HiFi vs Home theatre

[heliumflight]

Hello Friends,

When I first started speaker shopping, I always wondered what the difference was between a “hi-fi” and “home theatre” system, so I set out to research exactly what each was. It may not seem like there’s much of a difference, but for the audiophiles and movie buffs out there, it’s actually quite a big one!

So, what is the difference between hi-fi and home theatre? A home theatre is simply an arrangement of speakers around a TV or projector meant to make a room in your home mimic the feeling of being in a movie theater. Whereas, in Hi-fi, or high fidelity, is meant to put more focus on sound precision. In other words, high fidelity is an attempt to recreate audio exactly the way it would sound in the recording studio.

I have been in this beautiful hobby for 35 years and always have been in Hifi stereo 2 channels. Home theatre never enticed me. I don’t like to show off with many speakers and play loud music. I please myself first and satisfy my ears. Although I feel that 2 channel stereo is for the more intelligent soul's vs the idiot box. This is my opinion only.

Best!

 

[heliumflight]

Mods can we have a toll here, what percentage people HFV listen to "Hifi" or Home Theatre" ? Thanks

 

[reignofchaos]

Everyone starts off with home theater. Its like commoditized now. Once tastes mature and people realize what they actually want and what the gaps are in their system, they move to 2 channel hifi. Very few have the clarity of thought to get into hifi straightaway.

 

[heliumflight]

I have never ventured into home theatre

 

[Barun7]

I personally prefer Home Theatre.
I am not an audiophile - rather an enthusiast. Hence, multi channel stereo sounds good to me while listening to songs. And for movies, a Home Theater with surround configuration gives 'that' feel.
Having a surround setup also opens up the possibility of simply switching to stereo mode/Hifi temporarily by pressing some buttons in the remote!
Of course, this is my own preference and your mileage may vary.

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

As someone who grew up with separate two-in-one and TV, music and films were distinct pursuits. It continued that way through the era of mini hi-fis, TV was always listened to with the inbuilt speakers. Even after the music has moved onto stereo system a decade back. It’s only recently that things changed for me a bit. Now I Airplay the audio from the Apple TV to either the HomePod Minis (a pair in stereo) dedicated to the TV’s sound (they do far better than the inbuilt speakers inside the TV) and rarely to the stereo system via CXN streamer (particularly if am watching music concerts on YouTube). Never got into the surround sound of Home Theatre, didn’t like it even in the cinema halls. Perhaps it’s more fun to watch certain movie genres (that I don’t follow much) with Dolby etc.

 

[chander]

They both have their place don't they?
It is like saying A motorcycle vs A car. Both serve the same purpose, but both have their specific uses.

My office system is a 2.1 - that is used for work calls, critical listening & all day background music, youtube, sports events etc.

My HT is used when I am watching movies or playing video games or when there are more than one person watching movies. A decent surround sound system really adds to the experience. I would not want to watch "Saving Private Ryan" on my stereo, for that I would always prefer my HT.

 

[Nitin K]

I am typing this as a music first person. But once in a way, movies added in the mix give a wider variety of entertainment in my case.
In my limited experience, the sound quality of movies too need to be good and not just loud to enjoy it. I did have a few not so good experiences in a couple of theatres and have stopped at that and prefer watching in my humble HT setup in it's given limitations.
There are intelligent movies too like Schindler's list, Oppenheimer, Shatranj ke khiladi etc which makes you dvelve deeper and then you have Alfred Hitchcock movies. Similar to music, Classic comedies like Golmal, Padosan, Dhamaal, Angoor etc lighten up the mood to a great extent.
Movies too are a form of art the way each scene or frame is composed and unfolds with the story telling.
In music or movies, there are good and bad ones.
Showing off can be done in stereo listening too right from the ownership of expensive gear to the cables.
Imho what a person likes would be a personal choice and would definetly differ with nothing right or wrong in it.

