Question: why do many people view their DVD's with surround sound and are most audio formats, including DJ friendly vinyl and CD's in stereo? Arguably 60 % of American households have purchased the necessary audio infrastructure, with North-Western Europe lagging only slightly behind.

For us at this magazine it has been very hard to come up with an appropriate answer. Does it have something to do with a conservative publishing industry? Or is it perhaps a matter of sound quality? Many audiophiles have argued that most 5.1 setups cannot match a classical dual speaker setup. Nevertheless the principles of surround sound are a more adequate representation of reality. There is roughly four times more data being sent at the receiver in a high rez 48khz surround set up. And some of the world's best music venues specialise in such setups.

Is it because many less exquisite venues lack such capacities? Or are there still technological arguments that scare the artists away? The latter seems highly unlikely, especially given the recent growth in 5.1 surround releases. What to think of a Dutch classical radio station that does all their programs in surround stereo? Or performances at Sonar Sound Hamburg, with the likes of Speedy J in surround?

The latest release by Richie Hawtin, Transitions, comes in this format, just like a refurbished collection of tracks by the essential Jean Michel Jarre, one of the founding fathers of EDM as we know it. BT, known for his film scores and computer game soundtracks (many of which can already boast surround support) has now also added his masterpiece to the new onslaught of releases over the last few months. Why has this not happened earlier? And more importantly, why is it finally happening now?

Either way, the format looks like a promising addition to the list of add-ons to a regular DJ-set. As the DJ/VJ combo is taking off, this is another chance to be different as an artist. What matters most is the audience though. Are you looking forward to surround performances? Or will we stay stereo in the years to come? Let us know!