chances are close to 100%, unless very lucky, that the LP has been checked only with stereo playback if checked at all, or has been found sitting in a humid, moldy attic/garage & collecting so much crud, dust & mold that it takes a vacuum record cleaning machine (which I got several years ago out of frustration) that all you're going to hear is crackling noise. I've cleaned a number of Ebay CD4 acquisitions that I've cleaned several times with the RCM and still are full of noise - they've been trashed and I wasted the money.
Issues are not having low cap cables, not the turntable (from a Dual 1229 to Music Hall MMF7), not the CD-4 demod I have, being in the 9001, is pretty darn good. Because I do have CD-4 LP's that have excellent playback and separation even close to 50 years later! But I don't abuse them, don't play them often and they are stored properly and played back with the correct cartridge & stylus (Audio Technica AT14sa). I think a lot of the issues with CD-4 are due to people didn't know the proper gear to play them out of ignorance of the cartridge, stylus, cables needed. Or didn't have quad gear at the time so just played as stereo with whatever they had.
Yes, CD4 was a debacle and even when it works well, it's not really "high fidelity". When you think about a 45Khz signal being cut into the bottom of the grooves on normal vinyl of that era, (RCA's were some of the flimsiest - Dynaflex what a joke!) it's a miracle it works at all.
Still, I wouldn't get rid of my CD4 playback capability and the LPs I have collected since the mid 70's. Some great music & the only way to listen in quad.
Which is why, seeing Rhino bring some of these treasures to hi-rez digital is fantastic!!