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Re: How do you define HiFi v. High End Sound? (very long)

Posted by JimL (A) on March 1, 2005 at 14:13:48

In Reply to: How do you define HiFi v. High End Sound? posted by FBD on March 1, 2005 at 13:27:26:

I don't know that I would agree. Remember, high fidelity originally meant high fidelity to the original sound. Bright? Not unless the source was bright, if we're really talking about hi-fi. If you take good hi-fi system from the 60s, say:

Thorens TD124
SME II arm
cartridge - your choice

or Revox G36 III 1/2 track tape deck with 1/2 track tapes

Marantz 7 preamp
Marantz 8B amp
Quad electrostatics

You could get a sound that would still be pretty good today by almost any standards, and would sound more musical than a LOT of "hind-end" systems that I've heard. That's good hi-fi (OK, excellent hi-fi), not high end.

High end, especially as defined by TAS, tends to emphasize improvements in imaging which to my mind are secondary and not very important - I mean, who goes to a concert to listen to the hall? Wouldn't you rather listen to the music? Stick a music lover in front of a good hi-fi system, then in front of a high end system, and I'll bet you a dollar to a donut that not one in a thousand would say, "boy, listen to that depth!" Meanwhile, some have complained that the music gets lost, e.g. the people who talk about PRAT - pace, rhythm and timing, not all of whom are Linnies. Haven't we all heard high end systems that are, quite frankly, boring to listen to. I know I have. Part of this may be the fact that I don't hear much of a difference in imaging, especially depth, between "high-end" components and lesser stuff.

And make no mistake, stereo is an illusion. In real life I can easily tell how far away a sound source is, but I have rarely had more than a vague feeling of how far away anything is when listening to even a "high-end" system. You could say that either my hearing is not very good (I can't tell "obvious" improvements in high end systems) or my hearing is extremely good (my ear is not fooled by trivial differences in the stereo illusion, NONE of which approach real life) - take your pick.

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