It’s like neck pickup Vs bridge pickup on an electric guitar. Both useable for different reasons. It would be good to find a sound in-between the two…

Excellent comparison!! Very well done.

To me the HiFi sounds more natural which I prefer!

Great video. Between you and Aaron Short we should be able to come up an informed conclusion about the HiFi system.

in both cases nothing that a simple eq can't fix. both are good

The feedback control of HIFI in large venues is the best I’ve heard. Sometimes you have to focus on what works depending on where are you gonna play most

You're back!

From the style you played, i like the element better. The hi-fi didnt have the clarity and sounded a little muddy and muffled. I would warm up the tone of the element with my acoustic pre if i was playing live to take the edge off. Thanks for doing this vid - love your style and playing!

Having both in stereo would be killer.

What I hear from the two pickups, through You Tube, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth to Philips hearing aids to my ears with iffy capabilities-I hear nothing different. -But I want my actual plugged in guitars through PA system to sound clean clear and impressive!! So thanks for doing the work, and helping us out. My best guitars need pickups *now*, so I’m watching closely!!! 🎉 Thanks and God bless!!

Great comparison vdo. Thank you ao much 😊.

I think you could send that line to any system and your sound tech could make it sound great. I have an element it has the magnetic woofier sound and sounds pretty consistant through my para di through a sound system. I don’t have a hi fi to compare to but I could tell you how my anthem sounds live which is kinda the easiest plug and play option. However my favourite is my JJB Prestige 330 pickup that I tried for fun in my Taylor GS Mini and it sounds killer and because the back of the transducers are rubberized with a “special coating” it has never really fed back in a live setting. I’m leaning way more towards installing another in a higher end guitar because IMHO it sound the most natural and is relatively easy to eq with a decent preamp to a PA system or an acoustic amp. Great comparison. Thanks man cheers!

It would be really nice to have a system with both the hi fi and element with a blend pot.

The Element wins for me. It’s better to have a little top end and roll it off then to try and add it in a darker sound.👌

That's a great pickup, but for being active, it is just too similar to the passive K&K Pure Mini. So I'll keep my HD28 with it. Thank you for the video, brother! Great content!

Really Nice comparison! Please Keep us informed about your expierience you‘ve made in live situations with the HiFi L.R.Baggs

Thank you for this! Like you I believe the real test is how it sounds Live, at a gig. I’ve got the old Baggs Duet II, specifically with the LB6, which is special order nowadays. In a very early ‘90 Collings D2H. It was interesting to me, the very first Element sample which was fingerpicked? Or arpeggiated Flatpicked, sounded pretty awesome for Direct In. The HiFi definitely sounded more natural, with just a minor hint of Quackiness, so if it sounds excellent as a Direct signal, then it’s probably gunna be outstanding in a Live setting. That said, I won’t replace my Duet, but since I’ve have two pickups when I gigged full time in case the duet battery died, the HiFi or the Journeytek passive would be a good choice. I Only have one installed now, because I gig less and try to go pure mic’d Acoustic whenever possible. In your case, it sounds like you’ve the best solution for either Solo, or bigger Band gigs by having both in your guitar. Great video!

Nice demo thanks!!

Thsnk you sir! Youve helped me decide between the alvarez masterworks mg70ce and the eastman ac422ce

As you commented, neither is a go to recording solution vs a mic. I too want to know how the HiFi performs live. I suspect like all other under bridge types it will feedback before it can get up to a typical acoustic due noise bar gig level. P.S. Currently using a Baggs Anthem on a Lakewood D14 and an old Fishman Acoustic Matrix on a Goodal RSL-14 through a ToneDexter (not the 2023 version). No matter how I record the mic on the ToneDexter, when I'm playing live, I have to largely favor the unblended balance.

Great video! Helped me a lot. I definitely like the bite of the element, but I can't use it in my guitar unfortunately because it has a vintage bridge.

