1. Differences in origin and development:

Origin of surround sound: In the mid-1960s, the birth of multi-track tape recorders introduced multi-channel recording. Recording engineers can use multiple channels for recording, from the initial 3 channels to 24 channels, making it possible to independently record environmental information, which also plays a vital role in the promotion of surround sound systems in the music field.

Stereo recording technology was born in 1931. The inventor is British electrical engineer Alan Blumlein (1903~1942).

Surround sound:

Stereo sound:

2. Differences in characteristics:

The characteristic of surround sound is that it has a sense of direction. That is, the listener can feel the direction of the sound source; there is also a sense of surround, that is, the listener feels surrounded by the sound source; and there is a sense of expansion, that is, the sound source spreads around and is reflected by objects.

Stereo advantages: It has a sense of direction and distribution of each sound source; improves the clarity and intelligibility of information; improves the presence, layering and transparency of the program.

3. Differences in definitions:

Surround sound originally refers to the full-space three-dimensional perception of the position of sound sources in space by human hearing.

Stereo refers to sound with a three-dimensional feel. The sounds produced in nature are stereo, but if we play back these stereo sounds after recording, amplification, etc., all the sounds will be played out from one speaker, and the replayed sound (compared with the original sound source) will not be stereo. .

Baidu Encyclopedia-Stereo

Baidu Encyclopedia-Surround Sound