What I wish I knew before starting my audiophile journey

Audio: It is the best of hobbies and it is the worst of hobbies. It starts with a love for music but that quickly leads to obsession. In olden times life was simpler. One went all out with either a reel to reel tape deck or settled for a turntable. FM Tuners used to be a favorite for hobbyists, but not for the hi end crowd. Next the hi end crowd could choose from a handful of tube amps and preamps and either some electrostatic Quads or a suitable box speaker if they liked to play their music loud.

Today we have a bewildering choice of sources- digital, analog, streaming, wifi, bluetooth and on and on. And then there is the listening room and the power coming into the listening room, grounding and on and on. What? Has no one done a study yet on optimum hair length for listening? Or, how about ear shape. Any audiophile oriented plastic surgeons out there to take our hearing to the next level? Incredible. But I have some either good news or bad news depending on how you want to look at it. The news is that this hobby is a rabbit hole with no apparent bottom. It is up to you as a hobbyist to decide when enough is enough. Maybe you get to a point that you can no longer hear a difference, but that doesn’t mean someone else cannot still hear a difference, or maybe you get to a point that you don’t care if there is a difference. Peace to you and now your heart is full of gladness because you can get back to the music. Or maybe you simply run out of money and can no longer fund your voracious appetite for more and better upgrades. A very sad ending for many of us. But take comfort in knowing that the next piece of better stereo gear is either out there waiting for us or will soon be invented. I myself am waiting eagerly for my new, very expensive network switch to arrive. Just a few years ago I had no idea a network switch would be my bridge to stereo nirvana. Perhaps it won’t but I’ll never know until I try.

Stereo gear is designed and built in tiers. I say these tiers, in simplistic terms are low fi, mid fi, hifi and ultra hifi. Each has a place in our lives and can provide us pleasure and entertainment. The cost or price range of each of these categories surprisingly overlap as also does performance. That is to say that a piece of mid fi gear can sound surprisingly good for the money and leave one to mistakenly conclude that hifi is a rip off. An example for me is a $500 phono cartridge. I can mount one (and I have before when my Benz died) on my tonearm and find it quite pleasing. I can find it shockingly good. But after a while I begin to notice things are not well. I begin to notice detail is missing. Tracking wasn’t so great on some records, and so forth. I go back to a hi end cartridge and now the music is right again. Word of warning: Don’t step into the high end pool unless you are ready to pay. It’s like getting an upgrade to first class on an overseas flight. The ride home in coach is really horrible after that. Life is not fair but that is how things are. So it can get confusing when we hear a piece of lower price gear sound really good. Be careful not to make a conclusion based on a sample of one. The thing that experienced audio hobbyists can discern is pseudo hifi. That’s because we have all gotten burned at some time or another. Experience is the best teacher but guaranteed its going to hurt at times.

As I said the tiers overlap both in price and in performance. Many systems likely have a mix of some low end hifi or high end mid fi even if we want to believe it’s all hifi. And then there is the ultra hifi. If you think you have hit the ceiling and your stereo sounds as good as any stereo can sound, seek out an audition in a room with ultra hifi. One of three things happen- a) you cannot hear a difference, b) you hear a difference and want to throw all of your gear into a bonfire, c) You are filled with joy knowing your hobby has a new, higher ceiling and the quest can continue. If you fall into category C- please seek help.

What is hifi, low fi and mid fi? These are the definitions by Tony. Take them with a grain of salt. I am an old crotchety retired engineer full of outdated opinions. (I don’t think they are outdated but I get a lot of feedback to the contrary).

lo fi- iPods, car radios, bose radios, etc. Casual listening suitable for driving and singing along, or while working in the yard, cleaning house, etc. Also great for rides in elevators.

mid fi- The first vestiges of a music system. Sometimes recognizable as a 2 channel stereo. Can be a receiver based system or integrated amp based. Mass produced gear with components ranging from industrial grade to audio grade in the better quality gear. Mid fi gear can sound pleasant to good and even great with ample bass and rhythm. Generally mid fi lacks focused imaging and a three dimensional soundstage. The soundstage will breakdown and the sound become harsh or congested when the music gets loud or busy. But for college dorms this is how we rock! Yeah!

hifi- Generally this level of gear is boutique level. It is handmade or hand assembled using high level quality components that have been sorted or produced with minimal variation. High level designs with maximum performance in mind. Each component is typically auditoned by the manufacturer before shipping. Hifi can range widely from producing exquisite mid range with vocals to die for to full range systems that can reproduce organ notes like being there. Hifi is known to have a soundstage with a level of realism to almost being there. Three dimensional soundstage with sharply focused images. Very low noise that adds to the realism and striking dynamic range and response. Hifi can invoke intense emotional responses to the music. Once encountering hifi one to two responses are possible- a) You become smitten and spend the rest of your life pursuing that feeling, that moment when you first encountered hifi. (That’s me). b) You think, "sounds great" so what’s the big deai? In this case, peace to you and may your heart be filled with gladness. Go spend your money on a boat.

Ultra hifi- This is reserved for the handful (27) of billionaires in the entire world that a) have the disposable income for a $1 million record player, b) care enough to set apart a dedicated room that costs more than most homes, and c) have the time to dedicate to this hobby when not jet setting to World Economic Forums. Ultra hifi is an unforgettable experience. The musicians are in the room with you. Close your eyes and you can feel them moving about the room It is eerie and uncanny. Noise levels are absolute zero and dynamic range is beyond real life. Recordings feel like live concerts. Every sound, rhythm and pulse is delicious. The best high end hifi systems get very close to this.

