Abro este hilo para que los expertos en clásica se animen a comentar y recomendar algunas de las grabaciones de Philips, anteriores a la era digital, que han sido remasterizadas en DSD para la colección RQR (Remastered Quadro Recordings) de Pentatone. El planteamiento de la serie RQR parece muy similar al de Living Stereo, pero, en lugar de traterse de grabaciones de dos y tres canales, son grabaciones cuadrafónicas (4.0) y además existe una notable diferencia en el precio de venta.

In the early 1970’s, Philips Classics was already highly aware of the advantages offered by multi-channel music reproduction compared to the stereo techniques in use at the time.

The quadraphonic tapes (4-channels recordings) from that period are a classic example of a recording technique way ahead of its time. The advantages of a multi-channel recording and reproduction system are self-evident: the sound is much more natural, the resolution is better and the spatial impression is much more convincing than stereo.

As can be expected of a company such as Philips Classics, much attention was paid not only to the artistic side, but also to the technical side of the recordings. During a number of years, the recording department tried out various microphone set-ups, which would be able to make optimal use of the potential advantages of the so-called quadraphonic system.

Although amazing results were achieved on the recording side, it turned out to be almost impossible to reproduce the major increase in quality on the gramophone record of the time in combination with the sound systems used by consumers in their homes. Both due to this and to the fact that there were too many competitive systems battling for the favour of the public at large, the quadraphonic recording never managed to become a successful new system for the reproduction of music at that time.


Now – over a quarter of a century later – thanks to the arrival of the multi-channel Super Audio CD (SACD), there is finally a system available which permits us to release these recordings in their original form. PentaTone Music will be issuing these exceptionally good multi-channel recordings – never before released in this form – in a special series.
This so-called RQR (Remastered Quadro Recordings) series will enable the consumer for the first time in the history of recording to listen to these beautiful recordings via a multi-channel reproduction system in the comfort of his own home.
During the re-recording and mastering procedure of these multi-channel tapes, of which most had not been out of their boxes for the past 30 years, the technicians involved were continually amazed at the exceptionally high technical quality of the recordings.

Naturally, during the mastering procedure the greatest possible care was taken while converting the original tapes to the digital DSD (Direct Stream Digital) system used for SACD, in order to ensure that none of the original quality was lost. For instance, the original testing and tuning tapes were used to precisely tune the analogue reproduction machines; furthermore, the analogue machines were directly connected to the best DSD Analogue/Digital converters, without the intervention of any mixing consoles and/or other special equipment to influence the sound.

Contact was also made with the original technicians in order to get hold of as much existing knowledge as possible. In the digital domain, no artificial echo has been added, in order to maintain the quality of the original tapes as much as possible.

Although the new SACD standard allows for 5 fully fledged channels, plus a subwoofer channel, a conscious choice was made to release these early recordings in their original 4-channel version in this RQR series: the idea behind this being to do justice to the original intentions of both artists and recording technicians.

Jean Marie Geijsen
Polyhymnia International
Traduzco algunos párrafos:

"A principios de los 70, Philips Classics ya era muy consciente de las ventajas ofrecidas por la reproducción musical multicanal en comparación con las técnicas estereofónicas en uso por aquellos tiempos.

Las cintas cuadrafónicas (grabaciones de cuatro canales) de aquel periodo son un ejemplo clásico de una técnica de grabación muy adelantada a su tiempo."

"Como cabe esperar de un compañía como Philips Classics, se puso mucha atención no sólo en el aspecto artístico, sino también en la parte técnica de las grabaciones. Durante varios años, el departamento de grabación probó diversas configuraciones de micrófonos, que serían capaces de hacer un óptimo uso de las ventajas potenciales del llamado sistema cuadrafónico."


"Ahora -más de un cuarto de siglo después- gracias a la llegada del Super Audio CD (SACD) multicanal, hay finalmente un sistema disponible que nos permite sacar estas grabaciones en su forma original."

"Naturalmente, durante el proceso de masterización se ha tenido el mayor cuidado posible mientras se convertían las cintas originales al sistema digital DSD (Direct Stream Digital) usado para el SACD, con el fin de asegurar que nada de la calidad original se perdiera. Por ejemplo, las cintas de puesta a punto y prueba originales fueron usadas para afinar con precisión las máquinas de reproducción analógica; es más, las máquinas analógicas fueron conectadas directamente a los mejores conversores Analógico/Digital DSD, sin la intervención de ningunas consolas de mezclas ni/u otro equipo especial para influir en el sonido.

También se ha establecido contacto con los técnicos originales para encontrar todo el conocimiento existente que fuera posible. En el dominio digital, no se ha añadido eco artificial, a fin de mantener la calidad de las cintas originales en la medida de lo posible."


Compañeros, espero vuestras aportaciones, independientemente de que poseáis SACDs de esta colección, porque seguro que tenéis algunas de estas grabaciones en CD o en vinilo.
Saludos.