What Is a Hi-Fi Home Stereo System + How to Build & Set Up One?

This article goes over what a Hi-Fi audio system is and advises on how to determine what components you need (and which ones you don’t need) to build a budget-friendly starter Hi-Fi stereo system.

To clarify: by "building a Hi-Fi system", I mean choosing and buying each device (player, amplifier, speakers...) to connect them with each other by audio cables. "Building" does not mean creating your own DIY devices.

When I was building mine, I was overwhelmed and confused by various components that may or may not be included into a system, and choosing between various player types.

CD player or streamer? Or a digital player? Or maybe a vinyl LP player? Or can I just plug my computer into an amplifier? Do I need a DAC? What sounds best? What is cheaper?..

This article will present the basics (very ample and detailed basics), in a convenient and organised way, to help you spend less time on research than it took me about ten years ago.

Now, let’s cut to the cheese.

What Is a Hi-Fi Audio System?

A Hi-Fi sound system is a system built specifically for playing recordings with high fidelity — the closest possible to what the music sounded like in real life while being recorded.

A Hi-Fi stereo system always consists of a number of separate components connected with each other via wires. For example, a CD player, an amplifier, and speakers.

A boombox or similar device, where the amplifier, speakers, and player are combined, is not a Hi-Fi system. It’s a multimedia class device. Multimedia devices, however, can also consist of separate blocks to imitate Hi-Fi systems.

Hi-Fi equipment is not manufactured by the popular electronics brands: Sony, Panasonic, Aiwa, BBK, Sven, and other well-known companies. Those produce multimedia devices to satisfy the needs of the majority of consumers. And the majority cares about convenience and price rather than sound quality.

Moreover, in the Hi-Fi industry, a company usually specialises in a narrow niche: most often, a brand that produces amplifiers and players doesn’t produce speakers.

Examples of Hi-Fi brands: NAD, Onkyo, YBA, and Marantz (amplifiers and players), Acoustic Signature (vinyl players), Dynaudio, Dali, Totem, B&W (speakers)...

Hi-Fi equipment is, unfortunately, more expensive than multimedia products. A low-budget Hi-Fi system (that is already capable of producing decent sound) can cost you $1000-$3000, depending on whether you need new or used items.

For example, I bought my system for about $1300, with every component being new. It was around 2014 so the Dollar’s value was a little higher then because of the inflation. I have a budget-friendly, “starter” system that I’m content with, considering I’m not rich. But the difference in sound between my affordable Hi-Fi stereo vs. the multimedia device I used to have before is beyond any comparison.

Some newbies ask “what is the difference between Hi-Fi vs stereo”? Stereo (used as a noun) is just a short for “stereo system”. A stereo system is not necessarily a Hi-Fi system. It can be a multimedia device with two speakers producing mediocre quality sound.

And the original meaning of “stereo” (contrary to mono) is a way of recording music in two channels: where sounds in the left speaker (or headphone) are different from the ones in the other speaker. This creates a more natural 3D-like scenery, contrary to mono where the same sounds play in every channel or where there is only one channel/speaker.

So how to choose a Hi-Fi system? A more appropriate expression is actually “how to build a Hi-Fi system” because you need to choose every major component separately. Keep reading to learn the basics.

How to Build a Hi-Fi System?

A simple Hi-Fi system consists of a source (a player) connected to an amplifier, which is, in its turn, connected to two speakers. You can also connect more than one source to your amplifier at the same time.

It can be even simpler. Nowadays, there exist digital Hi-Fi amplifiers that have a DAC (digital-to-analog-converter) built-in: you can insert a USB stick right into such an amplifier to play music from. Or it can stream music from the Internet or from your computer or phone via a wireless connection. In this case, your system will consist of only two components: the digital amplifier and speakers.

There are more complex systems too, with more components between the source and the speakers, which we will mention later on.

Building a Hi-Fi system starts with determining your preferred source type. So we’ll start with it.

 

What Is a Hi-Fi Source?

A Hi-Fi source is a device that plays music and transmits the signal to the amplifier. A source can be a CD player, digital player or streamer, vinyl disc player, cassette deck, or a radio tuner. Let’s go over each of them separately.

CD Player

CDs may seem archaic, but this media type has its advantages that, for me, made it the best choice when I bought my first Hi-Fi system. I based my choice on the balance between the price, quality, accessibility, and convenience.

A CD player is a separate device that plays CDs and may or may not have a USB and other inputs for playing music from external sources (such as a USB stick or an SSD drive).

If it’s a true Hi-Fi device, it can’t be connected to speakers directly. It connects to an amplifier first.

