Listening to music and watching your favorite blockbusters over a quality sound system is one of the best ways to relax in the home. This is why many people are spending a bit more time learning how to achieve the best sound possible in their space. Cultivating a deeper understanding of hi-fi audio is one of the best ways to achieve this.
The complete beginner’s guide to hi-fi-audio discusses how to experience high-quality sound from a chosen media through a set of speakers. Some may prefer to get hi-fi audio from prepackaged and compact sound systems, or you can create your own hi-fi systems from the ground up.
This guide will cover everything you need to know about hi-fi audio and how it differs from other audio profiles. Keep reading to learn the most important components of a hi-fi system, the various features of those components, and how to set up your own hi-fi system at home.
What Is Hi-Fi Audio?
Hi-fi is a shortened form of the term high fidelity, and hi-fi audio refers to the quality of the sound you hear on a track. With this technology, you’re getting sound reproduction that covers the full range of audible frequencies with a tiny level of distortion to the original signal.
You can only hear hi-fi audio on hi-fi audio equipment. Hi-fi audio equipment is specially designed to play the highest quality sound possible.
You can find soundbars, sound systems, speakers, and headphones all designed to deliver hi-fi audio. They are equipped to deliver every sound and beat on any audio file to provide you with the best possible digital music experience.
Differentiating Between Hi-Fi, Hi-Def, and Lo-Fi
Lo-fi and hi-def are other technologies you’ll find when discussing hi-fi audio. However, they aren’t all the same.
Lo-fi (as you can guess from the name) is the opposite of hi-fi. Low fidelity production quality is typically the raw form of an audio recording, with all the imperfections present. There’s usually a lot of distortion, and the overall quality is poor in comparison to today’s evolved standards.
Some lo-fi tracks are the result of lower quality equipment, but there is also intentionally lo-fi music.
Hi-def is short for hi-definition. There are no universal standards for hi-def, but the technology helps ensure all the sounds in a track are heard clearly. This is especially true with video clips; hence you’re more likely to see hi-def being discussed when the topic is video format media files.
Read more: Hi-Fi vs. HD Sound: What Are the Differences?
How To Set Up for Hi-Fi Audio
Here’s what to do when setting up for hi-fi audio in your home theatre or other living spaces:
Create a Budget
The first thing to do when setting up for hi-fi in your home is to settle on a budget. The overall setup can cost a couple of thousand dollars, and it’s not uncommon to find high-end configurations costing more than $5,000.
You need to have a cap on how far you’re willing to go with your spending on the setup and then know how to stick to it.
Being realistic about your budget will help you to avoid making decisions that can adversely affect the quality of your setup.
You don’t want to financially exhaust yourself buying the perfect amplifier, only to have to pair it with a budget turntable or hook it up to very cheap speakers.
Start by envisioning a clear view of how you intend to use the system. For instance, how do you plan to listen to hi-fi audio?
If you want to play your music wireless from a tablet or smartphone, you’ll need to budget for a system that incorporates Bluetooth, Apple Airplay 2, or Wi-Fi.
If you play a lot of vinyl records, you have to think about getting a stereo amp that has a phono stage or a turntable. You could also choose to buy a stand-alone phone stage to ensure more seamless upgrades in the future.
If you’ve ripped your music collection, you might consider getting a music streamer.
As you think about these details, make a list of all the features that are most important to you. When you’ve listed every feature you’d like to see in your system, it is time to prioritize the must-have features and those you can classify as nice-to-have.
Consider going for used high-quality components to stay within your budget instead of buying underpowered but cheaper options.
This way, you can get more value for your money.
Related article: Is Hi-Fi Audio Really Worth It?
Get the Most Important Components
When setting up for hi-fi, there are lots of components you can add to have the perfect setup. However, most of these can be chalked up to nice-to-haves.
If you want to stay within budget while still enjoying the very best of hi-fi, you can focus on the basics.
To make the best decisions in that regard, leverage the power of the internet to research products, read reviews, and post questions in audiophile communities as you gather your components.
Don’t forget to seek the knowledge from the staff of your favorite audio store. This way, you’ll save money and avoid frustration.
Amplifier
This unit is a must-have for any hi-fi setup. It is responsible for powering your music, and it can control the volume as well. There are many types of amplifiers you can work with.
