What defines mid-fi versus high-end?


I’m in my mid fifties and I recall 30 years back mid-fi to me fell into the NAD, Adcom, B&K…. For high-end I considered Mac, some of the Counterpoint offerings, Cary…. so forth.  I had another post going where I mentioned I acquired an Onkyo  home theater receiver that retailed new for $1,100.   Yet another agoner responded that it does not rate as mid-fi.   We all have our opinions of course.   So right or wrong here.
How do you define the parameters of high-end versus mid-if?  By money range, by brand…?

 

pdspecl

I think you’ll find many different answers to this question. My opinion is that a home theater receiver used for two channel only gear enjoyment, is like the difference between a sports car vs a SUV on a race track. Yes,the SUV will get you around the track, but it probably won’t be the best tool for the job. Other than that, Hi Fi is probably different for everyone. We are all at varying commitments to this hobby. I’ve personally found more enjoyment as my budget increases, but that is certainly not true all of the time for everyone. There are always exceptions.

The "difference" is a subjective matter of opinion, so it can't be "defined".