Quadraphonic with 4 monoblocks ?

[Philips Quad]

Greetings. everyone, I hope it is OK to reopen an old conversation in a new thread. ?

I bought and tried the 5 pin DIN to 35mm Jack cable from AMAZON, it works on the phono, monitor and tape inputs but the sound is disappointing. In comparison with the sound of the receiver on an FM station, the volume is about 1/6th and the sound is nowhere near as crisp, so much so that it is really not worth listening to, I prefer to continue listening to wav files on my tablet, cell phone and PC through good earphones.

I am refinishing the wood finish in the four AKAI speaker cabinets.
The sound of the Philips receiver and the 4 AKAI speakers might not be the best, but it is certainly impressive and extremely powerful which I very much enjoy. I don't get tired of listening to music on this set which is I feel the ultimate quality test.

As to my purchase of a true quad amp I have been considering the following: Since monoblocks .ie. 2 monophonic amplifiers are considered better for stereo than an integrated stereo amplifier, I imagine 4 monoblocks would be better for Quadraphonics than an integrated quad amp. I have been toying with the idea of buying 4 monoblocks in kit form which can be a lot less expensive than buying them ready built. I imagine some kind of 4 track preamp or soundcard would be necessary to split the wav. file sound and send one track to each monoblock. I need the expert opinion of forum members on this perhaps crazy idea; I would like advice on what I would need besides the 4 mono amps and how to connect them. Thanks in advance.

As mentioned before I compose music, I am not a professional by a long shot, so no surprise if most people won't want to listen to my eccentric non pro compositions. I have recently uploaded some waltzes which are short pieces and hopefully as fun to listen to as it was fun writing them. I wish to share my music site with members of this forum as a token of appreciation for the kind words of guidance and advice.

http://thelevitatingpiano.simplesite.com

 

[Soundfield]

Four mono-blocks will make an excellent basis for a quad system ( I did it that way for years). The trouble will be be in finding a suitable 4 Ch. pre-amp to drive them. You will also still need some form of decoder (depending on the format of the encoded recordings you wish to play) to provide a source of four channel signals.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Greetings. everyone, I hope it is OK to reopen an old conversation in a new thread. ?

I prefer to continue listening to wav files on my tablet, cell phone and PC through good earphones.

As to my purchase of a true quad amp I have been considering the following: Since monoblocks .ie. 2 monophonic amplifiers are considered better for stereo than an integrated stereo amplifier, I imagine 4 monoblocks would be better for Quadraphonics than an integrated quad amp. I have been toying with the idea of buying 4 monoblocks in kit form which can be a lot less expensive than buying them ready built. I imagine some kind of 4 track preamp or soundcard would be necessary to split the wav. file sound and send one track to each monoblock. I need the expert opinion of forum members on this perhaps crazy idea; I would like advice on what I would need besides the 4 mono amps and how to connect them. Thanks in advance.

The monoblocks will work fine. The problem is going to be the decoder or DAC (Digital to Audio Converter).

What you need will depend on what is available as an output from your devices. If you can output over HDMI this may work:

https://www.amazon.com/HDMI-Multi-C...words=multi+channel+dac&qid=1617034334&sr=8-4

If not but you can output using optical toslink then this may work;

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KD9NVX...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

If neither connection is available on your digital devices then you have no way of getting a multichannel signal out of them.

Your phone will be limited to stereo. Your tablet and/or your PC may have HDMI. If your PC is a desktop, you can probably also buy a soundcard to go inside to provide a connection.

You also need a way to control volume. The sources may allow that.

 

[ar surround]

Four monoblocks? So cool! You will have no problem with doing it given that a four channel amp is essentially four monoblocks sharing a common chassis and power supply (the weak link.)

I hope that the amps you are considering have VU meters...Not that you need them, but the meters will help you balance the system if there are slight differences in the performance of the individual units. Also, VU meters raise the cool factor.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

4 of these would be cool (don't know Jack, but it's got the word Quad in the descrip. )

• 300 Watt Quad Balanced Monoblock
• Vacuum tube powered
• 

https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/amplifiers/MC2301

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Just be sure to check the power on the amps and compare them to the power you'd get from a used receiver. If they are close, then consider the price, knowing the AV receiver will come with the DAC already built in along and you will also get source switching, volume control, tone controls, and decoding high res digital formats.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

4 of these would be cool (don't know Jack, but it's got the word Quad in the descrip. )

• 300 Watt Quad Balanced Monoblock
• Vacuum tube powered
• 

https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/amplifiers/MC2301
View attachment 65259

I'm sure he can afford crap like that.

 

[Philips Quad]

The monoblocks will work fine. The problem is going to be the decoder or DAC (Digital to Audio Converter).

What you need will depend on what is available as an output from your devices. If you can output over HDMI this may work:

Amazon.com

If not but you can output using optical toslink then this may work;

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KD9NVX...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

If neither connection is available on your digital devices then you have no way of getting a multichannel signal out of them.