These include power amps, integrated amps, preamps, and receivers. Let’s look at some of them below:
Preamp
A preamp is where all your sources go for processing. There are many preamp options in the market, but it is always a great idea to go with the most recent models you can find.
Preamps are often feature-heavy, so going with a recent model guarantees that you’ll buy a unit that will be compatible with other modern systems.
Also Read: Do You Need a DAC if You Have a Preamp?
If you listed wireless connectivity as a must-have, you should look at your preamp to see what it supports. Many of the newer options will support Bluetooth connectivity, phono inputs, digital/analog inputs, streaming, and so on.
You need as many input options as possible, so you won’t outgrow the system quickly.
Power Amp
If you choose to go with a power amp, you need to make sure the specs match up with the speakers you intend to bring in. The ohms and watts are the two main measurements you should pay attention to.
It’s always best to choose a power amp that offers more wattage than what you think your speaker needs.
The extra wattage typically translates to less distortion, and you can also easily upgrade to more powerful speakers in the future without spending money on a new amplifier.
The ohm specification (which is usually 4, 8, or 16) should match the rating for your speakers.
This is important because if the ohms rating doesn’t match, the amplifier will rapidly damage your speaker.
Integrated Amp
If you choose an integrated amp instead of a preamp and a power amp, you get it all in one unit. There are advantages and disadvantages to these types of amplifiers. First, they are typically less expensive, more compact, and easier to work with for beginners.
These are generally rated as entry-level, so you may not always get the absolute best sound from them. Additionally, the combination of a preamp and a power amp in one package often means less power overall.
If you are considering one of these, you should consider going with a unit that can allow expansion. Some of the higher-end models offer pre-outs, allowing you to add a power amp in the future if your needs change.
Speakers
The speakers are where your audio will come from, so they are very important for your hi-fi setup. The main factors to watch out for include the size of the room, the size of the speaker, and where you intend to position them in the space.
You don’t have to go for the biggest speakers available to get excellent hi-fi sounds.
The biggest manufacturers offer speakers in a range of sizes, so you can find bookshelf and floor standing speakers that deliver the same output.
Be sure to choose the size that is fitting for your space; Large speakers in a small space can be as inefficient as small speakers in large spaces.
Also Read: Speaker Placement in a Small Room: The Complete Guide
However, finding the perfect speakers may be a bit more challenging than you may have expected. A good idea is to choose a speaker profile that appeals to you and look at reviews to find options that match the profile the closest.
Once you’ve come up with a list of possible speaker options to go with, find a dealer to get a live preview of the speakers before making a purchase.
Music Source
Where will your audio be coming from? Do you have all your music on a hard drive, or do you have some excellent playlists from streaming services like Tidal or Spotify?
A USB connection is important for the former, and a network player is important for the latter. If you have a vinyl collection, you’ll need to add a record player to your setup to enjoy your records.
There are lots of music sources that can deliver hi-fi audio effortlessly—each of these, with its pros and cons.
If you don’t have physical media, you can stick to streaming as it is easy and inexpensive to set up.
With an amp or receiver designed for Wi-Fi connectivity, you can hook up your system to enjoy millions of tracks for less than $20 a month.
Also Read: How To Get Audiophile Quality Sound From Your Computer
Cables
You need cables to connect the individual components of your hi-fi unit. Apart from the cables that will hook up the units together, you’ll also need speaker cables.
Most of these can be bought at pre-cut lengths, but you can also order exact measurements.
Some people believe that cables don’t make a lot of difference to the overall delivery from your system. However, going with poor-quality options can be counterproductive. You’ll save money initially, but you’ll need to replace the cables more frequently.
Also Read: The Ultimate Guide to Audio Connector Types
Wall Outlet
Upgrading the electrical outlet in your house can have a strong impact on the overall character and quality of your sound.
The average commercial or residential property is often fitted with electrical outlets that work well with most bits of electronics but are improperly calibrated for the nuances and demands of proper hi-fi sound.
When the power connection is not properly designed for audiophile-level sound, you may not achieve the full potential of your hi-fi system.
Ensure you do reach optimum performance by choosing a quality outlet faceplate and hiring a licensed electrician to complete the installation process.
Power Conditioning
As you invest in a hi-fi system, you need to keep in mind the general behavior of electricity and how it can affect your setup.
