Why don’t reviews mention if Bluetooth / standalone speakers are stereo or mono?

[Tapper82]

Hi all,
I’ve noticed that in a lot of reviews for Bluetooth speakers, standalone speakers, and even digital radios, there’s often no mention of whether the unit plays in stereo or mono.
To me, that seems like quite an important detail — especially when so many small speakers are actually mono, and some have clever setups to simulate or pair for stereo sound. Sometimes you only find out after buying and listening for yourself!
Is there a reason this isn’t consistently mentioned in reviews?
Do reviewers assume most readers don’t care, or is it just taken for granted based on the design?
Curious to hear your thoughts — and whether anyone else finds this detail as important as I do.
The latest review to leave out these details was the review of the Roberts Reva.

Thanks,
Tapper

 

[Shrek]

if its 1 speaker its not stereo .

 

[Angle Poise-Lamp]

Even if they were stereo, the left and right drivers would be so close together, you would hear them as mono anyway.

 

[Shrek]

Even if they were stereo, the left and right drivers would be so close together, you would hear them as mono anyway.

Exactly my thought .

 

[Vincent Kars]

Mono is defined as 1 channel.
Stereo id defined as 2 channels.
A single speaker sums L and R. What else could they do?
Of course you can't get the stereo image with 1, you need 2 speakers do so. But I wonder why you expect reviewers to state the very, very obvious.

 

[Tapper82]

if its 1 speaker its not stereo .

Hi I am sorry, but that is not true. I have had Sony bluetooth speaker that was stereo. I think it was the sbrx33. Then I read the JBL charge 5 review on here and the is no mention of it being just mono. I all so have the Monitor Audio AirStream S150 Bluetooth Speaker from a long time ago and that has 3 drivers and is still mono. Even in the review for the Monitor Audio AirStream S150 Bluetooth Speaker it does not tell you that it's mono.
I would just like to know why?

 

[Tapper82]

Mono is defined as 1 channel.
Stereo id defined as 2 channels.
A single speaker sums L and R. What else could they do?
Of course you can't get the stereo image with 1, you need 2 speakers do so. But I wonder why you expect reviewers to state the very, very obvious.

So when you are saying one speaker, do you meen just one box or one driver?

I am asking because there is lots of bluetooth speakers out there that are one box, but have multiple drivers.

 

[Tapper82]

Exactly my thought .

So why do they put stereo speakers on phones and laptops? You can get OK stereo sound from a device the size and shape of most of the JBL speakers.

 

[Tapper82]

Sound configuration is a pretty big deal for many buyers. Some people specifically want a stereo setup for better music separation, while others don’t mind mono as long as the speaker is loud and clear. Right now, you often have to dig through manufacturer pages or user comments to figure this out, and having it right in the review would save users time and confusion.
Adding a simple “Stereo / Mono” line under the audio specs would make the reviews more complete and make it easier for people to compare models. It’s a small detail, but it could make a big difference for anyone shopping for speakers.
Just wanted to throw that suggestion out there — I think it would be a really useful addition!

 

[Fandango Andy]

It probably doesn't seem important to them. If you have stereo speakers close together you are going to hear mono, the same as if it were coming from a single speaker. if however they have a "clever setups to simulate or pair for stereo sound." that is a key feature and would almost certainly me mentioned in the review.