When and how did you first get into surround?

QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

key_wiz

1K Club - QQ Shooting Star
QQ Supporter
Joined
Jun 30, 2014
Messages
1,910
Location
Northern Nevada
Following up on a few comments made in another thread I thought this might be a good topic for its own thread. And it relates very much (I believe) to the whole concept of why there aren't more surround sound fans. I almost think you have to born with the desire.

Even as a little kid, I was fascinated with stereo. My parents had a console type stereo typical in homes of the 1960s and I doubt they cared at all that it was stereo rather than mono or even really noticed. But even as a little kid I can remember being fascinated that different sounds and instruments and voices came out of the different speakers.

When I was older I loved listening through headphones and hearing the discreet channels in my head. Fascinated listening to things like "Dark Side of the Moon". The more discreet the mix and the more separation of tracks, THE BETTER! I LOVED IT!

I would look at the adsheet for Quad that came in the Columbia albums and dream what that must sound like and very so much wanted such a system. IF ONLY. I don't recall ever actually hearing a quad system, but I just KNEW it had to be amazing! I knew I grew up and had the money I was going to have a GREAT quad system!

But I was the only one I knew who cared. I would be tempted to say at least part of it has to do with me being musical (I've been a professional musician most of my adult life) but even my musician friends didn't much care.

I can remember riding around with friends in the car and listening to tracks like "Black Water" by the Doobies and pointing out to them that the singers in each speaker were singing two completely different parts that fit together and pan it back and forth so they could hear, and they thought it was interesting. Or indulged me. lol. But they didn't really care. They just liked the song.

As I said in the other thread, I wasn't able to actually put together a surround system until just a few years ago, but I ALWAYS had the interest and desire. I think you almost have to be born with it. And I don't necessarily consider myself to be an audiophile. But loving surround?? YOU BET!

What are your stories?
 
I got in to surround in kind of an incidental way. Over the span of several years I acquired albums that happened to have a bonus 5.1 mix.
Genesis - Invisible touch CD/DVD was found in a bargain bin. Queen a Night at the Opera 40th came with a DVD, mixed by Brian May, I think, with accompanying videos and slides.
Rush - Snakes & Arrows MVI was purchased for the documentary and just in case that hi-res 2.0 or low-res 5.1 might come in handy someday...
No decent sound system was in the picture, up to this point. Shitty soundbar from Radio Shack is about as close as I got.
I can't quite remember what possessed me to finally buy and install a HTS in a box from BB or Amazon, but I did in late 2011. I thought it would be a fun wiring project during my 2 weeks home for R&R from a military tour.
Maybe I wanted to watch Star Wars in 5.1 or something like that. Anyway, I got it all wired and set up... Completely wrong!
Between the bluray player, the receiver, the TV and various options on various discs I was all kinds of screwed up for a loooong time. First, I was listening to "multichannel stereo" for quite a while, without knowing it. Finally found the correct setting for "direct." Next, my speakers were in very funky locations. Non-optimal to say the least, so I didn't get the full benefit of the rears for quite a while. Sometime later, I was shocked and dismayed to find out that I was not accessing the hi-res layer of any DVD-As I had begun to acquire (and didn't even know about SACD yet). My BDP could access DD or DTS, but not Advanced Resolution. SMH. I started doing some research and decided to pick up an OPPO. I reconfigured the speakers for better placement. I got all the settings between the player, receiver and TV straightened out. I found some highly regarded mixes. Eventually I upgraded to a modest, but wonderful-sounding system (and later on wired my room for 7.1.2). It's been a long journey, but I feel quite content with my system and greatly enjoy the all-too-occasional MC listen. But it's sheer bliss. :mad:@:
 
Last edited:
I think there truly are major differences in the way individuals listen to music. When I describe to my wife they way I listen, she doesn't relate at all. I listen the same way keywhiz does, and always have... I try to hear the individual instruments, the more separation the better. I think that's what attracted me to recordings by Steely Dan, Eagles, and Pink Floyd early on. I'm guessing this is a trait us surround fanatics have in common...
 
I got a taste for it around 1969 with DynaQuad and Colin Davis' "Last Night of the Proms." However, DynaQuad did not give consistent results and I let go after a short while. The quadraphonic era passed me by because I was appalled by the immersive perspective that was rampant. As a classical listener, I wanted a more traditional audience perspective. I bought an SQ decoder but never used it.

It was not until a got to review a full blown Meridian 5.0 system for Stereophile that I got hooked, even though it was restricted to lossy DD/dts material. https://www.stereophile.com/hirezplayers/201/index.html

Now, I am deep into high-resolution, discrete multichannel recordings and very happy.
 
