What Does a 1990s Era Hi-Fi Sound Like?

Did 1990s era hi-fi sounded like it should because hi-fi enthusiasts finally wanted to hear more of the music – instead of the audio gear?

By: Ringo Bones

Why did 1990s era high fidelity audio managed to cast such a long shadow that every well-reviewed audio gear are now commanding serious second-hand prices? Well, if you’re like me who got started to appreciate hi-fi audio as a hobby during the mid 1980s but only managed to acquire the disposable income needed to buy a much coveted kit during the early 1990s, it is safe to say that almost – if not all – well reviewed budget hi-fi gear, especially speakers, that entered the market between 2010 to 2019 is not that much different, sound wise, from their budget counterparts of the 1990s.

Maybe it is because 1990s era hi-fi enthusiasts finally decided to hear more of the music – instead of the hi-fi gear – that tonal neutrality and timbral accuracy finally managed to trickle down to budget hi-fi gear back then. Remember during the mid 1980s budget amplifiers, and signal sources – CD players, tape decks and turntables – were inherently designed to drive an inherently colored loudspeaker, that only a handful of 1980s era hi-fi gear are cherished compared to their rivals made a decade later.

During the latter half of the 1990s, even a relatively colored-sounding loudspeaker – like the Cabasse Farella 400 – especially the early model ones with an unmodified crossover network and driven with an entry-level Rotel RA-920AX integrated amp can manage to sound way more neutral and musically realistic when compared to an original JBL 4312 loudspeaker driven by an integrated amp manufactured In the mid 1980s. I mean to my ears at least – the Cabasse Farella 400 managed to produce a more realistic sounding acoustic guitar sound from a recording on a redbook spec CD than the late 1970s era JBL.