What's the Latest MATRIX LP/CD Added to Your Pile? SQ, QS, RM, EV

[gvl_guy]

Always wondered why there are so few folks from Japan here on the QQ with us? Between all the gear made over there and the music releases, they could be a valuable addition to our little world on the QQ.

Maybe a language thing? Not sure how many Japanese are proficient in English.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Maybe a language thing? Not sure how many Japanese are proficient in English.

Maybe our man @Lute would have some insight on that?

 

[Soundfield]

Maybe a language thing? Not sure how many Japanese are proficient in English.

Very few.
According to the website “how widely spoken” Japan recently ranked 40th out of 48 countries for English proficiency on the Test for English for International Communication (TOEIC) metric, meaning that Japan is one of the weaker countries in terms of the number and quality of English speakers there.

Estimates vary but a 2013 study found that only around 20-30% of Japanese people reported being able to communicate in some form of English to some level. For many of this proportion though, their English proficiency is probably restricted to purely written form with maybe a few basic words of spoken English. Real conversational fluency in English is very rare in Japan, probably at lower than 10% of the population.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Very few.
According to the website “how widely spoken” Japan recently ranked 40th out of 48 countries for English proficiency on the Test for English for International Communication (TOEIC) metric, meaning that Japan is one of the weaker countries in terms of the number and quality of English speakers there.

Estimates vary but a 2013 study found that only around 20-30% of Japanese people reported being able to communicate in some form of English to some level. For many of this proportion though, their English proficiency is probably restricted to purely written form with maybe a few basic words of spoken English. Real conversational fluency in English is very rare in Japan, probably at lower than 10% of the population.

Probably a better percentage than USA folks that know Japanese...

and in other news; found this to be an interesting little search on discogs-
https://www.discogs.com/search/?q=ス...format_exact=45+RPM&format_exact=Quadraphonic

 

[DuncanS]

I'm always embarrassed by the number of people in other parts of the world that speak incredibly good English. Every where I go we have meetings in English, which is very lucky for me! Once on a work trip I went to catch the bullet train from Kaohsiung to Taipei to get the plane home. I stood in a queue to get a ticket, apologised for not speaking any Chinese, and before I'd finished the lady behind the counter said no problem, what ticket do you want! The train announcement were in a couple of Chinese dialects and English!

Get back to the UK (from over 30degC to a cold morning at -5degC was a shock!) and stood in the queue to get a coffee at the railway station at about 7am, and when it was my turn the woman behind the counter said thank goodness somebody who can speak English, terrible!

NB: As an Engineer I have enough difficulty with just English!

 

[furui_suterioo]

Would be interesting to hear from people who were in the quad industry in Japan(hardware or software). I've tried searching things like "4 channel stereo history" in Japanese but still dont get very many relevant results.

 

[Madman Riley]

Back in the era when many of us had still-living "old country" relatives, exposure (as children) to other languages facilitated such learning later in life.

Me, I regularly heard Norwegian as a VERY small child and, later, was given a moderate amount of formal education for it in a Minneapolis Public School 4th grade classroom..
In junior High I studied French for a year, then Spanish at the University of Minnesota and, upon a subsequent return to the UofMN, took up Irish Gaelic.

That said...

Probably a better percentage than USA folks that know Japanese...

...an old joke comes to mind.

What do you call someone who speaks three languages?
Answer: tri-lingual

What do you call someone who speaks two languages?
Answer: bi-lingual

What do you call someone who speaks one language?
Answer: an American


And whaddya call someone who speaks quadraphonic?
Answer: a kindred soul brother (or sister)

 

[Lute]

Maybe our man @Lute would have some insight on that?

Yes, there definitely is a language barrier. Most Japanese can‘t speak English very well. The average bloke on the street here can read basic sentences and talk a bit of broken English in a pinch. Occasionally you‘ll come across someone who speaks fluently. They probably lived overseas for their job or something. The public school system & media have been saying for years that kids are learning new ways to study English and will be fluent in no time at all. Well, those kids are all adults now and not much has changed.

As for older guys from the 1970s Quad era, English is pretty much a no go, especially with any technical discussions on gear and recordings. Walking around Tokyo, I haven’t come across any honey holes of vintage Quad equipment. There probably were some until the internet & downloading came along. During the past 20 years, though, even regular 2-ch stereo equipment shops have been disappearing. And no doubt this COVID nonsense is putting the final nails in the coffin of any small, independent shops still lingering around. I do see some discussions of Quad on the web in Japanese. So, there is a small, underground Quad scene.