As for why it was the preferred source for my first system, here are the reasons:

• Most of the music I listen to is available as CD releases. I can download rips of a few different releases (from different countries/labels, from different years), compare the sound on each, and choose the best version. This possibility to pick and choose is not offered by other media types. I explained why it’s crucial in my article on what high quality sound is (in the section about dynamic range, subsection on how to choose between different editions of a CD album).
• CD rips are free to download and cheap to burn on CD-Rs. For those who prefer buying physical copies, they are cheaper than vinyls and less rare.
• CD players are a cheaper option than other sources. Prices for a decent new player start from about $300 (as of 2023).
• While listening, I don’t need to keep my computer running (and making noise with its coolers, interfering with music). A quieter laptop connected to a USB audio interface could be an alternative. But when I bought the CD player, I didn’t have a laptop and an interface.
• I’m free from the dynamic compression imposed on audio files by streaming services. Also, CDs have almost two times wider dynamic range than vinyl discs (not to mention cassettes).

However, as a source in my second stereo system, I chose a digital amplifier — an amp that has a DAC (digital-to-analog converter) built-in and that can play music (FLAC CD rips and other formats) from a USB stick inserted right into it.

This way, I have all of the advantages of CDs but without spending money on a separate CD player and without having to burn CD-Rs.

Digital Player

A Hi-Fi digital player is a device that can stream music from online streaming services or other external sources (such as a USB stick, a tablet, or a phone). Devices whose only function is streaming come in prices similar to the ones of CD players.

You can also use them as a DAC (digital-to-audio converter) by plugging your computer (better a laptop because its coolers aren’t as loud as a large PC’s) into it and playing music stored on your computer.

But if you are a musician and have a USB audio interface connected to your computer, you don’t need a streamer. Your audio interface is already the Hi-Fi DAC that you can connect to your amplifier.

If a streamer is your choice, make sure it doesn’t compress audio’s bitrate. The one I considered when buying my Hi-Fi, compressed any streamed music into 320 kbps, basically making MP3 out of CD quality. That’s why I rejected this option. But this was about eight years ago. Since then, wireless streaming technology has improved. Nowadays, streamers can even handle high resolution audio (formats over the standard CD quality of 16 bit 44.1 kHz).

Some, more expensive, digital players are also combined with storages to save music right to their own drives. They cost significantly more than regular CD players. There are also models with CD drives built-in.

Perhaps the most expensive option I’ve seen was a separate Hi-Fi digital storage connected to a digital player. I don’t know what benefits a separate digital storage gives over a simple USB stick and whether it sounds any better even with the best amplifier and speakers. I assume it’s just a luxury. 

Digital Amplifier

As already mentioned, it’s an amplifier that has a DAC built-in. So you don’t have to buy a source and an amplifier separately. Just connect speakers to it and you are good to go (provided you have a computer, a tablet, or a phone with music on it).

Such a device — NAD C389 — was my choice for my second Hi-Fi system. It can stream music via a Bluetooth connection from a laptop, tablet, or a phone. Nowadays, Hi-Fi bluetooth streaming isn’t worse than wire connection.

It also has digital inputs in case you want to use it as a DAC for a CD player or another device whose own DAC isn’t as good.

It has analog RCA inputs too, like old school amplifiers. And even a phono input to connect a vinyl player when you don’t have a separate phono stage for it.

But it doesn’t have a USB input for reading music from a stick or an SSD drive unless upgraded via installation of a separate MDC 2 BluOs module (the amp actually has a USB input in the rear, but it only works for software updates and repair purposes).

Other digital amps have a USB input for a stick or an SSD drive by default, often on the front panel.

Some digital amps come with the functionality to connect to the Internet directly and stream music from streaming services. My amp can do this only if upgraded with the aforementioned module.

NAD C389 isn’t cheap, but there are cheaper digital amplifiers, including models of the same brand, with similar features.

Vinyl Player

Obviously, it’s a turntable to play vinyl discs. Most often, it has to be connected to a phono stage — a preamp that corrects the sound before sending it to the amplifier. Some vinyl players have it built-in, but, as far as I know, these devices are lower class equipment than real Hi-Fi.

Some amplifiers have a phono input, which means they have a phono stage built-in. To such an amplifier, you can connect your vinyl player directly, without having a standalone phono stage.

Vinyl players are more expensive than CD players of the same class, especially if you count the price of the phono stage in. And especially if you count the price of vinyl discs in.

To help you make a choice between vinyl and digital, we will weigh the pros and cons later in this article.

Radio Tuner

There are radio tuners manufactured by Hi-Fi brands and sold as stand alone devices. But I don’t even consider radio as a valid source of Hi-Fi sound because radio broadcasts apply dynamic compression to music in order to make the volume of all songs in the broadcast equal (similarly to digital online streaming services).

As I explained in the article “What Is Hi-Fi Sound Quality?”, dynamic compression degrades the sound significantly, while dynamic range is basically my number one factor to assess sound quality of a recording.

Cassette Deck

For the lovers of nostalgia, there exist cassette decks manufactured by Hi-Fi brands. Or, perhaps, no longer manufactured but sold as used vintage devices.

