In the earliest days of reproduced sound we relied upon the single box speaker to deliver our music.
Monophonic sound.
Yet, Alan Blumlein invented and patented the idea of stereophonic sound in 1931. Why did it take decades after to increase the number of speakers from one to two? The simplest answer is we had no practical means to record and playback two synchronized channels.
Once the stereo tape recorder was launched (1954) and the stereophonic LP was introduced (1958), we began the long march towards multiplying the number of speaker boxes in our home.
By the 1970s single box monophonic home audio systems were a thing of the past and folks had gotten used to the idea of twin boxes dominating their living rooms.
Today we know how to get stereophonic sound with just one box. It's not easy. It's not been done well.
But, I wonder if we should someday think about pointing our technical efforts back in the direction of reducing the number of boxes.
What'cha think?
