Mid-fi, Hi-fi... Difference?
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Kreshna
...but I have to know.
Huh, what? I thought the typical west coast sound of 4311 has thumpy midbass,forward vocals, and rolled highs. Something more like diagonally sloped curve (that goes down from left to right) instead of smiley curve.
Well regarding to the what hi-fi sound is supposed to be like....
Well I just still don't understand this one experience. Some years ago I bought a Genesis album for my uncle, and I bought it in an "audiophile" music store. The shopkeeper offered to test the CD on the store "showcase" system; a Cyrus CD player, a tube amplifier, and a pair of large box speakers (about the size of 4311) with elegant "furniture look" (too bad I didn't make note of the brand and model).
When I tested it, the bass was severely lacking. Look, I know accurate bass tends to sound "dryer" than thumpy cheap bass, but I just failed to hear any bass at all. And I thought Genesis was a rock band. Yes, the other frequency range was pretty detailed, and Phil Collins' voice sounded pretty realistic to each breath. But the total lack of bass really bothered me.
And when I complained, the shopkeeper proudly announced, "this is what hi-fi supposed to sound."
Sometimes later, I had the chance to audition a pair of JBL 4315 studio monitors (which I didn't buy because the cosmetic condition is pretty beat-up). Among the songs I tested was Mama, the same Genesis song played on the showcase system I described above.
This time, the bass was there.
The sound was no less detailed than that of the showcase system I mentioned above, but it also had bass. Accurate, tight bass.
Of course, it may not be an apple to apple comparison, since the amplifier and the CD player is different. But since then, I couldn't help but thinking: what is hi-fi sound, really? Which one is the more accurate? The lack of bass I heard on the showcase system previously, or the more balanced sound I heard on the JBL 4315 later?
jsisk
Not 2 Old 2 Rock & Roll
Asking what is Hi-Fi, is like asking what is fast, what is good, what is pretty, what is great? It is purely subjective and is different for everyone. There is no industry standard for what is Hi-Fidelity and what is not. Just because one system sounds better than another doesn't make one Hi-Fi and one Mid-Fi.
JoeESP9
ESL's & tubes since 83
It "sounds" to me like the speakers used in the demo weren't to your taste, no more, no less. Obviously you like the sound of JBL 4315s.
You probably wouldn't like Quad 57s which I love. Most JBLs leave me singularly unimpressed. Hey, there are so many speaker brands because none of them satisfy everybody.
charles 1973
Super Member
Mid-fi, Hi-fi... Difference?
If we went by the Market Price of New Speakers as an example, I'd say Entry level Starts at $600 for a pair of Midsize Bookshelves from PSB or Monitor Audio, Mid-Fi Starts at $1,200 for Decent Towers, Like the Monitor Audio Silver RX-6, and Hi-Fi Starts at $2,500 for High End Bookshelf. Amps and Sources are about the same price range unless you want big power Amps (over 100 wpc).
There is of course a gray area Between, and these prices are based on buying equipment that Suits Your Taste from a Reputable Manufacturer.
That said, My decidely Mid-Fi Onkyo AVR and Energy Reference Connoisseur 5.1 Speaker System can knock your socks off with both Music and HT, It's just not High End, But closer than one might think looking at the price difference between it, and my much more expensive Stereo System. The law of diminishing returns applies here.
If we went by the Market Price of New Speakers as an example, I'd say Entry level Starts at $600 for a pair of Midsize Bookshelves from PSB or Monitor Audio, Mid-Fi Starts at $1,200 for Decent Towers, Like the Monitor Audio Silver RX-6, and Hi-Fi Starts at $2,500 for High End Bookshelf. Amps and Sources are about the same price range unless you want big power Amps (over 100 wpc).
There is of course a gray area Between, and these prices are based on buying equipment that Suits Your Taste from a Reputable Manufacturer.
That said, My decidely Mid-Fi Onkyo AVR and Energy Reference Connoisseur 5.1 Speaker System can knock your socks off with both Music and HT, It's just not High End, But closer than one might think looking at the price difference between it, and my much more expensive Stereo System. The law of diminishing returns applies here.
If you have a Goodwill nearby, you can achieve Hi-Fi for much less than those figures, IMHO.
cubdog
banging through drywall
fpitas
Committed dilettante
Was that real Masonite they used for the back panel? I thought that was my secret!
ofajen
Daddy-O-Daddy-O-Baby
I can't recall ever using the term "mid-fi" and I don't really intend to. I think people can start to collapse high fidelity and high end, and, while they overlap, they aren't the same, at least to me. High end means high cost. High fidelity is about sonic accuracy.
In my experience, competent and accurate systems have a cost that is in some way proportional to three key factors: the maximum desired listening level, the size of the listening space and the requirement for extended LF response. Very accurate and satisfying systems can be much lower in cost if the listening levels aren't very high and the space is not large.
Cheers,
Otto
Dr. Morbius
I.N.T.E.R.O.C.I.T.O.R.
As with anything, there is a big ol' fat blurry line between what constitutes mid-fi and hi-fi. And the standard for what has become hi-fi over the years has increased over time. At one point my parent's RCA Victrola console system was considered hi-fi. Today it would be epic fail.
In terms of new money spent on new gear using MSRP prices I'd guess a true lower end hi-fi system could be had for around ten large, maybe even less if one were to keep their system very simple.
I fall squarely into the mid-fi camp and am comfortable there. I just can't see myself spending $1000 on a CD player, 1000 on a DAC or $2500 on an amp. It's out of my comfort zone and it's just not going to happen. The only place I can see myself spending a fair chunk o' change is on speakers. IMO, that's where the rubber hits the road.
In terms of new money spent on new gear using MSRP prices I'd guess a true lower end hi-fi system could be had for around ten large, maybe even less if one were to keep their system very simple.
I fall squarely into the mid-fi camp and am comfortable there. I just can't see myself spending $1000 on a CD player, 1000 on a DAC or $2500 on an amp. It's out of my comfort zone and it's just not going to happen. The only place I can see myself spending a fair chunk o' change is on speakers. IMO, that's where the rubber hits the road.
Kreshna
...but I have to know.
So it's partly subjective huh?
Of course 4315s are more hi-fi than, say, cheap Samsung HT speakers. But when compared to another speakers of the same "class", then it becomes subjective.