Cassettes can’t produce Hi-Fi sound because, as I mentioned in the previous article, their frequency range is only 30 Hz to 16 kHz (while digital and vinyl produce beyond 20 Hz-20 kHz) and the cassette tape produces hissing noise.

Digital vs Vinyl

I’ve already explained the benefits of CDs that made it my choice. So let’s look at the pros and cons of vinyl compared to digital recordings.

Pros of Vinyl vs CD:

• Vinyls have a specific shade of sound which is regarded as pleasant by many audiophiles.
• They are large. With big beautiful cover art.
• They have a vintage feel to them. It’s pleasant to take a disc out of its envelope, place it onto the turntable, slowly wipe it from dust while it’s rotating, and then gently place the needle onto it. It’s a mini ritual helping you feel like being a classy connoisseur of music and sound if this thing is important to you.

Cons of Vinyl vs CD:

• That specific shade of sound mentioned above is actually a type of distortion. Although it’s considered pleasant by many, it makes recordings sound farther from the original sound that a musician was producing while recording, which is the primary goal of Hi-Fi (high fidelity) equipment.
• Crackling noise that only becomes louder as a record becomes worn out over time.
• Lower dynamic range (difference between loud and quiet sounds) than digital recordings offer. This makes it necessary to dynamically compress recordings in order to record them onto a vinyl disc. A CD offers twice as wide a dynamic range. To learn why this parameter is important, read my aforementioned article on what Hi-Fi sound is.
• Vinyl disc players and LP records are expensive and rarer than CDs. Especially considering you can download a wide variety of lossless CD rips online for free.

While not a disadvantage on its own, it’s worth mentioning that vinyl discs (released after 1995) are still subject to loudness war (read the aforementioned article to learn what it is and why it’s crucial to sound quality).

To sum up, the advantages of vinyl over digital recordings are mostly concluded in the aesthetic value rather than sound quality.

If you hesitate between buying a digital device and a vinyl player, I suggest that you buy a digital device, and then, later, buy a vinyl player too. You can connect both devices to your amplifier at the same time.

 

What Is a Hi-Fi Amplifier?

A Hi-Fi amplifier is a component of a Hi-Fi stereo system which amplifies the sound produced by the source and sends it to the speakers.

Most amplifiers are integrated, which means they combine a preamp and a power amplifier in one device.

For a luxurious system, there is also an option to have a preamp and a power amp as separate devices.

Prices for affordable amplifiers start at about $430 (as of 2023).

An amplifier will often have two tone knobs (bass and treble — a mini version of an equaliser) and may have a tone defeat button that disregards the setting of the tone knobs while pressed.

Most often, this button is in pressed position on my amplifier — I don’t need to alter the natural sound of a recording (which is the best practice for the correct Hi-Fi sound). However, for one album (Amesoeurs by Amesoeurs, 2009), I need to reduce the bass because the kick drum on the album is way too loud.

The purpose of tone knobs (as well as equalisers) is mostly to compensate for the flaws of the room’s acoustics, which can amplify certain frequencies excessively. The tone knobs aren’t supposed to be used to give the sound a certain shade (such as adding more bass because loud bass is “cool”).

In the case of a digital amplifier, instead of separate knobs for everything, the tone and balance control and other functions may be accessed via its digital menu viewed on the amplifier’s screen.

Apart from tone knobs, an amplifier comes with a remote control (may be absent for some amps. For example, my newer digital amp NAD C389 doesn’t have one), headphone output, inputs for multiple sources (vinyl player, CD player, and other devices) and buttons to switch between the sources, and outputs for speakers. Some amps may have a subwoofer output, and other features.

Modern Hi-Fi amplifiers are often digital. This means that they have a DAC (digital-to-analog converter) built-in. This allows you to use your amplifier as an amplifier and as a source at the same time (so no need to buy a separate source). You can play music from a USB stick inserted right into your digital amp, from a computer connected to it via a cable or wireless connection, from a phone, from other devices in your wireless home network, from Internet streaming services etc.

What Is a Hi-Fi DAC?

DAC stands for “digital-to-analog converter”. It’s a device that receives a digital signal from a CD player, computer, or another digital device, decodes it into an analog signal, and sends this signal to the amplifier.

If you have a Hi-Fi CD player, you already have a DAC built into it. As well as if you have a streamer/digital player. As well as if you have a digital amplifier. You don’t necessarily need a separate DAC in these cases.

If you have a computer, you technically have a DAC built into it too. However, its quality is unlikely to be Hi-Fi, even if its characteristics state otherwise (even if it supports high resolution audio in 24 bit, 192 kHz or whatever).

So if your choice is using your computer or laptop as a source, you need to plug it via its digital output into either of these:

• DAC
• digital player/streamer
• USB audio interface for musicians (a device that also has professional microphone and line inputs for music recording)

And one of these devices will be plugged into your amplifier.

Many audiophiles prefer to have a standalone DAC even if they have a built-in DAC in their other devices. This is because a separate DAC can sound better. The quality of the analog signal created by the DAC out of the digital code matters as much as its quality after being amplified by the amp.

