Big Picture Big Sound

Over the years I have come to learn that maintaining a quality relationship requires a lot of hard work. As we all know, every love affair starts with the honeymoon phase. Excitement is in the air, everything is new and thrilling, and there is a general sense of euphoria. Alas, this stage fades, and both parties start to take each other for granted.

I fear that I may have recently reached this unfortunate phase in my relationship with my home theater system.

The catalyst for this realization came just a few days ago, when I received a very kind offer on the part of a colleague here at Big Picture Big Sound. He had graciously arranged for me to purchase some speakers at an extremely discounted price, directly from a manufacturer. I turned the offer down. Sure, I had some good excuses for passing (I wanted the white speakers, not the black ones; the ones that I have are good enough; it was too much trouble to mount the new speakers on the walls, etc.), but after a few sleepless nights I realized that the truth behind my refusal was that I have become too lazy and cheap to deal with purchasing and installing any new gear. What it all boils down to is this: I am not willing to make a sacrifice to meet the needs of my system, yet I still expect it to fulfill my every desire. How selfish is that?

It has taken me a long time to notice all of this because of the insidious way in which it has crept in. I still read all sorts of catalogs and do all sorts of on-line searches for new gear. I'm constantly thinking about ways to give more to my system, but I'm finding that I just don't follow through as much as I used to. Come to think of it, I haven't purchased much more than a new center channel speaker in the last six months.

To be fair, my needs are not exactly being met either. The widescreen settings for my cable input have been re-setting themselves automatically, my DVD picture kind of flickers when it is in progressive scan mode, and the wire for my left satellite speaker has been coming lose from the receiver with increasing frequency. Maybe I should have a thicker skin, but I can't help but withdraw further when faced with these sorts of attacks.

Rather than stay at home and try to deal with all of these issues, I have started cheating. It's hard to admit it, but I never watch the "good" movies at my place anymore. I go to a friend's house. I know that it sounds horrible, but it's just easier. I don't have to worry about long load-times on the DVD player, I don't have to worry about the possibilities of unbalanced sound, and I don't have to worry if the seating isn't perfect. All that I have to do is show up and enjoy the show. And after the movie is over I can just get up and leave.

Mind you, I have made some gestures to try and reestablish the connection. Just last night I decided to set aside a large block of time to spend at home, focused on nothing but my HDTV. I ordered in a nice dinner, took the phone off the hook, turned off my laptop, and selected a movie. How was I rewarded for all of these nice efforts? While I was watching my movie, my HD-DVR mysteriously 'forgot' to record "Battlestar Galactica." Is that passive-aggressive or what?

All of this brings me to my current impasse and I have no idea of what to do. Do I end the relationship and start fresh with all new gear? Do I invest the money and time required to work through the problems, in hopes that we can recapture the joy that we once shared? I'm torn.

Does anyone have the number of a good couple's therapist?