# The Complete Guide to Hi-Fi: How to Build a Great-Sounding System (Without the Jargon) **By Craig Walker** · 2026-07-21 Hi-fi has a reputation problem, and it's mostly self-inflicted. Most guides to building a system are written by people who own £8,000 amplifiers and argue about mains cables on forums at midnight. They're not wrong, exactly. They're just answering a question you didn't ask. You wanted to know how to make your music sound better in your living room, and three paragraphs in you're reading about moving coil cartridges and wondering whether you've made a terrible mistake. So let's reset. A modern [hi-fi system](/collections/hifi-systems "Hi-Fi Systems") can simply be two things plugged into each other. Simple as that! And somewhere between £600-2000, the sound you get will genuinely startle you if you've spent the last decade listening through a soundbar or a Bluetooth speaker on the kitchen worktop - not "a bit clearer", but a completely different experience, where the music stops coming out of a box and starts filling the room. Will a £3,000 system sound better? Or how about an £8,000 system? We're not out to say that expensive systems aren't worth it, but there is a law of diminishing returns and we're here to prove that you can achieve a decent Hi-Fi system on a budget. This guide is for anyone who wants brilliant sound for sensible money, explained in plain English. If that's you, you're in the right place. We'll cover what the boxes actually do, which one deserves the biggest share of your money, how to split a real budget, and which bits of received wisdom you can safely ignore. No snobbery or jargon that we don't explain. This is Hi-Fi for non-Hi-Fi people. ## What "Hi-Fi" Actually Means [Hi-Fi](/collections/hifi "Hi-Fi") is short for high fidelity, and fidelity means faithfulness. The entire idea is that what comes out of your speakers should be as close as possible to what the musicians played in the studio. That's the whole philosophy. Everything else is engineering. What does that sound like in practice? The most obvious difference is **stereo**. A [soundbar](/collections/soundbars "Soundbars") or a smart speaker fires everything at you from one point in the room. Two proper speakers, placed properly, create a soundstage - a sense of space where the singer stands in front of you, the guitar sits over to the left, and the drum kit is behind them both. It sounds less like a device playing music and more like a room with people in it. The second difference is **separation**. Cheap audio smears everything together into a general noise. A decent system pulls the strands apart, so you hear the bassline as an actual instrument rather than a rumble, and you notice the acoustic guitar that's been buried in your favourite song for fifteen years. You don't need golden ears to hear this. It's not subtle. ![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/9906/8206/files/klipsch-r40m-tangent-cdii-cd-player.jpg?v=1738595523) ## The Three-Box Rule: Everything You Need to Understand Every hi-fi system ever built, from a £400 starter setup to something costing more than a car, follows the same structure: **Source → Amplifier → Speakers** - **The source** picks the music. It might be a streamer, a [CD player](/collections/cd-players "CD Players") or a [turntable](/collections/turntables "Turntables"). It's the thing that decides _what_ plays. - **The amplifier** takes that fragile little signal and makes it powerful enough to physically move a speaker. It's the muscle, and it's also where you control volume and switch between sources. - **The speakers** turn electricity into sound. They're the only part of the system you actually hear. Learn those three roles and you can walk into any shop, or open any product page, and know exactly what you're looking at. Everything else - DACs, phono stages, streamers, preamps - is either one of these three boxes with a fancier name, or a small helper that lives inside one of them. Here's the modern twist, and it's the single most useful thing on this page: **you can now buy one box that does the source and the amplifier at the same time.