HiFi vs MidFi

To me:
Hi Fi is a very relative term. It has been co-opted to mean Hi-End. But it simply means a system that puts a great priority on sound reproduction. That’s all.

Like Hi-Performance (Hi-Po) in cars, it can mean a Mustang, a Miata or a Miura (Lamborghini).

Hi-Fi covers a lot of ground. Anything that sounds pretty good is Hi-Fi. There can be budget components in a Hi-Fi system. It just needs to perform better than an average audio system.

Once you buy separate components, you are in Hi-Fi territory. An outboard phono preamp gets you there too.

Hi-End is another animal. Some people don’t consider McIntosh in the Hi-End anymore. It is a premium luxury brand for sure.

Just like Mercedes is generally considered a premium luxury brand but not really Hi-End.

Bugatti is certainly hi-end. Certain Mercedes CAN be. Certain McIntosh CAN be.

Hi-End sound at a mid-fi price is possible.
Hi-Fi sound at a Mid-Fi price is also possible.

If you are on this site, you probably have a Hi-Fi system.

I think Hi-End is at the higher end of the premium ladder.

I think high end is different than hi fi.  Hi end is simply expensive, maybe better sonically than lower priced models but not necessarily.  Yes I have a Carver 350, high end, high sonically, But my vintage system Soundcraftsmen Pro Power4 and MA 5002 both totally refurbed along with Soundcraftmen dx4000 pre amp, totally refurbed, with Epicure 3.0 truncated pyramids and a highly modded AR es1 (no pops, crackles or static) sound as good to me as many $5000-$10000 systems.  I'd be lucky to get $3000 for the system.  Yet to me it is High Fi, High sonic but not high end.  I play it almost as much as my Carvers with Amazing silvers.  As the Bobfather says "just enjoy the music"

The DX4000 has an absolutely outstanding phono pre amp by the way

I like the way the movie "It Might Get Loud" sums it up as 3 great musicians are discussing "best" guitar.  Jimmy Page and The Edge both had some great high end desires.  Jack White just humbly said, "I like to take a piece of sh*t and see how good I can make it sound".  Or, something to that effect.  For example, I have all different costs but wanted to see how cheap I could go for a great sound.  I used a Dayton audio class D integrated, with some inexpensive Dayton Audio full range speakers that I use in a transmission line speaker configuration made from PVC plumbing.  For what I spent on this true lowfi, the sound is really darn good.  It does have some limitations, such as the listening area is small, don't move outside of it or quality drops quickly.  I found the frequency response was below that of my JBL 4312's.  Let your ears be the guide and it is amazing what you can come up with. 

Very true about control of room acoustics. However, all else being equal in that dimension:

Helped a friend, who had been without home hi-fi for decades, set up a new system for a smallish listening space. $1100 Cambridge streamer/DAC/digital preamp, no TT, no analog preamp, no CD player, no tape deck, Schiit Vidar power amp, great deal at $700, Martin-Logan 60 series tower speakers, high efficiency, equally great deal at $1,000 closeout with dual 8" subwoofers for each channel. Having plenty of surplus quality speaker cables and interconnects, I gifted him those.

So we get him set up and he plays Spotify from the Cambridge straight into the Vidar. His family's ears perked up. Never heard reproduced sound like that. Daughter brought her friends over to listen. Wife in kitchen asked for more volume. Clearly hi-fi TO THEM.

Well, not to me, and not to 99% of contributors here. Pleasant? Sure. But exchange it for an Aurender streamer, a $1,500+ outboard DAC, play Qobuz not Spotify, add $900 Schiit tube preamp or just 6SN7 tube buffer, add bass array or just upgrade to Legacy towers with 10" or 12" dual subs, and he would have an order of magnitude superior SQ with clear & convincing low bass. To me, a fine example of taking lower-fi to higher-fi, not relative to some absolute standard of fidelity levels, but simply relative to each other. Spend more, get more and you're still coming in at $15,000 range, which is peanuts in Agon's rarefied air, and which friend could easily afford if he cared enough.