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When are speakers considered Hi-Fi and not Mid-Fi???

What determines the status of "Hi-Fi?" I was recently considering a pair of Klipsch Heritage Cornwall speakers. They get rave reviews, have almost a cult-like following, no longer have harshness from the horns, and are very resolving. Other than not reaching down too low into the bass as some speakers do, why are they not considered Hi-Fi? They can clearly reproduce the full range of sound with an incredible image and are not missing any capability in person or on paper. Seems when we follow a thread on here about most any speaker at any price there is always a contingent that feels to need to post that the certain speakers under discussion are Mid-Fi not Hi-Fi. I only use the Klipsch Cornwalls as an example to start. Budget is not an issue, and cost should not dictate. I was also looking at the Magnepan 20.7 for another example, and they are $13k more than the Klipsch, but low and behold someone within seconds pops up and says these are Mid-Fi speakers. I kind of bet I could ask about a Sonus Faber Aida at $130k and within a few seconds someone will pop in and call them Mid-Fi as well. When do we reach "Hi-Fi" these days? Is it simply an endless and baseless dick-measuring contest? Seems like it. If we were talking cars we always have the guy who brags about the 0-60 times of certain cars, but it's clear that the 0-60 time alone does not qualify a car to be a "supercar" as there are so many other things the car must have and do to make it into that class, and like speakers there is not always 100% agreement on what the factors are. When do we reach Hi-Fi status for speakers??? 

128x128dean_palmer
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12many
274 posts
 

Mid-fi is what I can afford.  Hi-fi is what I can't afford.  

dayglow
1,917 posts
 

When classifying mid fi vs hi end you need to look at the system as a whole. I might be in the minority but loudspeakers are where one can cut cost. Why? Speakers are the most flawed component and most room dependent. Two of my favorite speakers at different price points Magico A5 $27k and Acoustic Energy AE520 at $5.5K. Can you build a true HEA system around an AE 520? My answer is yes but one cannot cut corners on electronics/source and cables. If a Magico A5 is properly set up it can rival many $50k loudspeakers in an appropriate sized room.

rtrlover's avatar
rtrlover
43 posts
 

"Too many blame it on the room. A really good speaker will show itself despite the room. Fine tune things after if that’s your thing."

Couldn't disagree with you more.  That is a very short-sighted statement.  EVERY speaker is affected by the room it is in, and can greatly, adversely, make a fantastic pair of speakers sound - meh.  How many of us have attended a major show and come out of certain rooms thinking, "That should have sounded much better", and I'm not just describing the setups in the small hotel rooms.

 

nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,885 posts
 

Couldn’t disagree with you more either. I’ve been in this hobby for about 40 years and have heard many great systems in untreated rooms. I’ve had the same living room for 30 years and have heard great, good and bad speakers having no room treatment.

I’ve had a recording engineer over to my place who pronounced my room perfectly fine, as is. Same with a high end dealer. Both have been over more than a few times.

Too many makers of "high end" gear blame the rooms on the bad sound they get yet there are other makes in the very same type of rooms getting great sound. What’s the single underlying factor in all of this? It’s the gear and not the room.

Granted, some rooms are nightmares, but I know of no one who lives/listens in a perfectly square room or a rectangle where the width and length are perfectly divisible by the same number. A great sounding speaker will still sound good in a bad room, letting you know of its potential. Not that hard to figure out.

As for going into a show of unknown quality expecting it to sound good, well you just laid bare your expectations of it supposing to sound good when it doesn’t. Sounding bad is more a matter of associated gear and cabling and people just fooling themselves.

Just try moving around some in a "bad" hotel room and you’ll hear the differences. That, or you’re tone deaf.

I’ve been to shows where a dealers set up sounded sublime and at the next show, literally sucked. Yes, the room was different but much more importantly, the surrounding gear was all different. System synergy plays a really big role in maintaining great sound. It's not plug 'n play.

All the best,
Nonoise

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