The Mysterious Three-Groove Record: Uncovering the History of an Obscure Audio Technology

Three-groove (also known as triple-groove or triple-slot) is a type of record groove that has three parallel grooves instead of the traditional single groove. This technology was introduced in the 1950s and was used in some early stereo records to improve the sound quality by reducing distortion and noise.

In a three-groove record, each groove contains one of the three audio channels (left, center, or right), and the stylus follows the appropriate groove depending on the channel being played. This allows for a more accurate reproduction of the audio signal and a more stable tracking of the needle in the grooves.

Three-groove records were not widely adopted and were eventually replaced by other technologies such as stereo records with two grooves (one for the left channel and one for the right channel) and later by digital recordings. However, some collectors and audiophiles still seek out three-groove records as a unique and rare item.