But introducing a separate DAC into your system is already the realm of more advanced Hi-Fi. If you are a beginner, don’t focus on this for now.

What Is a Hi-Fi Speaker?

Speakers for a Hi-Fi stereo system are usually either floor standing “towers” or “bookshelf speakers” (also called “stand mounted speakers”) — smaller speakers installed onto stands or furniture.

Don’t be fooled by the common expression “bookshelf speakers''. Despite being called like this, they aren’t designed for bookshelves and you shouldn’t place them there: they need space around them for producing correct sound (more on this in an upcoming section about placing your speakers in your room). They are usually placed onto Hi-Fi speaker stands.

Speakers may have their bass dynamic located either on the front or rear panel. If it’s in the rear, don’t put them close to the wall, as it will prevent the bass from coming out correctly.

Often, the manual guide to your speakers will indicate the recommended distance from the rear and side walls to your speakers that you should maintain for correct sound.

While multimedia class devices’ specs often indicate that their frequency range is 20 Hz to 20 kHz, Hi-Fi speakers’ manufacturers are more modest and more honest about their range. Floor standers may produce low frequencies starting from 30-40 Hz while the bass range of bookshelf speakers is even narrower. For example, the ones in my first system play 50 Hz lowest. However, the bookshelf speakers in my second system produce 40 Hz minimum.

As for the high register, Hi-Fi speakers may go beyond 20 kHz, which is probably excessive as a human ear can’t hear sounds higher than 20 kHz (in childhood, while most adults are able to hear 16 kHz maximum).

Don’t be deterred by the fact that the lowest range of a Hi-Fi speaker doesn’t start from 20 Hz (the lowest bass note a human can hear). Your speakers may still produce enough bass to give you a beautiful and exciting sound.

I have two little bookshelf speakers with a range of 50 Hz-23 kHz installed in a small room. Although very rarely, but it happens that in songs with very low bass parts, I notice one or a few lowest bass notes missing (or rather sounding too quiet) from a tune (while I hear them better when I listen to the same song in headphones). Or perhaps, this happens because of some problems with the acoustics of my room…

However, for the most part, I’m even amazed by how rich and deep of a bass my small speakers provide. Not only does it sound loud enough, but it’s also “sharp” or “tight” meaning that the notes are easily distinguishable rather than sounding “muddy” or “blurry”. For example, the low sound of blowing wind in the soundtrack to the film White Oleander sounds great. The same goes for a bass guitar and kick drum in almost any song.

If you absolutely need the lowest bass (say you are a hip hop or electronic music fan), you can buy a subwoofer additionally to your speakers. Make sure your amplifier has an output for it.

Also, I heard that for a small room, you shouldn’t really buy bass-heavy speakers as they will overload your room with bass, and the whole thing will only sound muddy. Some enthusiasts on forums I’ve read have advised against floor standers in a small room at all. I haven’t tested this myself, so I’ll leave researching this part up to you.

But I can say that both of my systems are bookshelf speaker-based, are installed in small or medium sized rooms (about 20 sq metres / 215.3 sq feet), and they sound fantastic.

Hi-Fi speakers are made out of wood or MDF. Plastic or metal body means it’s a multimedia class device rather than Hi-Fi.

Speakers have such specs as impedance and power handling capability. If in the specs of a pair of speakers you see 150 W indicated, this means they can handle 150 W of power (per speaker) coming from an amplifier.

Impedance (measured in Ohms or Ω) should also fall into the impedance range of your amplifier. For example, my amplifier can work with 8 to 4 ohm speakers. And my speakers are 6 ohm.

There are other specifications, and matching the model of speakers to an amplifier is quite a complex task. You need to make sure your amplifier neither overpowers nor underpowers your speakers.

We’ll expand on this later — in an upcoming section about matching Hi-Fi components.

Finally, speakers can also be active, meaning they have amplifiers built right into them. It’s uncommon for home Hi-Fi systems while it’s common for studio monitors — specialised speakers for music producers or sound engineers. We will discuss them later in this article too.

 

What Are Hi Fi Headphones?

 First of all, headphones can’t be a complete substitute for listening to music through speakers, which is a very unique experience. For me, headphones are a valid option for listening to music while doing something else at the same time, to make my other activity less boring. I also use them when recording, mixing, and mastering. But not for serious listening when my goal is getting maximum pleasure from music by fully concentrating on it.

However, headphones have a few advantages over speakers. In addition to being quiet and compact, headphones’ performance doesn’t depend on the acoustics of your room.

Headphones also provide lower bass than most Hi-Fi bookshelf speakers and even floor standers. As previously mentioned, even floor standers’ specifications often show their frequency range starting from 30-40 Hz rather from the lowest hearable by humans 20 Hz. But Hi-Fi headphones will produce 20 Hz and even lower.

