Sony SQR-6650 (c. 1972)
Nearly everything known about the Sony SQR-6650 comes from Sony's own advertising campaign of 1972-73. Independent reviews of this particular model appear not to survive in the archive. It was a four-channel (quadraphonic) receiver aimed at early adopters, and the ads were careful to promise compatibility across the competing quad formats of the day.
Sony's advertisement in High Fidelity (October 1972, p.23) described the SQR-6650 as covering every major four-channel approach of the period - SQ, matrix, and discrete - while also performing well as a stereo receiver. The suggested retail price was $329.50. A parallel ad in Audio (November 1972, p.55) repeated the pitch. Later advertising in HiFI-Stereo (January 1973, p.6) emphasized FM sensitivity and selectivity, and gave the stereo output as 50 watts total, or 25+25W RMS at 8 ohms. A spring ad in the same publication (May 1973, p.33) added that the receiver's "Double-Stacked Differential" output stage could switch from 32 watts RMS in four-channel mode to the full 50 watts in stereo. It also said that simplified controls with four VU meters kept balancing straightforward.
The SQR-6650 is a well-specified quad receiver from the format's confusing first years. Today it is documented almost entirely through the manufacturer's own words.
Known specifications (as advertised)
- Four-channel receiver; SQ, matrix, and discrete decoding
- Stereo output: 50W total (25+25W RMS at 8 ohms)
- Four-channel output: 32W RMS at 8 ohms
- Suggested retail price: $329.50
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