from stereo to SO

Recent developments in quadraphonic sound were very much in evidence both at the 53rd Meeting of the Audio Engineering Society, in Zurich, where CBS showed its latest SQ decoders and records, and at the Festival du Son, in Paris, where no less than 16 manufacturers of high-fidelity equipment displayed receivers and players embodying the SO* system - by far the most popular quadraphonic system on the market today. Ideas were shared at the meetings with outstanding recording engineers and high- fidelity enthusiasts. One fact stood out with complete certainty: those who had experienced quadraphony in their own homes were the quadrophiles who expressed total satisfaction and ·commitment and declared that they wou Id never go back to stereo. Those who had not experienced quadraphony were the quadrophobes who, nevertheless, were interested and willing to discuss their concerns with the quadrophiles. Some conclusions stemming from these interactions are reported here for the interest of those planning to experiment with quad raphony.