Your phone will be limited to stereo. Your tablet and/or your PC may have HDMI. If your PC is a desktop, you can probably also buy a soundcard to go inside to provide a connection.

You also need a way to control volume. The sources may allow that.

Thank you so much. I am mainly interested in playing wav. files exported from Sibelius software, they are usually stereo but I understand 4 track wav. files are possible to export from Sibelius. Please forgive my ignorance, as I understand a wav file is already audio, the problem is the 4 tracks is it not? Sibelius can export Audio, Music XML and MIDI files. I believe it can export files of as many tracks as one wishes.
I found this in a 2013 Post from an Australian member:
"Many BD players and AVRs don’t like pure quad (4.0) files. If you add a silent centre and LFE channel to create a 6 channel (5.1 file) your quad WAVs should play. The standard channel layout for 5.1 in FL, FR, C, LFE, SL, SR. So adding two silent channels between your quad front and rears (FL, FR, SL, SR) is the fix. "

Maybe that is something useful in my case? In this case I would need some kind of 5.1 pre amplifier that can receive wav fileas perhaps? I am as you see a bit confused.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Thank you so much. I am mainly interested in playing wav. files exported from Sibelius software, they are usually stereo but I understand 4 track wav. files are possible to export from Sibelius. Please forgive my ignorance, as I understand a wav file is already audio, the problem is the 4 tracks is it not? Sibelius can export Audio, Music XML and MIDI files. I believe it can export files of as many tracks as one wishes.
I found this in a 2013 Post from an Australian member:
"Many BD players and AVRs don’t like pure quad (4.0) files. If you add a silent centre and LFE channel to create a 6 channel (5.1 file) your quad WAVs should play. The standard channel layout for 5.1 in FL, FR, C, LFE, SL, SR. So adding two silent channels between your quad front and rears (FL, FR, SL, SR) is the fix. "

Maybe that is something useful in my case? In this case I would need some kind of 5.1 pre amplifier that can receive wav fileas perhaps? I am as you see a bit confused.

WAV is just a format that can store PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) data. Think of PCM as the raw data stream. A PC can take a wave file and interpret it as a PCM stream. It can output that stream over HDMI, or optical Toslink, or digital coax, or even USB with the right gear. Once that data is converted to an analog signal, yes you will need some kind of preamp to at least attenuate the volume. But if you are playing everything through Sibelius, it may have a digital volume control built into its interface. You may be able to use that in place of a preamp. How do you control volume with stereo playback ? Is there a control in Sibelius that does that? If so it will probably work for multichannel as well. But you are still probably better off using an analog volume control.

The addition of empty center and LFE channels is something you might need when using a receiver, or even possibly with the DACs I linked. For whatever reason, many modern units do not recognize quad since it is an older format. If you have to add silent center and LFE, its usually not an issue.

 

[armyjazzer]

This is something I have been struggling with. I would like to use 2 Schiit Vidar amps in stereo or 4 of them in mono-block to setup a Quad system. Unfortunately I cannot find a multi-channel preamp. A 4 channel for Quad or a 6 channel that could be used for Quad or 5.1 surround would be great. I reached out to Schiit by email but got a response that they are not interested in making one. The response was not from Mike or Dave, so I don't know for sure if it was run by them, but they probably don't have a big enough market. It would be great to connect the surround master directy to a preamp and into the mono blocks!

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Unfortunately I cannot find a multi-channel preamp.

Multichannel analog preamps are quite rare, assuming anyone is still making them. And the ones that do (did) exist are (were) costly. Off hand I can think of one from Audio Research, another from Parasound, and then maybe a Macintosh. A processor with a DAC and modern surround processing is more common, but even those are relatively rare and expensive. I think I've read about folk who have adapted a pair of stereo preamps for quad. Your best bet would be the used (but not vintage) market. There are used pre/pros without HDMI capability that go for cheap. Even an older AVR with pre-outs and Multi channel inputs might work for you. I wouldn't hold my breath for anyone to market an analog multichannel preamp. Aren't the surround master guys working on one?
EDIT: Here's one for you.

 

[Philips Quad]

This is proving to be more complicated than expected. I now have to tackle several different problems.

• The 4 monoblocks idea; preamp or DAC or perhaps this? ESI MAYA44 USB+ 4 In / 4 Out Audio Interface Amazon.com Or this? Home Or trying to reach someone who builds all kind of amplifiers for fun to ask them for a plan to build?

2. The problem of getting the 4 track files to play, perhaps if I manage to make one I could post it in the forum to see if someone manages to reproduce it quadraphonically?