 

[Kannan]

Taking the term audiophile out, almost every home has some kind of a music setup be it a simple deck, a radio or a full fledged 2-channel setup.
It is much easier to setup a 2-channel rig at home than a multi channel rig, both in terms of cost , space, complexity and usability.
Almost every member of a family will enjoy music, so such a gadget usually has a higher usability across family members (nowadays, due to the advent of mobile phones and cheap internet, it has now become more personal and people now consume both music and videos almost equally).
Regarding a HT setup, it may not be an attraction to all as most are satisfied with the in built TV speakers, so the usability factor is considerably reduced amongst family members.
Simplicity of usage, minimalistic components and space etc. has now made soundbars popular for those who want a better sound experience from movies.

 

[efernand1]

I am typing this as a music first person. But once in a way, movies added in the mix give a wider variety of entertainment in my case.
In my limited experience, the sound quality of movies too need to be good and not just loud to enjoy it. I did have a few not so good experiences in a couple of theatres and have stopped at that and prefer watching in my humble HT setup in it's given limitations.
There are intelligent movies too like Schindler's list, Oppenheimer, Shatranj ke khiladi etc which makes you dvelve deeper and then you have Alfred Hitchcock movies. Similar to music, Classic comedies like Golmal, Padosan, Dhamaal, Angoor etc lighten up the mood to a great extent.
Movies too are a form of art the way each scene or frame is composed and unfolds with the story telling.
In music or movies, there are good and bad ones.
Showing off can be done in stereo listening too right from the ownership of expensive gear to the cables.
Imho what a person likes would be a personal choice and would definetly differ with nothing right or wrong in it.

Totally echo your views! I too started with Stereo and ended up with a Dolby Atmos 9.2 setup. Cinemas like Sterling etc. had good sound systems when they were standalone theatres but now being multi-screen, the audio quality is so bad that I rather wait for a couple of months and enjoy the movie at home.

With todays formats and content, AVR is useful to easily switch from stereo to multichannel. I do sometimes miss the old analog days of pure stereo from integrated amps (Arphi / Cosmic / Dome).

The Marantz gives some consolation (obviously not 100%) to the old stereo days when CDs were widely used. I don't obviously need a SR series for my listening area but just own it to enjoy quality playback at decent volumes, have to consider my Neighbours around too who have been tolerating me for decades. Honestly the NR series (now the Cinema 70) is quite sufficient for my listening / purpose.

This is my own views based on my journey over the last 3 decades in the personal space and also an active DJ in the past using various professional setups / equipment.

 

[Nitin K]

Totally echo your views! I too started with Stereo and ended up with a Dolby Atmos 9.2 setup. Cinemas like Sterling etc. had good sound systems when they were standalone theatres but now being multi-screen, the audio quality is so bad that I rather wait for a couple of months and enjoy the movie at home.

With todays formats and content, AVR is useful to easily switch from stereo to multichannel. I do sometimes miss the old analog days of pure stereo from integrated amps (Arphi / Cosmic / Dome).

The Marantz gives some consolation (obviously not 100%) to the old stereo days when CDs were widely used. I don't obviously need a SR series for my listening area but just own it to enjoy quality playback at decent volumes, have to consider my Neighbours around too who have been tolerating me for decades. Honestly the NR series (now the Cinema 70) is quite sufficient for my listening / purpose.

This is my own views based on my journey over the last 3 decades in the personal space and also an active DJ in the past using various professional setups / equipment.

Ah! When you mentioned Sterling, such good nostalgic memories of Eros and New Excelsior too.

 

[Sean de Silva]

I have never ventured into home theatre

Likewise. Since childhood it's been boombox followed by mini component system through the teen years culminating in 2ch seperates till date. I don't foresee dabbling with HT for the fairly distant future.

 

[Passive_audio_enthusiast]

Hello Friends,

When I first started speaker shopping, I always wondered what the difference was between a “hi-fi” and “home theatre” system, so I set out to research exactly what each was. It may not seem like there’s much of a difference, but for the audiophiles and movie buffs out there, it’s actually quite a big one!

So, what is the difference between hi-fi and home theatre? A home theatre is simply an arrangement of speakers around a TV or projector meant to make a room in your home mimic the feeling of being in a movie theater. Whereas, in Hi-fi, or high fidelity, is meant to put more focus on sound precision. In other words, high fidelity is an attempt to recreate audio exactly the way it would sound in the recording studio.

