Rekindling an Old Flame: Home Theatre System

I always did enjoy watching and collecting movies. Last December, my wife won a Samsung LCD TV in a Christmas party raffle. A few months earlier, our old Sony HTIB which we had purchased in 2000, gave up the ghost. I saw this as an opportunity to upgrade our old set-up with a new one.

After a lot of research, I decided to get the following set of HT gears:

* Onkyo 608 AV receiver. This model is 3D ready and has a host of features.
* Philips BD3000. Big bang for bucks model
* PSB Alpha B1 front speakers, C1 Center
* PSB 5i subwoofer
* Jamo A102 Surround speakers
* Era Design 3 Front High speakers

Coupled with my existing Xbox360 and Wii, this set up really rocks! The entire entertainment system is installed in the master's bedroom.

I had initially planned to get a pair of Polk Rm8s for my front high and RM7s for my surrounds. I liked the sound of these after I got to audition them. Unfortunately, the dealer didn't have these in stock and could not give me a definite time line as to when he would be able to get these. Feeling frustrated, I visited another store and fell in love with the sound quality of the Era Design speakers. I decided to get these instead of the RM8s. For the surrounds, I decided to re-use the stands from my old Sony HTIB surrounds. The Jamos fit the bill for this and the stand required drilling just a few holes to mount the Jamos on them.

Initially, my wife's first reaction was, "do you really need so many speakers to hear what's going on?" I just quietly took her nagging in and set up my gear, knowing full well I had an ace up my sleeves on this one. When everything was set, I loaded her favorite blue ray disk - MJ's "This is It." I then paused it at her favorite scene (Smooth Criminal) then called her into the room, propped up the pillow in the sweet spot on the bed, and asked her to lie back. The way her eyes just popped up coupled with the dropping of her jaw on cue as soon as I hit the play button was simply PRICELESS!

Here are additional pictures of my gear:

Physics Lesson: A No-Win Situation When It Comes to Watches

You get to discover new things about your watch when you damage it....aarghh!!! I got a not so friendly reminder on a basic law in physics on what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object.

I chipped the crystal of my watch when I accidentally hit the side of a metal tower while I was visiting one of the business centers of the company I work for. That's when I discovered that the bezel for this model is integrated with the crystal, i.e. a replacement crystal would have both.  As you can see from the picture, the damage extends all the way down to the bezel.  Sigh...

Fortunately, parts for this particular model are still available. A quick check with the website of a popular on-line vendor of genuine Omega parts and in less than five minutes, I ended up placing an order not just for a replacement crystal/bezel, but also ended up purchasing a new Mk2 dial and set of hands. I should get these in around 4-5 weeks.  I can then have the local Omega service center install these.

I can always plead temporary insanity if and when my wife finds out...