has anyone ever tried the "brian eno speaker set-up"...?

[Elginoid]

as outlined in the liner notes of the Ambient 4: on land LP-
i've also seen it referred to as a "hafler circuit"...
what it entails is adding a third speaker to a stereo set-up, placed behind the listener, with the original stereo speakers in front of the listener, ideally creating an equallateral triangle. the third speaker is hooked into the system by running a lead from each of the positive terminals on the two stereo speakers to the terminals on the third speaker- one to positive, and one to negative.
I have a six-speaker setup(7 counting the subwoofer) where i have two such triangles laid on top of each other in opposite directions- in other words, three speakers on each of two facing walls, and the sound is spectacular.
I suppose i could/possibly should invest in a 5.1 type home theatre system, but that's not a financial option right now, and i'm working with what i've got...and what i've got still jams.

[TreasonousBastard]

1. Back in the 70's...

this was common as a workaround for four-channel, which hardly anyone had. But we had a lot of stereo records and tapes.

It does work very well, and true four channel wasn't that much better to most ears. Something to do with the phasing of the stereo channels and perception.

You have to just sit in one spot, though, which we did a lot of back then, getting up only to pass the bong or order more pizza.

[Atlas Mugged]

2. What a bizarre flashback!

Yes - I did this back in the 70's. What was funny is that I had my TV channeled through the speaker (via the VHS deck) and friends would come over to watch 'All My Children' in surround sound. What the hell were we thinking????? Anyway, thanks for bringing back those memories. I totally forgot about that. Today I have 5.1 (and SACD) on my entertainment center, as well as 5.1 on my computer. Love it.

[Swamp Rat]

3. Back in 1970 Pink Floyd played in the Warehouse,

a now defunct venue that was in a warf on the Mississippi River. They arranged speakers that went around the entire room. The sound travelled around in circles and bounced around, etc. Unfortunately, some assholes stole all their equipment after the concert.