Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of sound, using two or more independent audio channels, through a symmetrical configuration of loudspeakers, in such a way as to create a pleasant and natural impression of sound heard from various directions, as in natural hearing. It is often contrasted with monophonic sound, where audio is in the form of one channel, often centered in the sound field (analogous to a visual field). The word "stereophonic" — derived from Greek stereos = "solid" and ph?n? = "sound" — was coined by Western Electric, by analogy with the word "stereoscopic". In popular usage, stereo usually means 2-channel sound recording and sound reproduction using data for more than one speaker simultaneously. In technical usage, stereo or stereophony means sound recording and sound reproduction th