** It's called an "integrated amplifier". More on that in a moment. ## The Amplifier: The Heart of Your System ### What an Integrated Amplifier Actually Does An [amplifier](/collections/amplifiers "Amplifiers") does two jobs. The **preamp** section handles the small stuff - selecting inputs, controlling volume, tidying up the signal. The **power amp** section does the heavy lifting, driving the speakers. An **integrated amplifier** simply puts both of those in one box. You'll also see separate preamps and power amps sold individually, and they have their place, but that place is usually a system three or four times the price of the one you're building. At this level, separates cost more, take up more space and add cables to solve a problem you don't have. Integrated is the right answer at this level. Don't overthink it. ![Eversolo Play + DALI Kupid Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) - K&B Audio](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/9906/8206/files/eversolo-play-streaming-amplifier-amplifiers-eversolo-470229.jpg?v=1782312932) ### Why Streaming Amps Changed Everything Ten years ago, a system that could play Spotify properly needed an amplifier, a separate streamer, and often a separate DAC to convert the digital signal to analogue. Three boxes, three plugs, three sets of cables, three things to go wrong. Now you can buy all of it in one chassis. A **streaming integrated amplifier** has WiFi, an amp and a DAC built in, controlled by an app on your phone. You plug in two speakers and you're done. It's cheaper, it's tidier, and honestly it's better, because everything inside has been designed to work together. For most people reading this wanting a decent Hi-Fi system without spending a fortune, this is the right shape of the system. A streaming amp and a pair of speakers is a complete, brilliant hi-fi, and it'll cost you less than the amp alone would have a decade ago. Where to start: - **The [WiiM Amp](/products/wiim-amp-wifi-multiroom-amplifier-with-bluetooth-airplay-2-alexa "WiiM AMP Streaming Amplifier")** is the entry point, and it's the reason a lot of people are getting into hi-fi at all right now. Compact, genuinely good app, streams over WiFi from basically everything, plenty of power for a normal living room. It punches so far above its price that it's become the default recommendation. - **The [WiiM Amp Ultra](/products/wiim-amp-ultra-wifi-amplifier-streamer "WiiM AMP Ultra Streaming Amplifier")** adds a colour touchscreen on the front, more power and more connectivity. If you want something that looks like a piece of hi-fi rather than a small black box, or you've got a larger room, this is the step up. - **The [Eversolo Play](/products/eversolo-play-streaming-amplifier "Eversolo Play Streaming Amplifier")** and [**Onkyo Muse**](/products/onkyo-muse-y-50-network-streamer-integrated-high-power-amplifier "Onkyo Muse Network Streaming & Integrated Amplifier") sit above both. More power, better internal components, more sophisticated sound. These are for people who've decided they care, without wanting to buy separates. ### If You Want Something More Traditional Not everyone wants an app-first box. Some people want a proper front panel, a volume knob with some weight to it, and the ability to walk over and turn something with their hand. The [**Mission 778X**](/products/mission-778x-integrated-amplifier "Mission 778X Integrated Amplifier with Bluetooth") is where we'd point you. It's a classic integrated amplifier with a phono stage built in for a turntable, real hi-fi engineering inside, and the kind of physical controls that a phone app can't replicate. You can add streaming separately if you want it, but if your listening is mostly vinyl and CD, that's not a compromise, it's just a sensible system. At a lower price point the [Pro-Ject Stereo Box E](/products/pro-ject-stereo-box-e "Pro-Ject Stereo Box E Integrated Amplifier") is the go-to. It has everything you need, nothing you don't and is the cheapest way into a Hi-Fi system. ### Watts, Ohms & Why You Should Mostly Ignore Them Amplifier power is measured in **watts per channel**, and it's the spec people fixate on most while understanding it least. Here's the reality: watts don't work how you think. Doubling the power doesn't double the volume, it gets you a few decibels, which is barely a nudge. For a normal UK living room and normal listening levels, **around 50 watts per channel is plenty**, and most people never turn the dial past a third. The one spec genuinely worth a glance is **sensitivity**, and almost nobody explains it. It's the number on a speaker's spec sheet written as something like "88dB", and it tells you how loud that speaker plays for a given amount of power. The important part: every 3dB _down_ means the speaker needs roughly **twice** the power to play just as loud. So an 85dB speaker asks about double the amp of an 88dB one, and a 91dB speaker will go loud on barely anything. Rough translation: - **89dB and above** - easy to drive. Any amp will do. - **86-88dB** - typical for a modern bookshelf speaker. Around 50W is comfortable. - **85dB and below** - this speaker wants some real power behind it. Look for 60W or more. And here's the bit that catches people out: **sensitivity has nothing to do with price.