To get proper sound with headphones, they need to be plugged into a Hi-Fi stereo amplifier or a special amplifier for headphones that also incorporates a DAC, if you are listening to music on your computer.

An option for musicians is a USB audio interface mentioned previously in this article.

Do You Need a Hi-Fi Equaliser?

The short answer is ‘probably’: it depends on your room’s acoustics, how much freedom you have in finding the best position for your speakers in the room, and how well the components of your system fit each other by their sound character.

Equalisers were a common element in home stereo systems back in the day (in the 70’s-90’s), but, for some mysterious reason, they no longer are.

First, get rid of the perception of equalisers formed by multimedia class equipment manufacturers. They advertise equalisers built into their devices as a feature meant to embellish the sound depending on the musical style — a setting for rock, a setting for pop... Because they need more bells and whistles for their devices to compensate for the lack of ability to play high quality sound. But from the Hi-Fi point of view, this is nonsense.

The original purpose of an equaliser in a home audio system is compensating for the flaws of the room’s acoustics. If the room (because of its architectural, construction material qualities, and contents) amplifies a certain frequency range too much, you can use an equaliser to reduce this frequency range. So it’s a compensation tool which isn’t meant to embellish the sound. It’s meant to keep the sound the closest possible to what it would be like in an acoustically perfect room (where an equaliser or tone knobs on your amp would be unnecessary).

If you position your speakers properly in your room, you may not need an equaliser or even touching the tone knobs on your amplifier (we will discuss the rules of positioning your speakers further in this article. They are quite simple).

But it’s likely that your room does have acoustic problems. No room is perfect, unless it’s acoustically treated by a professional. Most often, those problems are in the bass range.

You may also need an equaliser if your source, amplifier, and speakers don’t fit each other ideally. For example, two (or all) of your components may accentuate the same frequency range (because this is their ‘house sound’ — their individual trademark voice). As a result, this frequency range will be too loud to be beautiful. You can reduce it with an equaliser.

For example, in my second system, the bass in the range of 200-300 Hz is too loud. Because of this, the middle range doesn’t sound as clear as it should — the vocals, the guitars and other mid range instruments are obscured by the bass. I don’t know if this problem comes from the room creating unwanted resonances in this range or from possibly bad compatibility of my system’s components. But I fixed this with an equaliser. Now the sound is amazingly natural.

However, to do this, I did not buy a standalone equaliser. I listen to music by wirelessly streaming it to my digital amplifier from my phone (to be exact, from an SSD drive connected to my phone). So I just found a music player app for my phone — Poweramp — that has a good equaliser built into it.

This app is fantastic. Its equaliser is flexibly adjustable: you can set the number of bands and the frequencies at the start and end of your equalised range. This allows you to meticulously adjust very specific frequency ranges without affecting the neighbouring ranges much. The app also reads .cue files, allowing you to see and play individual tracks when a whole album is ripped as a single FLAC file.

This is much more preferable to using a standalone equaliser. A standalone Hi-Fi equaliser is most often an analogue device that alters the analogue signal, which adds distortion to it. A standalone device also takes up space and another outlet. And it costs money. And demands cables. A digital equaliser built into the app doesn’t have these disadvantages — it alters the digital signal without any distortion, and takes no space.

If you stream music from a computer, you can find a built-in equaliser in VLC Player (although not very flexible). There are many other software tools with an EQ — I will leave research up to you.

However, if you use a standalone Hi-Fi CD or vinyl player as a source, you will have to buy a standalone EQ, in which you will plug your player, and the equaliser will be plugged into the amplifier.

There also exist standalone digital equalisers that you can plug between a CD player (provided the CD player has a digital output) and your amplifier (if the equaliser has a DAC built-in) or between your CD player and a DAC (if the equaliser doesn’t have a DAC built-in). Their advantage is that they modify the digital signal before it gets converted to analogue, therefore avoiding distortion coming with altering an analogue signal.

Otherwise, you can find analogue equalisers. These days, new equalisers aren’t manufactured by Hi-Fi brands, so you will have to buy a used vintage one. It won’t necessarily be expensive. I used to have a vintage Marantz from the 80’s. It didn’t cost much.

I do not recommend using an equaliser to improve the sound of a recording (except for extreme cases).

My first experience with an equaliser in a Hi-Fi system didn’t go well. I tried using a vintage Hi-Fi equaliser with my first system, and I understood I didn’t need it. I tried to embellish the sound rather than fix my room’s or system’s flaws.

For example, on one album I wanted to make the sound of guitars a bit different. But then I listened to another album, and, obviously, it had a different sound. So the same equaliser settings didn’t work for it anymore. I had to tune it differently again. I can’t tune the equaliser individually for every of the 200+ albums I listen to — that’s just too much work to find the best setting for each album.

And during listening, instead of enjoying the music, I was constantly thinking “does it really sound better than without the equaliser? Maybe I should add the frequencies in this range a little bit more? Or reduce another range slightly?” And I was tweaking the settings during the whole album. This way, otherwise a pleasant and relaxing experience turned to constant worrying.