Firstly, a sudden voltage spike or power outages in the grid can lead to damages to the components in your system. This is why you should budget for surge protection to ensure your system is safe.
Secondly, even the most sophisticated component circuitry still relies on the stability of electricity to deliver the full range of sound in any system.
This is why you should consider getting a surge protector that filters and regulates electricity before it reaches your system’s signal path.
The best power conditioners in the market will give you a unique blend of noise reduction, power filtration, and surge protection in a small package that can fit nicely on a table.
Also read: Hi-Fi Fuses: Do They Really Make a Difference?
Extra Hi-Fi Features To Consider
There are several other features that can make your hi-fi system more enjoyable. Features like wireless connectivity are almost a given these days, but you can also consider going for features such as multi-room playback, integrated voice assistants, and more.
You may also choose to add wireless speakers to your setup. In the past, most audiophiles would have frowned at speakers that rely on Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity. The drop in quality was instantly obvious to any listener.
Today, the difference in quality between wireless and wired speakers of the same standards can only be discerned by highly-trained ears.
There are many wireless speaker brands you can rely on today. Wilkins, Sonos, and Bowers are just some of the popular names you can go with.
The speakers communicate with each other and the rest of the hi-fi audio system through your home’s Wi-Fi network. Such setups make it easy for you to group speakers by zone.
Putting a Hi-Fi Audio System Together
Putting all the components of your hi-fi audio system together is an art. Don’t bother fixating on achieving complete perfection right away; you’ll find some components work better when combined with others as time goes on.
For example, a different set of speakers paired with an existing amp can deliver alternate results. Similarly, moving speaker positions around or changing cables can also improve your listening experience.
This is why your focus should be on ensuring you have the highest quality components for your budget range, as you’ll only really need surface changes to achieve the perfect setup.
How To Set Up Your Hi-Fi System To Get the Best Results
Your hi-fi audio system can transform the listening experience in any home. When properly set up, you’ll have a soundstage that has width, height, and depth.
You’ll get a setup that can highlight all the layers and separation in any track. To achieve the best result, ensure you have the perfect relationship between your gear, yourself, and the room.
Here are some important tips that will help you achieve that synergy:
1. Adjust Your Surroundings
It’s impractical to find the right ratio for depth, height, and width that will deliver the best sound for your system. The different room sizes and volumes all have some acoustical distortion that you have to account for.
In smaller rooms, you have to deal with pressure issues, while bigger volumes often affect the reverberation.
The focus should be on finding the right room size to reduce the problems in relation to room usage. What room size is optimal for you to hear the best quality sound? Can you improve the size of the room without any major structural changes?
Big, empty rooms are prone to echoes and other noises that could tamper audio quality. Consider placing sound dampeners around the room or hang posters and pictures to limit the sound waves.
2. Properly Position Your Audio Equipment
The placement of your speakers is everything. Many people rely on a placement technique known as a sound triangle. This setup is made up of your speakers and your listening position. Make sure these three positions in the room are set correctly.
Here’s a four-step process to create the best sound triangle for your audio setup.
- Place speakers so there is equal distance both between them and the distance from the speakers up to your average listening position are equal. The sidewall distances have to be lesser, though.
- Ensure equal distances between the left and right speakers and their closest sidewall (regardless of the distance between the speaker and the sidewall). It’s also a good idea to have a similar wall surface and density on all sides. Many people underestimate the impact of sidewall reflections on the soundstage.
- Remove anything from the sound triangle that may reflect, absorb, or otherwise interrupt sound waves. There should be nothing placed to the left and to the right of it. Similarly, the space inside of the triangle should not have any sofas, lights, end tables, chairs, ottomans, equipment racks, or anything similar.
- Keep the area around the triangle “off limits.” Once objects that can create sound reflection have been removed, this area should stay clear of furnishings to enjoy a perfect hi-fi sound consistently.
Similarly, you should ensure there are no sidewall openings or recessed areas within the sound triangle. The sidewall surfaces have to be consistent and uniform as much as possible. The consistency and compatibility should happen from your speaker to the listening position.
You should also verify that the density of each sidewall is equal. Density and composition are important if you’re serious about achieving a near-perfect-center sound with excellent definition and separation.
