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FM - Back to Monophonic ?

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kfbkfb

kfbkfb

With smartphone listeners using the single speaker in their phones for listening (to stereo content many times) in mono, is there any recent survey info about whether or not radio listeners (FM, AM, HD) care about stereo as much as they did (if they ever did)?

If listeners don't care much about stereo, FM reception will be improved by switching off the stereo and transmitting mono only.


Kirk Bayne
 
kfbkfb said:
With smartphone listeners using the single speaker in their phones for listening (to stereo content many times) in mono, is there any recent survey info about whether or not radio listeners (FM, AM, HD) care about stereo as much as they did (if they ever did)?

If listeners don't care much about stereo, FM reception will be improved by switching off the stereo and transmitting mono only.
Click to expand...
Now that radio has to compete with personal playlists on phones and streaming, it would be beyond foolish for FM stations to arbitrarily turn off stereo. To 99.99% of listeners, the difference would be heard, without ever knowing the true definition of stereo. The absolutely LAST thing radio needs, is to sound inferior to other content. If the majority of the format is mono, then go ahead and stay there. If it's a music station, stay stereo.
 
kfbkfb said:
With smartphone listeners using the single speaker in their phones for listening (to stereo content many times) in mono, is there any recent survey info about whether or not radio listeners (FM, AM, HD) care about stereo as much as they did (if they ever did)?

If listeners don't care much about stereo, FM reception will be improved by switching off the stereo and transmitting mono only.


Kirk Bayne
Click to expand...


this is one of the goofiest, stupidest things I've heard all month. I have 2 internet radios and a smartphone... all deliver stereo. I have copious amounts of earbuds (i lose them easily)..... they all deliver stereo

.
 
My cell phones are unsophisticated, neither my current one or my new one store music, in fact, I'm no longer paying for texting functionality on my new phone [voice only] (I've only ever sent 1 text, back in 2013).

My observations are of young people, they listen to music/music videos thru the single speaker in their smartphones, maybe that's a harbinger of the future of music listening.


Kirk Bayne
 
Listen to the smartphone via headset. Or in modern days, wireless earbuds. In stereo. I don't believe I have really heard anybody listen to music over a smartphone speaker.
 
kfbkfb said:
My observations are of young people, they listen to music/music videos thru the single speaker in their smartphones, maybe that's a harbinger of the future of music listening.
Click to expand...

Or maybe it's not. You don't know if you don't actually quantify it. The difference between "observations" and actual research is the research is quantified and verified. Otherwise it's simply anecdotal, which is what you're presenting.
 
kfbkfb said:
With smartphone listeners using the single speaker in their phones for listening (to stereo content many times) in mono, is there any recent survey info about whether or not radio listeners (FM, AM, HD) care about stereo as much as they did (if they ever did)?

If listeners don't care much about stereo, FM reception will be improved by switching off the stereo and transmitting mono only.


Kirk Bayne
Click to expand...
Turning off the stereo pilot and L-R subcarrier will not increase station coverage. It will allow a tiny bit more modulation (8% to 10% more). The 8 to 10% difference in loudness isn't perceptible. Nearly all stereo FM receivers will blend the left and right channels as the signal weakens, improving the signal to noise ratio of the signal. Under very weak signal conditions, the stereo information goes away completely, making the received signal mono.
There is really no advantage to going mono when the station is broadcasting a music format.
 
frankberry said:
Nearly all stereo FM receivers will blend the left and right channels as the signal weakens, improving the signal to noise ratio of the signal.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that the OP is talking about listening to music on a smartphone. Anyone who does that isn't listening to an FM OTA signal. They're listening to an online stream.
 
TheBigA said:
Keep in mind that the OP is talking about listening to music on a smartphone. Anyone who does that isn't listening to an FM OTA signal. They're listening to an online stream.
Click to expand...
No. Read the OP again. He's asking about listening to an FM station.
 
kfbkfb said:
My cell phones are unsophisticated, neither my current one or my new one store music, in fact, I'm no longer paying for texting functionality on my new phone [voice only] (I've only ever sent 1 text, back in 2013).

My observations are of young people, they listen to music/music videos thru the single speaker in their smartphones, maybe that's a harbinger of the future of music listening.


Kirk Bayne
Click to expand...
Every smartphone I've had has had 2 speakers, the ones young people have also have 2.
 
kfbkfb said:
My cell phones are unsophisticated, neither my current one or my new one store music, in fact, I'm no longer paying for texting functionality on my new phone [voice only] (I've only ever sent 1 text, back in 2013).
Click to expand...
Clearly by your description your habits are not in line with the rest of the consumer population. My kids only communicate by text, as does my wife.
kfbkfb said:
My observations are of young people, they listen to music/music videos thru the single speaker in their smartphones, maybe that's a harbinger of the future of music listening.
Click to expand...
Not sure how many in your sample. Can't be many. The vast majority use these little devices you put in one's ears called earbuds. Some are even wireless! Since there are two of them, that's stereo.
 
Kelly A said:
Not sure how many in your sample. Can't be many. The vast majority use these little devices you put in one's ears called earbuds. Some are even wireless! Since there are two of them, that's stereo.
Click to expand...

Or in the car, they use bluetooth to access the car's STEREO sound system.

The amplification in the phone itself isn't sufficient most times to hear an actual phone conversation, much less music.
 
Related to listening in Mono (of course, Surround Sound is the future [just not sure when this future begins :) ])


Kirk Bayne
 
kfbkfb said:
Related to listening in Mono (of course, Surround Sound is the future [just not sure when this future begins :) ])
Click to expand...
Maybe that was the thinking back in 1983. It's 2021 now.

Frank, would you please close this discussion? It's going off the rails.
 
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