The concept of Hi-fi is rumoured to been in and in place for a ages – so long that it feels like it should be traditional. But the real Hi-fi sound description remains very contemporary; it’s now generally applicable to stereo iphones, mobile Nanos and home theatre systems – but don’t forget the term is small for “high fidelity”.
Words evolve and lose association with their underlying meanings. Therefore Hi-fi came to represent a set of devices – a disk player, a receiver amplifier, some speakers – for playing music. This now extends to a greater choice of options: more speaker types such as subwoofers, tweeters and headphones, more technologies like MP3, CDs DVDs, surround sound, dolby, THX, blue ray. And let’s face it, even the most modest iPods, contemporary disc player or even radio sounds “high fidelity” compared with those on offer 50 years ago.
Back then, “high fidelity” indicated products capable of delivering an audio quality reproduction superior to that other products, which were, well, lower fidelity. Fidelity – speaking the truth, being unswerving to the original. The well-known ancient HMV brand of the dog sitting next to the phonograph graphically sent the message – that what he, the dog, heard was a faithful reproduction of the real deal.
Maybe just about all real Hi-fi sound systems sold nowadays are indeed high fidelity, but some are higher than others. The search for ever-higher fidelity goes on and annually sees further refinements to systems which already are extraordinarily excellent. But then, anyone who has place on a fine quality set of headphones to listen to a musical performance recorded under modern studio conditions can attest to something which is a bit of a Hi-Fi conundrum: namely, the recording sounds better than any original – so it’s really not giving you high fidelity.
How can this be so? Well, it comes down to the undeniable fact that life, real life, is rarely going to be perfect, whereas, the technology of sound creation and reproduction gets clearer in the general direction of its own outlineof perfection.
You sit in a concert hall, an opera hall, and participate in a performance. The sound dynamics between, say, the 1st violins and the trumpets changes from seat to seat throughout the recital area, with usually just one ‘perfect ‘ spot. But then it’s not perfect for the relativity between the violins and the tympani. Then there background noise – call it interference.
This real life performance experience is not necessarily something we want to reproduce with fantastic fidelity – it’s not quite excellent enough. We're not after a faithful representation of real life, but some superior ideal.
So , relax and delight in: place on the headphones, switch on the CD, iPod or MP3. Hi-fi kit and associated technology can deliver to you, and quite cheaply, an audio experience which can truly be called divine since it surpasses what you can experience in ‘real ‘ life.
Find real Hi-fi sound in Sydney CBD and metro using the net directory dLook.
categories: Hi-fi,stereo,high fidelity,audio,speakers,CD,headphones,iPod
Tags: CD, Audio, high fidelity, Stereo, iPod, Hi-fi, headphones