I started collecting DVD-A's around 2001 but for the stereo high resolution layer only. I was completely blown away by the fidelity. Finally I was back into listening to music after a long decline throughout the 90's. With DVD-A's, stereo had become a wonderful vehicle again to listen to music.

I knew there was a surround layer on the discs as well but I dismissed it as pure gimmickry. One of my sons had a Marantz receiver with 5.1 and he finally convinced me to at least try it out. So we scrounged up 5 speakers and set it up. I think it was probably Reveal (R.E.M.) that we played. We sat there in dumb-founded amazement as the first song played. It was a life-changing event. I haven't bought a stereo album since.
 
I got hooked in the early 70s fooling around with my older brother's Quad set up. He always had a fit when I used his crappy system when he wasn't there. LOL! But what fond memories of the music of Pink Floyd, Chicago, Isley Bros, Tomita, E. Power Biggs Bach...floating all around the room!
 
Here's a novel:

The 80s:
I've always enjoyed sounds and music. Oxygene and Equinoxe were the big albums for me as a kid.

My brother had a National (soon to become Panasonic) stereo in the 80's and I was always listening to records on it.

I always found vinyl to be a pain in the neck in terms of how careful you had to be with it though. Even as a kid, the pops and clicks and crackles annoyed me. I'll never understand how some people get militant over "hearing compression" on a CD but ignore all of the additional sounds that vinyl introduces that aren't part of the original recording (plus the fact that gets worse every time it's spun).

Anyway, when my brother got a Philips CD player, that was it. The future had arrived! Lasers, man and sounds that never deteriorated (I never even knew disc rot was a thing until that Bob Marley Legend BD)! Remember "Because of its high resolution, however, the Compact Disc can reveal limitations of the source tape."? Reading that was music to my eyes. CDs still rule. I was never a tape fan either due to them getting worse the more you used them. I'd buy metal and chrome blank tapes but the prices were almost the same as a CD, so usually went with the disc.

The 90s:
I got into surround in the 90's when "home theatre" was the new thing. I got an Aiwa stereo with Pro Logic (stereo, centre speaker channel derived from the left/right channels, mono surround sent to both rear speakers, sub). It breathed new life into watching flicks like Heat, Dead Man and Seven on VHS.

I never liked what Pro Logic did to stereo music though and so never used it.

In the late 90's, my friend's dad got some new speakers and so my friend got his dad's old Rogers speakers which was a revelation. It was then that I understood that all the info to make it sound good is right there on the CD but that different hardware could be night and day on how good it actually sounded.

2000s:
In 2000, I got the Rotel CD player I'm still using and KEF Cresta 2's that are now my rear speakers (+ Rotel amp). Finally, I had a decent stereo.

In 2005, when LCDs were finally reasonably priced, I upgraded to a 40" Sony Bravia and a new DVD player that could play SACDs (what are they?, I thought).

In 2006, I got a Cambridge Audio receiver, KEF egg surrounds, a Mission centre and the REL Quake sub I'm still using. Bought the Dark Side of the Moon SACD. Soon after, I got the Brothers in Arms SACD and that was pretty much it – hooked!

Since then, JB-Hifi opened in New Zealand which made decent hifi gear a lot more affordable and I managed to get lucky with some end-of-line prices on future upgrades.

I'm pretty happy with my current set-up. I occasionally get the upgrade bug but then I settle down once I remember it's all diminishing returns from here on in. Once 4K settles down with prices, lots of content and bug-free hardware, I'll consider upgrading the TV/player/receiver/cables. I'm a late-adopter of new technology though. Quality control ain't what it used to be, so I’ll let the kids get it right before I drop any more coin.

Thanks to this awesome forum, I'm well into surround music now. This is one of the best places on the internet and without it, I wouldn't have bought as much as I've bought (and I've never regretted a purchase). Everybody benefits from QQ, so I hope it sticks around for a long time. Even when there are petty arguments and someone gets their tape chewed, there's still some info to be gleaned from among the chaff.

Anyway, like keywhiz, I find that separating the sounds means they sound better. The better it sounds, the more I enjoy it. Being forced to sit in a certain spot to get the most out of it makes listening more of an "event" like watching a movie. So, if I'm gonna listen, I'm gonna do it properly.

It's funny how it's hard to get someone else into surround, eh? Most people don't care or seem to think that you're telling them that they're doing it wrong. Weird.

I guess it comes down to whether it's "in them" or not to start with. Some people get all excited about tones in certain acoustic guitars and while I can hear the difference, I only care enough up to a certain point whereas some people will happily spend $20K on an old Martin. Other people are happy driving a go kart but I like changing gear. Just comes down to what you're into I guess.
 
