Sounds Good to Me...

The Facts

He wanted it louder. She didn't. They got a sound system.

His Side

As you know, I love movies. Movies are made to be watched on a big screen with a powerful sound system and with an audience. That's why they come out in theaters. But, you can't always afford to go see movies in the theater; so, the next best thing is getting a nice big TV and a solid sound system. We got the TV, so we need a sound system. "Need" might be a little strong, but I'm going to continue to go with it instead of "want". 

When it comes to surround sound systems, I want something that has great sound (quality AND quantity), quality workmanship, a sleek design, and is completely wireless. That doesn't seem like too much to ask. It turns out, though, that it is too much to ask of most companies. Even the big boys like Bose and Sony don't offer what I want. The kicker is the "wireless" part of my demands. Here's a secret about the surround sound industry:  "wireless" doesn't really mean wireless. What it usually means is that there is a receiver to which you can connect two of your speakers in order to make them "wireless" from the main pieces at the front, but still wired to the receiver… that doesn't seem wireless to me. Does it to you? Didn't think so.

The only way to go truly wireless right now is Sonos. And you pay the price for this wireless luxury. The pieces are expensive but you can build your system as you go which helps ease some of the strain on your wallet. The sound is amazing from these things, too. But, before this starts to sound like an advertisement for Sonos (we don't have an endorsement deal with them, but if you know someone, we'd totally be willing to talk about such an endorsement), let me move on.

I started with the sound bar which sounds great by itself without any extra pieces. The next step is a subwoofer, then the back speakers to get the full 360 degree surround sound experience that any movie lover desires. I'm not going to mention any prices here, but it's easy enough to find the prices for each piece of the Sonos system if you care to look. Spoiler alert:  they aren't cheap. And, since this is something I want and Kristi couldn't care less about, it's my personal money that I put into this. So, it's time to start saving again and that subwoofer will be mine soon enough! Even though it's my money I'm spending on this system, I guess I'll still let Kristi watch "The Real Housewives" on it.

Her Side

Sound systems… I don't understand why we need them. Isn't the sound coming from the TV good enough? I've found the answer to that question is a resounding NO. I mean, if you ask me about it, I would be absolutely fine with the simple sound that the TV puts out. After all, you'd think that it would be a good enough quality considering the amount we paid for our new TV, right? Wrong again (at least according to Nolan). Apparently, in order to have "good" sound, it needs to boom and shake the house and practically sound like you're in the theater.

Since it's such a big deal to my husband, I agreed that we could get a sound system... on one condition... he had to pay for it with his own money. Now, that's not nearly as cruel as it sounds, I promise! We each get an allowance each month to spend on whatever our little hearts desire. All he had to do was save up that money along with any extra he managed to obtain along the way. Honestly, I was hoping this would buy me some time to enjoy the normalcy of the standard ol' TV speakers, but it really didn't. Nolan was determined with a capital "D" to get this sound system.

Now, as is the usual case with men, they want the biggest and the best piece of equipment. So, naturally he would have his eyes set on the MOST EXPENSIVE system out there. I guess that's good b/c it means we won't have to go through this process again for a long time since quality should mean it lasts for a while. I'm thankful that he wanted to get a wireless system because I can't stand seeing wires all over the place (even the few that run from our TV to various additions in our entertainment center that we didn't have the guts to run through the wall as most of them are... drives me crazy). 

I guess I shouldn't complain too much about having to get a surround sound system because the one he chose will gradually let me get used to having one. Not because it's magical or something, but because it's a build-as-you-go system. In layman's terms that means that the system is so expensive the company graciously decided to let you build it as you go. So, you can buy one piece at a time and that's exactly the approach we are taking. We bought the main piece and now Nolan is saving up for the Subwoofer… yay!

As you've probably come to realize, no project can be completed easily and without roadblocks at our house. As it would happen, the sound on our TV (well it wasn't technically the TV, but rather the output from our cable box) went out as we were trying to install the system. No need to worry, because after a quick and painless call to Time Warner Cable (and no, I'm not joking about the quick and painless part) and a visit from a technician the next day, the system was up and running!

The main piece of the Sonos system is called the Soundbar and it already has some subwoofer sounds coming out of it. They freak me out! So, I'm not so sure how I'll react to a full blown wall shaking subwoofer when the time comes to purchase it. Case in point... we watched "The Conjuring" the other night and every time a door slammed in the movie, I literally thought it was someone breaking into our house. I even made Nolan pause the movie a few times because I was convinced something eerie was going on in our home. Turns out, I'm just a little bit crazy!

You should have seen Nolan's face light up when we first hooked up that Sonos Soundbar. While I may never understand why we needed that sound system and I may never get used to that subwoofer sound, that smile on his face makes it all worth it to me.