In terms of new 5.1 and Atmos surround amps and universal players, I can find new equipment in the big box shops in Tokyo. So, obviously there are surround enthusiasts here. Movie theaters here offer a variety of visual & audio formats: IMAX, 4DX, MX4D, Dolby Atmos, etc… I don’t go to theaters as a much as I used to, so I’m a bit out of the loop on that scene. But I hear a lot about this stuff from folks around me. Twentysomethings are really into the immersive Audio/Visual experience in theaters. The spirit of Quad lives on.

 

[Sonik Wiz]

Yes, there definitely is a language barrier. Most Japanese can‘t speak English very well. The average bloke on the street here can read basic sentences and talk a bit of broken English in a pinch. Occasionally you‘ll come across someone who speaks fluently. They probably lived overseas for their job or something. The public school system & media have been saying for years that kids are learning new ways to study English and will be fluent in no time at all. Well, those kids are all adults now and not much has changed.

As for older guys from the 1970s Quad era, English is pretty much a no go, especially with any technical discussions on gear and recordings. Walking around Tokyo, I haven’t come across any honey holes of vintage Quad equipment. There probably were some until the internet & downloading came along. During the past 20 years, though, even regular 2-ch stereo equipment shops have been disappearing. And no doubt this COVID nonsense is putting the final nails in the coffin of any small, independent shops still lingering around. I do see some discussions of Quad on the web in Japanese. So, there is a small, underground Quad scene.

In terms of new 5.1 and Atmos surround amps and universal players, I can find new equipment in the big box shops in Tokyo. So, obviously there are surround enthusiasts here. Movie theaters here offer a variety of visual & audio formats: IMAX, 4DX, MX4D, Dolby Atmos, etc… I don’t go to theaters as a much as I used to, so I’m a bit out of the loop on that scene. But I hear a lot about this stuff from folks around me. Twentysomethings are really into the immersive Audio/Visual experience in theaters. The spirit of Quad lives on.

I've had a few friends make it to Japan via the JET program. When they return they say the educational system is much like the USA; take a couple of years of French or Spanish and then you don't really use it anymore. If I may ask, what took you to Japan & how do you like it?

May you be my personal shopper at Tower Records, for a cut?

Haha just joking!


Really my fave idol is Chisato Moritaka. Maybe you've heard of her?

Oh and would like to point out also @national-kid is from Japan & has posted some very interesting stuff in good English. He is doing more than just using Google.

じゃあね

 

[Lute]

I've had a few friends make it to Japan via the JET program. When they return they say the educational system is much like the USA; take a couple of years of French or Spanish and then you don't really use it anymore. If I may ask, what took you to Japan & how do you like it?

May you be my personal shopper at Tower Records, for a cut?

View attachment 70763

Haha just joking!


Really my fave idol is Chisato Moritaka. Maybe you've heard of her?

Oh and would like to point out also @national-kid is from Japan & has posted some very interesting stuff in good English. He is doing more than just using Google.

じゃあね

Yes, Chisato Moritaka is a very cute, refreshing blast from the past. She has a charming voice. She’s still got “it” even though she became an オバさん (Oba-san). And I believe she has a concert tour going on now.

Recently I do most of my shopping at Disk Union. Their Shinjuku shop just moved into a brand new building. It’s very nice and just down the street from Tower Records. Now that the weather is getting cooler, I’ll have to stroll on over to Tower. The last time I was there, I was surprised to see a whole floor dedicated to used LPs. I had never seen any ‘used‘ products there before...let alone a whole floor!! I guess it‘s a sign of the times. Analog LPs have a following here, too.

I believe Tower‘s flagship store in Shibuya is still doing well. That whole area is undergoing a major facelift with lots of construction going on. Also many roads have been closed off due to the Olympics and Paralympics. I have been staying away to avoid the congestion there.

I came over here with a little help from the Japanese friends I met in my college days back in the US and also through my interest in history and Zen Buddhism. (Now I do more gardening than meditating. LOL!!! ) And finally, I ended up starting my own English school. It seems like another world. It’s funny. Nowadays most young people from overseas come here for the Anime, Cosplay, video games… oh and maybe sushi. LOL!! I gave up playing video games years ago, but unexpectedly discovered that Cosplay can be a blast. It is great fun partying up at the various costume party/events around town. From your comments, I get the impression that you spent some time here, too. Is that correct?

よろしく。

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Recently I do most of my shopping at Disk Union. Their Shinjuku shop just moved into a brand new building. It’s very nice and just down the street from Tower Records. Now that the weather is getting cooler, I’ll have to stroll on over to Tower. The last time I was there, I was surprised to see a whole floor dedicated to used LPs. I had never seen any ‘used‘ products there before...let alone a whole floor!! I guess it‘s a sign of the times. Analog LPs have a following here, too.
よろしく。

Ohhh my, there could be some nice old Quad gems hidden in those LPs Brett!