However, there are exceptions. For example, the kick drum in the eponymous album by Amesoeurs is so loud that it’s impossible to listen to it calmly. But this flaw can be easily fixed by slightly reducing the bass with either the bass tone knob on the amplifier or an equaliser. This is the only album that makes me use equalisation because of the album itself.

Hi-Fi Stereo vs Home Theatre

Before knowing much about stereo equipment, I thought about buying a 5.1 system. I imagined myself being surrounded by multiple speakers giving me 3D sound much more enhanced than a 2-channel stereo. I imagined that a guitar would play in one speaker, another guitar in another one, the keyboards would come out of the third speaker behind my back, some other sounds from a side etc…

But this was wrong. Music albums are recorded with two channels only. And while played through a surround sound system, those same two channels are distributed over all the speakers. So I’d just hear the same two channels coming from the front and from the back.

I think I’ve come across some versions of Pink Floyd recordings made in more than two channels. But I think those were videos. Anyway, it’s very uncommon.

Systems with more than two speakers are meant for movies rather than music. I think music isn’t normally recorded in surround sound because such production would be more expensive and time-consuming and because the purpose of a regular music album is to recreate the experience of witnessing a band playing live — standing in front of you on a stage. So the sound comes only from the front.

However, with just two stereo speakers, it’s possible to reproduce a 3D effect when the listener gets an impression that a sound is coming not from the front but from a side or even from the back.

For example, when I listen to the song Engorged with Impiety by Broken Hope (death metal), a few times throughout the song (for example, at 1:11) the singer growls some short word, and it’s repeated as an echo. When this happens, I hear this echoed word coming not from the front-right of me (where the speaker is), but as if it were coming directly from the right, perpendicularly to me. I have an impression that it comes from a very different place than where my speaker is located. Unfortunately, such tricks happen very rarely on music albums, and this is the most prominent one I can remember. By the way, in headphones, this trick in this song doesn’t sound like a prominent 3D effect at all, even though headphones are generally more effective for such binaural 3D tricks.

To make such a 3D recording, sound engineers either use digital 3D processing effects or stereo microphones. Or they just take two microphones and put them closely together in a way that they are directed to the sides at the same angle as human ears are. And while recording, they make a sound by standing in the position where they want the listener to feel the sound is coming from.

A stereo microphone is often built into a regular smartphone. My Samsung Galaxy M21 has one.

In short, surround sound systems are meant for films and not music. Obviously, multi-speaker systems have an advantage in 3D effect over a stereo. But for music, a stereo is enough. Of course, if you are a movie fan too, you can buy a Hi-Fi home theatre system and use it in stereo mode when you listen to music (there should be a setting to turn the rest of the speakers off).

I don’t have a surround sound system. And in my own home stereo, the speakers — Dynaudio DM 2/6 — as specified by the manufacturer, can be used in a home theatre set.

 

Studio Monitors vs Hi-Fi Speakers 

The difference between Hi-Fi vs studio monitors is that the latter are meant for creating music — for sound engineers and musicians — and not for recreational music listening.

Manufacturers of Hi-Fi systems, though ensuring high fidelity to the sound originally produced in real life while being recorded, make their systems slightly embellish the sound. Some of the frequencies produced by your Hi-Fi speakers may be slightly accentuated — made louder — to give your speakers’ sound a specific shade.

But for creating good music recordings, sound engineers need speakers that don’t embellish anything. Basically, studio monitors and other professional mastering equipment are meant to provide higher fidelity than home stereo equipment. However, they aren’t used as Hi-Fi systems, despite their higher accuracy. Why?

Because studio monitors are made for using them closer to the listener (reducing the risk of the room acoustics interfering with the sound), while home Hi-Fi speakers are meant to fill the room with sound and stand at a longer distance from the listener.

Overall, to listen to music for your personal enjoyment, you need Hi-Fi bookshelf speakers or floor standers rather than studio monitors. Studio monitors may not sound as good as Hi-Fi speakers from a longer distance.

Another difference is that studio monitors are active. This means they have amplifiers built into them.

Tube vs Transistor

Tube audio equipment is rare nowadays (except for tube guitar amplifiers). Tube-based Hi-Fi devices are rarer and are a luxury.

The “warmth” of the tube sound, while having its charm, is actually a type of distortion (similarly to the authentic vinyl feel). In terms of sound fidelity, transistor-based devices are more accurate while also cheaper.

Finally, tube equipment sounds best when tubes have warmed up, which takes some time after you turn them on. Transistor devices don’t have this problem.

Hi-Fi Wires and Cables

Honestly, I’ve never checked whether wires and cables produced by Hi-Fi brands ensure better sound quality than any other wires and cables. I’ve heard it’s important. I’ve heard it isn’t…

When purchasing my system, I also bought a specialised RCA cable by Ecosse (to connect my player to the amplifier) and two cables to connect the speakers to the amplifier. I paid extra just in case it would make a difference. This cost me about $100 in total.

