Sound Retrieval System

Sound Retrieval System (SRS) is a patented psychoacoustic 3D audio processing technology originally invented by Arnold Klayman in the early 1980s.

[citation needed] The SRS technology applies head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) to create an immersive 3D soundfield using only two speakers, widening the "sweet spot", creating a more spacious sense of ambience, and producing strong localization cues for discrete instruments within an audio mix.

[citation needed] Initially Hughes Aircraft, for whom Klayman was doing acoustic consulting at the time, offered a standalone SRS audio processor,[1] as well as licensing the technology to Sony and Thomson (RCA) for inclusion in their products.

An article in the November 1994 issue of Consumers Digest magazine tested several SRS-equipped sets from Sony and other manufacturers and concluded that the circuit was essentially a gimmick in these products due to their small, close-set speakers and low-wattage amplifiers.

SRS is not a panacea for audio systems that are marginal to begin with; it works best with full-range, high-fidelity sound reproduction.