 

[fizzywiggs41]

Although not newly aquired , I thought I'd show some vinyl pictures from the 3 known Countries that issued SQ albums of the Cosmic Couriers quadraphonic albums specifically the vinyl paper labels.
Well the 3 Countries that I have anyways.

Germany , France , and Italy .

Oh and FWIW I think Canada qualifies as One Big Looney full of Loonies . Hey , It's our National Dollar for those so interested.

 

[fizzywiggs41]

Ohhh my, there could be some nice old Quad gems hidden in those LPs Brett!

My thoughts exactly, pupsi
I would love to spend a day or two browsing through those Early Japanese pressings . Hell , the 70's pressings would almost all be in some matrix quad or discrete format , or even both !!
No doubt they would have to escort me out physically at closing time . Because I'd find it very difficult to leave that shop of quad classics.

 

[Sonik Wiz]

My thoughts exactly, pupsi
I would love to spend a day or two browsing through those Early Japanese pressings . Hell , the 70's pressings would almost all be in some matrix quad or discrete format , or even both !!
No doubt they would have to escort me out physically at closing time . Because I'd find it very difficult to leave that shop of quad classics.

Oh yeah! @Lute should change his name to Lucky Lute. Check this out:

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Oh yeah! @Lute should change his name to Lucky Lute. Check this out:

Now that guy sounds like Nick Danger to me LOL; I'm still stunned at how much old scratched up LPs sell for

 

[Quad Linda]

Man, what a store and video tour! Time to mortgage the house!!

Once upon a time, there were a handful of record stores in the US that had floor after floor of records/CD's. Most, if not all had exclusively new product.

1- Tower NYC 4th & Broadway 3 floors plus mezzanine and 3 other storefronts: Video, Books & "outlet," other stores on the same block. 2nd floor in main store about as large as most Tower stores. First visit to main store: $250 poorer. It was a January storewide sale.

2- Virgin Megastore NYC Times Square. Floor upon floor and Sony Theatres & cafe inside the store.

3- Rose Records Chicago Wabash ave. (main store) 3 floors of goodness. Late '90's on, it was a Tower location. Although they didn't like you browsing understock, there were often OOP sealed new products among them.

4- Virgin Megastore - Chicago Michigan ave. 3 floor plus mezzanine

5- Music Works (Musicland on steroids) Norridge, IL. Freestanding, approx the size of 15 Musicland mall stores. (later Sam Goody)

6- J&R Music World Manhattan, NYC store. A couple floors crammed with music.

5- Amoeba LA might be only one still in business in US.

I'm sure there are many more I haven't listed here.

Other large Tower and Virgin locations throughout the country. Those were the days...

 

[jefe1]

I used to go to the Amoeba store In Hollywood(LA). Close enough on my way back to the office I could detour there for some visits
It had an upstairs and a lot of inventory. There was a big used record section in back and I found some Quads more classical than rock and a few DVDAs......there was a section for used copies.
Sadly on my last few visits the used record section shrank quite a bit and no more DVDAs.
I have not been there since before the pandemic.
They moved out of their building to a new location. Im betting it is smaller.

 

[jefe1]

Japanese record stores are amazing. Yup 8th floor was the quad section lol
There are lots of smaller record stores in other cities with stacks of records and not much walking space. You have to plough thru the stacks and boxes and look for quad records they are there.
QQ travel trip anyone? Lute will be your Japanese guide.

 

[Lute]

Ohhh my, there could be some nice old Quad gems hidden in those LPs Brett!

Yeah, I know I should look around more for Quad LPs. I go to Disk Union, etc almost every week . But since DVD-As and SACDs came out, I have been spoiled with modern surround recordings of Classical music. I‘ve kind of drifted away from acquiring LPs and am a bit rusty on what to look for. Besides being clearly labeled as Quadraphonic on LPs, is there any other less obvious labeling, coding, catalog numbers, etc… that indicates a record is Quad or has some embedded Quad matrix? (Fizzy, Scott, Linda, or anyone else are welcomed to chime in on this.)

 

[fredblue]

Yeah, I know I should look around more for Quad LPs. I go to Disk Union, etc almost every week . But since DVD-As and SACDs came out, I have been spoiled with modern surround recordings of Classical music. I‘ve kind of drifted away from acquiring LPs and am a bit rusty on what to look for. Besides being clearly labeled as Quadraphonic on LPs, is there any other less obvious labeling, coding, catalog numbers, etc… that indicates a record is Quad or has some embedded Quad matrix? (Fizzy, Scott, Linda, or anyone else are welcomed to chime in on this.)

a "Q" in the catalogue number is sometimes a pointer if there's no other indication.. some Quads only have the 4-ch info on the LP labels themselves...