Here’s a video from a very informative YouTube channel that covers all different types of technology.
I originally found them when I was curious how air conditioners worked, and the host of this channel definitely goes in-depth and is a great source of information. In today’s video, he is talking about high fidelity audio, which is a fascinating topic.
I like to have somewhat decent speakers around my home, but beyond that, I never really know what made them better besides being a bit more pleasant-sounding.
If you’re interested in learning how things work, you’ll love the Technology Connections channel, and also congrats are in order since the channel has just very recently passed the 1 million subscriber milestone.
This video is under 14 minutes long but it still manages to do a great job at explaining the basics of how speakers work, and what differentiates expensive and high-quality speakers from cheaper ones.
If you’re using the speakers that are built into your TV, or cheap desktop computer speakers, it might be worth considering an upgrade – it can make a huge difference, even if you aren’t upgrading to super fancy hi-fi speakers.
Can You Hear The Difference Between Cheap Speakers and Hi-Fi Audio?
The short answer is yes, the longer answer is no, the real answer is: it depends.
If you’re comparing a tinny sounding old radio to a hi-fi audio system, most people aer going to be able to tell the difference in sound quality.
But if you’re comparing a $100 car stereo to a $250 car stereo, the lines start to get a lot blurrier.
This is why some people have a hard time deciding if really expensive audio is worth it or not.
A small upgrade over stock speakers, whether its in a car or a living room or at your computer, will make a big, noticeable difference. Beyond that, there’s a point of diminishing returns.
A speaker can only sound as good as the best mics that it’s playing the recordings from, too!
And at a certain point, it also comes down to personal preference and what sounds better to you.
If you can’t tell the difference, congrats, you’ll save a lot of money on audio gear!
Is High Fidelity Audio Worth It?
It can be, but again, it comes down to your preferences as a listener. Some $10,000 speakers will give a warmer sound, some $10,000 speakers will give a more “accurate” sound, and so on and so forth.
It’s universally worth it to upgrade from your TV’s speakers or built-in computer speakers because the default or “stock” ones are always a lot poorer than even a relatively cheap upgrade. In other words, you can add some cheap external speakers that cost $40 or $50, attach them to your TV, and you’ll have much better sounding audio, to a point where just about anyone could tell a big difference.
The brand Edifier makes some great, affordable multimedia speakers (some that are self-powered, with Bluetooth, etc).
The more you spend, the more you’ll hit diminishing returns on your investment in hi-fi audio, but we can’t hammer it home enough that if you don’t have anything special, you can get a huge improvement at a small cost when you’re just starting out.
