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Why is there no Mid End

We are all audiopiles quote un quote who accept the term High End to describe expensive or if you must reference grade sound reproduction. Some of us freely admit that we have mid-fi equipment but never say mid end or even sub High End. Even if you were to use the fact that High End implies a limiting superlative why don't we say this is a Low End piece we use low fi (or other language that's even worse) more frequently.
mechans
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,517 posts
 
"Hi end" is relatively recent, and thus the confusion.
Originally, the term was High Fidelity, or Hi Fi for short.
As soon as that term was coined, people naturally determined that what was not Hi Fi, must be Lo Fi(delity).

Mid Fi? I don't remember when that came along, but I'm sure that it resulted from the need to identify the huge proliferation of better-than-lo-fi products (many of them Japanese) in the late 70's and 80's. Many sold through earlier versions of stores like Circuit City, Good Guys, Best Buy, etc.

But there really is a logical continuum -- lo-fi, mid-fi, and hi-fi. What keeps changing is what falls into the last two categories :~))
nrchy's avatar
nrchy
2,111 posts
 
Because people have to justify thier purchases, and ridicule anyone who spent more all in the same breath. The common maxim is: HiFi is what I have, midFi is what I used to have, lowFi is what anyone else has, either that or tin ears since they did not recognize that MY system is the pinnacle of human achievement.

Audiophiles are too insecure to have it any other way...
wc65mustang
524 posts
 
Nrchy hit the nail directly on the head. Funny stuff!! One "attaboy" for you. Happy New Year.
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