I while ago I was at a bar with a few friends and acquaintances thereof. One of my close friends is always bellowing about how great my home theater is. Another home theater buff whom my friend had obviously known and previously talked to about the matter comes up to me and questions me...

“Do you have a progressive-scan DVD player?”
I responded, “Yeah.”
He quickly responded, “What brand?”
Knowing he was trying to measure up, I begrudgingly answered, “Toshiba.”
The little guy puffed up his chest and gloatingly stated, “I have a Sony!”

Needless to say, I was surprised at the assumption that one brand bests all others especially when the inquisitor had no clue as to the caliber of my Toshiba DVD player nor I his Sony. This was all at a time when progressive-scan DVD players were relatively new and slightly expensive with entry-level units coming in at $400 with better decks easily costing upwards of $1500. By today’s pricing expectations, they would be considered grossly over-priced by most consumers.

This is also in-line with those who consider screen size the only measurement of a TV’s quality. Today, you can get some pretty cheap large screen TVs, but for those who pay more, the result is usually higher quality image, durable internal components, better video processors, more connections and various other options as well.

The thing is, I hate “one-upsmanship”. I’ve been into home theater since I was all of eight years of age inspired by a father who always connected his stereo to the TV and VCR to attain a more movie-like experience. That was in the late 70s and early 80s when most people’s stereos were detached from their TV and, in many homes, resided in completely different rooms. 

I spend a lot of money on my home theater hobby, but I don’t like rubbing it in anyone’s face. It just serves no purpose. I love helping friends tweak and get the most from their home theaters. Even more, I enjoy just sitting back with a fellow home theater gear head and watching a movie or a great set of demos whether it’s showing off my system or enjoying theirs.

Everyone’s take on home theater is different and really boils down to personal taste and ambition. It’s fun stuff to see where others go with their system, especially if they have the same reverence for home theater as I do. For me there’s simply no need to compete. Pulling someone else down or up based on the gear they have without hearing how well it comes together in the end is just plain stupid. I purchase my home theater equipment for me (and my wife). I do not to feel that I’m in some way superior to others due to the quality of my home theater.

Some people spend their money on vacations, sports, and cars. I spend mine on my home theater. Having a great home theater is about having equipment that works great together to bring the movie experience home, and if you’re into décor and presentation, it’s also about making the room feel like a home theater as well. It’s a matter of sheer will and a little money to purchase home theater equipment.

If you know what you’re doing, finding the right equipment is easy, but if you just down know all that much about home theater you could hire a consultant to build a great system for you. Anyone can also just take advantage of the many great home theater specialty shops out there with salespeople that actually know what they’re talking about. Many of these dedicated shops are very capable of pulling a system together that fits your tastes and budget.

Anyone with a little or a lot of money can have a great home theater. So it comes as a surprise to me that people act superior based on thinking what they have is better than yours. Like a stated before, some people spend their money on home theater, and others don’t.

I’ve had friends, who obviously know I’m a home theater gear head, joke around by saying their system (of which they know isn’t as good as mine) make nudging comments along the lines of “wow, it sounds better than yours!” Since I usually don’t care about such things that particular jab never usually raises my ire, which I then usually reply, “Do you want to build a system that sounds like mine?” I know they’re not into home theater as much as I am, but if they ever wanted a killer home theater like mine I’d be the first person to help them attain that goal, or even best it, if they want to spend more.

There are plenty of home theater nuts out there that likely have a better home theater than mine; just as there are likely many who don’t. I know that most home theater enthusiasts enjoy hearing any good system that’s been setup with care, and I would gladly show off my system to someone who has a cost-is-no-object system without hesitation or fear of feeling inferior. For home theater enthusiasts, hearing a great system pulled together by another HT nut can be a very enlightening experience. It’s amazing when a fellow enthusiast finds those hidden gems out there that perform much better than price would indicate. A great home theater at any price is just that… a great home theater.

For those whom puff up their chest and try to claim superiority due to some false notion of brand superiority you simply don’t get it, or are trying to over-compensate for a lack of something else. Trying to “measure up” simply serves no purpose other than to prove your own ignorance. A home theater is the sum of its parts working together to achieve the best possible performance.

A true enthusiast might ask, “What’s your system made of?” or something along those lines.

For the little guy trying to measure up I could’ve retorted, “Yah, but mine is a $1,500 audiophile-grade DVD player that has been highly acclaimed in the audiophile world as one of the best sounding DVD players out there and offers great video quality.” Followed by a snide, “Nanny nanny boo boo!” (Boy the third-grade was fun!)

But to me there’s no gain in it, so I simply replied, “Cool.” Then walked away.

Since then, DVD players that offer slightly better video quality have been made at cheaper prices. I still keep the audiophile grade DVD player in the rack for CD playback if needed, but with the iPod revolution and the sound quality of MP4s, the great DVD player’s usage has dropped greatly. I also got the DVD player as a model closeout for $500, stating it’s original price of $1500 would’ve illustrated the caliber and build quality this player offers (The thing is built very solidly). It was an absolute steal for use as just a CD transport let alone for great DVD playback, and that’s why when I found the deal I recommended it to my friends so they to could revel in its greatness. As technology changes, the gem I could’ve attempted to brag about is now rarely used.

I knew then that competing wasn’t worth much, especially with someone who thinks brand superiority across an entire home theater product line is a reality. A true home theater enthusiast (nut) simply enjoys the ride when not suffering from “tweaking madness”. The truth is, the only person who cares about your home theater system is you, your family, and maybe some of your friends.

Here’s to enjoying the ride.

Have a Happy New Year!