My journey started in the mid 60's when my Dad bought a suitcase style Turntable w/speakers. (it stayed much longer then he did)
The portable TT didn't have the best needle or a radio, but the speakers were hinged with 10 ft cords + another smaller speaker with its own 10 ft cord, a fake quad setup (double stereo) (don't remember the brand but I'd like to find one now)
.....Wow it was magical for a 10 year old....
In the late 60's, early 70's, Mickey Shores was nearby (Royal Oak) and other Stereo shops, Lafayette Electronics was a couple blocks west on 10 mile Rd. Just to kill time on a long hot summer day I'd bike the 1/4 mile to LE and check/listen to the newest equipment dreaming the day I'd have my own. (Some friends built Stereo Heathkits)..... Then low and behold the Sky opened up :sun and the sea parted :spot etc. Quadraphonic sound was introduced, :worthy. My first listen was on a reel to reel ...Super Wow.....
Then I lived with a regular stereo due to economics and the vanishing act of Quad.(did have a Q8 car player). Never gave it much thought after, except when being reminiscent about Detroit radio stations and my favorite W4 (WWWW) in Quad.
Back in my world, my son got a new receiver for his 1st home purchase and went to Stereo showcase and was sold on the "New Dvd-Audio" surround music. He reintroduced surround music to me 30 + years later in August 2001, he played the CD of STP Core on his system and didn't tell me anything just asked if I liked how it sounded. Not wanting to burst his bubble, said sounds good nice system, then baam.... he played the Dvd-Audio of Core and I was f***ing shocked, I couldn't believe what I was hearing OMG. The very next day I had a new receiver,(Onkyo 6.1) a DVD audio SACD player(Toshiba) and 3 more speakers plus a sub.:bounce17. I always wished I kept that Q8 car player and all my cartridges.
So I've been surrounded by music most of my life and never thought I would own a surround music system, 16 years now and amassing a small collection (not counting duplicate's)
Definitely a long strange trip..........
 
Great thread. Here is my saga...

Early 1970's:
Read an article about how someone connected an additional pair of speakers out-of-phase and put them behind the listener to extract ambience from two-channel recordings. I scrounged around the house and my aunt's house for any speaker I could find. My first surround system thus consisted of a Magnavox console with four totally unmatched speakers. Even so, I thought it sounded great and was hooked on surround sound.

Saved every bloody dollar I made to buy a Dynaco SCA80Q integrated amplifier kit with built-in Dynaquad, a pair of Acoustic Research AR5 speakers followed sometime later by AR7's for the rear channels.

Mid 1970's:
Yearning for a "true" quad system, I eventually bought a Lafayette full logic wavematching variblend SQ decoder and a Panasonic CD-4 demodulator. Hey, but where did all the software go?

Late 1970's:
Frustration due to the abandonment of SQ and CD-4 led to the sale of both pairs of AR speakers to help buy ginormous AR9 speakers. I jumped off the quad ship swearing never to be fooled again.

1989:
While buying a new amp and CD player, the salesman asked if I wanted to hear this beast called a Lexicon CP-1 which could derive surround sound into six or seven channels from standard stereo recordings. He let me take the Lexicon home along with another similar processor and the necessary ancillary equipment for a tryout. I was blown away by what this Lexicon device could do with stereo recordings and how did it so naturally. AND, no special records needed. I had only one choice...go into debt and buy all the new extra hardware.

2006:
I had been happily rolling along with the Lexicon CP1 doing its thing for 17 years. I knew about multichannel SACD and DVD-A but was determined never to be screwed over by the labels ever again. Then I saw an interview on a Moody Blues DVD where Hayward talked about taking the Moodies quad albums and releasing them in multichannel SACD. That news threw me into full relapse. Before I could blink I had a Marantz universal player, a Lexicon receiver and more big speakers. I bought every multichannel SACD and DVD-A of anything that was even of minor interest to me. Fortunately, I went on this binge just as things began to fall apart with the two formats. History repeats itself, but this time I'm sticking with it!!!
 
I was 11 and just starting to get into music when DSOTM hit the scene. To me it was a life changing event and even more so when my sisters then boyfriend played the SQ quad LP for me on his brand new 4 channel turntable. I was gobsmacked to say the least at the concept of 4 speakers and the enveloping effect they provided. Sadly the boyfriend got kicked to the curb and with him went the quad system. By the time I was old enough to be earning my own money quad had sort of died so I had to wait until Dolby started off with their efforts at more than two channels. I soon acquired a basic system and have been upgrading ever since, but I always think back fondly to first hearing "Us and Them" rolling around the room.
 
