Where does "MidFi" differ from "HiFi" or "LOFI"?

@ronboco

Interesting thread. I’d like to see what brands everyone thinks should go into each category.

If we’re talking solely about performance then I’d say it’s a question of comparing a manufacturer’s entry products against their top of the range ones - level matched and blindfold on.

When it comes to performance even the modest NAD 3020 was able to hold its own against stuff that costed 30 times+ more.

If we’re talking about price only a few manufacturers can afford to ignore all sections of the market.

Companies like Audio Research, Harbeth, Magico, Wilson etc don’t do budget gear.

On the other hand companies like iFi, Magnepan, Polk, Rega and Q Acoustics, Wharfedale etc have somehow managed to deliver fantastic sounding products for next to nothing.

When it comes to sonics it would appear that price guarantees nothing in the audio world.

hi-fi starts at 1 dollar below what the responder spent. Anything just below my system is mid-fi

Funny.

@cd318  +1 for Andrew Robinson

more folks ought heed his "recovering audiophile" wisdom

@audiotroy - 100% agree that a DACs sound is almost entirely derived from it's analog stage, however, the philosophy of the digital-to-analog conversion does play an important part and the execution of the philosophy is very important.

As far as LowFi | MidFi | HiFi - I feel I land somewhere between Mid and Hi depending on the component. That being said, I have stumbled into a system that now has good synergy and I really like listening to it after years of buying this and that or the next big thing only to be disappointed in the end.

I think someone else commented on this and synergy is the key. You can use older components or LowFi components and end up with pleasing sound that you enjoying listening to as long its it has good synergy. I wish I would have learned this long ago.