** Some genuinely superb speakers are quite insensitive, because the engineering that makes them sound so composed also makes them harder work. Buy a lovely pair of low-sensitivity standmounts, hang them off a modest amp, and you'll wonder why it all sounds a bit flat when you turn it up, and you'll blame the wrong box. **Impedance** (the "8 ohms" or "6 ohms" on the back) is the other number you'll see, and you can more or less ignore it. Practically every hi-fi speaker and amp at this level plays happily together. If you're pairing normal speakers with a normal amp, it will be fine. ## Choosing Your Source: How Do You Actually Listen? Most guides turn this into a checklist. The better question is: **what music do you already own, and what would you play if it were effortless?** There's usually a box of CDs in the loft representing several hundred pounds of albums that haven't been opened since the iPod arrived. There are often records too, inherited from a parent, or bought during a phase that never quite got a turntable to go with them. That music is already yours. You've paid for it once. A source is simply the thing that unlocks it again. You don't need every source on day one. That's the quiet advantage of separates, you add them when you're ready, and each one is a genuine upgrade to a system you already enjoy. ![WiiM VibeLink Amp + WiiM Ultra Wi-Fi Streamer Bundle - K&B Audio](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/9906/8206/files/wiim-vibelink-amp-wiim-ultra-wi-fi-streamer-bundle-amplifiers-wiim-929964.jpg?v=1742408427) ### Streaming (Most People Start Here) If your music lives on Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Apple Music or Amazon Music, or you just want internet radio, streaming is your source, and a streaming amp handles it natively. The critical thing to understand here is **WiFi versus Bluetooth**, because they're not the same and the difference matters. **Bluetooth** compresses your music to squeeze it down a small wireless pipe. Some detail gets thrown away and doesn't come back. It's also tied to your phone, so the music stops when you walk out of the room, and it can stutter when a call comes in. **WiFi** sends the full-quality file straight to your amp over your home network. Nothing is thrown away, your phone is just a remote control rather than the player, and you can walk out of the house mid-album and the music keeps going. For casual use, Bluetooth is fine. For a system you've spent real money on, use WiFi. Any good streaming amp does both, so you're not choosing, you're just knowing which one to use. You'll also see badges like **AirPlay 2**, **Spotify Connect** and **Chromecast** on the box. All three mean the same practical thing: you press play in the app you already use, and it comes out of your hi-fi. AirPlay 2 is the Apple route, Spotify Connect is built into Spotify, Chromecast is the Android-friendly option. More badges means more flexibility, but you only need the ones matching the apps you actually open. ![Tangent CD III CD Player - K&B Audio](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/9906/8206/files/tangent-cd-iii-cd-player-cd-players-tangent-895692.jpg?v=1769457408) ### CDs (Don't Write Them Off) CDs have quietly become the best value in audio, and almost nobody says so. Think about it. You probably already own a hundred of them. They cost nothing more to listen to, ever. They sound excellent, a properly played CD is comfortably better than a Spotify stream and takes on hi-res files without embarrassment. And every charity shop in the country has a rack of albums at a pound each that would cost you a tenner on vinyl. There's also something to be said for choosing an album and listening to the whole thing, rather than drowning in an algorithm's idea of what you might like next. Adding a CD player such as the [**Tangent CD III**](/products/tangent-cd-iii-cd-player "Tangent CD III CD Player") is the sensible modern answer: a well-made, straightforward CD player that plugs into any amp and gets on with it. No fuss, no ceremony. Pair it with a streaming amp and you've got a system that handles your entire music life, everything you own on disc, and everything you don't. ![Pro-Ject E1.2 Turntable - Manual - Audiophile Grade - K&B Audio](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/9906/8206/files/pro-ject-e12-turntable-manual-audiophile-grade-turntables-pro-ject-638260.jpg?v=1755859197) ### Vinyl People love vinyl for reasons that aren't really about sound quality, and that's completely fine. It's the ritual. Choosing a record, taking it out of the sleeve, dropping the needle, sitting down. You listen to the whole side because getting up is effort. The artwork is the size of artwork should be. It's a slower, more deliberate relationship with music, and in 2026 that's genuinely rare. Does it sound _better_ than digital? Honestly, no, it sounds **different**. Warmer, a bit softer at the edges, with a character that plenty of people prefer. Enjoy it for what it is and ignore anyone who tells you it's objectively superior. **Which turntable?