Chicago Quadio - 9 Quad Albums on Blu-ray Audio.

[bossfan]

Well then it is certainly something good to look forward to.

 

[fredblue]

For years I was a die-hard 5.1 guy; now I've gone to 4.0 using 4 identical towers. This is so much easier to balance and I'm getting very comfortable with no center pointing directly at me. My Quadio set hasn't arrived yet but my expectations keep getting higher and higher.

Like I said on here the other day if you went back in a time machine and told the Quad engineers that one day their 4-channel sound would have evolved into 6-channel (even before you started telling them it had grown beyond that with 7.1, 9.1, Atmos, Auro 3D and all that jazz..!) with a dedicated centre channel and a subwoofer, they would have laughed their heads off.. and scratched their heads while laughing them off (how's that for coordination! its like rubbing your tummy and patting your head at the same time, only laughing it off while scratching it off! :ugham: ) The centre and LFE are primarily for movies, are they really necessary with a lot of surround music? (again all just imho but I don't think so).

If you've got like pipe organ stuff or dance music with ultra low bass content the LFE could come into its own for music (stereo & surround.. and in situations with inefficient speakers and/or underpowered amps there are said to be gains through achieving greater headroom in the full-range channels by letting the sub handle the power hungry lower frequencies).. and then there's the sub/sat systems where the main speakers can't handle much of that bass so its crossed over to the sub but the last couple of instances are not so much a 5.1 Vs 4-channel music thing, though they're interlinked.. the point is how often is that low low bass of the LFE channel really essential in music? Not often..

If the centre is used creatively for effects in a surround music mix I guess it can be 'cool'.. but its really there to anchor dialogue to the screen for films.. I used to kid myself otherwise for the longest time.. and don't get me wrong I love isolated vocals in the centre channel and all that caper.. but when you play it all back those vocals mixed to appear as from the centre front should appear to come from front centre anyway whether 2 speakers across the front or 3..

..also, I went through a phase of thinking the centre really brought out the vocals in things like the Nat King Cole 3-channel SACDs.. but it was actually that my system was not properly calibrated with distance & EQ and relative to the front L & R speakers by design my centres were not timbre-matched with my fronts (and here's where Audyssey and all those EQ setup routines can come into their own, for showing just how differently tuned all those horizontal centre speakers so many of us have/had under/over our tellies & screens are..!) since I sussed the speaker setup more, that centre channel with those 3-channel mixes all but disappeared, or rather became better integrated with Front Left & Right.. and Nat's voice was more natural again in the mix, rather than sticking out so much.

Anyway.. back to Chicago Quadio, I hope you get your set soon wavelength (and I hope you are not disappointed!) cos fwiw I think its an outstanding example of 4-channel music (and a fully loaded surround music box set at that, with not one, not two, not three, four or even five but 9 surround music albums in total!) and you're all setup for optimum 4-channel music playback already.. your excitement levels now, on a scale of 1 to 10, they gotta be an 11 right?

 

[fredblue]

I'm sorry, but you've lost me here Lad. Does she sing on a Chicago album?

"bassy fullness" = Bassey fullness.. the Shirley Bassey quotes from a "Rock Profiles" piss take comedy show we got over here a few years ago (an attempt at humour, 'tis all.. but when I have to explain a joke, well I guess the joke's on me! )

Ps.I wish I were a Lad.. very much a middle-aged geezer now!

"Take me back to Chicago..
cos hustlin's not my style..
LA life was just too hard,
I wish I could be a child.."

 

[himey]

For years I was a die-hard 5.1 guy; now I've gone to 4.0 using 4 identical towers. This is so much easier to balance and I'm getting very comfortable with no center pointing directly at me. My Quadio set hasn't arrived yet but my expectations keep getting higher and higher.

One thing to think about is when you play 5.1 mixes and a phantom center is needed. Some processing needs to be done with a possibility of sound degradation. A lowering of samplerates in uncompressed formats. Someone on audiokarma forum mentioned this with an Oppo.

 

[wavelength]

One thing to think about is when you play 5.1 mixes and a phantom center is needed. Some processing needs to be done with a possibility of sound degradation. A lowering of samplerates in uncompressed formats. Someone on audiokarma forum mentioned this with an Oppo.

Perhaps but I'm finding that using 4 identical towers outshines my previous 5.0 configuration that used surrounds for the rears. I even had 3 identical towers for the F,C, and R in that 5.0 system but again the rears that I am using now correct a lot of issues - namely the overall evenness of the total surround field - which to me trumps avoiding signal processing in my Oppo 105. I thought about getting another matching center tower but as I get experienced with my current configuration I find myself drifting away from that idea.

 

[wavelength]

Like I said on here the other day if you went back in a time machine and told the Quad engineers that one day their 4-channel sound would have evolved into 6-channel (even before you started telling them it had grown beyond that with 7.1, 9.1, Atmos, Auro 3D and all that jazz..!) with a dedicated centre channel and a subwoofer, they would have laughed their heads off.. and scratched their heads while laughing them off (how's that for coordination! its like rubbing your tummy and patting your head at the same time, only laughing it off while scratching it off! :ugham: ) The centre and LFE are primarily for movies, are they really necessary with a lot of surround music? (again all just imho but I don't think so).

