Difference between stereo and mono audio
In: Technology
Mono means one – so all of the music is summed up in one output. This means you only need one speaker to play it correctly, and in the case of most hi-fi’s and headphones that use two speakers, each one will be playing back exactly the same thing.
Stereo means two – so the audio is recorded and mixed in such a way as to use two different speakers. This means that each speaker can play different things – in a band setting this might mean you will hear different combinations of instruments in each ear (to create a more immersive sound, feeling like the band is positioned all around you), while with a TV it means they will choose to play sounds in either or both speakers to help it appear like the sound is coming from either side (or the centre) to match what you are seeing on screen.
If you only listen using one speaker (such as only using one earbud) then you may miss certain elements of whatever you are listening to that are only played back through the missing earbud.
You can go further than this – Disney’s Fantasia was famously designed with quadraphonic sound (using four speakers) which was too elaborate and cumbersome for the technology of the time.
Modern home cinema is also typically designed as 5.1 surround sound – this referring to having five speakers spaced around you and an additional subwoofer, and dedicated cinemas can go even further.
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