** - [**Audio-Technica**](/collections/turntables?sort_by=manual&filter.p.vendor=Audio-Technica "Audio-Technica Turntables") & TEAC decks are the safe recommendation for most people. Well built, easy to set up, cartridge already fitted and aligned, often with a phono stage built in. You take it out of the box and play records. - [**Dual**](/collections/turntables?sort_by=manual&filter.p.vendor=Dual "Dual Turntables") turntables are similarly straightforward, with proper engineering heritage and a friendly setup experience. - [**Pro-Ject T1 & T2**](/collections/turntables?sort_by=manual&filter.p.vendor=Pro-Ject "Pro-Ject Turntables") are a step towards proper hi-fi, better plinths, better platters, more of that classic turntable look and sound. Slightly more hands-on to live with, and a bit more of a hobby than the first two. Worth it if you find the idea appealing rather than annoying. **The one technical thing you need to know: the phono stage.** A turntable's output is tiny and needs specific correction before an amp can use it. That job is done by a [**phono stage**](/collections/turntable-preamps "Phono Stage & Turntable Pre-Amplifiers") (also called a phono preamp). Without one, you'll plug your deck in, press play, and hear something faint and thin and wrong. You need exactly one phono stage in the chain, and it can live in three places: 1. Inside the turntable 2. Inside the amplifier (look for an input labelled "Phono") 3. Or in a small separate box between them Before you buy anything, check which of your components already has one. Most beginner turntables do and a lot of the modern integrated amplifiers also do so you're likely good to go. If neither does, add a modest standalone one and move on. That's the entire vinyl technical hurdle. Everything beyond it, cartridge upgrades, tracking weight, moving coil versus moving magnet, is a rabbit hole you're welcome to fall down later, but you do not need it to enjoy records today. ## Speakers: Where Your Money Should Go ### The 50% Rule If you take one number away from this guide, take this one: in an ideal world **speakers should get around half your total budget.** They make the biggest audible difference of anything in the chain, by a distance. Amplifiers matter, sources matter, but speakers are the part that physically produces the sound you hear, and swapping them changes everything. The classic beginner mistake is falling for a beautiful amplifier and giving the speakers whatever's left. It's backwards. A good pair of speakers on a modest amp sounds great. Brilliant amp, cheap speakers, sounds cheap. ### Bookshelf vs Floorstanding [**Bookshelf speakers**](/collections/bookshelf-speakers "Bookshelf Speakers") (also called standmounts) are the right choice for most UK living rooms. They're compact, they're excellent value, and modern ones produce far more bass than their size suggests. One honest warning: despite the name, they don't really want to be on a bookshelf. Ideally they want to be on dedicated [**speaker** **stands**](/collections/speaker-stands "Speaker Stands"), at ear height, out from the wall. Or at the very least on a sideboard / TV unit at ear level. Budget for stands from the start, around £70-£150, because they're not an accessory, they're part of the speaker working properly. [**Floorstanding speakers**](/collections/floorstanding-speakers "Floorstanding Speakers") stand on the floor, need no stands, and give you more bass and more scale. They suit larger or more open rooms. They also cost more for the same sound quality, because you're paying for a bigger cabinet. Rule of thumb: normal living room, bookshelf. Big room or open plan, floorstanders. Where we'd start looking: - [**Dali Kupid**](/products/dali-kupid-bookshelf-speakers "DALI Kupid Bookshelf Speakers") & [**Dali Sonik**](/products/dali-sonik-1-floorstanding-speakers "DALI Sonik 1 Bookshelf Speakers") - Dali's budget range, and superb at the money. Easy to like, easy to place, forgiving of imperfect rooms. - **Acoustic Energy [AE100](/products/acoustic-energy-ae100-bookshelf-speakers "Acoustic Energy AE100 Bookshelf Speakers")** & **AE300** - the AE100 is remarkable value; the AE300 is