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Mid Fi to Hi Fi threshold

You can't buy these higher fi speakers as no company sells them. They're Lowther field coils paired with high end slot loaded woofers designed and enjoyed by Nelson Pass. You can buy the individual components and either DIY or have someone else build them.

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for_p1 said:
This is not exactly correct. Brands like McIntosh or Accuphase include tone controls, and no one can say that they are NOT high end.
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Actually all the Mac 2ch flagship preamps over the past 18 years do not have tone controls.

C100
C200
C500
C1000
C1100
 
for_p1 said:
Actually First Watt models are mostly mid-fi - they are very dependent on speakers parameters, and in many cases sound poorly. See example in latest issue of Stereophile.
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I did see the article in the current issue of Stereophile. As a matter of fact, I read the article as well and nowhere in that article did the author either state or imply that the J2 amplifier was mid-fi in any way. The point I was making is that the definition of Hi-Fi the previous poster offered would exclude this amplifier simply because it's power output is below the 30 watt per channel threshold he suggested. Perhaps you would be so kind as to offer us your own definition of the Mid-Fi to Hi-Fi threshold.
 
darkblue94 said:
I did see the article in the current issue of Stereophile. As a matter of fact, I read the article as well and nowhere in that article did the author either state or imply that the J2 amplifier was mid-fi in any way. The point I was making is that the definition of Hi-Fi the previous poster offered would exclude this amplifier simply because it's power output is below the 30 watt per channel threshold he suggested. Perhaps you would be so kind as to offer us your own definition of the Mid-Fi to Hi-Fi threshold.
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How about part when he said that two of his speaker types were making poor sound with that amp? Power amplifier called hi-fi should produce best possible sound from any speaker and not require very special conditions.
 
for_p1 said:
How about part when he said that two of his speaker types were making poor sound with that amp? Power amplifier called hi-fi should produce best possible sound from any speaker and not require very special conditions.
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Seems kind of silly to require a one-size-fits-all cookie cutter approach in order to fit nicely into your own personal definition of high fidelity.
 
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darkblue94 said:
Seems kind of silly to require a one-size-fits-all cookie cutter approach in order to fit nicely into your own personal definition of high fidelity.
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From hi-fi I at least expect ability to work with mainstream speakers like ls50. When amplifier cannot outperform Chinese tube unit - this is a bad sign.
 
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4-2-7 said:
Actually all the Mac 2ch flagship preamps over the past 18 years do not have tone controls.

C100
C200
C500
C1000
C1100
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They need a market of cables commonly used to adjust sound instead of tone controls.

When I was looking for new preamp, tone controls were one of required features along with balanced inputs and outputs. That is why McIntosh, Accuphase and Luxman were brands I considered.
 
for_p1 said:
From Wi-Fi I at least expect ability to work with mainstream speakers like ls50. When amplifier cannot outperform Chinese tube unit - this is a bad sign.
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What's wrong with having designs that excel in certain applications? If your required application is different then there are other products from which to choose from.
 
for_p1 said:
No problem with that, just do not call it hi-fi
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The Stereophile review says to me it is quite hi-fi with some pairings but not the best match with others. Pass seems to make no effort to disguse the nature of pairings that better suit the amp, and the results of the review parallel that.
 
I've always thought I lived in a mid-fi universe. I have a little over $4,000 in my main system depending on how it's configured. Much of it was purchased used or on closeout. My secondary system (which oddly enough gets the most use) was about $1,000 and it's definitely mid-fi.

IMO, for a truly hi-fi rig one would need to spend about $10,000 on gear. Some would say you'd need to spend that on just speakers to be in the hi-fi realm these days. Others that aren't in the hobby would probably freak out over spending $2,000 on a complete system. In other words, it's going to depend on who you ask.
 
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for_p1 said:
No problem with that, just do not call it hi-fi[/QUOTE
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whoaru99 said:
The Stereophile review says to me it is quite hi-fi with some pairings but not the best match with others. Pass seems to make no effort to disguse the nature of pairings that better suit the amp, and the results of the review parallel that.
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Thank you. The whole reason that I used the J2 as an example was that in the post I was responding to, the person suggested that 30 watts per channel should be the threshold, and my point was that it made no sense to draw an arbitrary line.
 
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for_p1 said:
They need a market of cables commonly used to adjust sound instead of tone controls.

When I was looking for new preamp, tone controls were one of required features along with balanced inputs and outputs. That is why McIntosh, Accuphase and Luxman were brands I considered.
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All these preamps are fully balanced
C100
C200
C500
C1000
C1100
No tone controls but they have better than that, MEN 220
The MEN220 delivers a potent suite of Room Correction, Custom-EQ and 2-Way Crossover capabilities in one easy-to-use stereo component.
http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/us/Products/pages/ProductDetails.aspx?CatId=Accessories&ProductId=MEN220
 
4-2-7 said:
All these preamps are fully balanced
C100
C200
C500
C1000
C1100
No tone controls but they have better than that, MEN 220
The MEN220 delivers a potent suite of Room Correction, Custom-EQ and 2-Way Crossover capabilities in one easy-to-use stereo component.
http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/us/Products/pages/ProductDetails.aspx?CatId=Accessories&ProductId=MEN220
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I wanted all analog unit. I use tone cotrols mostly for playing vinyl to compensate for imperfect mastering. For digital EQ it's hard to beat miniDSP devices.
 
for_p1 said:
No problem with that, just do not call it hi-fi
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When I wrote "sound quality, sound quality, and sound quality" I may have been too strict, because I'd have a hard time excluding some models with famous build quality but colored sound. But I would also include as hi-fi some $20 chip amps (the horror!), based on the original criteria. Lots of good stuff from the 50's would qualify, too. I would want to be more inclusive, but there is lots of crapola out there as well, both new and old.
 
I listed to some parasound mono blocks today. I didn't think the speakers sounded that great paired with them. And they were pricey @ like 4500 a piece. Would parasound qualify as HIFI?
 
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