Skip to main content ↑ ↓

Notice

Please note that most of the software linked on this forum is likely to be safe to use. If you are unsure, feel free to ask in the relevant topics, or send a private message to an administrator or moderator. To help curb the problems of false positives, or in the event that you do find actual malware, you can contribute through the article linked here.
Topic: What does stereo mean in terms of a stereo? (Read 4481 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

What does stereo mean in terms of a stereo?

I know that stereo means left in right, in terms of headphones, though I don't quite understand what is wod take to replicate perfect quality music on a stero system, as in, what type of speaker setup would I need. Would I just need left and right front speakers, and maybe a subwoofer, or just the left and right speakers, or possibly even more speakers?

What does stereo mean in terms of a stereo?

Reply #1 –
Stereo is actually derived from Greek meaning "solid," referring to the audio illusion of solid sound objects.

Now stereo usually refers to two channel audio.  The purpose of two channels is to create the illusion of sounds in a space between two speakers.

So, you only need two speakers to play back a stereo signal, or a pair of headphones.  Or rather, more than two speakers are not necessary or even recommended to reproduce a stereo signal.  A subwoofer is often used to extend the bass/low frequency response of two smaller speakers and derives the low frequencies from the two channels, but is not necessary either.
Was that a 1 or a 0?

What does stereo mean in terms of a stereo?

Reply #2 –
Humans have two ears, just like two eyes.

With eyes, the brain calculates the difference between what each eye is seeing, creating the feeling of "depth perception".

This is the same with ears, as the brain calculates the difference between what you hear with each ear to create the illusion of depth perception.

The easiest and surest way to get stereo is headphones, giving each ear it's own channel without any interference between stereo channels.
Other than that, any two speakers can give the stereo effects as long as one of your ears can hear one of the speakers better and the other less.

What does stereo mean in terms of a stereo?

Reply #3 –
A "traditional" stereo has two full-range speakers. (This is called a "2.0" setup.)

Because bass is non-directional (humans aren't very good at detecting where it's coming from), you can get-away with a pair of smaller limited-range smaller speakers and a single woofer.  (This is a "2.1" system.)  This is not necessarily better, it's just a different approach.

A "true" 5.1 channel system has 5 full-range speakers (fully capable of reproducing bass) plus a subwoofer for explosions and other special effects. 

Most normal home-theater systems have 5 small (or medium-size) limited-range speakers, plus a subwoofer.  The receiver's "bass management" re-directs the bass from the 5 surround speakers to the subwoofer.

Quote
Would I just need left and right front speakers, and maybe a subwoofer, or just the left and right speakers, or possibly even more speakers?
You don't need more than two speakers, but I like the surround-sound effects...  Surround-sound receivers (and sound cards) with Dolby Pro Logic II (or something similar) have various optional soundfield settings that process the 2-channel stereo sound and send it to all 5 speakers.  For example, there are "hall", "theater", and "stadium" settings that send delayed reverb to the rear channels.

What does stereo mean in terms of a stereo?

Reply #4 –
Quote from: Tunguch on
The easiest and surest way to get stereo is headphones, giving each ear it's own channel without any interference between stereo channels.
I think this is true only for binaural recordings.

What does stereo mean in terms of a stereo?

Reply #5 –
Quote
With eyes, the brain calculates the difference between what each eye is seeing, creating the feeling of "depth perception".

This is the same with ears, as the brain calculates the difference between what you hear with each ear to create the illusion of depth perception.
  Depth/distance is tricky, but we are pretty good at detecting the direction of sound and you can get a reasonable left-to-right "soundstage". 

You can usually clearly identify the direction of sounds coming from only the left or right speakers, and any sounds that are identical in both speakers should sound like they are coming from a phantom "center channel".  Depending on the recording, the speakers, the room acoustics, etc., you may be able to more-precisely locate other sounds across the soundstage.

This is the basic theory behind stereo....  You aren't supposed to hear the sound coming from the speakers, you are supposed to hear the band/orchestra spread-out in front of you with the singer in the middle, etc. 

If you have a surround-sound system, you can clearly locate sounds coming from behind.  (We only have two ears, but when we move our head we "triangulate" to determine the sound-direction in 3-dimensions.)

What does stereo mean in terms of a stereo?

Reply #6 –
Quote from: andy o on
Quote from: Tunguch on
The easiest and surest way to get stereo is headphones, giving each ear it's own channel without any interference between stereo channels.
I think this is true only for binaural recordings.

Correct.

Music is usually mixed or recorded for a speaker setup where crosstalk between the two channels is possible.