I always thought when you say something is HIFI you are concentrating on its sound characteristics than the music. Not good.
When are speakers considered Hi-Fi and not Mid-Fi???
What determines the status of "Hi-Fi?" I was recently considering a pair of Klipsch Heritage Cornwall speakers. They get rave reviews, have almost a cult-like following, no longer have harshness from the horns, and are very resolving. Other than not reaching down too low into the bass as some speakers do, why are they not considered Hi-Fi? They can clearly reproduce the full range of sound with an incredible image and are not missing any capability in person or on paper. Seems when we follow a thread on here about most any speaker at any price there is always a contingent that feels to need to post that the certain speakers under discussion are Mid-Fi not Hi-Fi. I only use the Klipsch Cornwalls as an example to start. Budget is not an issue, and cost should not dictate. I was also looking at the Magnepan 20.7 for another example, and they are $13k more than the Klipsch, but low and behold someone within seconds pops up and says these are Mid-Fi speakers. I kind of bet I could ask about a Sonus Faber Aida at $130k and within a few seconds someone will pop in and call them Mid-Fi as well. When do we reach "Hi-Fi" these days? Is it simply an endless and baseless dick-measuring contest? Seems like it. If we were talking cars we always have the guy who brags about the 0-60 times of certain cars, but it's clear that the 0-60 time alone does not qualify a car to be a "supercar" as there are so many other things the car must have and do to make it into that class, and like speakers there is not always 100% agreement on what the factors are. When do we reach Hi-Fi status for speakers???
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The classification of speakers as "Hi-Fi" or "Mid-Fi" can vary depending on different factors and individual perspectives. However, there are a few general characteristics that are often associated with each category. Hi-Fi speakers typically offer a higher level of sound quality and accuracy compared to Mid-Fi speakers. They are designed to reproduce audio signals as faithfully and accurately as possible, with minimal distortion and coloration. Hi-Fi speakers often utilize advanced technologies and high-quality components to achieve superior performance. They are usually capable of producing a wide frequency range, including both low and high frequencies, with good clarity and detail. On the other hand, Mid-Fi speakers, as the name suggests, fall in the middle range of fidelity. They generally offer respectable sound quality but may not reach the level of accuracy and refinement found in Hi-Fi speakers. Mid-Fi speakers may have some limitations in reproducing the full frequency range or may exhibit slight coloration of sound. It's important to note that the line between Hi-Fi and Mid-Fi can be subjective and can vary depending on personal preferences, budget considerations, and the intended use of the speakers. What one person considers Hi-Fi might be seen as Mid-Fi by another. Ultimately, the distinction between Hi-Fi and Mid-Fi is not strictly defined and can differ among individuals and audio enthusiasts. |
@deep_333 This where I throw a wrench in your statement. People are going bananas over JBL, Klipsch, Yamaha, Pioneer and Marantz on the new and used market. I see pairs of JBL L26 sell for 300€ and I roll my eyes. I think that there's a huge degree of snobbery in the budget category. On one hand, we have brand recognition with speakers (OMG! Klipsch! JBL!), and SiNAD with amps (class D is the holy grail, apparently...). My point is: I saw a local ad for Ruark Swordsman Plus II speakers (90€). It may as well be free. And nobody gives a flying care. If these things had a JBL logo they would sell for 800€ easily. Just toss in an old Arcam amp for 80€ and you're done. Nobody gives a flying care about Arcam, buy them cheap. I have to resist the urge to accumulate cheap vintage gear, it takes a lot of discipline. "Low-fi" is trap. You're overspending for junk. Good gear doesn't sell because people don't know about it. |
It is so true that my two vintage components bought at low price are top product, even compared to nowadays products and one of them is IRREPLEACABLE by anything at any price , and if it is repleacable i dont know by which TOP costlier headphones of today Susvara ? RAAL ? etc ...Because the two basic technology used were never used again his soundfield cannot be replicate by nowadays headphone so good or better they can be on some acoustic factor by their membrane refinement.. Sansui AU 607i alpha was top in 1978 ...not low fi nor mid fi ... TOP HI-FI at an affordable price, a concept which do not exist today because most companies are BIG corporations and are not runned by craftmanship ideals anymore, a concept which was the proposition to offer to the mass the TOP HIGH FI BEST at the lowest possible price with no big compromises as Sansui did Or as AKG did in 1978...And small companies of today with their craftmanship cannot afford the research budget to implement new technologies and new design in their second move at mass market price as in the Sansui alpha or in the AKG K340 specific cases which were not small companies at all in 1978 but not owned by Big corporations with no links to audio ...This era is gone forever... Buying vintage was the only way to assemble a TOP system at 700 bucks for me.. i did it and with the headphone AKG K340 i stick the BIngo price ! ( my 9 others headphones were a disastrous frustrating experience compared to speakers/ dedicated room, because headphones are very difficult to be designed right acoustically more than speakers ) How do you know you arrived at the end line of high quality with an optimal ratio S.Q. /price , which is passed the minimal diminishing returns treshold ? It is because upgrading is no more interesting and so easy to do without risk.....And especially because there is no sonic defects factors which is evident and a reason to do such upgrade... When you are completely in love and happy you dont change partners, the idea did not even cross your mind... 😊 But there is a caveat : old products must be repaired if not cleaned at least, there is a cost and a risk... Not all vintages products are TOP compared to contemporary offers...Only few... And i did 6 months of research full time to modify my Headphone and improve it to this level where it compete with anything...There exist two negative wwell known reviews of it because the two well known reviewers were unable to understand this new technology and how to use it and called it a mismatch between two drivers...😊... We must learn how to listen... It is not a free gift at all... I learned by tuning my room... Before i did not know anything at all.. Then sorry there is no easy path... But money-wise in cost, Vintage may be interesting ... And sometimes more than interesting... The labels High-fi , mid-fi, low-fi, is a mass market creation... Some companies in the past were selling top product at very high cost and in a second move were able to downsize the price at mass market price with compromise that were not too costly in sound quality... This did not exist todays, the Big corporations and small craftmanship small companies are not the pioneers in audio , the not big nor small companies of this golden era which were competing more for sonic qualities and innovations first and last as the means to dominate... Perhaps there is exceptions today as Hifiman for headphone ?
Am i wrong ? i dont think so... but this is my correct or uninformed enough opinions.. 😁😊
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@kokakolia , I, for one, won’t be buying anything from some guy tinkering with a piece in his garage (no-name Joe companies) with non-existent service in a couple of years. I would put it in the same category as Chifi though Chifi, at the least, is very affordably priced unlike the former. I am sure there are guys who buy stuff like that because it makes them feel elusive. I am not in that camp.
Klipsch crap aside, JBL’s higher end Synthesis line or even the HDI series is very good stuff. Yamaha, Marantz, Pioneer (back in the days) make extremely well engineered, great sounding hifi components with extreme bang 4 the buck and future proofed service for years, if anything ever breaks (they rarely ever break). TAD’s line of Pioneer wouldn’t be considered extreme bang 4 the buck, but still is top tier great value for the hardcore hifi enthusiast. TAD has extremely good resale value and you never see it in the used market because guys who have it hang on to it for dear life. I can see why this category of companies are very popular with the guys who don’t have bottomless pockets or otherwise. |
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