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  05-28-2010, 11:55 AM
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I was talking trades with someone and they said they had some stuff recorded on videotape with Mono as opposed to Stereo sound. He said that Mono wasn't as good as Stereo. Can someone please tell me what the difference is?

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  #2  
  05-29-2010, 04:13 AM
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This has been asked - and I feel this is best described, from a sound systems website I found awhile back
To me, it really comes down to preference...and, it seemed to be the end result opinion in this article too-although I am sure there are articles, saying the opposite too



[FONT=verdana, ARIAL, Helvetica]Mono[/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, ARIAL, Helvetica]Mono or monophonic describes a system where all the audio signals are mixed together and routed through a single audio channel. Mono systems can have multiple loudspeakers, and even multiple widely separated loudspeakers. The key is that the signal contains no level and arrival time/phase information that would replicate or simulate directional cues. Common types of mono systems include single channel centre clusters, mono split cluster systems, and distributed loudspeaker systems with and without architectural delays. Mono systems can still be full-bandwidth and full-fidelity and are able to reinforce both voice and music effectively. The big advantage to mono is that everyone hears the very same signal, and, in properly designed systems, all listeners would hear the system at essentially the same sound level. This makes well-designed mono systems very well suited for speech reinforcement as they can provide excellent speech intelligibility. [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, ARIAL, Helvetica]Stereo[/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, ARIAL, Helvetica]True stereophonic sound systems have two independent audio signal channels, and the signals that are reproduced have a specific level and phase relationship to each other so that when played back through a suitable reproduction system, there will be an apparent image of the original sound source. Stereo would be a requirement if there is a need to replicate the aural perspective and localization of instruments on a stage or platform, a very common requirement in performing arts centres. [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, ARIAL, Helvetica]This also means that a mono signal that is panned somewhere between the two channels does not have the requisite phase information to be a true stereophonic signal, although there can be a level difference between the two channels that simulates a position difference, this is a simulation only. That's a discussion that could warrant a couple of web pages all by itself. [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, ARIAL, Helvetica]An additional requirement of the stereo playback system is that the entire listening area must have equal coverage of both the left and right channels, at essentially equal levels. This is why your home stereo system has a "sweet spot" between the two loudspeakers, where the level differences and arrival time differences are small enough that the stereo image and localization are both maintained. This sweet spot is limited to a fairly small area between the two loudspeakers and when a listener is outside that area, the image collapses and only one or the other channel is heard. Living with this sweet spot in your living room may be OK, since you can put your couch there, but in a larger venue, like a church sanctuary or theatre auditorium, that sweet spot might only include 1/3 the audience, leaving 2/3 of the audience wondering why they only hear half the program. [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, ARIAL, Helvetica]In addition a stereo playback system must have the correct absolute phase response input to output for both channels. This means that a signal with a positive pressure waveform at the input to the system must have the same positive pressure waveform at the output of the system. So a drum, for instance, when struck produces a positive pressure waveform at the microphone and should produce a positive pressure waveform in the listening room. If you don't believe that this makes a tremendous difference, try reversing the polarity of both your hifi loudspeakers some day and listening to a source that has a strong centre sound image like a solo voice. When the absolute polarity is flipped the wrong way, you won't find a stable centre channel image, it will wander around away from the centre, localizing out at both the loudspeakers.
[/FONT]



[FONT=verdana, ARIAL, Helvetica]Which one's the best?[/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, ARIAL, Helvetica]As with many questions about sound systems, there is no one right answer. A well designed mono system will satisfy more people than a poorly designed or implemented two channel sound system. The important thing to keep in mind is that the best loudspeaker design for any facility is the one that will work effectively within the, programmatic, architectural and acoustical constraints of the room, and that means (to paraphrase the Rolling Stones) "You can't always get the system that you want, but you find some times that you get the system that you need." If the facility design (or budget) won't support an effective stereo playback or reinforcement system, then it is important that the sound system be designed to be as effective as possible, even if that means giving up a desirable program requirement like stereo.
[/FONT]


[FONT=verdana, ARIAL, Helvetica]Here is the link, which has quite a bit more information on this subject-[/FONT]


http://www.mcsquared.com/mono-stereo.htm

the wiki answer, has other opinions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereophonic_sound
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  #3  
  05-31-2010, 11:43 PM
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Most people think of mono as some muffled cheap sound system on a $75 VCR (when they were $150 average price), instead of what it really is -- both channels mixed together. Most cable channels are actually mono, as are most TV broadcasts.
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  #4  
  06-02-2010, 12:20 AM
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Nods--
Am I the only one who ever read the great beatles stereo versus mono controversy?
Oh gawd did that choke up the internet for a long time lol
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