How could surround sound be used in an audiophile system?

It's sad when really good ideas get lost because something supposedly "better" comes along. It's not a question of how could it be used, but how was it used, and why did everyone give up on it? In the '70s and '80s some small companies made available ambiance or "time delay" units which took the main stereo input signal, delayed it and rolled it off, and fed it, either by means of a small built in amp or by use of a small external amp, to smaller, less expensive speakers made by the same manufacturer as the front speakers, or at least of a similar nature to the front speakers. The rear speaker systems were supposed to be set to play just loud enough so that they were not separately audible, and the millisecond delay and rolloff ensured there was no discernible directional sound coming from the rear. The effect was remarkably like sitting in a concert hall, and while it was subtle, it was very significant. The real key was that these units did not require the front channels to go through them, only the rear, fed from the preamp's auxiliary out. The last and best of these units, so far as I know, was a very quiet digital unit, the SONY 505ES, available in the mid-80s, which incorporated the best features of earlier analog units, and which, tweaked and rebuilt, I still use. (From time to time I see one advertised used.) The next year's SONY unit was much more ambitious in delay settings, and did require the front channels to pass through it. Then along came Lexicon, with major programming of delay parameters required, and then home theater, all of which required passing a megabuck front channel signal through a dubious black box. Any number of golden-eared friends and acquaintances have marvelled at how much is lost when I turn off the front channels, even though those consist of megabuck speakers, amps, and signal sources, and the rear channels cost less than 3% of the total system. And as to leaving multichannel sound to the recording engineers, they screwed it up with quad, and does anyone seriously believe they won't again? The choice has become purist audio or ham-fisted multichannel, but it never had to be that way.

If you want to stick with two channels, you might try a pair of speakers from Dunlavy, if your room allows for their setup - they're recommended to be placed at about a 120-degree angle with the listener.

There are a lot of people who are enjoying matrix'd two-channel sources through various processors. Meridian, as previously mentioned, does this very well. Lexicon also makes processors (they are HT processors, but do music processing as well) that are highly regarded for their surround-sound extraction processing. A used DC-2 can be had for around $2K, while the new top-of-the-line MC-12 goes for close to $9K retail. JGH, previously of Stereophile, now of TAS is a big proponent of this type of playback (he uses the DC-2) and you can read his exploration of this topic regularly in TAS. -Kirk

i would help certainly if we new what your system was. i think you are in bad need of tubes and some good speakers. if set up right you will hear every thing in the sound stage, clear as a bell.

Read the book "Joy of Audio Electronics" sold by Old Colony Sound Lab. You will find what you're looking for...

Thanks for your suggestions so far; all of you have been a big help. You are correct in saying that you need to know what my system has. Here is the setup: Klipschorns for the corners, Belle in the center, a pair of Forte II for the rear, Mark Levinson 334 amp for the corners, and 434 for the center, and a Proceed amp for the rear. The CD is presently a Proceed CDP. I have no preamp as you could surmise. I am splitting the two channels into five, and controlling the signal with a box I made myself from a schematic diagram given to me from Klipsch. It uses resistors to create a mono signal from the left and right.
I hope that this gives you some insight. Thanks again for your help.