For a few years in the early 1970's 4 channel quad stereo receivers became all the rage. in 1973, Pioneer came out with their top of the line QX 949 that was capable of Discrete 4 quad. I was young, single and able to purchase one around that time. The receiver was huge and weighed about 50 pounds, costing around $800 without extras like speakers and turntable. Of course, if you wanted the ultimate quad experience, you also had to buy albums that incorporated the technology. I think that's what ultimately led to failure in the marketplace, as the equipment needed was quite expensive back then. Also, you would certainly lose some of the advantage unless you were seated near the center of the surrounding four speakers.
But that set could put out amazing sound at 40 watts per channel, 160 total. I bought a reverb, and 4 big speakers, having that setup for more than 30 years! Those were the party days!
Also, you would certainly lose some of the advantage unless you were seated near the center of the surrounding four speakers. But with the super cool display, you could custom tune the output of the individual speakers!