If you've got like pipe organ stuff or dance music with ultra low bass content the LFE could come into its own for music (stereo & surround.. and in situations with inefficient speakers and/or underpowered amps there are said to be gains through achieving greater headroom in the full-range channels by letting the sub handle the power hungry lower frequencies).. and then there's the sub/sat systems where the main speakers can't handle much of that bass so its crossed over to the sub but the last couple of instances are not so much a 5.1 Vs 4-channel music thing, though they're interlinked.. the point is how often is that low low bass of the LFE channel really essential in music? Not often..

If the centre is used creatively for effects in a surround music mix I guess it can be 'cool'.. but its really there to anchor dialogue to the screen for films.. I used to kid myself otherwise for the longest time.. and don't get me wrong I love isolated vocals in the centre channel and all that caper.. but when you play it all back those vocals mixed to appear as from the centre front should appear to come from front centre anyway whether 2 speakers across the front or 3..

..also, I went through a phase of thinking the centre really brought out the vocals in things like the Nat King Cole 3-channel SACDs.. but it was actually that my system was not properly calibrated with distance & EQ and relative to the front L & R speakers by design my centres were not timbre-matched with my fronts (and here's where Audyssey and all those EQ setup routines can come into their own, for showing just how differently tuned all those horizontal centre speakers so many of us have/had under/over our tellies & screens are..!) since I sussed the speaker setup more, that centre channel with those 3-channel mixes all but disappeared, or rather became better integrated with Front Left & Right.. and Nat's voice was more natural again in the mix, rather than sticking out so much.

Anyway.. back to Chicago Quadio, I hope you get your set soon wavelength (and I hope you are not disappointed!) cos fwiw I think its an outstanding example of 4-channel music (and a fully loaded surround music box set at that, with not one, not two, not three, four or even five but 9 surround music albums in total!) and you're all setup for optimum 4-channel music playback already.. your excitement levels now, on a scale of 1 to 10, they gotta be an 11 right?

Hey I'm totally on a high right now but for an entirely different reason - Milos Raonic (Canadian) just made it to the Wimbledon Final; beating Roger Federer no less.

But yeah can't wait to play my quadio. I just had a go at the new Tacet sacd Beethoven's 9th - now there's some power!

 

[himey]

Perhaps but I'm finding that using 4 identical towers outshines my previous 5.0 configuration that used surrounds for the rears. I even had 3 identical towers for the F,C, and R in that 5.0 system but again the rears that I am using now correct a lot of issues - namely the overall evenness of the total surround field - which to me trumps avoiding signal processing in my Oppo 105. I thought about getting another matching center tower but as I get experienced with my current configuration I find myself drifting away from that idea.

Full range rears makes a HUGE difference. Much more than I could have imagined. Get the matching center WHEN you stumble over ONE at a low price.

 

[wavelength]

Full range rears makes a HUGE difference. Much more than I could have imagined. Get the matching center WHEN you stumble over ONE at a low price.

I'm not so sure I want a center speaker anymore. There's something about it pointing straight-on, directly at you that causes it to become too dominate; thus a surround field balancing issue arises again.

 

[kap'n krunch]

I'm not so sure I want a center speaker anymore. There's something about it pointing straight-on, directly at you that causes it to become too dominate; thus a surround field balancing issue arises again.

OK , we are all different (I myself have to constantly adjust the volume on the rears, even though I calibrate them with white noise regularly), but my center channel , the only "small" one in my rig and thus has to be turned up when calibrating my setup, does not dominate the soundfield....

Different engineers have different approaches...Steven Wilson , in my system, is rear heavy, Elliot Scheiner is not...

 

[himey]

I'm not so sure I want a center speaker anymore. There's something about it pointing straight-on, directly at you that causes it to become too dominate; thus a surround field balancing issue arises again.

I don't have that issue and there are some 5.1 mixes that have so much info in the front three, I want it discreet. Each speaker simply doing its job effortlessly. No need for the mains to pick up the load for an absent center and no extra work for the processor, which in some cases will downsample the entire signal to handle the extra workload. YMMV

 

[wavelength]

I don't have that issue and there are some 5.1 mixes that have so much info in the front three, I want it discreet. Each speaker simply doing its job effortlessly. No need for the mains to pick up the load for an absent center and no extra work for the processor, which in some cases will downsample the entire signal to handle the extra workload. YMMV

Something to think about. Thanks.

 

[himey]

OK , we are all different (I myself have to constantly adjust the volume on the rears, even though I calibrate them with white noise regularly), but my center channel , the only "small" one in my rig and thus has to be turned up when calibrating my setup, does not dominate the soundfield....

Different engineers have different approaches...Steven Wilson , in my system, is rear heavy, Elliot Scheiner is not...

