Multi-channel sound through Dolby Pro-Logic II/Cinema-7 formats

[Ed Bishop]

When I was on Mike Callahan's chat board recently, I had mentioned that three songs on the Collectables Dixie Cups compilation CHAPEL OF LOVE, when played through 6-channel on my Harman-Kardon receiver played with distinct rear surround information. That was in error; I was actually listening through the Cinema-7 mode, which for most stereo recordings images sound for the three front channels and leaves mild ambience in the back(it sounds like Dolby Pro Logic II to me). What I'm curious about is whether any of you out there in cyberspace have had a similar experience with an Lp or CD you own; so far, this one's the only regular stereo CD I've played to exhibit this kind of behavior, and only three songs from the CD, at that. I had to assure one chatter that this kind of separation from regular stereo CDs--from oldies to modern recordings--is unique, since I just played the recent Peter Gabriel release UP, and while it sounds fine in Cinema-7, there is no distinct surround(yet--this one was made for DVD-A or SACD, of course--it's Gabriel, after all!).
One other thing--I also found out that, through the 6-channel analog jacks designed for DVD-A and SACD, I can play CD-4 quadraphonic vinyl with my old Sylvania demodulator. Although this meant ignoring the center and subwoofer channels(and, of course, hooking the turntable directly to the demodulator, natch)it plays pretty well. My old quad receiver is long gone(so is, sadly, my quad 8-track machine--which hurts, because I still have over fifty tapes in playable shape)but this does work, even if my neddle and cartridge aren't quite up to Shibata quality.
Thanks in advance for any info,

ED :cool:

[sgraham]

Ed,

Have you tried playing any of your SQ or QS quad records through the surround system? You should get some kind of surround, and I'd be interested to know how well it works.

[Ed Bishop]

Steve,

Yes, I have played SQ and QS through the various surround formats on my H-K, but while there is surround ambience, you can't usually hear much in the way of separate instruments or vocals as happens with the CD-4 demodulator and matching vinyl(of course, through Cinema-7, you do get three speaker separation up front). They do sound interesting, though, and some listeners aside, I think quad, overall, was a great idea(obviously--everything now is an update of the original idea)but hampered by the limitations of vinyl and most sound systems of the time, and the fact that there were no less than four formats, of which only CD-4 made any sense on vinyl, while Q8 just wasn't going to work out. If I ever find good used SQ or QS decoders, I'll let everybody know how they work on modern equipment. My old CD-4 demodulator does just fine, though I bought it back in 1974!

Best,
ED