the one to stretch for if you can, and it's one of the genuinely great affordable standmounts. - **Monitor Audio [Bronze 50](/products/monitor-audio-bronze-50-7g-bookshelf-speakers "Monitor Audio Bronze 50 Bookshelf Speakers")** & **Radius** - Monitor Audio beautifully built. The Bronze 50 is the classic living room standmount; Radius is the discreet option if size and looks matter as much as sound. - **[Mission LX2](/products/mission-lx2-bookshelf-speakers-pair "Mission LX-2 MKII 5\" Bookshelf Speakers (Pair)") & [Wharfedale Diamond 12.1](/products/wharfedale-diamond-12-1i-bookshelf-speakers-pair "Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i Bookshelf Speakers (Pair)") -** timeless classics that offer impressive sound and style for their deceptively low price points. - **Q Acoustics** - One of my personal favourites, I have some [Q Acoustics 5040](/products/q-acoustics-5040-floorstanding-speaker-pair "Q Acoustics 5050 Floorstanding Speakers")'s in my living room, they look great and sound great - very well balanced, precise and excellent value for money. Any of these, on stands, driven by a WiiM Amp, is a proper hi-fi system. ### Active vs Passive **Passive speakers** have no amplifier inside. They need an amp, connected by speaker cable. This is the traditional setup and everything above assumes it. **Active speakers,** also known as powered bookshelf speakers, have amplifiers built in. You plug your source straight into them and skip the amp entirely. Fewer boxes, and the amp is perfectly matched to the drivers. So why doesn't everyone buy active? Flexibility. With passive speakers you can upgrade the amp and keep the speakers, or upgrade the speakers and keep the amp. With [active bookshelf speakers](/collections/active-bookshelf-speakers "Active Bookshelf Speakers"), the whole thing is one decision, and when you want to change something, you have to change all of it. Actives are excellent if you want the simplest possible answer. And it's worth noting that there are a lot of very good active bookshelf speakers available these days so they are a very strong option for a simple but very good Hi-Fi system. Passive is better if there's any chance you'll want to tinker, expand or upgrade, which, once you hear what a real system does, there's a good chance you will. ## How to Spend Your Money: Three Real-World Systems Here's what nobody else will tell you plainly. These aren't shopping lists, they're **shapes**. Get the proportions right and you'll build a good system whichever way you go. ![Klipsch The Nines II Active Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) - K&B Audio](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/9906/8206/files/klipsch-the-nines-ii-active-bookshelf-speakers-pair-active-bookshelf-speakers-klipsch-570570.webp?v=1777306881) ### The Simplest Way In: Active Speakers - **Active bookshelf speakers:** the whole system, in two boxes - **You don't need:** an amplifier or a separate streamer If you want the shortest possible route from "nothing" to "proper stereo sound", this is it. A pair of active speakers has the amplification built in, and most now include Bluetooth streaming too. One plug, one app, no amp, no cables strung across the room. For a lot of people, a bedroom, a home office, a flat, a second room, or anyone who just wants it to _work_, this is genuinely the right answer, and it undercuts a full separates system comfortably. Pair them with a Wi-Fi streamer and you have a pretty capable system! The trade-off is the one from earlier: when you want to upgrade, you're replacing the whole thing rather than one box. If that doesn't bother you, don't let anyone talk you out of it. ![WiiM AMP + Mission LX-1 Bookshelf Speakers - K&B Audio](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/9906/8206/files/wiim-amp-mission-lx-1-bookshelf-speakers-hifi-systems-wiim-mission-walnut-pearl-space-grey-767658.jpg?v=1758163832) ### Around £650: The Classic Starter - **Amplifier/source:** ~£360 on a streaming integrated amp - **Speakers:** ~£280 on bookshelf speakers - **Next month:** stands Two boxes, one app, and the foundation of a system you'll keep adding to for years. This streams anything, sounds dramatically better than any soundbar and, crucially, every part of it can be upgraded independently later. Yes, the amp costs more than the speakers here, and yes, that looks like it breaks the 50% rule. It doesn't: that amp is your amplifier, your streamer and your DAC in one chassis. Buy those three separately and you'd be well past £700 before you'd bought a single speaker. ![Eversolo Play + DALI Kupid Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) - K&B