+1 for @mikelavigne @jjss49 millercarbon , @jjss49
"Mid-fi" is meaningless? Just a put down? Give me a break.
The term "mid-fi" has a clear, useful, and non-derogatory meaning. It indicates that a piece of gear or room treatment or combination has pressed beyond the ordinary bad situation (tubby bass, over-bright, echoing, etc.) and achieved some of what audiophiles strive for. But existing accomplishments can be improved, and missing ones can be added. And flaws can be eliminated.
My Adcom 535L and RTP 400 are perfect examples of mid-fi. Decent bass, soundstage, mids, mediocre highs. They are better but still middling/mid-fi: way better than my old Yamaha receiver but leagues behind my current tube gear, R2R, etc. Plus all my room treatments.
Mid fi comprises gear and room yielding an audio experience *on the way* to hi-fi. Could there be an easier concept to grasp and accept?
And, I agree with jjss49 that the notion this can be accomplished for peanuts is delusory. Bless the person who can live in a shack and call it a castle, but...
