Building a High Fidelity Audio System A Guide to Speakers Amplifiers and More

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated September 17, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Everything You Need for the Perfect Hi-Fi System

Whether you just want to play some records from time to time, or you want each and every note to sound scientifically perfect, theres a high-fidelity system for you. Dive in to learn the basics, or to glean inspiration for your own living room masterpiece.

Turntables

The Best Turntable and Speaker Combos That Make Vinyl Easy

While its true that traditional turntable setups have a lot of moving parts, thats the nature of the beast if not vinyls main allure. Theres also an easy workaround. These days, a bunch of turntables and speaker systems come with integrated components (like a phono preamplifier or amplifier) and they make listening to vinyl as hassle-free.

5 Best All-in-One Turntables that Simplify the Vinyl Experience

Listening to vinyl isnt as simple as asking Alexa or opening Spotify on your smartphone, and thats part of the reason why people love it. The act of choosing a record, placing it and dropping the stylus, that requires more attention. And as a result, youre more likely to appreciate the music more. For those just starting out, building your own hi-fi system can be intimidating were here to help.

Why Audiophiles Are Shopping for Vintage Turntables

Vinyls unexpected resurgence has been a welcome shot in the arm for the music industry, and one that has even surprised even the most passionate audiophiles who have never given up on turntables but understood that digital was the future. High-end digital playback has come a long way from the days of perfect sound forever, when it was nothing more than below average sound reproduction wrapped in a layer of convenience. Tidal, Qobuz, and Spotify have legitimized high-res digital streaming as a format that both the mass market, and audiophiles can enjoy, and the CD has sadly become the future 8-track of music formats; even if it can sound dramatically better than any streaming service with so many inexpensive quality CD players and DACs available today.

The Complete Guide to Fluances Fantastic Turntables

If youre in the market for a good affordable turntable, youve undoubtedly come across Fluance. The Canadian-based audio company makes some of the best and most popular bang-for-your-buck turntables. It combines high-quality components (drive units, enclosure technologies, crossovers and wood cabinets) with a cool retro-inspired aesthetic, and its able to keep the price down by stripping away some of the more advanced, lesser-used features.

The Complete Guide to All of Pro-Jects Excellent Turntables

Even if you only have a passing interest in vinyl and hi-fi, you undoubtedly have heard (or seen) a Pro-Ject turntable. Theyre known for the distinct design, bright colors (sometimes) and excellent sound quality. Of course, the secret sauce of the Austrian company is its ability to keep such high-performing turntables at a relatively affordable cost. And its been able to do that by producing almost everything in-house.

5 Affordable Turntables That Even Audiophiles Would Want

When discussing turntables, audiophiles tend to bristle if you utter the expression entry-level. But the reality is that the brands offering turntable packages understand that the vast majority of first-time buyers see $500 as their ceiling. And that $500 turntable is expected to plug-n-play, be reasonably well made, and sound phenomenal as well.

Speakers and Headphones

The 4 Best Bookshelf Speakers of 2020

The guide to the best bookshelf loudspeakers of 2020 covers everything you need to know before you buy your next pair of audio equipment. We tested a whole host of speakers to find which ones will make the best addition to your home stereo system.

The Best Hi-Fi Headphones and Speakers, All American Made

Who are the biggest audio companies you know, and where do they manufacturer speakers and headphones? Bose manufactures in Mexico; Sony, all around Asia; and Sonos, in Malaysia. The reality is most of the audio companies youre familiar with, American-based or otherwise, dont manufacture in the States. Why? Its really expensive.

The Best Active Speakers (And Which Pair You Should Buy)

Active speakers combine all of the traditional components of a stereo system into a pair of speakers. The amplifier is built inside the speaker and its optimized to provide the best possible sound quality for that specific speaker. Most active speakers have a sufficient number of inputs for all of your playback devices and, in most scenarios, a pair of powered or active speakers require only a power source and a minimal number (if any) of cable connections.

Whats Actually the Difference Between Cheap and Expensive Bookshelf Speakers?

