Word: fi
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Even at this late date there remains some confusion between the terms "hi-fi" and "stereo." Although both words refer to acoustic conditions the first deals with quality of sound while the second is concerned with spatial characteristics...
...know a gentleman who owns about a thousand dollars worth of Marantz amplifiers and KLH loudspeakers in a monaural (non-stereo) hook-up. This system's faithfulness to the qualities of the original sounds played on it ranks it ranks it among the highest of "fi's". We also know people with $150 "stereos" which do a good job of reproducing stereo width and direction...
...first system is noted for the manner in which violins and bass drums played on it sound like real violins and bass drums (even though they both come from the same place). This is hi-fi without stereo...
Forked Tongue. There will remain a hard core of hi-fi fans who will continue to ignore stereo. For one thing, stereo in all its forms is still more expensive than comparable monaural sound. For another, critics complain that stereo speaks with forked tongue. Despite claims that it delivers concert-hall realism, it is really mechanical realism. "We do not hear live performances 'stereophonically,'" says Composer Igor Stravinsky. "Whereas the angle formed by a live orchestra and our two ears is about six inches, the angle at which the stereo microphone hears the same orchestra...
Musical Walls. But as long as there are gadgeteers, the stereo business is bound to grow. Richard Ekstract, a director of the H-Fi Show, already is foretelling the day when whole houses will be jumping with electronic sound. Wall paint, says he, will contain "special sound-conducting chemicals mixed right into it. All you'll have to do is take your record player, a 3-in. by 3-in. box powered by molecular electronic amplifiers, and tune it onto your wall frequency. The walls will change color according to the music being played...