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From: tim@warburg.COM (Timothy J. Stone in New York)
Newsgroups: rec.audio,rec.music.synth,comp.music
Subject: Re: Ambisonics?
Keywords: binaural surround-sound
Message-ID: <1991Jan30.185353.18080@warburg.COM>
Date: 30 Jan 91 18:53:53 GMT
References: <1991Jan30.100357.15534@canon.co.uk>
Reply-To: tim@nytim.UUCP (Timothy J. Stone in New York)
Organization: S.G.Warburg & Co., Inc.
Lines: 24

I think that the Ambisonics system was developed by Peter Craven of the
(then) Oxford University Mathematical Institute and Professor Felgett
(spelling ?) of (then) Reading University in the early/mid 1970s.  It
is a fairly rigorous 3 dimensional sound system and is in current
use by Nimbus Records on most if not all their CDs.  Surround
sound suffered from a tarnished image in the later 1970's because of
the abortive efforts of systems like the JVC attempt to put 4 channels onto
black vinyl LPs. Ambisonics never really caught on because of the
image problem.  The system does deserve a thorough critical review now
that a good supply of source material is available.

An adapter to decode Ambisonics CDs into the 4 separate channels is currently
advertised by a company called

Minim Electronics Ltd., Lent Rise Road, Burnham, Slough SL1 7NY, England
telephone (06286)-63724.

I am not associated with any of these companies but heard some of the early
experiments using the system which were very impressive.
-- 
Tim Stone 
S.G. Warburg & Co., Inc.    => UUCP: tim@warburg.COM
787 Seventh Avenue,         => Tel : (212) 459-7065
New York, NY 10019, U.S.A.  => Fax : (212) 459-7038