Well I've finally gone and done it.
Actually, I really can't claim sole responsibility here. Call me emasculated. Call me whipped. Call me what you will, but one or the other of a couple just doesn't rush out and drop that sort of money on a whim without consulting the partner and being in accord… unless it's a stunning, dynamic, full-tilt, two-page spread of original, glorious battle artwork from Mark Smylie's Artesia or an eye-popping, heart-bursting ride in a B-17. In such cases I must admit, the rules must be bent a little.
But today, my wife and I agreed that we needed to find a passel of speakers to plug into our A/V receiver.
Today culminated nearly three years of preparation.
First we acquired the beautiful maple entertainment center. After a few tweaks and modifications, the towering monstrosity is now as useful as it is gorgeous.
The wood monolith in our living room created a gaping hole that needed filling. Amazon.com came to the rescue and plopped 250 pounds of flat screen Trinitron on us for half the price I expected to pay.
Next came the Christmas present of a decent receiver. Another Christmas brought a middle-of-the-road DVD player.
Now we had the requisite pile of remote controls on the coffee table just waiting to reduce any poor, unsuspecting guest into a frothing, raving maniac as they try to turn on the TV in time to catch C.S.I. Turn on TV, turn on receiver, TV to ant, receiver to TV/SAT. Simple, right?
At this point, life was good, but not perfect. When we first moved into our place, holes for antenna cables forced a non-optimal placement of the entertainment center. Given the choice between seeing if we could live with it or donning my jumpsuit and crawling around under the house drilling holes and running wiring, I opted for the "live with it" trial. Also, DVD-to-TV consisted of an RCA/S-Video cable snaking into the front input of the TV. My optical audio and component video cables glared at me reproachfully from their packaging.
After nearly a year of worrying about the couch getting singed by the fireplace and watching my son use the DVD cable as a stand-me-up handhold, my wife and I decided it was time for a change.
Now properly motivated, I jumped into my jumpsuit, strapped on a dust mask and wiggled in the dirt and construction debris under the house. Some of that debris (large, spiky pipe straps) left gouges in my legs that have yet to heal. After a lot of sweating and swearing, I managed to use a one-inch spade bit to tunnel a perfect hole in which to run cables and, as an added benefit, I was able to run antenna cable to our bonus room.
Topside, I cut a hole for the new wiring box and discovered the original antenna wire, sitting in dark obscurity behind the exact spot we chose.
With the aid of my father-in-law's strong back, we swapped everything in the living room. All heavy tippables, save one bookcase, are now securely strapped down. Due to the new furniture arrangement, it feels like our living room has expanded.
All this shifting and grunting has been mere prelude, simply lining the nest for speakers to come.
In the end, it happened quite quickly. After surfing around, I had a price range I was shooting for. A few brand names stood out from personal experience. A few were culled, also from personal experience. I bugged the eyes of some whippersnapper sales pukes with my bag o' goodies, ready to audition some of my favorite music and favorite scenes. The big electronics chain stores are so pitifully unprepared for anyone who gives a shit about what they buy. Would you drop your hard-earned cash based on some tailored demo? I would certainly hope not.
Within a few minutes, we had a minor crowd of customers and salespeople leaning against the thundering sound pressure of the lobby shoot-out in The Matix and the rebel camp massacre in Predator. During a lull, I overhead one salesguy wishing he had more customers like us.
I can see the big black powered subwoofer enclosure from where I'm sitting now. It makes my heart sing.
Of course, I have yet to route the wires through the ceiling and mount the surround speakers, but after my subterranean adventures under the house, that'll be a snap.
So now we who watch nearly two hours of television a week, usually at someone else's house, will have one of the nicest home theater systems of the folks we know.
Pakeha