Mid-Fi, Hi-Fi or.....?

I consider myself to be a mere stereo enthusiast as I either don't have or am unwilling to invest the money it takes to be a true audiophile. That being said, I have what I'm sure would be considered a mid-fi integrated despite being class B rated in "Stereophile". My under $200 MM cartridge is also rated class B in "Stereophile". Both of these products were among others that earned the same class B rating, despite costing thousands more. 

This is not to deride others who are fortunate to have the means to invest in reference level systems. In fact I thank you as audio equipment is one of the few areas that "Trickle-down" seems to have benefited those with less income.

If you can swing it I always recommend going to an audio show if you want to get a sense of where your system falls in the range of sound quality. In your case I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Your speakers don't reproduce the deepest bass or go extremely loud but they sound very good at typical listening levels.

I've got "vintage" components as well (Thiel CS6, Krell KSA 300S, KRC-2) and I figured that new state of the art gear would blow my system away until I went to AXPONA a few years ago. Turns out that my system holds it's own against most of the six-figure systems I heard.

If you've got an upgrade itch I suggest you start with getting a subwoofer. This will make a big difference and you don't have to spend huge bucks to get a sub that will do a nice job.

@johnnotkathi

It been said that there are no absolute truths. Just workable truths, and relatative truths. In this regard, there is no "absolute sound", just (very) subjective references to high fidelity and high(er) fidelity.

The caliper I use for "Hi-Fi" is this one: "The suspension of disbelief", which is to say that for a moment in time, you stop "disbelieving" that you are listening to recorded music artifically reproduced in your home. The sum of all the elements you are perceiving trick your brain into believing that the artists are actually in the room with you thru the duration of the listening session. If this happens, all the Hi-Fi stars have lined up and you’ve reached a powerful plateau in musical enjoyment at home.

@roxy54

"Why is everyone calling interconnects "jumpers"?

You are technically correct, sir. While these are, in fact, interconnects, some manufacturers (like AQ) make very short (6") "interconnects" to connect input/output terminals located next to each other. Since they have no other purpose in life, they fondly refer to them as "jumpers."

I was reading an article about the revived Adcom, and one of the Adcom higher ups referred to their $1695 power amplifier as Mid-Fi...clearly, it seems, the term to them, refers simply to price and the units place in the market place, not to it’s quality or value...clearly different people use the terms to refer to different things...

here is another view: I have x dollars and I want to buy the best for that x.

At any given point I want to make the most out of that x. If it’s feet for my turntables, or cables or new speakers, whatever improves the sound the most, however I identify the weakest link is what matters. Does that x dollars make me consumer/mid-fi/hi-fi or my approach to find the key to improving the sound makes me whatever category?

To be honest, if I had a lot more money, I would have learned a lot less and probably would have had less fun as well.