Sadly, at this point I bought mostly vinyl, so I don't have a Q8 to A/B. THX 1136, Martin can work wonders. The Beatles' genius was nurtured and greatly enhanced by him. George's best post-Beatles production: Icarus - Paul Winter Consort, which became Oregon, sans Paul. A spectacular album. Sorry, no Quad.
I stopped buying America after this one. I've bought their import live SACD and Blu-Ray-V since then. I'm with you, Ed, I'd love to see their debut in surround. That eponymous '72 album is still their best.
Linda