Lou Dorren: A new CD-4 Demodulator!!! [ARCHIVE]

[loudorren]

Hello CD-4ites,

The first pre-production prototype will be sent to Jon Urban shortly. The engineering drawings for the case are being finalized and the metal shop will generate a test sample to make sure every thing fits. As soon as Jon makes his evaluation and reports to us how it works I will be taking the real orders. How that will be done will be spelled out here. This one is going to be a goody!

Any one who has waited until now to get you name on the list, time is running out. We currently have 92 confirmed. To review the New CD-4 demodulator comes with a high performance CD-4 cartridge and is priced at $505.00 USD per unit not including shipping. Spares will be available as well as spare styli and a spare semiconductor service kit(prices to be announced .

Lou Dorren

 

[LB-V]

Very exciting news Lou! Very anxious to hear the results of the test run by Jon when he gets it! :sun

 

[quattro64]

Great thread add me to the list!

 

[Quadro-Action]

For safety my comment here after my further order of 3 demodulators, because the counter in the order thread says only 94 (after 93 before). I think, it should be exactly 96 (93 + 3). Or the counter shows only the number of mails - not the number of demodulators?

Dietrich

 

[RenoKen]

Thanks for the status report Lou. Looking forward to hearing about the eval results.
Ken

 

[wa6ubw]

Have no worry. I'm keeping a "master list" off line which is Lou's official count.

I'm sending you a PM confirming your total order. The number 93/95 is the number of posts in the forum. The count of orders shown in gray in the posts is a running tally by Jon Urban.

For safety my comment here after my further order of 3 demodulators, because the counter in the order thread says only 94 (after 93 before). I think, it should be exactly 96 (93 + 3). Or the counter shows only the number of mails - not the number of demodulators?

Dietrich

 

[quattro64]

Hey Lou, will the cartridge be a strain gauge type? You seem to like those. How hard are the old ones to source or get rebuilt? how much would it take to build a new one that would work with your new demod?

 

[wa6ubw]

apparently I need to wake up Mr. Dorren again so he can reply to quattro64??

 

[bmoura]

Any recommendations for a current turntable model to use with the new Dorren CD-4 Demodulator?

 

[Quadro-Action]

Hello Lou,
gradually I should begin with the preparation for our fan-paper "Quadro-Surround" issue 1/09. Do you mean, that the test report from Jon Urban for your new Demodualtor is ready in around 2 or 3 weeks? Then I could wait this time longer for also a print of this report for the interesting fans here in Germany and area around - especially for the 17 registered buyer of the Demodulator. A few have asked me meanwile, if this project is cancelt.

Dietrich

 

[loudorren]

Hello QQ enthusiasts,

Sorry for the delay in posting. I have been finishing the design for our new Burgundy line of Digital Audio Workstations for my Xytar company.

CD-4 Demod update

We are waiting on mechanical metal production samples to make sure every thing fits. I will announce when I have sent the prototype to Jon. I will hold the performance numbers until Jon has evaluated the unit and then I will release them.

quattro64,

The cartridge will be a magnetic generator type. Semiconductor types are just not available.

bmoura,

I like all of the Technics direct drives SL1100, SL1200 MK1 through MK5, SL1300, SL1700, SL-D3 etc.

Quadro-Action

Dietrich,

I can not give you the exact time yet. I will let you know soon.

Are you kidding, after all this work there is no "cancel". For everyones information, this project has been a personal adventure. When I started it I made one deal with myself and that was that my business obligations would come first. I have been able to keep with this deal. Some time delay to the demodulator has occurred because of work I have done for my companies and a propagation study I did for the Government.

To all QQs, It is coming soon,

Lou Dorren

 

[proufo]

To all QQs, It is coming soon

Thanks, Lou!!

 

[aludra]

Yeah Lou!!!

I know it will be well worth waiting for!!! Thanks for all your work!!

