Radio - mono vs stereo

[gobble]

Folks
I recently started using a Sanyo KH-WS1 radio for the free FM channels. It was lying around unused for the last 6 years.

I find that in mono mode the upper frequencies are a little muted. It sounds better in stereo, with more "air". Edit: It also suspiciously feels like information loss although that may be a brain/perception thing. Any ideas why and how I can fix it? I use a cheap stereo wire and line out.

Edit: If I turn the L/R channel knob on the amp fully one way - will both LR signals go only thru the other channel or will the muted channel signals be lost?

I really want to use mono as stereo is too distracting for my brain - I find myself able to focus better at the tasks I am doing when the sound information is mono in the background.

Regards

 

[marsilians]

The only diff between mono and stereo is the bandwidth used for the sound reproduction. So essentially your ear is distinguishing between the frequencies in stereo.

As regards, turning the knob fully one way or other, you should really try it. At worst, you will not hear one channel (hint hint)

Folks
I recently started using a Sanyo KH-WS1 radio for the free FM channels. It was lying around unused for the last 6 years.

I find that in mono mode the upper frequencies are a little muted. It sounds better in stereo, with more "air". Any ideas why and how I can fix it? I use a cheap stereo wire and line out.

Edit: If I turn the L/R channel knob on the amp fully one way - will both LR signals go only thru the other channel or will the muted channel signals be lost?

I really want to use mono as stereo is too distracting for my brain - I find myself able to focus better at the tasks I am doing when the sound information is mono in the background.

Regards

 

[spirovious]

I prefer Stereo to Mono.Mono can be clean signal & better for vocals.
But for overall music,I prefer Stereo with good reception.

 

[ajinkya]

I'm curious to know how mono works. If the originating FM is broadcast in stereo, does mono mode cause the receiver to mix both channels into a single one and broadcast on both speakers?

 

[rikhav]

short answer: FM broadcasting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's a multiplexed broadcast, so there's a little more to it than meets the eye. Mono is used to get clear reception in areas where the signal may not be as strong, most FM receivers automatically switch to mono mode if the stength is low.

Very true , When i switch to MONO the hiss associated with some channels goes away and overall sound seems to be more clean

 

[ajinkya]

short answer: FM broadcasting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/url

Thanks for the info, Cranky. After reading the link, I am not clear with this sentence:
"In addition, for a given RF level at the receiver, the signal-to-noise ratio for the stereo signal will be worse than for the mono receiver. The point at which the receiver input RF level reaches maximum monaural signal-to-noise ratio will be 23 dB lower than the receiver input RF level for maximum stereo signal-to-noise ratio."
Shouldn't the SNR be 23 dB higher for mono than stereo, if the claim is true?

 

[gobble]

I Think I will get a mono cable and use a single speaker using amp L/R balance controls. That should hopefully resolve this minor issue.

Thanks guys for all the inputs.

Regards