Commonly called stereo sound or just stereo, stereophonic sound divides sounds across
two channels (recorded on two separate sources) then the recorded sounds are
mixed so that some elements are channeled to the left and others to the right.
Stereophonic sound is generally considered the best sound technology of
the 1950 and early 1960's.
New Adventures in Hi-Fi This "Hi-Fi & Computer" audio article cuts through the techbabble and tells the story of multi-channel audio, and details the latest 'high resolution' surround sound formats.
Surround Sound Past, Present, and Future (PDF) A history of multichannel audio from mag stripe to Dolby Digital. The first commercially successful multichannel sound formats were developed in the early 1950s for the cinema. At the time, stereophonic sound, a concept new to the public, was heavily promoted along with new wide-screen formats by a film industry feeling threatened by the rapid growth of television.