Mike

 

[kfbkfb]

Regarding Height Channel(s)
in Surround Sound Systems:

http://www.dolby.com/consumer/technology/prologic-IIz.html
Dolby Pro Logic IIz identifies and decodes
spatial cues that occur naturally in all content--
stereo and 5.1 broadcast, music CDs, DVDs,
5.1 and 7.1 Blu-ray discs, and video games.


I recall a mention of a derived height channel in a
quadraphonic system (it was just LF+RF+LB+RB) in
an article from the mid 1970s, was a discrete height
channel ever considered as an addition to CD-4 or
other discrete Surround Sound system?

Kirk Bayne
http://www.geocities.com/lislislislis/avdtv.htm

 

[quattro64]

kfbkfb

I believe that ambisonic recordings took height into consideration somehow.

Lou thanks for the update, I know there were good magnetic carts for cd-4 I went ahead and found an old panasonic quad system including an epc 451 in unused condition I will give it a try and see how it sounds compared to the new cart that comes with your system. Your new machine will work with the 451 right? I took the cover off the se-405 and it truly looks unused. Is this one of the systems that used your old chips? If so do you recall which electrolytic caps were used in this old system? Eventually I will be able to compare the se-405 to the new demod side by side, should be fun.

looking forward to the review of the proto

Q

 

[Cuadrafónico]

I am newer to the quadraphonic community than most, and I am still learning quite a bit. I have searched these boards for a list of CD-4 compatible turntables and I could not find a lot on the subject. I found one thread where a few members shared their CD-4 setups. And, I found another where Quadbob described what qualities a good turntable for CD-4 should have, but really did not list any examples. Can we put together a list of low-end, middle-range, and high-end CD-4 compatible turntables? Since I am just getting started I would likely be in the market for a dual 1225 rather than a fancy technics or marantz. In addition, any non-vintage turntables that are up to snuff would be good to list as well. That way, newer people like me could browse the list and find a table to meet our price range and still have great CD-4. I would hate to purchase this new great demodulator and then misuse it because I have a turntable that cannot handle the frequency range.

 

[LB-V]

Caudrafonico...

Well, there is actually a lot of information on the forum regarding turntables / low cap cables, wiring, etc. Dig a bit and it should be there. There are a lot of opinions out there, but all agree that it is very important to have low cap wiring internal to the turntable and in the phono cables from the table to the demodulator. As important and essential is the stylus. It must be capabale of picking up the higher frequencies (> 30Khz?). Generally, the Shibata stylus is required. AT-12s is what I use. For me, I am a little Sansui biased, so I picked up an FR-3080 off of Ebay that was in great shape. It has not dissapointed me. It is definitely not the best made turntable, but does a good job with the CD-4. I really enjoy it. The FR-5080 is also wired for CD-4. I bought a couple off of Ebay, and they turned out to be a couple of my poorest choices from Ebay. But that is the way it goes.

I believe The Quadfather has written long guides to successful CD-4 playback. And if I remember correctly, he uses a Marantz 3500????. Check his threads.

[This discussion actually belongs in a different thread, I believe. Apologies to the moderators.]

Anyway, keep researching until you get comfortable and then make the plunge. CD-4 is well worth the effort, IMHO.

 

[Doug G.]

Yes, actually, a new thread should have been started in the Legacy Hardware or Discrete section with Cuadrafonico's post.

Hmmm, I wonder if the moderators can do that now?

Doug

 

[The Quadfather]

I use a Marantz 6300 with an Audio Technica AT440MLa cartridge with a microline stylus. Although the cartridge is only rated 20 to 20,000 hertz, it performs quite well with CD-4. I believe this is because the true response is much greater, but Audio Technica doesn't want to guarantee it beyond it's rated value.

The Quadfather

 

[Quadro-Action]

If you take a MC system, many turntables are suitable for CD-4, because MC-systems have no problems with adaptation in contrasst to MM-systems and their special capacity. Most of the some "little" expensive MC-Systems have a frequency range of 50.000 Hz and needles like Shibate or sharper. I also work with MC cartridges.