I need to first admit I am an LR Baggs Anthem lover. I have them in several acoustics. I got interested in the HiFi because I just bought a Collings D1 Traditional with a Cut through saddle preventing me from using a Baggs Anthem. Can't get the Element under the saddle that I know of. That said, I ordered a HiFi and pick up the guitar tomorrow. I've been listening to demo after demo and honestly I am now worried I'm not gonna be happy. It sounds like a Piezo but maybe even a little more muted than the Element. The Element alone sounds harsh and unnatural to me. Being honest and keeping it real, I don't like either of these. Great demo and super valuable to hear. That said, it 'might' sound better live through my Bose L1 Pro 8 pair with Bose T4S mixer.

Well I’m waiting for my Epiphone J45 IBG to come and was planning on the VTC but this video changed my mind. I’ll be getting the HiFi!

Great review. I’ll be getting a Hi fi

The Element sounds shockingly good finger picked, but the HiFi is brilliant all the way around. Great review!

I have the Element in my Larrivee D40 and it sounds very nice. Just has a balance problem though with the high strings dominating. The Element sounds better to me in this demo.

I use the VTC, both in my 1973 Martin D35 and my Eastman AC422AC, wich was already in the guitar. I prefer the VTC in this clip, because I feel it is a better offset for a good sound. I use a NUX Optima Air pedal. I also checked out the LR Baggs Voiceprint and the Tonedexter, but really preferred the NUX and that is also much cheaper pedal. So, I'm really happy with this combination.

Great job!!! thanks

Ok, so I installed the hi fi into an LO0 , sounds pretty good, definitely better than the under saddle baggs in my Lg2 and J45. It’s closer to the real sound of the guitar. Was a pretty easy install. Finger style stuff sounds great, my son has learned a heap of Bruce Cockburn songs and plays them live around here through an Aer compact 60 , so I’ll see how it goes . He has been using a GS mini ekoa plus with the expression system which gets a lot of compliments on sounding good. Hopefully the Gibby with the hifi will give it a nudge.

Man, fantastic video. I want the HiFi.. Wife like the element.

I really appreciate this kind of comparison. Shopping now for a pickup system for a new, unaltered guitar, so knowing what I want to try out is important. It would be even more helpful for me if you added a third comparison: a recording-grade microphone, so that sound of the guitar itself is understood when listening.

I also like the element best. It's brighter and more detailed.

Hey, really liked your two HiFi videos. I am considering having one installed in my Gibson J100, but I am worried about using it live with a PA and feedback. So I am very interested in your upcoming video talking about using it live and feedback!!! I just subscribed to your channel and will get notifications. Thanks!

There is nothing like a side by side comparison with same guitar, same player. Thanks for posting. My fishman jack stopped working and I'm trying to figure out if I should send it in for the $50 repair or install something like this. This is so much better than the peghead demo that sound great but can't give a comparison.

The HF pickups sound close to a shotgun mic so mixing with an acoustic IR would work out,possibly find a mic for bass response.

Based on the demo and comments, it seems the HiFi may be better for solo or duo fingerpicking vs band mix. Do y'all agree?

I haveva James Maye engineering with a k&k fantastic under saddle. I use a trs cord and blend the 2 signals...the james maye has a volume control so i sorta use it as a blend knob....no battery in my guitar

Would love to hear what the Voiceprint does with it

I'd say that the HIFI would win if both are to be played solo. In a band environment, the Element would probably cut better in the mix

Interesting video. My feedback is this, they both sound good but the HIFI to me sounds like element with compression on it, which, if you have no choice but to plug straight into a small pan can be good and bad. I've been faced with having to plug into a small lackluster pad with my vtc and be high end of it saved me from sounding muddy. I don't think that would have been the case with the HIFI. I guess tray also pints out the importance of a preamp di for more serious performers as well. I'll stick with vtc for now but in the near future I'm getting a KLŌS 12 string with the Anthem+ installed. Anxious to see how it sounds 😊

I prefer the element it has a brighter sound.

