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From: ttak@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Tim Takahashi)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: 3 Observations On Q-Sound - What's going on???
Message-ID: <9270@uwm.edu>
Date: 1 Feb 91 14:43:29 GMT
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In article <9250@uwm.edu> ccicpg!keith@uunet.UU.NET (Keith McIntyre) writes:
>There has been some discussion on the newsgroups lately about Q 
>sound and how it actually sounds.

>The question is, how can the observed sound be so radically 
>different? Is Q sound what it is cracked up to be? 

>Person number 3 heard the CD last and has a system consisting of 
>Martin Logan Sequel II speakers, Threshold s/300 amplifier, and a 
>Sony CDP-111 CD player. His comments are as follows:

>	 I sat there and waited for incredible sound effects. I played 
>	 through parts of every song on the CD and nothing happened. There 
>	 was some imaging to the left and right of the speakers, but nothing 
>	 extreme and maybe only slightly more than what a normal rock or 
>	 pop CD has.
>        This CD set the record for flat two dimensional 
>        soundstages. I didn't think it was possible for bipolar speakers 
>        to give only a half foot of depth on the soundstage. This CD did 
>        that. In fact at times the sound was actually lying right on the 
>        speaker membranes.

I recently purchased the new Sting album, on LP. This is Q-Sound encoded.
My system used for playback is : Dual CS5000/Shure V-15 IV/Custom Dyna PAS-3x
Dyna ST-70/Magnepan MG=Ic's. My experiences are almost identical to Person
Number 3. Basically, my equipment allowed me to hear through the electronic
ruse of Q-sound and listen to very flat, dynamically squashed, pan-potted
tracks superimposed on weird-out-of-phase effects. Reversing absolute
polarity did *NOT* help. In my opinion : the is one of the most
unflatteringly *unmusical* releases that a talented artist could be
saddled with. I shudder to think what Classical recording will be like
under Q-Sound.

Colleagues (non-audiophile) when hearing my reaction justly felt that
my dissatisfaction was due to having inferior equipment - see that 30 year
old amp really *doesn't* sound any good, and let alone LP's! On a really
good $50000 stereo it should sound great! 8-)

Tim Takahashi
ttak@uhura.cc.rochester.edu