Stereo or Surround Sound?
Let’s have a look at the two most popular sound systems today, stereo sound, used mostly for music, and surround sound - used mostly with movies and games. A number of different uses and qualities set them apart and each still have their unique strengths.
For many years people had to make do with mono sound systems. These were the early sound systems but they where soon replaced with stereo technology. Now stereo is being slowly replaced by surround sound systems. Both stereo and surround sound are recorded in different ways and deliver the audio output very differently also. The obvious difference is that stereo generally uses two speaker output - basic left and right. Surround sound systems are designed for multi channel output, the most common at the moment being 5.1 surround sound which is s six speaker configuration.
The multi channel setup enables the sound to become very directional in nature. With good surround sound speaker placement amazing results can be achieved. Think of the sound you experience at the movie theatre, this is usually surround sound, you get the effect of the different sounds coming at you from many directions adding to the depth of sound. This sound setup is now possible in your own home and it doesn't cost the earth.
Where stereo sound is still king is with straight music playing. Most modern music is still recorded for playback using two - stereo speakers. To listen in high quality sound, stereo is still the best setup. Even fairly cheap stereo systems today can deliver very good quality sound. In fact only the most expensive surround sound systems can even come close to a mid range stereo system for music playing. For these reasons most people still use two sound setups at home - stereo for listening to music and surround sound for viewing movies and gaming.