Building a Hi-Fi Audio System: It’s Not Just About Expensive Gear

The Perfect Hi-Fi Setup? It’s Complicated… 

Getting serious about audio? Feel ready to purchase your first true hi-fi system? You may be tempted to Google the “best” audio brand, add their speakers and receiver to your online cart, and start setting them up once they arrive in the mail. 

Whoa, whoa, woah. Hold up. 

There’s a lot more that goes into a hi-fi setup than simply purchasing the most expensive gear. Not to mention, most brands that are truly ‘the best’ don’t sell their audio equipment online. Thought you could speedtrack your way to high-fidelity audio? Ha! 

The truth is, building a high-fidelity listening system is more like cooking a soufflé than a grilled cheese. It’s complex. Using the most high-quality ingredients will make a difference, but the conditions and recipe you follow matter, too. 

But okay, enough of the food metaphors. Here’s what you should really look for and consider when getting started in hi-fi audio.

Room Size: Should It Influence the Speakers You Choose?  

We’d argue that the space your speakers will live in is the number one influence over sound quality. The room’s dimensions, the materials on the wall, and the acoustic conditions will tremendously impact how the audio sounds, no matter how high-quality your speakers are. 

So, what equipment should you choose for a small, medium, or large room? First, let’s define what these labels mean. In general, we’d prescribe a room 10’ x 12’ or less as small. A medium-sized room is around 16’ x 20’, and a large room is around 22’ x 28’ or more. 

In smaller rooms, your speakers will need less amplifier power than larger ones because they will naturally sound louder, as soundwaves have less space to dissipate. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy large floorstanding speakers with rich bass in a smaller room. You’ll just need appropriate acoustic treatments and speaker placement to prevent sound waves from overwhelming the space. 

So naturally, larger rooms will require more amplifier power to hear the same volume as in the smaller room. When you visit our store and tell us about your home, we’ll take note of the dimensions and can walk you through the right amplifier and speaker matchup that will make sense for your room’s dimensions. 

So that’s amplifier power—what about speakers? In a smaller room, you won’t need larger speaker drivers, especially if you add a subwoofer to the system. But truthfully, there are many characteristics that define a great pair of speakers, like frequency response (that’s a whole other conversation). It’s not as simple as “big room = big speakers” and “small room = small speakers.” Your decision will also come down to the type of music you like listening to, how much bass you prefer, and other intangible factors you’ll need to hear to understand. 

Acoustics: The Unsung Hero of Hi-Fi Audio 

We get it: you’re itching to get your hands on new speakers or a turntable—not some foam board. But trust us when we say that acoustics can make or break your listening experience. 

Reverberation (that lingering tail of sound) and echo are the sworn enemies of sound clarity. Too many hard, reflective surfaces in a room, like bare walls, windows, and tile floors, cause you to lose the details in your music, making them muddled and hard to decipher. 

The fix? Acoustic treatments. And no, they don’t have to make your room look like a recording studio. Absorptive panels help soak up those overzealous sound waves, but in most cases, pillows, tapestries, and carpeting can help. Diffusers (panels with funky geometric shapes) scatter sound to create a more natural, balanced sound. But even a good ol’ bookshelf can do some diffusing work.

Then there are bass traps, which do exactly what they sound like: trap bass. Low frequencies love to pile up in corners, and bass traps (usually made from dense materials like fiberglass or stone wool) keep them in check. Without these, your carefully curated bass line might just become a muddy mess of low-end rumble. 

If you need acoustic treatments, most can be customized or painted to match your room’s design, so again, it won’t look like you’re building a home recording studio. 

Want Better Sound? Don’t DIY This One

Look, we love a good DIY project as much as the next person, but building a proper hi-fi system is something we believe is better with guidance. The gear, the room, the acoustics—they all need to work together like a well-rehearsed band.

So, if you’re ready to start your hi-fi journey (or realize you’ve been doing it all wrong), come see us at HiFi Buys in Atlanta. We’ll talk you through the gear, the setup, and the stuff you didn’t even know you needed to know.