Pick up an affordable nice sub and hook it up to the center only so you can run everything large and no bass management. I saw a sweet m/k sub locally yesterday for $50. Good deals can be found.

https://tampa.craigslist.org/psc/ele/5671700312.html

 

[leahypc]

Please note that this thread has been "cleaned up". Nothing has been deleted. I moved posts that did not reference the Quadio Chicago release, or suggested releases of non-WEA titles and speculation. Those thoughts and scribblings can continue in the off-shoot thread located here:

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...ff-Topic-Posts-from-the-Chicago-Quadio-Thread

Please continue here to discuss the Quadio Box set, including when you ordered it, when you got it, who you got it from, the status of any replacement discs, dealing with Rhino, playing the discs properly, discussions from other internet forums and web sites, and anything else directly related to the box or Quadio past and present.

If you want to discuss potential box sets from other companies or artists not signed to WEA/Rhino, either start a new thread or post in the new thread.

This will keep this thread on topic and readable for future members and guests going forward who do not want to wade through posts having nothing to do with this box or Quadio.

Thanks for understanding

Does anyone remember this post? Please. For F*&k's sake, can't we keep this thing on the rails?

 

[seremetcc]

After inquiring as to where my box set order (placed June 10) is with Importcds, they told me today that a glitch in the system cancelled my order and now the product is on back order. Not happy. You guys are killing me with your reviews....

 

[GOS]

I want to comment again on "how" you need to listen to this Quadio. Thanks to Mike the Carp.....I mean, Mike the Fish....I now have my Denon set correctly that allows me to hear this Chicago Quadio in the best possible manner. If, you have Audyssey you really do need to go to Audio, then Audyssey and then turn OFF the Dynamic EQ. If you had it turned on, I suspect you may initially think that you have less bass. I did.

But after further listens to Quadio, I am simply astonished at how much better it sounds. Particularly just the separation of sounds, including the vocals. Others have commented on the vocals sounding recessed. I was one of those people. I have since realized that it was simply a setting on my AVR. Now, since the change, I finally went to the POLLS and voted...and voted a 10. No problem. Is there a progression in overall sound quality as you get deeper into the box? Yeah, to some degree...but now with the correct settings it's not nearly as noticeable. I can honestly say I am fully pleased with this box and it is such a damn no brainer that anyone passing on it is gonna really regret it. Especially if you are any kind of Chicago fan.

Finally, I think posts like this are VERY relevant because many fans of 5.1 music may be disenchanted if they don't get the proper settings...and also realize that we are talking about Quad....which is 4 channel. Not 5.1...it just isn't. So, forget having the vocals staring at you from your center speaker....just get over it. This is a different audio format and either you like it..or you don't. I personally love it. It's a nice addition to the normal 5.1 world.

 

[wavelength]

Does anyone remember this post? Please. For F*&k's sake, can't we keep this thing on the rails?

I appreciate where you are coming from but all (or most) of the posts about 4.0 vs 5.1 came about because this is a quad release. So it wasn't as far off topic as you may have thought; imo anyways.

 

[JonUrban]

Does anyone remember this post? Please. For F*&k's sake, can't we keep this thing on the rails?

Thanks leahypc. Trying to reign in threads here at QQ is quite an ordeal. We tend to go off on many tangents, good and bad.

In this case I would tend to agree that settings in the audio playback system that affect the listening experience of the Quadio discs are probably relevant and worthy of staying. Since this is not a poll thread, there's even more wiggle room. Not so sure about the Dionne Warwick, but there's a new thread for that.

But still everyone, stay on the beam, OK?

 

[fredblue]

Thanks leahypc. Trying to reign in threads here at QQ is quite an ordeal. We tend to go off on many tangents, good and bad.

In this case I would tend to agree that settings in the audio playback system that affect the listening experience of the Quadio discs are probably relevant and worthy of staying. Since this is not a poll thread, there's even more wiggle room. Not so sure about the Dion Warwick, but there's a new thread for that.

But still everyone, stay on the beam, OK?

..and there you have it dear QQ-ers, when you see posts on Dionne Warwick in these here forums, take a leaf out of her book and just "Walk On By"

:walker
(sorry folks, couldn't resist! Yours, Cap'un Puntastic )

 

[JonUrban]

..and there you have it dear QQ-ers, when you see posts on Dionne Warwick in these here forums, take a leaf out of her book and just "Walk On By"

:walker
(sorry folks, couldn't resist! Yours, Cap'un Puntastic )

That's What Friends are For! (Now back to Chicago) :yikes

 

[splinter7]

After inquiring as to where my box set order (placed June 10) is with Importcds, they told me today that a glitch in the system cancelled my order and now the product is on back order. Not happy. You guys are killing me with your reviews....

I feel your pain with ImportCD. My set was missing a disc and they have done little to help me other than provide a postage paid return label.
It takes an average of 4 days for them to respond to any email. Every time I call during business hours, the recording says they are closed.

I asked if they could send a replacement set. They stated their system can't handle that. They will refund after they receive the return but it could take 30 days to process. Next i asked if they could send a replacement and charge a provided card if the return doesn't show up in a reasonable time. No can do. Finally I asked if they could at least reorder at the pre-order price with the promo discount available at the time. They eventually agreed but said I could not use Paypal again. I used Paypal as my family helped fund the purchase as a Father's Day Gift.

Recommend staying away unless you need to turn to them for price.

Sorry Jon - saw an opportunity to vent.