Stereophonic sound

Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of sound, using two independent audio channels, through a pair of widely separated speaker systems, in such a way as to create a pleasant and natural impression of sound heard from various directions as in natural hearing.

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The word "stereophonic", from Greek stereos = "solid" and ph?n? = "sound", was coined by Western Electric, by analogy with the word "stereoscopic". Western Electric first demonstrated it at an SMPTE meeting in 1937, then to the general public at Carnegie Hall in 1940.

Related Topics:
Greek - Western Electric - SMPTE - 1937 - 1940

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In popular usage, stereo usually means 2-channel sound recording and sound reproduction using data for more than one speaker simultaneously.

Related Topics:
Channel - Sound recording - Sound reproduction

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In technical usage, stereo or stereophony means sound recording and sound reproduction that uses stereographic projection to encode the relative positions of objects and events recorded. A stereo system can include any number of channels, such as the multichannel audio 5.1- and 6.1-channel systems used on high-end film and television productions. However, it more commonly means only two-channel systems.

Related Topics:
Sound recording - Sound reproduction - Stereographic projection - Multichannel audio - Film - Television

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The electronic device for playing back stereo sound is often called "a stereo".

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