Korgscrew
Group: Super Admins
Posts: 3511
Joined: Dec. 1999 |
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Posted: Jan. 24 2005, 12:02 |
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Since my previous posts here, I've got an SQ decoder up and working, and I can say for certain that the SQ quad encoding is definitely preserved on the CDs (apart from those which contain the original mix of Tubular Bells, of course). The note about them being in stereo is, I'd imagine, just a marketer's attempt not to scare people away from buying them (people are often worried, seeing that a recording is 'quadraphonic', that it won't play back properly on their stereo equipment).
There's not much truth in the story that the Dolby matrix system is related to SQ, by the way - they're quite different. The early Dolby cinema systems used QS decoders though, before Dolby developed their own. I'm told that QS recordings decode quite nicely through a Dolby Pro Logic II decoder...not so helpful for listening to Mike though, as the only album of his released in QS format was Ommadawn, which isn't a terribly common item. The mix on it is the same as that on Boxed though, so if you do happen to have a copy, and a Pro Logic II decoder, then you can give it a go. Pro Logic II does interesting things with SQ as well, though it's not the same as the proper decoder.
The best way of hearing the quad remix of Tubular Bells is from the SACD - not only is the sound quality better, but you get much nicer imaging than from an SQ recording (which, by its nature, is rather fuzzy in that regard).
It's worth taking a listen to them in quad if you can find a decoder, though. Hergest Ridge is mostly quite subtle, in keeping with the music, while Ommadawn has more movement in it - nicely done, I feel, and just begging to be released on SACD (that's a hint, Virgin).
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who don't have a QS decoder, a Dolby® Stereo decoder (with rear speakers, of course) might give a rough approximation, since the basic principles are not too different.
