Hi-Fi - What's it all about?

Baker

Baker

Baker

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In the time i've been in computers i've never even thought about hi-fi sound system set-ups for computers, but since so many people use them and find them better than your usual PC speakers i thought i'd make this thread.

To you, what is hi-fi? Why is it better than normal PC speakers? What are the ins and out of hi-fi sytems and whats the general knowledge. What do/can the hi-fi systems contain and what's the general consensus regarding those parts - what's good what's bad? and so on. Think of it abit like an FAQ.
 
I was going to write a gigantic long post - but then I remembered Wikipedia ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-fi

For me the most important points are modularity (eveything is seperate) and accurate reproduction of the full aural spectrum.

Normal 'PC speakers' usually contain an amplifier housed in one of the speakers. They also often have much smaller drivers than hi-fi speakers, often using just one driver and relying on a sub for anything under 150hz. With PC speakers that do this, there is often a serious gap in the low-mid, where the main drivers and sub should smoothly 'cross-over'.

They also generally suffer from having awful lightweight plastic cabinets that rattle around, colour the sound in horrible way and provide no isolation whatsoever.

Of course there are some 'PC speakers' that are exceptions to these rules - as well as some that sound surprisingly good, despite their handicaps.

However, when compared to a seperates system (even a cheap one) they will sound pretty poor.

Somewhere in-between lies the world of 'active monitors', such as the Alesis M1 (also available in a passive model).

These are essentially the same concept as 'pc speakers' - but usually far better quality (of course - there are exceptions *cough* Edirol *cough*). One of the speakers will contain an amp, just like PC speakers, but the speakers themselves will usually be much better quality with full size drivers and a decent weighty cabinet.

High end active monitors are available - you can easily pay £3000+ for a pair.

Of course, with hi-fi you can pay as much as you like ;)
 
Not a lot of people consider hi-fi speakers, as their PC is in one room and their home entertainment system is in another room. However, as the two things overlap with media PCs and fancy bedroom setups becoming the norm, it should definitely be considered.

You must remember that hi-fi speakers and amps don't differ in terms of "parts". Their workings and mechanisms of working are exactly the same. The major difference is the quality of the parts used. Massive power output and huge woofers moving a lot of air won't necessarily get you good quality sound, hi-fi is quite a lot about balance. Many enthusiasts spend thousands on cables alone in order to achieve this, as well as phenomenal amounts on other parts that you probably hadn't thought about.

There is no point in considering hi-fi if you've only got £40 to spend unless you've inherited a set of speakers or an amp. Even a budget of £100 you're realistically looking at second hand gear. From £200 upwards you start to be able to buy quality components from new (presuming you're only looking at an amp, speakers and cabling). Even then second hand buys offer much better value for money.

Your question could have a message board all to itself. There are hundresds of different views, and at the end of the day, only you can know what is right for you by listening to different things. I have probably spent a lot more than you are intending, but I got started exactly in the same situation as you, and rather than buy a £250 set of PC speakers I went for an AV amp and separate speakers. I've not looked back, and I've progressively upgraded and changed my system to what it is now (actually stereo only at the moment). High quality music representation is mainly what I was after, and I can certainly say that I've achieved that. I can also say that I'm sure I can go a lot better! Living in a student house, I can't have my setup exactly how I'd like it, nor can I listen at the volumes that I'd like, and at which I think my system really comes into its own. I know a lot of people will say that hi-fi should be about quality rather than quantity, but who can argue with both?

Anyway, I'm rabling, if you're looking to buy some speakers for your PC, then buy a hi-fi system if music is important to you. If you game obsessively, buy some surround sound headphones to go with it. In my opinion there is no excuse for buying a set of PC speakers over £100 without listening to some hi-fi kit also. You'd test drive a car if you bought it for £100, so why not listen to some speakers first?
 
I believe Hi-Fi was originally designed as a way to reproduce the recorded music as realistically as possible, as if the artist were playing right there. That doesn't seem to be entirely what it is about now, but it is essentially the same principles. A Hi-Fi should reproduce a recording as uncoloured and dynamic. You'll find a lot of Hi-Fi enthusiasts love listening to classical music and oddly very old jazz type recordings (they were recorded with 1 mic in a room and have a lot of ambience).

Anyhow, Hi-Fi for use playing modern music/use with a PC. Well, your still going to want it to have good dynamics and control aswell as very low distortion (notice a lot of PC speakers quote thier power levels at 10% THD, try listening to anything that distorted, it is not pleasant). Most Hi-Fi is measured with thier distortion below 0.03% across the frequency range. Thats another thing, most PC speakers will not have any response at the extreme frequency ranges so you miss the lowest bass and more noticably you miss the highest treble. You'll find with Hi-Fi you'll keep hearing little sutbleties in your music you never knew were there. This is because the mid range is so much clearer and is because of several factors. Partly, on PC speakers the crossover frequency is very low, around 150hz, not 4khz or so, meaning the little satellite drivers have to handle all the high frequencies right down to low mids. The satellites themselves tend to be poor, fitted in a plastic enclosure with virtually no design acoustically, no dampening etc. This means they resonate at various frequencis, colouring the sound by making certain tones come out much louder. Try switching off the sub on a PC sound set, I find they rely on that to make the system sound decent as people hear the bass and then don't notice the clarity of the rest (most PC subs are on way too high and just present an uncontrolled and coloured bass sound with little actual low frequency extension).

If your intersted in listening to some Hi-Fi, try a demo at your local dealer, take along some CDs you know well. However, it is best to buy second hand really, I wish I had, as I could have got a lot more for my money.
 
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