On the search for some speakers to build out your home audio system? You’ve likely noticed the incredible range of options available. But don’t be fooled by appearances and false marketing. If you want to enjoy music the way it’s meant to be heard, invest in high-fidelity speakers.

Before we offer some high-fidelity speaker suggestions for your home in Mt. Pleasant and the surrounding Charleston, SC area, let’s define high fidelity and why you should care about it for your sound system installation. Keep reading to learn more!

SEE ALSO: Love Multi-Room Music but Hate the Look of Speakers?

Let’s Define Hi-Fi Audio

Simply put, high fidelity, or hi fi, refers to the high-quality reproduction of sound. The road to high fidelity started in the 1930s when an American violinist started experimenting with audio design and acoustics in the hopes of creating a radio that would sound like he was listening to a live orchestra. In the 1940s, key developments brought about a revolution in high-quality audio, such as FM radio and microgroove vinyl records. Finally, the 1950s saw the term “high fidelity” first being used by audio manufacturers to describe audio components designed to provide faithful sound reproduction.

High-fidelity audio is meant to reproduce sound as close to the original recording as possible. With that said, high-fidelity speakers are specifically designed for that purpose. When you listen to music through high-fidelity speakers, you should experience as little alteration and coloration as possible. These speakers are usually constructed with high-quality materials and exotic enclosures to help reduce resonance, electrical noise, and interference—leaving much less room for any audio defects.

Hi-Fi Goes Beyond the Speakers

If you care about high-fidelity sound, you must also consider your audio sources. No matter how great your speakers are, the finished output will be disappointing if the music quality being transmitted from the source is poor. While it’s fairly easy to tell the difference between a CD-quality lossless recording and a low-bitrate MP3 recording on any sound system, your high-fidelity speakers will widen that quality gap even more.

Without getting in too deep, we’ll describe the basics: High-fidelity music contrasts with lossy audio formats like AAC and MP3, which compress audio to discard data. As a result, some of the music is shaved off to reduce the file size. High-fidelity music is uncompressed and reproduces the full spectrum of sound from recordings so you can hear all the textures and details that the artists want you to hear.

There’s no need to rely solely on your own hi-fi media collection. If you’re into streaming, consider services like Tidal and Qobuz for high-fidelity music. You’ll enjoy direct access to millions of songs in studio-master quality.

Your Speaker Choices Are Vast

Our team partners with several industry-leading audio brands and can help you select the perfect products for your home. Some notable brands we work with are Meridian, Audio Control, Totem, and Artisan. For high-fidelity sound outdoors, we also offer outdoor speaker solutions from Sonance and Coastal Source.

Whether you’re looking for your first pair of stereo speakers for the media room or want to deck out the whole house with audio, we can make it happen. Choose stately floor-standers, bookshelf loudspeakers, or even architectural speakers that install right into your walls and ceilings. When installing your sound system, our team will consider your home interior, style, planned speaker use, and budget to create the ideal sound system for you.

Ready to discover the magic of high-fidelity audio? Contact Custom Home Sound to schedule a free consultation. We look forward to hearing from you!