I have been in this beautiful hobby for 35 years and always have been in Hifi stereo 2 channels. Home theatre never enticed me. I don’t like to show off with many speakers and play loud music. I please myself first and satisfy my ears. Although I feel that 2 channel stereo is for the more intelligent soul's vs the idiot box. This is my opinion only.

Best!

you can have a home theatre + hifi setup together in the same room sharing the same components. For example the front speakers can be connected to a pre+power amp combinatiton of which has 1 input coming in from the pre outs of the home theatre amp and rest from proper two channel setups.

if you have same series of speakers as surrounds then the tonality is almost matched while matching movies. Use the calibration feature of the AVR to match the tonality between all the speakers. If you have a projector screen with acoustic transparent material, the entire rear area of the screen can be filled with acoustic foam which becomes a very huge acoustic panel for stereo. In the middle of the foam you can have the centre speaker hiding behind the screen. Visually it would appear like a 2.0 Hifi setup then.

 

[mbhangui]

I have both setups in the same room. A 2.0 setup connected to a pair electrostatic speakers and a 7.1 home theatre setup with Yamaha AVR and Polk RTIA9 speakers and Polk Centre channel and surrounds and Polk subwoofer. I listen to Music mostly on a home theatre setup without the TV switched on. After doing AVR calibration with the mic and YPAO, the AVR does a better separation and gives a good room filling sound that sounds far better to me than the 2.0 setup.

Another big advantage (apart from better separation and room filling sound), I get DSP/Surround program Presets - Hall in Munich, Hall in Vienna, Chamber, Cellar Club, The Roxy Theatre, The Cellar Club. All of these you get after a YPAO setup. There are DSP surround presets for Movies too, but I never use them.

DSP Surround Mode Presets​

Hall in Munich	This program simulates a Munich concert hall with approximately 2,500 seats that uses stylish wood for the interior finishing. Fine, beautiful reverberations spread richly, creating a calming atmosphere. The listener’s virtual seat is at the center left of the arena.
Hall in Vienna	This program simulates a 1700-seat, middle-sized concert hall with a shoebox shape that is traditional in Vienna. Pillars and ornate carvings create extremely complex reverberations from all around the audience, producing a very full, rich sound.
Chamber	This program creates a relatively wide space with a high ceiling, like an audience hall in a palace. It offers pleasant reverberations that are suitable for courtly music and chamber music.
Cellar Club	This program simulates an intimate concert venue with a low ceiling and homey atmosphere. A realistic, live sound field delivers powerful sounds that make you feel as if you are sitting in the front row in front of a small stage.
The Roxy Theatre	This program creates the sound field of a 460-seat rock music concert venue in Los Angeles. The listener’s virtual seat is at the center left of the hall.
The Bottom Line	This program creates the sound field at stage front in The Bottom Line, a famous New York jazz club once. The floor can seat 300 people to the left and right in a sound field offering real and vibrant sound.

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

Taking the term audiophile out, almost every home has some kind of a music setup be it a simple deck, a radio or a full fledged 2-channel setup.

Actually most modern homes (esp those of younger couples) don’t have any of those. These days it’s mostly a soundbar, or a smart speaker. At most an all-in-one speaker like Sonos. At least that’s what I see here in Mumbai-Thane. People spend so much time in travel that car audio and headphones are the primary forms of music consumption.

Ah! When you mentioned Sterling, such good nostalgic memoriesw of Eros and New Excelsior too.

Those were the days! Multiplexes lack the character of those single screen cinema halls of yore.

 

[liverpool_for_life]

A home theatre is simply an arrangement of speakers around a TV or projector meant to make a room in your home mimic the feeling of being in a movie theater.

Broadly speaking yes, but it's a bit more involved than that: https://cedia.org/site/assets/files/6057/cedia-cta_rp22_v1_2_sept_2023.pdf

Quite a few parameters in there that target high-fidelity. Perhaps they didn't get the memo?

I have been in this beautiful hobby for 35 years and always have been in Hifi stereo 2 channels. Home theatre never enticed me.

Personal preference is, well, personal. There's plenty of folks who enjoy the HT experience, despite the hassles of getting it going.

Although I feel that 2 channel stereo is for the more intelligent soul's vs the idiot box.

And there it is. @Kannan: Why am I not surprised to see this from someone in the stereo-only crowd?