The logo SRS® is gaining serious popularity among domestic audio products. SRS Labs, Inc. develops, markets and licenses unique, leading-edge audio technologies for use in the fields of consumer audio, computer multimedia, electronic game, automotive and professional sound industries. The company's flagship technology, SRS (Sound Retrieval System®), replaces stereo as the method of accurately reproducing sound, and, is rapidly becoming the standard for 3-D audio technology. It creates a three-dimensional sound image from any audio source with only two conventional stereo speakers. Whether the signal is mono, stereo, or surround sound encoded, SRS® expands the audio material and immerses the listener in an exciting three-dimensional sound field. This unique process has been awarded four U.S. patents with 260 claims and 20 issued foreign patents, with many pending patents in countries around the world.

"Dr. 3D" Arnold Klayman - The Inventor, and Alan Kraemer - Director of SRS Engineering

The Sound Retrieval System was invented by Arnold Klayman after years of research on the psychoacoustics of sound and the dynamics of the human hearing system. SRS differs from stereo and traditional sound expansion techniques because it is based on the human hearing system. It retrieves the spatial information from recordings and restores the original three-dimensional sound field. As a result, the reproduced sound is much closer to a live performance. Like live performances, SRS has no critical listening position (sweet spot). Listeners can move around the room and continue to be immersed in full three-dimensional sound. Speakers are no longer the discernible source of sound. SRS does not require special encoding or decoding, and does not rely on artificial time delay or phase manipulation of the original program material.

The story begins with Howard Hughes, whose company, Hughes Aircraft, is regarded as a world leader in the development of advanced technology. In the early 1980s, the Hughes Aircraft Company operated several research labs around the country with the purpose of developing new technologies to enhance their core aerospace business. One of these labs included an audio group assembled to explore new ways to improve in-flight entertainment systems for wide-body aircraft.

Arnold Klayman, an acoustical engineering consultant, was retained by Hughes to assist with the research program. During his consulting engagement with the company, Klayman introduced Hughes management to a unique 3D sound technology that he had been developing for several years. Hughes management immediately recognized its potential, acquired the rights, hired Klayman as a senior scientist and formed an audio division around him to continue the development of SRS 3D Sound.

Hughes invested millions of dollars and numerous man-years to further develop, refine and patent the technology that they named the Sound Retrieval System®, (SRS®). Klayman's efforts with Hughes produced three U.S. patents with 240 claims and 17 foreign patents with an additional 45 foreign patents pending. His efforts on behalf of SRS were complemented by a series of additional patents on proprietary speaker technology. Ultimately, Hughes was able to license the SRS technology to Sony Corporation and Thomson Consumer Electronics (RCA) in addition to introducing a line of stand-alone SRS processors.

In 1992, Hughes elected to sell off certain non-core aerospace ventures. As a result, the SRS technology was offered for sale.

On June 23, 1993, a group of entrepreneurs, including Walter W. Cruttenden III, Chairman of Cruttenden Roth, Inc., the largest investment banking company in Orange County, California; Stephen V. Sedmak, an experienced hi-tech executive; and James S. Lucas, then National Sales Manager of the Hughes Audio Division, purchased all rights and assets of the SRS technology and formed SRS Labs, Inc. Since then, SRS Labs continues it R&D in Santa Ana, California.

In November 1993, ‘Game Players’ awarded SRS Labs the ‘Ultimate’ award. SRS also received numerous awards including: ‘The Best of CES’, ‘The Best of What is New’ from Popular Science, ‘Innovation In Technology’ from ‘American Electronics Association’.

go to SRS Labs web site.......