3. The 4 large AKAI speaker cabinets; as mentioned I'm refinishing the veneer on them, listening to them I noticed a just auditable abnormal sound on the base, I can live with it, it is not crackling, it is very even, more like the sound of clearing one's throat but constant. It is not an additional sound; it is in the way the base sounds are reproduced. I suspected the rubber rings around the woofers, following advice I inspected them and found they feel and look like new and appear as can be seen on the photo to be rubberised cloth! The interior of the 4 cabinets looks brand new, when in fact they are 50 years old! Nice surprise.

 

[Soundfield]

3. The 4 large AKAI speaker cabinets; as mentioned I'm refinishing the veneer on them, listening to them I noticed a just auditable abnormal sound on the base, I can live with it, it is not crackling, it is very even, more like the sound of clearing one's throat but constant. It is not an additional sound; it is in the way the base sounds are reproduced.

Do all four speakers make that noise? It sounds to me as though the cone and hence the voice coil is misaligned and scraping on the magnet as it moves in and out. But I would not have expected all four speakers to exhibit that same fault. If you very gently push the bass cone straight in with your finger for a few millimetres, it should move in and out freely, but does it make a scraping noise / can you feel something rubbing? If so , that is your problem.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

I'm unsure if either of the options you linked will work. The 2nd option has no DA conversion at all that I can see. It is strictly an analog mixing device. The 1st option is meant for USB connection to a PC, but I cant tell if that is to get a digital signals out of the PC or to provide a signal into the PC. I'm not sure what the input is.

if you post a sample file here, i'm sure we would be glad to try it out for you.

 

[proufo]

Maybe that is something useful in my case? In this case I would need some kind of 5.1 pre amplifier that can receive wav fileas perhaps? I am as you see a bit confused.

Hello fellow Bogotanian!

The easiest-to-get multichannel preamp you can obtain is a Lexicon MC8, frequently available for relatively little money at ebay.

It accepts, among other configurations, 2 stereo inputs and 2 5.1 inputs.

It includes lots of additional capabilities, virtually complete for 2010 or so. There is even a model with balanced outputs.

You can get a Bluray player with 5.1 analog outputs and a USB slot to play WAV files, among other options.

 

[proufo]

This is something I have been struggling with. I would like to use 2 Schiit Vidar amps in stereo or 4 of them in mono-block to setup a Quad system. Unfortunately I cannot find a multi-channel preamp. A 4 channel for Quad or a 6 channel that could be used for Quad or 5.1 surround would be great. I reached out to Schiit by email but got a response that they are not interested in making one. The response was not from Mike or Dave, so I don't know for sure if it was run by them, but they probably don't have a big enough market. It would be great to connect the surround master directy to a preamp and into the mono blocks!

A Lexicon MC8 with XLR outputs would be ideal for Vidar or Aegir monoblocks. In fact, my dream setup is based on Aegir amps in mono!

 

[cbmmm3]

Multichannel analog preamps are quite rare, assuming anyone is still making them. And the ones that do (did) exist are (were) costly. Off hand I can think of one from Audio Research, another from Parasound, and then maybe a Macintosh. A processor with a DAC and modern surround processing is more common, but even those are relatively rare and expensive. I think I've read about folk who have adapted a pair of stereo preamps for quad. Your best bet would be the used (but not vintage) market. There are used pre/pros without HDMI capability that go for cheap. Even an older AVR with pre-outs and Multi channel inputs might work for you. I wouldn't hold my breath for anyone to market an analog multichannel preamp. Aren't the surround master guys working on one?
EDIT: Here's one for you.

I use a Classe SSP-60. Classe did other analog Pre's. SSP-30MKII, SSP-75.

 

[ar surround]

A Lexicon MC8 with XLR outputs would be ideal for Vidar or Aegir monoblocks. In fact, my dream setup is based on Aegir amps in mono!

@Philips Quad , That Lexicon MC8 that proufu recommends is a rock solid piece of equipment. I’ve been using a Lexicon processor since 2006 without a hitch.

 

[armyjazzer]

I would prefer to buy something new. Ebay is too big of risk for the price they are asking for the Lexicon units, most don't look like they are in very good condition. Maybe if I keep looking a really good one will show up. I sure wish surround master would build a 6 channel preamp or level control with remote, etc..

 

[HomerJAU]

An option would be to use two Dual Mono amplifiers (Dual Mono is a single chassis with two independent power supplies and amplifiers). There’s a few companies that assemble HypeX based amplifiers worldwide which are high performance/price ratio).

There’s many AVRs that can be used a preamp for Quad. Although finding one with both multichannel analog ins and analog outs limits your options. Plenty with just analog outs. An AVR would allow you to input all sorts of HDMI devices from BD players, media players and TVs (and analog devices with analog inputs). Worth considering IMO.

My current main setup uses a Denon AVR as a decoder/preamp with analog outs to two main power amps. One a dual mono 2 channel and the other a tri channel with two power supplies, one for C and other for two side channels. All are rated 400W into 8ohms (1200W into 2ohm).

Edit: Link to similar HypeX based amps from a US vendor:

https://vtvamplifier.com/ncore/