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Midi, Mini or Micro

The size of integrated systems varies, and has evolved over the past three decades. During the 1970's and 1980's the width of integrated systems was generally the same as 'separates', measuring in the region of 43.5 cm.

But, as time passed the demand for smaller systems increased, and manufacturers found a new selling point for integrated systems over their 'separates' cousin. Present day, it's actually quite difficult to find a large integrated audio system for sale, with say a width of 43.5 cm and height of 60 cm (excluding home cinema systems).

Just about every integrated system is now of 'micro', 'mini' or 'midi' dimensions. Whilst there are no dimension classifications for any of these terms, generally speaking the size, ascending, is as follows,

• Micro
• Mini
• Midi

The smallest system of all, and the current fad, is to hook up portable music systems like an iPod to a set of speakers.

The problem with this setup presently, is that the battery life and hard disk lifespan of mp3 players is alot less than traditional hifi systems. Furthermore, the quality of downloaded songs is usually lower than CDs, and if you're going the legal route, more expensive.

Like with home cinema systems, some hifi's have tiny speakers, referred to as satellite speakers, often used by portable devices like gps navigation and in-car audio systems.