E. G. M Alkin has written:

'Sound recording and reproduction' -- subject(s): Sound, Recording and reproducing

"The first practical sound recording and reproduction device was the mechanical phonograph cylinder, invented by Thomas Edison in 1877 and patented in 1878" - from the wikipedia page on sound recording

Audio engineering is associated with recording sound, storing the recordings and subsequently reproducing the recordings using all available means from the the very earliest recording and reproduction methods to the very latest.

A stereophonic sound system records on two or more channels. Separate microphones are used in recording and separate speakers in reproduction. This approximates the audio effect of the original performance.