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Mid Fi to Hi Fi threshold

DeadRock said:
I disagree...MidFi is not a subset of HiFi...theoretically...they exist on a spectrum or continuum...at least in the context of "quality", which is at the core of our exchange. ..I think...;)
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I agree. The distinction between hi-fi vs mid-fi seems to me to be a forced dichotomy that’s inappropriate to apply to the equipment itself, but should rather be associated with the experience that said equipment provides. Sure, many pieces are generally accepted as so-called “high-end” simply by virtue of their price tag, but as others have observed, I consider such to be so much marketing hype.
 
No one advertises their stuff as "mid-fi" - it's all sold as "hi-fi". "Mid-fi" is a derogatory name for lower cost, sometimes more cheaply made/lower performance, gear applied mostly by audio snobs (and audio salesmen trying to upsell) to keep people with less money to spend on frivolities like stereo systems in their place.

It's a lot like wine. You'll always see the "fine" prepended to "wine" because the marketing folks figured out that people will spend more on "fine wine" than they will on "wine".
 
Bushikan said:
The stereo “salons” I frequented didn’t offer “high-end” components. (I auditioned McIntosh, but I bought Marantz, PL, Technics, ADC, Bose 901s.) I’m guessing the people who made the distinction between hi-fi and hi-end wouldn’t probably have seen McIntosh as making the cut(?). But I don’t know.
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In my area, I don't recall seeing any of the high end stuff except in specialist magazines. My gear in the '70's was a couple rungs below yours, consisting of BIC, Pioneer, EPI, and Akai stuff, and purchased at a high volume discount store. Lots of fancy promotional material on the walls and shelves though, along with spec sheets highlighting Meets DIN Standards! Made good music, though, and more enjoyable than the console units many people were beginning to move away from. By the end of the '70's, just about everyone I knew had switched to a modest component stereo system. If the terminology used was just marketing, it seemed effective.
 
Ah, the "arts" of marketing and adverting....

Also known by other names - some not being complimentary.......

I'm in the "what sounds good to me is what I spend my money on" camp.

As to Mid-Fi or Hi-Fi I'm thinking that "separates" are more Hi-Fi with the inherent skill/knowledge/research for "mix and match" to deliver something greater than the component parts?
 
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mrehorst said:
No one advertises their stuff as "mid-fi" - it's all sold as "hi-fi". "Mid-fi" is a derogatory name for lower cost, sometimes more cheaply made/lower performance, gear
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Maybe it depends on where you lived and the kind of salesmen you ran into, but mid-fi was lauded as being the sensible thing to buy. It met the tested standards for hi-fi reproduction, easily sounded better than what we already owned, and didn't cost the moon.
 
Bushikan said:
The stereo “salons” I frequented didn’t offer “high-end” components. (I auditioned McIntosh, but I bought Marantz, PL, Technics, ADC, Bose 901s.) I’m guessing the people who made the distinction between hi-fi and hi-end wouldn’t probably have seen McIntosh as making the cut(?). But I don’t know.

A wealthy snob-friend of mine, in 1983, laughed and rolled his eyes at my Marantz separates/Bose system—as well as all things McIntosh. Although he didn’t even own a hi-fi (and he didn’t use the term “high end”), he said he would only buy Mark Levinson, Conrad Johnson, and Audio Research.
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jayvis said:
A lost soul.
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I know individuals like that... I am not, at all, a fan of Bose, especially the stadium-lights inspired 901s, but for those who like them :) Marantz is a great manufacturer, that has produced wonderful products over countless years... Mark Levinson, Conrad Johnson, and Audio Research are also phenomenal for the most part. I have this saying: Buy the best you can afford, with in reason, and you will not be disappointed. I could probably swing Mark Levinson, Conrad Johnson, and Audio Research products if I go on a strict no-food, water only diet, and turn-off my air conditioner completely... I simply do not wish to afford them. My father-in-law, who is a quite wealthy man, has gotten back into stereos several years ago. He has a Mark Levinson SACD player. It's extremely nice... But, in all honesty, I cannot hear the difference between it and my Marantz SA-8005. My Marantz I purchased used three years ago, and it was 1/10th of what Paul paid for his Mark Levinson. :oops::idea:

The whole thing is like someone, well, like my sister: "I drive a Mercedes-Benz." with her nose-up in the air, while I drive a little Nissan truck. Her Mercedes, although it's a lower line model, is very nice, and has that fabulous three-pointed star... YET, I get my husband to change the oil in my Frontier for around $20-25 or so, while she just complained to me spending $199.99 for an oil change at Mercedes. I told her: Well, if you can afford a Mercedes, you can afford the maintenance (at least she does the maintenance). :rflmao:
 
mrehorst said:
No one advertises their stuff as "mid-fi" - it's all sold as "hi-fi". "Mid-fi" is a derogatory name for lower cost, sometimes more cheaply made/lower performance, gear applied mostly by audio snobs
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I am confused, I call may inexpensive new and my few vintage gear mid-fi all the time, look at my past posts over the years here. Not thinking I am a snob nor does any of it perform poorly.

It means different things to different people. I think those that take it as derogatory probably take a lot of things that way. :dunno:
 
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GChief said:
I am confused, I call may inexpensive new and my few vintage gear mid-fi all the time, look at may past posts over the years here. Not thinking I am a snob nor does any of it perform poorly.

It means different things to different people. I think those that take it derogatory probably take a lot of things that way. :dunno:
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No such thing as "mid-fi"... "...crackling-pots, and the smell of 50 year old dust.... The hushed static until the antiques go bust" Sorry, I couldn't help it... my rhyming is horrible. What was considered "hifi" in the 1960s, available only for the few, became commonplace 10-15 years later, and that equipment was eclipsed in due time. It's all "hifi", just the standards have changed. :D
 
Natasha Bell said:
No such thing as "mid-fi"... "...crackling-pots, and the smell of 50 year old dust.... The hushed static until the antiques go bust" Sorry, I couldn't help it... my rhyming is horrible. What was considered "hifi" in the 1960s, available only for the few, became commonplace 10-15 years later, and that equipment was eclipsed in due time. It's all "hifi", just the standards have changed. :D
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I get that its all "hi-fi", like I said its an "individual" thing, for me its means inexpensive great gears like my new, and old, crap is... its Mid-fi at best :thumbsup:

Just like records for me are vinyls... its all good, its just hobby slang :biggrin:
 
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I wouldn’t worry about HiFi MidFi Lofi. Mostly made up by marketing people and snobby people who want you to be aware they have more money than you may or may not have. Great audio is a pleasure but should not come at a cost you can’t afford just so you can have a label to throw around. I truly believe most people blindfolded could not tell the difference in a 2k amp and a 20k amp. Also it’s what sound you like. Just because it cost more you may not like the sound more.
It’s just different.
All this is just the opinion of a fairly new audio fan.
 
I thought I had a decent hi-fi rig until I went to Audio Classics a couple years ago. I was actually embarrassed to tell them what gear I was running when they asked.
 
cason said:
That’s how they want you to feel. Don’t give in!
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Interestingly, I had a TOTL McIntosh CDP that I wasn’t happy with. AC was totally cool with that. They auditioned a bunch of much older CDPs by Mac and a number of other manufacturers. I was surprised at how forgiving and accepting they were. They’ve also steered me away from more expensive offerings.
 
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