Audio](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/9906/8206/files/eversolo-play-dali-kupid-bookshelf-speakers-pair-hifi-systems-eversolo-dali-black-ash-854620.jpg?v=1782338831) ### Around £900-£1,000: The Sweet Spot - **Speakers:** ~£400-£500 - this is where the jump happens - **Amplifier/source:** ~£360-£550 on a streaming amp with a bit more ability - **Stands:** ~£100 - properly budgeted this time This is the balance point, and if you can stretch here, do. The ratio has been corrected, the speakers are genuinely capable, and the physical setup is done properly rather than improvised. You're now firmly past the point where anyone could dismiss it as "quite good for the money", it's just good. ![Onkyo Muse Y-40 150W Network Streamer & Integrated High-Power Amplifier - K&B Audio](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/9906/8206/files/onkyo-muse-y-40-150w-network-streamer-integrated-high-power-amplifier-amplifiers-onkyo-147159.jpg?v=1773751573) ### Around £1,300-£1,500: A Proper System - **Speakers:** ~£500-£600 on something you'll keep for a decade - **Amplifier:** ~£400-£450 on a streaming amp or traditional integrated - **Source:** ~£250-£300 on a turntable or CD player - **Stands and cables:** ~£120 Now you've got a real hi-fi system, streaming _and_ physical media, speakers with genuine ability, and every box pulling its weight. This system will still be delighting you in fifteen years, and every part of it can be upgraded individually if or when the mood takes you. Notice what stays constant once you're past the entry point: **speakers take the biggest share, and the amp never runs away with the budget.** ## The Bits Nobody Warns You About **[Speaker stands](/collections/speaker-stands "Speaker Stands").** Not optional. A bookshelf speaker on a sideboard is a bookshelf speaker performing at maybe 70% of its ability, with the bass smeared by the furniture underneath. Stands put the tweeter at ear height and decouple the cabinet. It's the cheapest big improvement available. If you have to have your speakers on a sideboard then consider isolation feet or a desktop stand to help improve things. **[Cables](/collections/cables "Hi-Fi Cables - Speaker, RCA interconnects and more").** Buy decent, not overly expensive. Proper copper speaker cable of a sensible gauge costs a few pounds a metre and does the job completely. Beyond that you're into a debate that has consumed thousands of forum hours and produced no consensus. At this budget, spend the money on stands instead. **Placement.** This is the free upgrade, and it's bigger than most component changes. Pull speakers **out from the wall** by 20-30cm to tighten up the bass. Get them at **ear height** when you're sitting. Aim for a rough **equilateral triangle** between the two speakers and your seat, with a little toe-in towards you. Ten minutes of shuffling furniture will do more for your sound than £200 of upgrades. **The room.** Bare floors, bare walls and lots of glass make sound bright and echoey. Rugs, curtains, sofas and bookshelves soak that up. You don't need acoustic panels or a dedicated listening room - just be aware that if your room is a hard box, softening it a little will make a huge difference! ## Five Mistakes Beginners Make 1. **Overspending on the amp and starving the speakers.** The most common and most costly error. Speakers first, always. 2. **Buying on specs.** Watts, frequency response, distortion figures - none of them predict whether you'll enjoy the sound. They're the least useful information on the page. 3. **Shoving speakers into corners.** It's what the room layout wants and it's what the bass hates. Boomy, muddled, and entirely avoidable. 4. **Forgetting stands.** They're not an accessory, they're part of the speaker. Budget for them at the start, not as a grudging afterthought. 5. **Assuming Bluetooth is good enough.** You spent real money on a system that resolves detail. Don't then throw the detail away before it arrives. ## Hi-Fi Jargon, Translated - **Integrated amplifier:** preamp and power amp in one box. The normal kind of amp. - **Streaming amp:** an integrated amp with WiFi and a DAC built in. Source and amp together. - **Streamer / network player:** a box that pulls music off the internet or your network. Built into streaming amps. - **DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter):** turns digital files into a signal your amp can use. Every digital source has one inside. - **Phono stage / phono preamp:** boosts and corrects a turntable's signal. If you want a turntable then you'll need one, somewhere in the chain. - **Sensitivity (dB):** how loud a speaker plays for a given power. Higher is easier to drive. 