In your opinion, what is Hi, Medium and Low end?

Low-end - designed mainly for price.
Mid-fi - designed for balance between sound quality and price.
Hi-end - designed only for sound quality.

I hope your smart enough to ignore Glory, that has to be one of the dumbest suggestions ever.

Low Fi, IMO is mainly stuff you get at a large chain store, its cheap easy to purchase and looks like its all you need, and it somewhat is unless you actually really care about performance....like Mcdonalds.

Mid-fi, a bit harder to spot in the stores but some companies that make crap have "Elite", "ES", "Master", "Select" gear that is the top of their respective lines......a bit less afordable but pretty justifiable to many folks. It also is companies that have always produced well recieved and priced gear, maybe "NAD, Rotel, Rega, Music Hall" fall into this section among many others and its usually somewhat mass produced and many have a long track record of value. These might be considered like "Outback Steakhouse".
HiFi, boy this can be a large well established company with huge factory they own, could be another large firm that ships out fome parts from overseas and some is in our back yard, could be one guy that makes just a few extreme priced and performing items a year and many times its drop dead sexy. Its almost always very high priced and some is the sort of stuff that most folks simply shake their head at failing to understand why anyone would pay so much for items they feel fall into the earlier price ranges. This stuff is a reservation required suit and tie joint with valet parking, 5 star media reviews, and a palce most will never see or appreciate. man I am bored!

By your first paragraph, I'd say you're paying attention and certainly grasp what's going on here. I am not quite sure what, exactly, you are asking though. Is this an audio hierarchy question? Or are you asking what low-mid-high means to others? In the case of a latter, I'd imagine that was a sliding scale according to what you can afford, and to some extent what you've been exposed to, personal tastes, predispositions, yadda yadda yadda.

Albert's response is spot-on, as usual, and his last statement speaks volumes:

Sorry if this sounds like a cop out, but audio is like cooking. Better ingredients can make a great recipe better but is no guarantee a bad cook will serve a perfect meal.

If you take anything from this thread, that is a pearl, and it is anything but a cop-out. Well put, Albert.

If you can discriminate from those speaking from experience and those blowing smoke out their arse you can certainly learn a lot here...definitely keep asking questions. Most of your 'learning', though, will be done by doing (ain't that always the way), and not necessarily following anyone else's formulas or suggestions. Take the most sage advice as a point of departure and create your own 'perfect meal'. Look for folks who might share similar tastes in music, and or have experience with components you may be interested in, or those you already have and want to build upon. No better way to test the waters than to jump in, as you have. The chlorine's not too bad...just watch out for those warm spots.

Thanks all, I appeciate everyone taking the time to chime in. Like I said, I am not trying to short cut through anything, but it can be daunting as excited as one can get in this arena it is also very confusing wihtout the history and knowing what to look for.

Cheers,

Blu

Chadnlz,

You are wound to tight.

I was just kidding. I am sure there are some decent sounding SS amps around. =8^)