In any case, I don’t advise you to go crazy about it. If you are building a budget-friendly Hi-Fi and want to buy Hi-Fi cables “just in case”, like I did, simply buy the most affordable cables of the ones produced by a specialised Hi-Fi brand.

Hi-Fi Setup Options

Based on what we have discussed, here are the most common Hi-Fi stereo system options on a budget:

• PC, laptop, phone, or a USB stick → Digital amplifier → speakers (my choice for my second system)
• CD player → amplifier → speakers (my choice for my first system)
• Vinyl player → phono stage → amplifier → speakers
• Vinyl player → amplifier with a phono stage built-in → speakers
  
• PC or laptop → USB audio interface → amplifier → speakers
• PC or laptop → streamer → amplifier → speakers

And an option for musicians or music producers (rather to create music than enjoy it):

• PC or laptop → USB audio interface → active studio monitors

Some advanced audiophiles also use two separate mono amplifiers — one per each of the stereo channels — and invent other intricate and state-of-the art solutions.

How to Match Hi-Fi System Components and Choose Specific Models?

To match speakers with an amplifier, you need to operate the following specs:

• The amplifier’s power
• The speakers’ maximum power handling capability
• The amplifier’s supported impedance range
• The speakers’ impedance
• The speakers’ sensitivity
  

You should also consider how the components sound together — whether it’s aesthetically pleasing.

 

Power

When speakers’ specs say the speakers’ maximum power handling capability is, for example, 150 W, this most often means each speaker has the maximum power handling capability of 150 W.

For amplifiers, the power is also usually specified per channel.

Most often, any amp will work with any pair of speakers, and you won’t break anything down unless you turn the volume of your amp up close to the maximum in some situations.

These situations are:

1. The power of your amp is much lower than the power handling capability of your speakers. In this case, when working near its maximum volume, the amp will produce clipping that can damage the speakers.
2. The power of your amp is higher than the power handling capability of your speakers. In this case, the speakers will break down because of too much power sent to them by the amplifier.

The good news is that it’s unlikely that you will ever need to turn your volume up to the maximum or even near it — that will be too loud to enjoy music. Of course, though, there may be a situation when you need to use a stereo for a party. Or you have a curious and naughty kid left home alone, and the little explorer will decide to test how loud your system sounds when it’s at its maximum.

So the safest option is having an amplifier whose power is equal or slightly lower than the maximum power handling capability of your speakers.

Some speaker manufacturers, instead of specifying power handling capability, specify the recommended power range of an amplifier to choose for the speakers. But it can be vague: for example it may say “30-150 W”. While you can choose a 30 W amp for those speakers, it may just not produce good sound (another important consequence of underpowering your speakers). So better stick with the maximum value in this range and choose an amp whose power is close to it.

The lack of power may result in bad bass control, making the whole sound muddy and ruining the potential of the speakers that could otherwise sound great.

However, in some situations a less powerful amp can still produce good sound with more powerful speakers. My first system consists of 150 W speakers and a 40 W amp, and it sounds very good. I don’t know though how the speakers would sound with a more powerful amp — it would likely be much better.

Impedance

The impedance is measured in Ohms (Ω). Make sure the amplifier supports the impedance of your speakers.

The standard impedance for most speakers is 4, 6, or 8 Ohms. Most amps support this range (unlike receivers).

 

Sensitivity

Sensitivity is specified in decibels (dB). It shows a speaker’s efficiency.

For example, you have two speakers. Both of them are 100 W. You are testing them with the same amplifier. But the sensitivity of one speaker is 86 dB, and the other one’s is 90 dB. The latter will play louder.

The sensitivity is important when choosing an amplifier. For example, if your amp is less powerful than your speakers’ maximum power handling capability, the lack of power will be more critical if your speakers are less sensitive.

86 dB is considered low sensitivity. 88 dB is average. 90 dB and above is high.

When speakers have low sensitivity, the common expression is that they are “hard to drive”.

 

Price

This is not a technical rule, and it’s not really a rule, but generally, in a reasonable speakers-amp match, the price of the speakers is close to the price of the amplifier.

In my first system, however, the speakers cost about $800, and the amp cost about $400 at the time of purchasing them in 2014 or so. And they sound great together.

Sound

Various brands have their own signature sound (or “house sound”) that fits a specific music genre or listener’s taste. I’ve heard Marantz was good for jazz etc. Hi-Fi brands make their amplifiers and players complement each other in terms of balanced sound. So it's better to choose an amp and a player of the same brand and in the same series.

Otherwise, it may happen that you will choose a player that provides sound rich in a certain segment of frequency range. Your chosen amplifier from another brand will also accentuate the same range segment. As a result, your overall sound will give you an excess of this frequency, and the whole thing will not sound very good.

