Stereo sound is sound that is recorded and reproduced on two or more channels.
Stereo is short for stereophony or stereophonic . Stereophony is the technique that allows a sound to be simultaneously recorded from two or more places that are at a certain distance ; In this way, when the sound in question is reproduced, an acoustic relief is perceived.
Stereophonic , meanwhile, is that linked to stereophony. One can speak of a stereophonic system or stereophonic sound , for example .
Differences between stereo sound and mono sound
Stereo sound , as we said above, offers a particular spatial sensation when recorded and reproduced in two channels . This differentiates it from monaural or mono sound , whose recording and playback is carried out through a single channel .
The mono sound, thus, is similar to that heard from only one ear . With stereo sound, on the other hand, greater naturalness and depth is achieved since the directions from which the sound sources come are noted.
It is important to mention that sometimes stereo sound is created with two monaural channels that are independent of each other. However, the signals from the different channels are generally linked.
Although stereo sound is of higher quality, there are radio stations that choose to transmit in mono sound because it allows them to have a stronger signal. Expressed another way: with the same power , transmitting in mono sound provides coverage of a larger area than using stereo sound.
The term stereo is also used to refer to a music system.
Broadcasting, TV and compact discs
Beyond the aforementioned advantage of mono sound, radio stations and TV channels usually transmit in stereo. This trend began to take hold in the mid- 1950s .
The most widely used audio storage media in recent decades also include sound recorded in stereo. Not just audio compact discs ( CDs ), but also older products like cassettes and even vinyl records . Compressed audio files in MP3 format, meanwhile, can also be played in stereo.
Stereo as music equipment
It is important to mention that the notion of stereo can be used as a noun to refer to a device used to play music . Therefore, a musical device or mini-component can be called a stereo, just like the device that allows you to listen to the radio or music in a car. For example: “When I turned thirteen my parents gave me a stereo that I used until recently,” “Yesterday my car stereo was stolen,” “Please, could you give me the CD that is in the stereo?” .
A stereo, in this sense, is a device that is used to listen to the radio or music . Currently they usually have a radio tuner , CD player , USB memory reader and, in many cases, Bluetooth receiver , as well as an amplifier and speakers . Years ago they could include record players and cassette players/recorders.
The concept as a unit of volume
There is another meaning of stereo recognized by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) in its dictionary. Coming from the French stère , in turn derived from the Greek stereós (translatable as “solid” ), stereo is a unit of measurement used for firewood (the wood used as fuel).
A stereo, in this framework, is equivalent to the firewood that can be stacked in a cubic meter. In other words, it represents an approximation of the amount of firewood that can be stored, transported or processed in one cubic meter.