3dB lower means it wants twice the amp. - **Impedance (ohms):** the electrical load a speaker presents. Match it to your amp. 6 or 8 ohms is the common, safe default. - **Watts per channel:** amplifier power. 50 or so is plenty for a living room. - **Soundstage:** the sense of space and placement that two properly set-up speakers create. - **Hi-res audio:** files with more detail than a CD. Nice to have; not the difference between a good and bad system. - **RCA / phono cable:** the standard red-and-white pair that connects sources to amps. Confusingly, "phono cable" and "phono stage" are unrelated. - **Bi-wiring:** running two cables to a speaker that has four terminals. Optional, debatable, and safely ignored for now. - **Standmount:** another word for bookshelf speaker. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Do I need a separate streamer if my amp has WiFi built in?** No. That's the entire point of a streaming amp, the streamer is already inside. You'd only add one later if you wanted a specific feature the amp lacks. **Is vinyl better than streaming?** It's different, not better. Vinyl has a warmer, softer character and a ritual that people love. Streaming is more accurate, infinitely more convenient and far cheaper per album. Plenty of people happily do both. **Can I use hi-fi speakers with my TV?** Yes, if your amp has the right input. Many streaming amps include HDMI ARC or an optical input, which lets your TV play through your hi-fi. Two proper stereo speakers make an enormous difference to dialogue clarity, often better than a mid-range soundbar. **Do expensive speaker cables make a difference?** Decent cable matters for sure, but expensive cable is deep into diminishing returns. Buy sensible copper cable of adequate thickness from a decent brand such as QED or Techlink, and put the difference towards stands or better speakers. **How loud is 50 watts, really?** Loud enough in most UK houses, with most speakers. Power relates to volume logarithmically, not directly, so most people with a 50W amp rarely pass half of the dial. The exception is a low-sensitivity speaker (85dB or under), which asks for noticeably more power to reach the same level. **Can I add a [subwoofer](/collections/subwoofers "Subwoofers") later?** Usually yes, if your amp has a subwoofer output (labelled "Sub Out" or "Pre Out"). It's worth checking before you buy if you think bass might be on the wish list, it's a common feature, but not universal. **Do I have to buy everything at once?** Not at all, and you probably shouldn't. Start with an amp and speakers, live with it, then add a source when you know what you want. A hi-fi is a system you grow, not a purchase you make. ## Final Thoughts Strip away the mystique and it's remarkably simple. **It's two or three boxes.** A source, an amplifier and a pair of speakers, and increasingly, the first two arrive as one. Understand those roles and nothing on a spec sheet can intimidate you. **Buy for how you actually listen.** Not for how you imagine you might listen, and definitely not for how a forum thinks you should. If it's all Spotify, a streaming amp and good speakers is your whole system. Got a loft full of vinyl and CD's? Invest in a good turntable and CD player and get them back into daily listening! **Put the money in the speakers.** Half the budget, roughly, every time. It's the one rule that never stops being true, at £400 or £4,000. The best part is that none of this is a single decision. Buy an amp and a pair of speakers now, and you've bought the foundation of something you can add to for the next twenty years. A turntable when you inherit the records. A CD player when you rediscover the box in the garage. A subwoofer when the mood strikes. That's the quiet advantage of separates over a sealed all-in-one, the system moves with you. Have a look through our [hi-fi range](/collections/hifi "HiFi Speakers & Systems") to see what these systems look like in the metal, or browse our [amplifier and speaker bundles](/collections/amplifier-speaker-bundles "Hi-Fi Amplifier & Speaker Bundles") if you'd rather have the matching done for you. And if you're stuck between two options, or you're not sure whether a particular amp will drive a particular speaker, just ask us. Our team actually listens to this stuff, and there's no pressure to buy the expensive one. Call us, drop us a message, or come and hear it for yourself at our South Coast showroom. Your music has been waiting a long time to sound like this! **Tags:** Hi-Fi --- > Source: [K&B Audio](https://www.kbaudio.co.uk/blogs/audio-101/the-complete-guide-to-hi-fi-how-to-build-a-great-sounding-system-without-the-jargon)