Hi-fi audio: is it the Ferrari of music?

What is hi-fi or high fidelity audio?

“It is one that resembles the real sound of things. In the case of music, high fidelity means that all distortions are reduced and the sound is made as clear and real as possible”, explains Leonardo Luna, audio producer.

Basically, hi-fi sound is one that is not compressed and that has a transmission speed of up to 1,411kbps -the data that can be processed per unit of time-, while audio that is not high definition can be of 128kbps. The more bits, the better the audio quality.

You can think of it as an image: a pixelated photograph is not the same as a 4K image. In the case of music, the pixelated could be similar to .mp3, and 4K would be .flac and 8K would be .wav.

This is because high-fidelity sound contains a greater range of frequencies than compressed sound, therefore, more things are heard and you can listen to the music in more detail. Just as a 4K image contains more pixels, hi-fi audio contains more crisp and clear audio elements.

Where can you listen to hifi music?

It’s all a theme. For it to make sense to listen to hi-fi music you need to consider three factors: the space, the device, and the audio platform.

It is useless to have hi-fi speakers in a space where there is a lot of noise, for example, the kitchen or a very crowded room, because the details that are perceived with this type of music can easily be lost with the ambient noise . Ideally, listen to this type of music with headphones or in a studio.

The device. There are high-end brands that allow you to better appreciate these sounds, such as Kef speakers or the Mexican brand Margules, which sells handmade audio products.

The platform. The apps that reproduce high fidelity sound are Tidal, Qobuz, Apple Music and Amazon Music HD. It’s no use having high-end speakers if you listen to music on Spotify, which plays music at 320 kbps.

Is it worth investing in hi-fi audio?

It all depends on the type of consumer you are. If you consider yourself an audiophile, listening to music on hi-fi becomes an immersive experience, just like driving a high-end car. This type of audio is for the most demanding consumers.

Therefore, if you are a very demanding person with audio and you are willing or willing to invest in good speakers or headphones, finding the right space and paying the subscription to platforms that offer hi-fi music will be a great investment.

But, if you consider that your ear is not that trained and you just want to listen to music, there are quite affordable and decent options on the market for good audio.