Am I an Audioholic?

My road to home theater and audio nirvana began many years ago with a Sony home theater in-a-box. I was still in college and it seemed pretty cool at the time. All my friends liked the sound and they loved to watch movies at my small apartment, but I knew something was missing…

I soon had to upgrade my meager TV to catch up with my new audio purchase. Man, that 27” TV seemed big at the time. A couple years later, a friend asked me for some help with his audio setup and he had some cash to blow on some sweet Infinity speakers. Knowing I couldn’t be outdone, I bought the next model up. Of course, I was living in a townhouse now, so I had the space to accommodate them. They were a huge improvement. Once again, my TV was lacking and a nice big 36” tube was in my home only months later.

I moved from my home town in Iowa to the Minneapolis area, and they had the coolest audio/video stores I had ever seen! Well, I had coerced myself into an even larger screen, a 56” Panasonic HDTV, and my wife even allowed it since we had a real home and a place to put it. My speakers were still holding up, but I had to have a fancy progressive scan DVD player and receiver with the newest sound protocols so I would have the very best! Yep, you guessed it, I bought them and my home was the best movie spot for all my new friends.

As fate had it, I lost my job and ended up moving back home to Iowa, and man was that huge TV a pain to move. It was still in good shape and looked really good, but true HD content was on the horizon. I got a better job and bought a better home… Shortly thereafter, a neighbor moved in with some Infinity speakers of his own. These weren’t just speakers, but behemoths …remnants of a time long past with ribbon tweeters and tube amps driving them along with a turntable! I heard some music and saw some movies and I was truly in awe. My new friend had audio far past what I even imagined. The quest was ON!!

Getting something like that was going to be pretty darn expensive, but I was on a mission. I Googled upon the audioholics.com web site and my eyes were opened! Many a truth was revealed and all my other research confirmed what they said to be true. I was able to find internet vendors who had great products with no BS and at prices I could pay for. My credit card finger was getting itchy. Of course I knew that I couldn’t one-up my buddy, but I could get as close as possible without breaking the bank too badly.

I first got a speaker upgrade and new Infinity Kappa speakers were in my home. The rest of my gear was still lacking. A projector from ProjectorPeople, a screen from Carada, cables from BlueJeans, Impact Acoustics, and DVI gear, a DVD player from Oppo, a sub from SVS… Man, I feel like I must have been some kind of poster child for these companies. I bought it all!!! Did the guys at Audioholics lead me astray? I mean, these places advertised with them, right? I felt no remorse with any of my purchases. They were all good solid products that sound good, look good, and make my home theater awesome! My neighbor was a little bit green with envy at the value I had gotten. I still didn’t beat him out, but I have some pretty great stuff, none the less.

Oh, did I mention poster child? Because people loved my stuff so much, they wanted to get in on the action. I have since set up home theaters for several people including gear from the companies I just mentioned, plus Axiom Audio and Emotiva, as well! Yeah, I think something might be wrong…

Where am I now? It’s Friday night and I am in Clearwater Beach, Florida at the Audioholics party. I got to meet several of the vendors I have purchased from. It’s really great to meet the people who work for the companies you buy stuff from. They are super dedicated to their trade and were very happy to talk with me even though I was clearly bugging them as they set up their gear for tomorrow’s demos. I am super excited for tomorrow and the all the new things to see and hear. I also got to meet Gene, Bertica, Clint and MajorLoser (from the forums) and I have had a great time so far!

Looks like some new acoustical treatment might be in my future from the likes of Auralex or Ready Acoustics. Perhaps a new receiver from Yamaha? I do need something that supports the new Dolby True HD protocol to make full use of my HD-DVD players, after all. Hmmm, those speakers from RBH look fantastic, and I am looking forward to hearing them. Dang it, Epson has some pretty cool 1080p projectors that cost less and look better than my last unit. Oh, there is so much to see and hear, what upgrade is next? You know I’ll end up buying something. I always do, and it’s always better and better…

You know what? Nothing’s wrong after all. It’s ALL RIGHT! I think I finally understand what’s happening to me… I have become an audioholic, and I like it!

Jim Robbins
Jim -dot- Robbins -at- gmail -dot- com