.....we continue along the "easy" path to surround sound enlightenment

The day before the Super Bowl we picked up our Sony HTIB. This six speaker DVD surround sound system got lots of great reviews. We have done our research and are convinced this is a good system for our needs. Also, based on my reading I think a ten year old kid could set this thing up. With grit and determination I proceed to unpack and sort the components. Carefully, very carefully, just in case I need to take anything back.


I mentioned the other day that all the speakers, wires, and equipment were color coded. All the speaker wire ends had clips that went in to the appropriately marked speakers. Everything, including the instruction manual looked so simple. I just knew this was going to be a breeze.


I started clipping wires to speakers, moving things around the room and actually was ready for sound in just under an hour. Wanda was helping me and we got to the point of the first sound check. For such little inexpensive speakers this unit had pretty darn good sound. Calibrating the speakers was very easy too. It came with a microphone that did a multi stage sound check. The volume, treble, bass and mid-range as well as distance and size of all the speakers was set up internally. When this was completed you could manually "tweak" any or all of the settings.  


Then it hit me, the sound amplifier and processor was built into the DVD player. We had a brand new Blu-ray player that was part of the TV package. We wouldn't be using the DVD player to play DVD's , just for the sound processing. So, it was good for something we wouldn't use. I was hoping it was also good for something we would use.

My next step was getting sound from the Comcast box to play through the DVD player and come out the speakers. This was important. This was about 50% of our viewing and 100% of our listening pleasure. This I couldn't do. I tried everything I could think of with no luck. Then I remembered the help guy at the store told me I would need use some type of a cable plugged in to and out of some type of a plug. I just couldn't remember what went with what and where. I figured I would call in the morning, find out, and all would be well.


The next step was the on screen inputs and settings. Wanda and I put our heads together on this one. The first thing I needed to set was the language preference. It was a no brainer, English. Not French, Spanish, or Japanese, English. I don't know what, or how, I did what I did, French appeared on the screen. Now, I couldn't change the language, or, read whatever it was I was trying to change. 


I bet we screwed around with the remote control and on screen menu for almost two hours. Finally, I had enough. I took everything apart and repacked the box. We were going to take the thing back and replace it first thing in the morning, which we did.


Sunday morning, Super Bowl. We decided to use the speakers we already had and get a decent amplifier. The Best Buy house brand is Insignia, that's what we got. We thought we would be able to use "wireless" rear speakers. This amp had a "sending" unit that could be attached. The rear speakers were then wired to a receiving unit, so, no wires running across the room, front to back. One issue was the "receiving" unit had to be plugged in to an electrical outlet. It also interfered with the home wireless computer network and just didn't work for us. Aside from that one glitch, everything is hooked up and we are very happy with the new sound system.










By the way, I am sure you all now realize I am a mechanical moron. In spite of that I have a tenacious attitude when it comes to a new project. Once I start something I'll work at it until it's done, or I am. I hate to admit this but I have been known to throw things and cry like a baby every so often. Now comes a perfect example of my ineptitude and Wanda's common sense.

Take a look at the picture above. This is the center storage area of the new entertainment piece. I decided (with not much thought) to house the receiver in the lower section. I wanted all the wires to go UNDER that shelf. So, I was laying on my side, on the floor, feeding the wires with my right hand (which was under the shelf) while reaching, or trying to reach, OVER the shelf with my left hand. This was not real easy so I was yelling, swearing and generally having a tantrum when Wanda walked in to the room. She took a look at what I was doing and said, "Why don't you take that shelf out?"

WHY DON'T YOU TAKE THAT SHELF OUT?

I had been struggling with those damn wires for maybe forty five minutes. removing that shelf never crossed my mind. To further illustrate my incompetence, I put the shelf in there just the day before. I knew it was adjustable. If Wanda wasn't home I know I would have spent the day trying to work around that damn shelf.

Thanks to Wanda, once the shelf was out the rest was easy enough. Before I got to far along I checked the remote for the receiver. I wanted to be sure it would work through the glass doors, it did. What I didn't check was the sight line to the receiver display. When the doors are closed I can't see a thing. Once again, common sense Wanda said, "why do you need to see it?" and added, "just leave it on Dolby 5.1." She is absolutely correct. I don't need to see it, but I want to see it and it's making me nuts. Later this afternoon I will swap the receiver with the equiptment in the open right side. I will remove and replace approximately twenty one wires, cords, plugs and/or cables. The first thing I will do this time? I'll move that shelf.