Stereo

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Stereo

Stereo does not mean two channel.

Go figure!

For all the years I have been immersed in stereophonic sound I have always assumed it meant the opposite of monophonic: one speaker.

Turns out:

stereo

2 of 2adjective

1of or relating to the seeing of objects in three dimensions

stereo-

before vowels stere-, word-forming element of Greek origin, used from mid-19c. and meaning "solid, firm; three-dimensional;" also, later, "stereophonic," from Greek stereos "solid" (from PIE root *ster- (1) "stiff").

also from mid-19c.

So, stereo means solid: the seeing of objects in three dimensions. 

And that turns out to be perfectly accurate for the best HiFi systems from headphones to speakers.

It's just not what I always imagined.

*thanks to our chief engineer, Bob Stadtherr for this revelation

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Paul McGowan

Founder & CEO

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