It’s been unexpectedly difficult finding a TV stand. There isn’t a shortage of course, but their contemporary designs don’t trend toward accommodating my setup. They tend to be too tall, with compartments too small. Were I to use a common design, my TV would be uncomfortably high, and my audio receiver would need to sit on top–obviously not a practical configuration.
Wondering why this was even a dilemma, I discussed the problem with coworkers. I quickly discovered that most people do indeed mount their televisions up high, like a movie theater. I also found out, to my surprise, that people don’t generally use audio receivers. No one wants to bother with wiring speakers, and so forego surround sound configurations in favor of sound bars which provide a small improvement over TV speakers, and they don’t require an external receiver since they have built-in input switches.
Older TV cabinets have massive compartments, probably due to technology being physically bigger back then, and in a time before high-resolution viewing there seems to have been a greater interest in high-fidelity audio, and so audio receivers were more commonplace. But these older cabinets can’t accommodate a modern TV’s size, so again we were stuck.
And so we’ve kept an old and ugly particle-board stand, bought on the cheap from Target. And ever since, Liz has been on the lookout for a new stand. And then, finally, she found something. We took very careful measurements of all components, and behold! They would fit! My normally frugal nature gave way and I not only didn’t dissuade her from making the purchase, but I actively encouraged.
I spent 2 hours rearranging and rewiring everything, but now we have completed our setup of adult furniture. And since everything’s now behind glass I don’t feel quite so nervous when the kid walks past with a beverage.
Liz then immediately decided we needed a bigger TV, now that there’s more room on the stand. Sigh.
–Simon
