Iulz23 Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 G'day, Looking to learn a bit about my Mum's old PYE stereo system. The "model" on the unit is the PYE Magnetic Four Channel Stereo Amplifier. Apparently, it was a special order that the original customer never picked up which my Mum was able to score. I Google searches for this "model" yielded no similar units, however after some other googling I found a similar system, the PYE 462. Shown below. However my system has 4 speakers, 2 woofers pictured, and also two smaller bookshelf speakers, not pictured. Additionally, the speakers have a different logo: There is a model number on the back, but it hasn't helped me shed anymore light on the system. Additionally, the speakers are connected with a 4 prong plug I've not encountered before: If any of the gurus on this forum know anything about the system, any insight's would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Andrew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david j Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 (edited) Might have been a early quadraphonic system Edited August 19, 2020 by david j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pond44 Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 Replace the connections and get it going, I think it would sound fantastic especially the bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_m_54 Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 4 hours ago, david j said: Might have been a early quadraphonic system It's not Quadraphonic, it's Four Channel Stereo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iulz23 Posted August 20, 2020 Author Share Posted August 20, 2020 Thanks for the reply's guys! 4 hours ago, pond44 said: Replace the connections and get it going, I think it would sound fantastic especially the bass. I'm definitely keen to get it going again. Do you think the amp specs would be similar to this? Even if it doesn't have the quadraphonic capability https://reclaimedaudio.com.au/shop/ols/products/pye-industries-australia-hifi-amplifier-international-1000-2-x-12w-hafler-quadraphonic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noddy347 Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 My parents had this particular pye hifi when I was young, the images above bring back great memories of sitting in front of those massive speakers for hours playing vinyl with my dad. Probably where I first found my love of music and hifi in general. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian McP Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Multi Sonics! They're specialists in retro stereograms! https://www.facebook.com/multisonics/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Old Man Rubber Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 On 20/08/2020 at 1:00 PM, bob_m_54 said: It's not Quadraphonic, it's Four Channel Stereo. Anything to do with this? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compatible_Discrete_4 I have a Carly simon LP here that is recorded as a "Quadradisc" but no real way of playing it, might be interesting to get on that system and see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiofeline Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 I think "4-channel stereo" was a cheap attempt to compete with the early quad systems which were emerging at the time. There was probably no quad emulation - the front/back left speakers would be fed an identical signal, as would the right pair of speakers. This style of stereo were sold by furniture stores, and aren't what we would consider to be hifi sound. The turntable looks like a BSR auto-changer, which would have a ceramic cart. The speaker cabinets may be large, and the woofer might be large, but it's likely to have a small magnet and not be fantastic speakers. The large pair would certainly sound better than the smaller pair of speakers. That's not to say that this won't put out an enjoyable sound, the quality won't compete with a more modern system. One relatively easy upgrade would be to replace the speaker drivers, and to reinforce the cabinets internally (eg. glue plywood panels inside, and have front-back and side-side bracing). Or buy a new set of speakers in a cabinet, and mount the new speakers inside the Pye cabinets (they will have smaller woofers than the original but much better bass). I would suggest replacing the turntable's stylus before playing any records. Most owners of these systems weren't vigilant in regularly replacing the styli, so most finds like this have very worn styli. It only takes one playing with a worn styli to damage a record. From what I can see of the turntable, it will probably have a "flip-over" stylus (microgroove 33+45rpm on one side, 78 on the other) - these are easily obtained online. Posting pics here will help identify the cart/stylus if you have difficulty with this. Is there a problem with the speaker plugs (eg. missing on some of your speakers)? If so, it would be easy to replace the sockets on the back of the amp to accept another plug (eg. 2-pin DIN, which were common to these type of stereos; replacements are only a couple of dollars each). Very easy to do yourself if you are comfortable with a soldering iron, otherwise it's a quick and simple job for a tech to do for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiofeline Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 Also, although it is unlikely that you will be able to obtain a usermanual for this system, you will probably be able to download the manual for the turntable when you identify the brand and model (should be printed on the turntable) - free registration required to download, but it is safe to do so: https://www.vinylengine.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 8 minutes ago, audiofeline said: I think "4-channel stereo" was a cheap attempt to compete with the early quad systems which were emerging at the time. There was probably no quad emulation - the front/back left speakers would be fed an identical signal, as would the right pair of speakers. Probably not identical. They were derived by circuits like the Hafler circuit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hafler_circuit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 Any stereo system can produce a ' 4 channel quad like, effect using phase changing wiring to 2 rear speakers. - that is what got me started into surround sound through stereo video cassettes and a hifi vcr. Fun times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiofeline Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 6 hours ago, aussievintage said: Probably not identical. They were derived by circuits like the Hafler circuit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hafler_circuit This makes sense. It doesn't seem too difficult (or expensive) to achieve this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian McP Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Most probably the two extra channels are wired as rear ambience, here's how they're wired up: https://www.psaudio.com/pauls-posts/4-channel-audio/ < In the 1970s, audio designer David Hafler experimented with what has since become known as The Hafler Circuit. In it, 4 speakers are employed rather than just two. The extra pair of speakers are in the rear of the listening room and provide a sense of space that few systems can come close to duplicating today. And the Hafler Circuit required no extra electronics. If you want to experiment, dig out that old pair of bookshelf speakers that might be gathering dust in a bedroom or closet. Position them the same distance apart as the front speaker, but behind the listener. Then, run another set of speaker cables to the rears. Connect only the + lead from each channel to the + input on each rear speaker. Using a single speaker cable lead, tie the two – terminals of the rear speakers together. > regards Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 16 minutes ago, Ian McP said: Most probably the two extra channels are wired as rear ambience, here's how they're wired up: https://www.psaudio.com/pauls-posts/4-channel-audio/ < In the 1970s, audio designer David Hafler experimented with what has since become known as The Hafler Circuit. In it, 4 speakers are employed rather than just two. The extra pair of speakers are in the rear of the listening room and provide a sense of space that few systems can come close to duplicating today. And the Hafler Circuit required no extra electronics. If you want to experiment, dig out that old pair of bookshelf speakers that might be gathering dust in a bedroom or closet. Position them the same distance apart as the front speaker, but behind the listener. Then, run another set of speaker cables to the rears. Connect only the + lead from each channel to the + input on each rear speaker. Using a single speaker cable lead, tie the two – terminals of the rear speakers together. > regards Ian Which gives basically the matrix I posted a couple of posts above. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iulz23 Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 Hi Guys, First of all thanks for all your help and information. I've managed to get the autochanger working again, drops records and auto starts and stops. The cart in the turntable is a Shure not exactly sure what model but takes an M75EC stylus, which is compeltely knackered. I've ordered a replacement from the states. I've tested the speakers with the inbult AM tuner which is working, but not getting sound out of the right big speaker on 4 channel mode, and no sound at all from the right speakers on 2 channel mode. Stragely when the balance is on full left and 4 channel mode is on sound still comes out of the right bookshelf speaker. I wonder if that has anything to do with the Hafler Decoding. Any ideas on the next step? cheers, Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auster Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 I’m probably a bit late to the party. I owned the 2 channel/speaker version for a short time, and they definitely take a traditional magnetic cartridge, hence the inclusion of the word “magnetic” in the model id. They are deceivingly good sounding units with Australian made magnavox drivers. As far as the speakers not working, try changing the cables over to at least isolate whether it is a speaker and/or cable problem, or an amplifier issue. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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