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.)