I first realized the importance of a great stereo when I was 11 and heard my uncle's system. He had an old Sansui receiver/power amp combo and Klipsch Heresy speakers and I was blown away by the way it sounded. This stereo influenced my older brother to buy a modern day equivalent which at the time was a large home theatre system. It was not the best sounding system but it was a massive upgrade on any other stereo in our house and I loved having the surround experience for movies.

It was around this time that I went to see one of my first concerts - Pink Floyd's Division Bell Tour. In anticipation of the show I read whatever I could about the tour. I learned they would have a quadrophonic sound system which sounded like a very cool concept and led me to discover the quad era of the 70's. Unfortunately I didn't know anyone with the equipment and since the format was dead the only exposure I had was at the show - and it was glorious.


Years later I was able to buy my very own Klipsch home theatre system. Soon after getting it all set up I learned of the Immersion boxed set releases with the old school quad mixes. I preordered both DSOTM and WYWH just to get these mixes. When I first heard them I found them to be lacking, after a bit of research I realized that multichannel mixes (quad in particular) required four tower speakers. So I rearranged the furniture in my living room and connected my old Cerwin-Vega towers and wow. Both of these albums sounded amazing and I was hooked.
 
Introduced to surround by Pink Floyd of course.

I got turned onto them late in high school in the early 80's. (Pretty chilly on the Wall but a friend turned me onto Meddle and Piper and that was all it took.) I already had the better stereo system of all my circle of friends and my world was already revolving around music (well... not the full revolving part just yet!). I already loved stereo effects. But this was in the dead zone between quad formats and 5.1 re-emerging so no one was advertising to me. I found an SQ copy of Dark Side in a used record store one day in college. Whoa! What is this artifact?! The idea of sound spinning around the room was something I just had to get! Took a few years after that. I never did get the old school encoded vinyl system going with the decoder. It was a good 15 years later that I finally picked up amps and speakers to put a system together starting with a Dennon DVD player and some of the DVDA releases. I sort of went off the deep end following Pink Floyd and discovered that they were pretty much the pioneers of surround and all their concerts were presented in quad surround. I ended up with the shared Q4 reel copy of Dark Side all those years later. (Still never played the SQ vinyl. Moot point now with the bluray master.)

Fully authentic 3D virtual reality sound weather you're going for classy or gratuitous and with live sound like headroom. Fully spoiled now. Anyone can release just a CD. Real albums are released in surround. :)

I never got to see Pink Floyd live. I guess I wasn't hip enough at ten years old to make my way to an Animals tour show. Still not quite there at 13 for the Wall but I don't think mom would have been into me traveling to NY or LA (from WI). I did see Dave Gilmour in '87 on his Floyd solo tour (Momentary Lapse) so I got a taste of their surround system at least kind of after the fact.
 
I 1st heard quad in my buddy's house Leon Russell , 72-73? That was a treat! I had his voice coming at me from front and rear. I tried to do my own but failed. A quality 4 channel set up ran as much as a new car then. years later I found if you had a hi-fi vcr you could unlock the audio tracks on movies. Ended up with DD and then my other friend comes over with music VHS tapes, we try those on with DD, and here it goes.
One day he comes over after I just bought my expensive DD set up and my amp had 5.1 analog ports, he was ranting about dvd audio, We went up to CC and here is a set up, I bought a dvd a deck that when it came had two 5.1 discs in it.
That was that, on to an sacd deck, then on to QQ and Oppo. We all paid like $20.00 a pop for the stuff we have now, I did anyway, one that got me good was the dvd a of Brain salad surgery, that sold on e bay for $400.00 once. There was a time the OOP were costly but have dropped due to BD.
Funny though I pissed off $800.00 for my 1st big avr, and now just will buy open box or used, and have had good luck with that. The 1st one ran about 12 yrs before the center channel went. So now my most recent was free! bad HDMI board easy fix.
 
I bought Cornelius' FIVE POINT ONE DVD and was blown away. Still am. I met Bob Ferbrache just as I had finished the stereo mix of Uphollow's last album (2003?), and asked him if we could do a 5.1 mix together. We mixed that album and then later, Ian Cooke's first album in surround. Bob would always play me other mixes he was working on: Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Lilium, 16 Horsepower, Wovenhand, etc - and he showed me his gear and methods. We worked on Eolian's first, and Ian Cooke's second album together, but by then Bob had stopped mixing in 5.1.
In 5.1, I've mixed the new Slim Cessna's Auto Club album, re-mixed that first Ian Cooke album, an unreleased live symphony album, and am working on his upcoming album currently. I'm hooked.
I've said it before, I'll say it again: check out that Cornelius album!
 
Back
Top