People like good sound, obviously, but to different ends and different extremes. Theres upgrading to a soundbar or a two-channel home theater system so you can better hear dialog on TV. Then, theres building a bonafide home hi-fi system and spending thousands on various speakers, connections, sources and other electronics.

How to Tune the Most Important Component in Your Stereo System

Before buying any piece of audio equipment specifically loudspeakers its necessary to remember that your room is the single most important component in your stereo. Even the best stereo system in the world can fail to deliver the sonic experience you were expecting if it is set up in the wrong room, or in a setting without proper acoustic treatment.

Inspiration

5 Hi-Fi and Record Shop Owners Share Their Highly-Tuned Home Hi-Fi Setups

Lets face it, the people who make their living off of selling music and high-quality audio equipment were talking about record shop and hi-fi shop owners are bound to have a better (and cooler) home hi-fi set-up than you. To confirm our suspicions, we asked a few of them to share exactly what kind of hi-fi system they go home to when they clock out at the end of the day and what records they like to spin on them. Heres what we found.

How to build the Hi-Fi system of your dreams

Building the perfect Hi-Fi system is the dream of audiophiles everywhere and its not as unattainable as you might think.

These days, building the best Hi-Fi system for your needs doesnt have to cost the world, or fill your entire home with annoying cables and bulky hardware; there are lots of options when it comes to choosing the best speakers, amplifiers, turntables, and music streamers for the space you have.

Many of these devices also come with modern conveniences like wireless connectivity, built-in voice assistants, and multi-room capabilities, which means your Hi-Fi system can be as modern (or as old school) as your heart desires.

However, before you go on a shopping spree, its important to understand all the different components that will make up your new Hi-Fi system, as well as having a rough idea of the features you want and a budget youd like to stick to.

Thats why weve put together this handy guide on everything you need to know about building the Hi-Fi system youve been dreaming of ever since you bought your first record.

5 top buys for your new Hi-Fi system

Just looking for some quick hot buys? Before we go any further check out the five products below all of which could make fantastic additions to your new Hi-Fi system.

The basics: what makes a Hi-Fi system?

According to the Sound Organization, there are three basic components that make up a Hi-Fi system: a source, amplification, and speakers.

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Your source could be anything from a music streaming service played on your smartphone to a turntable you could even use a CD player if you still have one.

An amplifier takes the weak electrical signal generated by your source, and powers it up enough to drive your speakers. Its worth noting that many sources come with integrated amplifiers even your smartphone contains a small amplifier, though using a separate DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Converter) improves the sound quality dramatically.

Lastly, there are the speakers. Theres lots of choice when it comes to this component, whether youre looking for clever wireless speakers, powerful floor-standing speakers, or space-saving bookshelf speakers.

You could use a turntable as your main audio source. (Image credit: TechRadar)

Setting your budget

Building a Hi-Fi system doesnt have to be a huge drain on your bank account; sure, you could spend thousands, even millions on an enormous state-of-the-art setup, but theres really no need.

What do I need?

At TechRadar, we have lots of guides to the bits of audio kit you might need to build your new Hi-Fi system.

Let's start with speakers; check out our guides to the best stereo speakers, best Bluetooth speakers, best smart speakers, best soundbars, and best wireless speakers. Listening solo? Check out the best headphones you can buy.

Need to buy a source? Read our guides to the best turntables, best TVs, best phones for music, and best laptops. If you are using a record player, be sure to check out our guide on how to set up a turntable.

If your audio source of choice doesn't have a built-in amplifier, you'll need to buy one check out our amplifier reviews for more information, as well as the best portable DACs for boosting your smartphone's tinny sound.

If you are trying to limit the amount you spend, its a good idea to work out what kind of kit you might already have at home. As we mentioned, you could use a smartphone, laptop, or TV as your music source, which would work well with wireless speaker systems from the likes of Sonos, Bowers & Wilkins, and Harman Kardon.

Got a turntable knocking around in your attic? Check whether your record player has an integrated phono stage if it does, you could save money on buying an external amplifier. Similarly, you can save money on an amplifier by purchasing an all-in-one music streamer like the Naim Uniti Atom all you have to do is add some speakers, and youre good to go.