The same goes for matching speakers and the rest of the system. But here, you can't just buy a pair of speakers from the same manufacturer as your amp. Because Hi-Fi brands that make amps and players don't produce speakers.

So again — do thorough research and, if you have a local specialised Hi-Fi shop, listen to the whole set to try it out before buying. Try different options and choose the best one.

If you don’t have a local shop, travel to a neighbouring city. It would be a shame to spend good money without prior test listening just to find out it sounds bad.

In my first system, I have Dynaudio DM 2/6 speakers. My other two components — CD player and amplifier — are made by NAD — the brand’s most affordable models.

I bought this set up just because it was the only decent option matching my budget. Once I decided that I needed a CD player (after closely considering and eventually rejecting the streamer option and another wireless system suggested to me initially), I followed the advice of the salesman at the local Hi-Fi shop. He came up with the amp and the CD player models for me.

You can do the same. But don’t blindly trust the salesman. They may happen to be incompetent or willing to sell you something they need to sell rather than something that matches well and sounds the best possible for your money. Apply your own knowledge. Analyse the specs of the equipment suggested to you by the salesman and analyse the sound it produces.

Some Hi-Fi shops even lend stereo setups so that buyers can test them out at home, in the unique acoustics of their room, before purchasing.

How to Set Up a Hi-Fi Stereo System in Your Room

Before I list the rules, I must stress their importance, which I learned from my own (and very embarrassing!) experience.

When I only bought my home stereo, I knew that the sound depended on the position of the speakers in the room. But I underestimated the importance of it.

The salesman offered me stands to place my speakers on. I refused because I didn’t want to pay extra and, as I thought, I already had a place to put the speakers on.

The place I put it on was on the shelf above my computer, and above my head. As a result, I had too much bass, too little treble, and overall it wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. It did sound better than my previous multimedia device (AIWA NSX-BL44: 3-in-1 — CD, cassette, and radio). But it wasn’t better enough. I turned the treble knob on my amp all the way to max, and reduced the bass a little. I was still not content.

I thought it was because I had to get used to the new sound, to switch my perception from the old and bad to the new and good. And I hoped for this for a year. Then, looking for a solution to my problem, I even bought a Hi-Fi equaliser (a vintage Marantz from around 1984-1986) that I didn’t need!

Then, finally, it dawned on me that I could try placing my speakers lower, at a position similar to how they would stand if put onto stands. I placed one of them on my desk, and another one on an improvised “stand” made of two chairs placed one onto another. And immediately, the sound became amazing! What a lazy and greedy fool I was! Instead of paying closer attention to wise tips from articles and forums, I wasted a year of my life and money on an equaliser that I didn’t need (fortunately, I sold it later).

So, I bought two stands, and I’m happy with the sound now. Don’t be like me: follow these simple rules as soon as you bring your new stereo home (or better prepare your room for it beforehand):

1. The tweeter (or roughly the top of your speaker) must be approximately at the height of your ear when you are in the listening position (sitting on a couch, for example).
2. You and the speakers must form an equilateral triangle. For example, I have two meters (6.56 feet) between the speakers and two meters from either of them to me. I wish I had more space to experiment and see how it sounds with a longer distance.
3. The speakers must be turned in your direction.
4. If the hole of the bass reflex system is at the back of your speakers, place them at least half meter (1.6 feet) away from the wall.
5. Don’t place a speaker in a corner of a room. A corner will amplify the bass too much making the whole sound muddy.
6. Don’t sit too close to the wall behind you: you will hear too much of the bass reflected from that wall.
7. Don't put anything onto your amplifier. On its top panel, it will have openings for the heat to escape. You need to have enough empty space above them to ensure the amp cools down effectively. You may place your amplifier onto your CD or digital player, but not the other way around.

Here is how it's installed in my room:

Why Is Hi-Fi So Expensive?

Because it’s made of high quality materials, with the goal of producing high quality sound and without the need to appeal to the widest audience seeking convenience and low cost rather than truly good sound.

“Expensive” means a different range for each person, depending on their revenue and the importance of the purchase. As I mentioned above, I spent about $1300 on my system. It was the most expensive purchase in my life, especially considering the level of life of a working class person in Ukraine. But as I understood its value — the value of the pleasure it could provide me — it was an acceptable expense that I was happy to have.

If you don’t even have $1300-$1500, you can build a cheaper system of the same, or even higher class than mine if you buy used items. In this case, be careful and very meticulous. Give preference to buying items that you can either test before purchase or with a money back guarantee.

A guy I used to know once bought used studio monitors. He listened to them at the seller’s home. But it was only at his own home that he tested them more closely and discovered that the tweeter on one of them didn’t work.

Test the speakers (one at a time — to make sure you hear each individually) with an audio file that plays a sequence of frequencies in your speaker’s range. You can easily find many versions on YouTube by searching “20 to 20000 hz test”, “20 Hz 20 000 Hz speakers test” etc. Here is a good one:

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