Surround Sound

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What Does Surround Sound Mean?

Surround sound is a technology that is used for enriching the quality of audio reproduction for listeners by using additional audio channels. Unlike screen channels, the sound produced by surround sound technology is from a 360° radius in the two-dimensional plane. Surround sound uses multiple channels, with each channel having a dedicated speaker within the system. Surround sound provides listeners with excellent audio ambiance and richer and fuller sound.

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Techopedia Explains Surround Sound

Surround sound is a technique that allows the perception of sound spatialization to be enhanced by manipulating sound localization. This can be achieved by using discrete and multiple audio channels.

There are various formats and techniques for producing surround sound. Its reproduction can also be varied through positioning and the addition of audio channels. True and virtual surround sound systems exist. The latter uses fewer speakers, although the audio seems to be emanating from multiple speakers. Surround sound not only helps in faithfully reproducing sound of the original audio, but is also capable of significantly improving the system’s dynamic range and tonality, even at low to moderate audio volumes.

Surround sound is mostly used in movies, television and video games, which helps provide an immersive audio experience.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology expert

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.