Only have the budget for one speaker right now? Check out models that feature 360-degree grilles and disperse audio at all angles; the Amazon Echo Studio or the Sonos One are good places to start.

Whichever source-amplifier-speaker combination you opt for, be sure to set a realistic budget and remember, you can always add components to your Hi-Fi system down the line, letting it grow with you over time.

The Naim Uniti Atom is an all-in-one streamer you just need to add speakers. (Image credit: Naim)

Cables, stands, and other add-ons

If you do opt for a wired system, be sure to budget for cables; high quality cables can cost upwards of $40 / 40.

Similarly, you should consider whether you need to buy stands or wall-mounting kit for your speakers again, these extras can quickly add up and its easy to forget to factor them into your budget.

For your source device and amplifier, consider whether you need to buy a stand or AV rack to keep everything neat and tidy; if youre using a turntable as your source, make sure you have a sturdy, solid surface for it to sit on. You dont necessarily have to buy new furniture for this you can save money by repurposing what you already have.

Designing for your home

Theres no point in paying for some enormous floor-standing speakers if your space is small; similarly, a pair of tiddly bookshelf speakers probably wont cut it if youre building your Hi-Fi system in a big space.

Similarly, you need to think about the purpose of your Hi-Fi system. For example, if you want it to double up as a home cinema setup and are using your TV as your source device, you may want to invest in a soundbar that can be easily wall-mounted or placed on top of your TV stand.

The placement of your speakers is hugely important to the audio quality your Hi-Fi system will be able to achieve; ideally, stereo (left and right) speakers should be at least two meters apart, and tilted very slightly towards where youre going to be sitting and enjoying your music.

While space constraints may leave you without much choice, try not to place your speakers in corners or too close to walls this can cause the bass to muddy the other frequencies.

As well as saving money, buying integrated components like a turntable with a built-in phonostage or an all-in-one music streamer saves precious space when its at a premium.

Be sure to factor in any additional furniture that might take up space; stands and AV racks, for example.

Stereo speakers should be placed at least two meters apart in an ideal world. (Image credit: KEF)

Additional features to look for

These days, lots of the components that will make up your Hi-Fi system come with additional smart features like wireless connectivity, multi-room playback, and integrated voice assistants.

Lets talk about wireless speakers to start with. Once upon a time, we might have discouraged you from relying on Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to connect your audio devices, but nowadays, the difference in quality between wireless and wired connectivity will only be discernible to the most expert of ears.

Wireless speaker systems from the likes of Sonos and Bowers & Wilkins are very convenient, eschewing annoying cables and instead relying on your home Wi-Fi network to communicate with each other. They can also be grouped into different zones so that you could have different systems for specific areas of your home.

These systems dont come cheap though, and theres no harm in looking at cheaper Bluetooth speakers, too. Check out brands like Ultimate Ears; speakers like the UE Boom 3 can be paired with each other for true stereo playback, without the need for cables. Bear in mind though, these smaller models wont be as powerful as their bulkier counterparts.

Wireless systems like the Harman Kardon Citation range (pictured) don't come cheap. (Image credit: Harman Kardon)

Dont forget that wireless connectivity isnt just for your speakers; many source and amplification devices come with built-in Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity, including turntables, music streamers, portable DACs, and CD players.

Aside from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, other wireless connectivity methods like Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay are worth looking out for, especially if you already have other devices that work within these brands ecosystems.

Another important consideration when it comes to choosing your source device is whether you want your Hi-Fi system to form part of your smart home. Many speakers come with built-in voice assistants like Amazons Alexa, Apples Siri, and Google Assistant, which means they can be used to control your other smart home devices as well as being able to accommodate hands-free control.

Many source devices including smartphones and smart TVs come with voice assistants built in or at least work with them, too.

Lastly, and most importantly, you should consider how you want your new Hi-Fi system to sound, and look out for specific features that will help you achieve this. For example, if youre planning to use your Hi-Fi system as a home cinema setup, you may want to look at speakers and soundbars that support immersive Dolby Atmos audio.

Also, if youre going to be streaming primarily from Tidal or Qobuz or playing your own Hi-Res Audio files be sure that any wireless speakers support Hi-Res Audio streaming over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.