A New Year, a New Toy?

I am one payment away from paying off my 42" LCD I picked up early this year. With the Christmas season in full swing, I've added a new toy to my wish list. This is something that, much like my wide-screen television, I'd never thought I'd ever want.

That's right: daddy wants a 5.1 surround sound system.

Now I am by no means a wealthy man. My means are quite modest, which has caused me to vacillate between buying a full-blown sound system or surround sound headsets for the past few months. The back and forth is over now since I've decided that most of my apartment neighbours are fairly noise tolerant. Added to that, my roommate is rarely home when I'm gaming. When he is, he's not one to complain much at all. Not surprisingly, this is the same guy who I've lived with during my short-lived DJ days and has always enjoyed the deep pounding of bass against old wood paneling.

While the choice to finally go with a medley of satellite speakers all around my living room was not the easiest, my choice of specific brand and model is turning out to be a breeze. With the downturn in our economy and the cinching of my wallet, I've had to set my sights lower and settle for getting myself a solid entry-level system. A real-life and XBL friend strongly recommended the Logitech Z-5500. I've always looked upon "theater in a box" solutions with some suspicion. Components are cheaply made and the feature-sets often exclude any possibility of incremental upgrades to your home entertainment system.

My friend has managed to allay most of these fears. He bought the Z-5500 for his first foray into 5.1 sound several years ago before "manning up" to his current custom-built set up. He's had nothing but glowing things to say about the overall make of the speakers, the ease of use and of course, the fidelity and range of the sound produced. At $335.53, it's also priced to fit my budget and I am impressed that a model that's been out for so long is still being stocked and garnering so much praise.

So will I finally take the plunge? Will I make the choice this Christmas be a self-centered bastard and buy sweet gifts for myself? Most importantly, will I make the choice to pamper my ear drums? Well, there are still a few variables I need to sort out. The Z-5500 apparently comes in a wireless flavour as well, so I need to determine pricing for that more attractive model before exposing my plastic to more holiday spending abuse. There's also the little side quest I gave myself of trying to turn my girlfriend on to games by buying her a Wii (along with a gift that I know she'll enjoy unequivocally, of course!). Turning my beloved girlfriend into a gamer, even a very casual one, would be quite an accomplishment. It would a worthy feat, easily worth its weight in gold and XP. But... my ears yearn for the joys of the directional audio, and rib-shaking bass that even a modest5.1 system can provide.

No one can argue that right now, at this very moment, is a great time to be a gamer. But damn it, sometimes being a gamer during the holidays can be the most difficult thing of all.