SQ: Sony SQD-2020 SQ Decoder

Akaiquadster2 · Jan 3, 2022

Wagonmaster_91 said:
Same here on the 2020 vs. the 2010. Back when I got the 2010 I expected it to be better than my 2020, but it wasn't. I have my Surround Master hooked up through the discrete input of the 2020, so I get the benefits of the SM and the meters of the 2020.

That’s disappointing as I got the 2010 as people said it was better and as history shows there’s no way 2020 should be better than previous years!!

J. PUPSTER · Jan 3, 2022

Akaiquadster2 said:
describe pittance? … the lamp has gone on the display but I think it’s otherwise ok. Needs someone prepared to use it properly.

I’m in Australia so shipping might be pricey too?

the price is entirely up to you; not even sure what a decent working unit goes for these days. I'm not concerned with the shipping so much; and I'd be using it primarily for SQ LP's as a comparison to my SMv2.

par4ken · Jan 3, 2022

Akaiquadster2 said:
Well I have a few receivers with meters or scopes which are both amusing but also help - a if you dare adjust the balance between front and back etc tr

describe pittance? … the lamp has gone on the display but I think it’s otherwise ok. Needs someone prepared to use it properly.

I’m in Australia so shipping might be pricey too?

Which lamp is out? LED's seldom fail, with my second unit one of the coupling capacitors was bad causing no signal from one channel to get to the DES detector chip, which in turn controls the directional display. There was still audio output from the affected channel but just the crosstalk cancellation signals. The original owner thought it was a burnt out bulb!

Anyway the coupling capacitors should all be changed. Use a film type as there is a lot of room inside to replace the old electrolytics, they will give a bit better sound and never require replacement again.

J. PUPSTER · Jan 3, 2022

Akaiquadster2 said:
Well I have a few receivers with meters or scopes which are both amusing but also help - a if you dare adjust the balance between front and back etc tr

describe pittance? … the lamp has gone on the display but I think it’s otherwise ok. Needs someone prepared to use it properly.

I’m in Australia so shipping might be pricey too?

I may not be the right guy to own one, as I don't know the electronics' technical details, like some folks here, i.e. @Sonik Wiz, @par4ken etc.

I guess the main thing is; if you're ready to let it go to a new home, it's just a very special piece of gear that may still have some years of enjoyment realized by someone who collects and plays Quad. It does sound like it may need some going over by someone capable, to determine if it's still operating correctly.

furui_suterioo · Jan 3, 2022

So why is the SQD-2020 better than the 2010?

J. PUPSTER said:
I guess the main thing is; if you're ready to let it go to a new home, it's just a very special piece of gear that may still have some years of enjoyment realized by someone who collects and plays Quad. It does sound like it may need some going over by someone capable, to determine if it's still operating correctly.

If you were going to invest in a Tate, the Tate 1 S&IC would be "logical" imo. Even after sending it to a repair shop for recapping, I still have less into it than the cost of a full SM. Was nervous to even power it on until those caps were changed out and spare chips located, so at least it still has a chance of being fixed if/when the original chips do go bad. Wish the same could be said for the Fosgate 101A but Tate 2 chips are just more difficult to find so it's a more risky investment.

par4ken · Jan 3, 2022

Akaiquadster2 said:
That’s disappointing as I got the 2010 as people said it was better and as history shows there’s no way 2020 should be better than previous years!!

It seems that the 2020's are more plentiful, than the 2010's. The 2020 has the advantage that it was built with standard off the shelf parts (nothing unobtanium), all fully discrete components. The 2010, 2070 and the Marantz SQ2B all used the same Sony IC's. The IC's would of made production easier and cheaper for Sony. Somewhere I remember reading that the 2010 had a smother sound than the 2020, but I don't believe it. I've always been a bit let down by the performance of those Sony chip based decoders. In addition to the 2010 I have a 2070 and the Marantz SQ2B. In none of them did they bother to use vari-blend across the back just fixed blend. I hate the use of (fixed) blend in any SQ decoder, it destroys SQ's greatest advantage of full left to right separation! The Sony chipped decoders all produce the same rather lackluster SQ decode.

I used to use the Heathkit AM-1503, SQ Decoder Module, then mated it's logic with the Audionics 106A headend. The Audionics decoder had a six pole filter and sounded good on it's own without logic! I stopped using it when I got my S&IC. I stored it away with some other "junk "and well it all went missing. More recently I found another Heathkit on eBay, part of a homebuilt project that includes a stereo synthesizer circuit and rear channel amp. Anyway the Heathkit uses the Motorola SQ chips, includes vari-blend across the rear and most importantly it sounds very good. The Motorola chipset had no fiddly adjustments either, if desired you could add a "dimension control" to vary the logic action but that was not really a necessity.