Keep in mind that it is true, money cannot buy everything. These tiers overlap which can cause much confusion. Expertise in applying the gear, designing the listening room and knowing how synergy between components is working are key to getting the best sound for your dollar.

Here’s the best part: Spend $15k, $150k or $300k and still someone will comment that it could be better. Have enough family or friends over and someone will comment about a deficiency in the sound somehow. Think not? Just go to Axpona and listen to all the great gear in each of the rooms. Then listen to the comments of people when they leave those rooms. This is the hobby that tries men’s souls. (Ok, ok that tries people’s souls.)

@antialiased interesting observation re:generational priority differences. It makes sense. 

Also, I'm going to second having a good, reputable dealer who' s NOT a chain and/or who DOESN'T also specialize in home theater. 

Thanks all for the comments. As tonywinga lays out the tiers, I would say that my system will be mid fi (actually as I think about it I’m pretty much a mid fi person in most respects, not a bad  place to be). My intention, since as I said I am older, is to err on the somewhat more expensive side as my plan is for this to be my first and last system. I am not unaware of the “rabbit hole” possibility. When the pandemic started and I spent a good amount of time at home I started buying headphones. Three years and a dozen pairs of headphones later … . 
I’ve read a lot and my thinking at the moment is to choose between the Naim Uniti Atom (thanks curtdr for the reinforcement) and the Lyngdorf NAIS 1120, the latter because it apparently has very good room correction and my system will be in a large (14’ by 37’) normally furnished living room. That introduces the frustrating ambiguity in these audio decisions: from what I’ve read the Naim will likely sound better than the Lyndorf, but everyone says the impact of the room on sound performance is enormous so that pushes me toward the Lyngdorf. But then the question is will the Lyngdorf’s room correction be sufficiently beneficial to outweigh what I understand (?) is the Naim’s superior sound quality. Further, I bough these speakers for their rich mid range and the Lyngdorf is reported to allow the speakers’ tonality  to be retained while the Naim reportedly has its “own” sound. And then there’s the issue of whether both of these have sufficient power to get the most out of these speakers (the speakers’ specs are: 8 ohms; 87 db’s impedance; recommended amplifier power of 50-150 watts), and the Naim’s and Lyndorf’s power are 40 and 50 watts respectively. When you read the reviews and the comments in audio forums some say it’s not enough to optimize those speakers while others say of course they both have plenty of power and that’s not at all an issue. Then there’s the issue of my need for simplicity and ease of operation as I am not technically facile, to say the least. (Some say the Naim is very easy to operate, but they don’t know who they’re dealing with here). I think my solution to that may be to purchase one of these amplifiers and if I really find it difficult to operate easily to add a Blusound Node, which everyone says is very easy to operate, to the system. Now I know the answer tomuch of this to find the appropriate dealers and go there and listen. But then people say that the only way to really to get an accurate picture is to audition them in your own home. But as everyone here knows that’s easier said than done. Moreover, if I decide on the Lyngdorf I would buy it new, but as the Naim is more expensive I likely would buy it used so I don’t want to take a Naim dealer’s time. And finally, because I’m just not a real audiophile, maybe I’m just overthinking this and any choice would be fine.  Oh boy. 
Sorry for the long rant and while I know it doesn’t come across here I am actually finding this to be fun. Thanks all.

A couple of additional comments that I’d like to add about ultra hifi and mid fi. Ultra hifi is music reproduction on a grand scale. It creates life size 1:1 imagery as well as clarity and realism almost beyond real life. I once heard an ultra hifi system set up in a ball room. Four large panels, maybe six all powered by separate large ARC ref amps. The orchestra was laid out before me on a life size scale in 3 dimensions. I could pick out each and every instrument in the orchestra- better almost than if I had been standing in front of a real orchestra. That was in 1989. Very impressionable on a young engineer like myself.

Mid fi is not a derogatory term. At least it should not be. It describes very musical and enjoyable systems that can be assembled on a much more reasonable budget. My HT system is mid fi and I think it sounds great. It is perfect for me for watching TV. I’m not interested in going hifi with my HT although some people are. I will even listen to music in 2 channel mode on my HT system at times. For sure my HT has benefitted from trickle down from my stereo system and I appreciate the improvement in sound. I keep my obsession focused on my 2 channel system.

I recently got an OLED TV for my HT.  I have to say, that is the TV I have been waiting for all my life.  But that is for a different thread…

Interesting thread. What do I wish I had known sooner?

1. You need power to know what’s going on. When I started using 200 watt + amps, things got easier to understand.

2. Cables and tweaks do matter, but not all the time. I remember getting some brass feet as part of a deal and putting them under a Cyrus CD player that was pretty good. Wow, what a difference. Not to mention my Gaia iii footers!

3. Speakers are important but not as much as you think. Necessary but not sufficient. I’ve changed out amps and preamps and cables but haven’t had much desire to change out my speakers. Once I got to a level that worked well I really concentrated on other things. The lesson for me here is to get some good speakers early on the journey and call it a day.

4. (Biggest revelation). It takes time. When I was working I had little time to listen and changed our way to frequently. Since I retired I listen all the time and have learned to slow down the changes and really identify well recorded reference content.

I have about $12K in my system, as follows:

31% speakers

12% cables

16% amplifiers

18% preamp

18% sources

05% tweaks

My system is strictly digital. I’m my turntable days, it would have been much mi source and tweak intense.  And this is a humble mid-fi system.  At a $40K level, I’d be much much more focused on speakers, I think.