Go back to Night 3, here.

The King James Bible translates Psalm 100 as:

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness…

A Chabad reference gives us this English version of the same verse:

A song for a thanksgiving offering. Shout to the Lord, all the earth.

Serve the Lord with joy…

Today, the latter may be more apt for our situation. I gave DH and the rest of the family a set of three Polk Audio speakers for the fourth night of Hanukkah. These were installed in our main living area, and will be used for both music and to add surround sound to our television setup.

In case you’re wondering, a Polk Audio CSi A6 center channel speaker fits perfectly in an IKEA Pax Wardrobe Frame (shallow 13″ depth.) I’ll tidy those cords later. Demoted soundbar shown at front.

I like to make our Eight Nights of Hanukkah Gifts things that we can enjoy as a family. While it is true that we are a household that places limits on media consumption by the kids—probably more so than an average American family—it is also true that, like most modern humans, we spend a fair bit of time on our couch in front of the tv.

We’ve had our various media components hooked up through a receiver for several years, but, when our old bookshelf speakers got disconnected during out last move—relics, themselves, from a former audio system—I did the expedient thing and replaced them with an inexpensive sound bar from Costco.

I’m not an audiophile, but I did notice that a puny soundbar in one corner leads to tinny sound when I play music for the dinner table at the opposite end of a 1000 square foot great room.

I’m not interested enough to become truly educated about speakers and sound systems. I am smart enough to read up a little then consult an expert for specific buying guidance. Many thanks to my advisor, CJ from Crutchfield. Having had success being talked through installing our own car stereo by these guys, I figured the purchase and installation of a set of speakers would be manageable, and trusted their advice.

The speaker, Polk Audio model RTi A7, is the one not wearing sweatpants.

Measuring at about the height and weight of a seven year old child, the powerful front speakers provide a strong presence in our very large room on several levels. They fit our space, then can provide sufficient sound to fill our space, and the cherry wood veneer complements our living space visually.

Being prone, as I’ve admitted, to serial enthusiasms, it took a great deal of self control to stop at a 3.1 system (two large, floor standing front speakers and a center channel for the all important television dialogue) once I dove into the world of Big, Awesome Sound.

Any bigger, and our teen and his grandfather couldn’t have gotten these speakers up the stairs

I can see how our receiver could use an upgrade. A subwoofer would really thrill my guys during the action movies they enjoy. And, without rear speakers, how will we ever hear those creatures creeping up behind us when the suspense is building?

Ah, but there are only eight nights of Hanukkah, and the budget has its limits. These new toys should prove delightful in and of themselves. Though it was a struggle given my nature, this is me practicing self restraint.

And the new speakers? They sounds great!

DH was even prompted to hook up some music components that had been gathering dust since our move. He doesn’t take enough to time to enjoy his own hobbies, always working too hard and taking care of us first, so it was great to watch him fool around with a stereo and play some of his own tunes.

I did have to tell him to turn that noise down after a while, but, with speakers like these, that was to be expected.

Happy Hanukkah!

חגחנוכהשמח

Click here to read about Night 5.

♦

*Psalms are known as Tehillim in a Jewish context. Tehillim translates as “Praises” from the Hebrew, just as Psalms does from the Greek.