Anybody know if once comfortable with the LR Baggs HiFi you can remove the included tape and instead epoxy them down like man other pickups like K&K to get better marrage to the sound board (think it could be better vs. lossy through the included tape)?

My HiFi is just being shipped tonight from Sweetwater. One thing that hasn't been considered or discussed to my knowledge is that the WiFi could sound totally different in different guitars depending on the bridge and bridge plate wood composition and construction, glue used, saddle material used, etc. The sound could vary from instrument to instrument in my initial thought. Lots of connected pieces in acoustic guitars. Mine will be installed in my new Yamaha FG830. I'm sorta hoping it sounds better, more fuller, than what you have just sampled in this video. Good video! Cheers! 🎸 used, string

I would be interested to the hi- fi with the under the saddle element remove from the guitar . I just think that it may hinder some of the vibrations getting to the Hi fi

I've put in a pre-orderfor the Hifi.... The Element sounds like "a banjo" in comparison.... I think I will get a better live-sound together with the LR Baggs EQ pedal I'm using first on my Live acoustic pedalboard( next in the chain is a Volante delay, a Neunaber Immerse 2 reverb and the totally underestimated discontinued Zoom A3)

Nice job on the video. One thing is for sure. I’ve had a number of different pick ups from different makers. Every one of them requires a lot of fiddling around with eq to find the best sound for that particular pick up and performance situation

Hard for me to tell which is best because I didn't get to hear how your guitar sounds like without either.

I think... will be new L.R.Baggs pickup is combine HiFi bridge plate pickup system and Anthem's Piezo bar pickup.

I thought the hi fi would sound better, hopefully it does because I'm about to install one in my sons L00. I have an LG2 with the element like this one , it can sound pretty good when i add a bit of TC Helicon body rez. I also have had a few anthems but they can be boomy .There's an Australian guitar maker down here called "Col Clarke", I don't like the guitars much but the pickups are the best I've heard, I think they might use a bridge plate and mic , unfortunately I don't think they sell them separate. If you get to hear one, you'll know what I mean. I'm kind of hoping the hi fi sounds like the Taylor Expression system which sounds great in the Ekoa plus we have . I'll report back when I've put it in.

Super!!!!

I think I prefer the Element. The HiFi really picks up the voice of the soundboard and internal resonance of the body, which is great, but it comes at the cost of much of the clarity you get from the Element.

Hifi Natural Sounding in Strumming nice

Trying to narrow down and was focused in on the LR Baggs Lyric , now hearing the LR Baggs HIFI , any thoughts? Installing on my Larrivee CR-03 TE

that strum on hifi definitely sounded really beautiful

The Element sounds pretty thin and bright, where the Hifi sounds full, maybe a little too much.

nice test... thanks... both pick ups sound quacky to me, more so than the K&K Pure Mini that I have on multiple guitars...

Have you already tried out the LR baggs iBeam? It would be very interesting how it sounds in comparison to the Hifi.

Was the EQ set the same for both? I would like to hear it again but dialing in each to the optimal tone.

It's really a question of whether the high end content is there in the Hifi and what sort if noise floor you're working with. I want to hear the HiFi with a high shelf boost 8dB.

Blending the two would allow you to get the best of each. But then, you would have a variation of the Anthem.

every transducer passive pickups have lack of presence eventhough how that is expensive

The hi-fi seems muddy to me. The Element of course has a sharper attack but of the two I think the Element has more "sonic information" to play with. You can always EQ to roll off the harshness of the Element. It seems to me the Hi-Fi would be harder to EQ for articulation. Its too mushy. If you're using your instrument for rhythm against ballad singing maybe the Hi-Fi is for you. The most natural sound in my opinion is probably going to be an Anthem for live and mics for studio.

I can't see any reason why someone would want the element sound....after hearing the HiFi....and I have the element in at least one guitar....I'll be switching soon....