Sound typically imbibes the characteristics of any surfaces it strikes, so with openings or unequal sidewall distances, the time signature of reflections will change a fair bit.
Any delay on one end, compared to the other, will hamper instrument and vocal separation, spaciousness, and stereo imaging.
3. Take Advantage of Sidewall Reflections
When you tune your sidewall reflections properly, some of the benefits you can achieve include soundstage width, central image focus, and instrument and voice definition.
To tune your sidewall, use a straight or direct line sound from your speakers as an originating point, and tune reflections until they reach your ears 10-20 milliseconds after the direct sound from the speakers.
With this range of time signature, you can enjoy properly defined and dialed in instruments and vocals, as well as an expanded soundstage width.
4. Manage Soundwaves
The high-pressure areas in your hi-fi room can appear anywhere, depending on the size and volume of the space. The pressure can be attributed to longer wavelengths that do not match your room’s measurements.
Placing various acoustic dampening equipment at the front of the room can prevent the soundwaves from bouncing or becoming dull. Your speaker’s location largely determines where the pressure will be (in combination with the previously mentioned room’s size).
5. Create a Diffuse Sound Field
Poor diffusion, room modes, comb filtering, and speaker boundary interference are the main types of acoustical distortions you should know about. All or some of these will exist in every room; poor diffusion, especially.
To create a diffuse sound field, keep these helpful tips in mind:
- Avoid spatial or frequency irregularities.
- Check for any negligible irregularities in the decay characteristics that can promote sound diffusion.
- Maintain the same reverberation times in all room positions.
- Ensure the same character of decay across all room positions across all low and high-pressure areas.
- Ensure that decays are exponential and can produce straight lines over a logarithmic scale.
Achieving a perfect diffuse sound field is challenging, but it is necessary for any core audiophile. You also have to use specialized tools to achieve the results you’re going for. An experienced sound engineer can assist you further if you are struggling with this.
6. Optimize the Room’s Acoustics
Quadratic diffusers help you create a diffuse sound field quickly. You can easily build your own or purchase ready-made options for use in your hi-fi room. There are even quadratic diffusers made from high-quality wood that will match your existing décor.
Placing these around your rear and front walls can deliver spaciousness, clarity, and definition to the sound in your room.
Always use the best possible diffusion technology around the front wall area. Ideally, you want to use technologies that are pressure reactive since it’s a high-pressure area. This rules out foam or wooden boxes filled with standard insulation material.
Effective materials include Helmholtz, Diaphragmatic, or Membrane. These are all similar in function and overall design, but they all have different performance parameters. Choose the option that can deliver the performance you want in this high-pressure area.
It should include the acoustical horsepower to cope with the needed rates and levels the front wall pressure area demands.
7. Ensure System Grounding
It’s best to install a local grounding rod into the earth, whenever possible. If not, you’ll need to provide an artificial earth ground for your Hi-Fi system.
Electrical and mechanical grounding is important in a Hi-Fi setup, and you can only appreciate the benefits of having a very low noise floor after you’ve heard it.
Some of the advantages include the ability to pick out nuances typically hidden in electrical noise and greater dynamic range.
8. Keep All Components Level
All elements of your Hi-Fi system, from loudspeakers to electrical components, need to be as level as possible. The stability of the systems can improve performance a great deal.
Therefore, it is important to ensure none of the components are rocking in position.
9. Cut Down on Glass
Glass is almost a given in any interior décor. However, it can be detrimental to frequency response. You need to avoid having too much glass in the hi-fi environment.
Everything from coffee tables and glass tops to vases and cabinets should be kept at the barest minimum or completely removed.
If you have a large glass surface that can’t be removed, you need to ensure it’s covered using diffusion or sound absorption technology. Also, use a material that won’t allow sound energy to hit the surface and reflect back into the overall room sound.
Read more: 13 Best Ways To Improve Your Hi-Fi Sound
Conclusion
Hi-fi audio is, without a doubt, one of the best ways to enjoy any tracks. However, setting it up requires painstaking planning, from getting the right gear all the way to optimizing the space.
As a beginner, getting some high-quality equipment and installing it as neatly as possible is often enough to enjoy hi-fi audio.
However, to achieve hardcore audiophile results, you must narrow down to the intricate details to create the perfect synergy between your audio equipment and the listening room.