One thing I've wondered about early stereo recordings, particularly from
the 50s and 60s, is how much the mix and tendancy towards extreme panning
was about the type of stereo instruments used for listening in the typical
home - a console or other single unit with two attached speakers, rather
than the central unit with two wider spaced separate speakers that emerged
in the 70s.

It's the difference between having a wider stereo field, with the sound
spread out, versus hearing the Beatles or Elvis playing in a "box" in your
living room.

How much was the design of home stereo units considered by some of the
stereo pioneers?  Was some it designed for headphones with a "hole in the
middle" or for two speakers spaced close together in a single unit or for a
unit with the player and one speaker and another separate speaker placed
not too far away like some of the early RCA stereo tape consoles?

Randy
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