The HiFi sounds the best playing fingerstyle.

Any system that utilizes an under saddle transducer will suffer from that artifact in the sound. I get why they use them but I don't like them in general. Adding a mic helps but it's still there. Magnets and mics are more for me personally but it's always a very personal choice. If you play at moderate volumes you can get away with it. If you're fronting a rock band you need something feedback resistant. I use a Seymour Duncan Mag Mic in all 3 of my guitars and it really helps them sound like the guitars they are which is important to me. But I'm a solo or duo singer songwriter playing to quiet crowds in concert settings. My J-45's sound like J-45's plugged in rather than just a pickup that happens to be in a J45 or any other model guitar with a distinctive tone. The more naked you are in context sound wise the more you'll hear the inherent artifacts in a pickup system. That hideous quack has no home here!

Hifi sounds a little truer to the guitar,element sound would work well for some songs with driving rhythm,I think,both are impressive

Hifi could work with a big EQ on it. Element also needs an eq but less of it. Both are bad for different reasons

It’s not night and day different.

I really miss hard single note playing - which makes 50% of my live playing and that's where my StagePro Element looses completly. Strumming and picking works for the most systems, but a really hard soloing (up to gipsy style or county solo playing) sounds on all systems not great. The Anthem and the StagePro Anthem (two different systems!) are a bit better, because of the built In Mic that you can add to the output mix. That's why I basicly wanted to see this video, but - sorry - I got here no answer. 😐

I prefer the element, sounds livelier .. the ‘hi’ didn’t really have the ‘fi’ in my humble opinion..

Hifi warmer. I like it.!! But I believe need eq pedal to brighten up a bit.

I HAVE A BIG QUESTION THOW PLEASE COMMENT , WILL THE ADHESIVE GET LOOSE IN HOT WEATHER AND COME OFF THE GUITAR AND DANGLE INSIDE THE GUITAR?

HIFI sounds like the Element with Dolby turned on.

Element sounds better to me, especially how I play and sing with a guitar. K&K Trinity might best them them both. Fiddling is required with any of them.

HiFi hands down

The element was much more crisp the hi fi was muddy

The Element sounds like a typical piezo pickup. Brittle and harsh.

Honestly, I didn't like either one. Element was tinny and the hifi was muddy, compressed. I sure the eq could be adjusted on either to sound better.

None are good to me I’ve used all lr baggs pickups and the M1A was the best except it ate the batteries but the M80 has fixed all that the m80 is the best pickup for acoustic you can buy

The Hifi is compressed and muffled Element sounds better

Element-Elixirs ,,, Hifi-Dead strings

Each is lacking something different.

Neither….I’m sticking with a good ol’ microphone 🎤

Element harsh, hifi better on the ears, might not cut through in mix as much, but why cut through if it sounds harsh, unnatural I'd choose hifi for that guitar

Element: Quack and lacking bass...typical under saddle tone. HIFI: more natural sounding, but too much bass on this recording...it can be dialed out. I would like to see an LR Baggs Anthem using the HIFI instead of the under saddle. (but keep the mic) That would most likely be the best ever.

The Element sounds punchy with a nice presence ; the Hifi sounds lifeless and dull in comparison.

Anything is better than the Element VTC… I had a Gibson J45 and the pickup was unusable- sounded worse than a ‘70s Ovation. To be fair, all under-saddle pickups sound tinny and quacky. Based on this the Hifi doesn’t sound much better… the Lyric is far superior.

HiFi muddy

Hifi is newest lr baggs pickup but not better than older models like anthem, element. as well as k&k triniity tranducer pickup is better than hifi model. this model seems to be a failure.

anthem is better than both

hifi very dull sound ....Element , for me much better ,,, but element is very problematic for install , i not like this

Hifi wins

Give me softer,clean,clear,natural like a microphone sound. No brash tin type high ,s and no distorted bass end. Clean is the word.

Give me the good old i beam.

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