Sonic Ed?

Mono, stereo or surround?

The Edster is a lot like his dad. Well, kinda.

He’s really laid back. He sleeps more than I do, eats less, plays more, complains less, poops more…..

And he didn’t watch or pay attention to television - until he got surround sound.
The Edster was given a TV with the DVD-surround sound thingy. It seemed that he wasn’t too enthusiastic about the whole setup until I finally hooked up all the speakers.

I noticed that the Edster can sleep through my rock and roll, sports and the conversations I have with my TV set.
(Yes, I do talk to the TV. It’s one sided, but a lot of fun.)

The real life sounds that catch Ed’s attention are Harley Davidson motorbikes-I was not happy with this development-I like Japanese crotch rockets (fast motorcycles) but this story is about Ed, not me.

He loves helicopters…..The helicopters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department and several local news channels take off from the airport a few blocks away. As soon as the sun goes down the airport starts to come alive. The fire choppers come home and the news night shift begin to take off for their nightly encounters with the world.

The whop-whop- whop of a helicopter going over the house awakens the beast.

Ed, asleep in his usual spot, will wake up and cast a glance toward the ceiling as they pass by.

Harley Davidson motors get the same response….a drowsy look towards the door or window when one chugs by.

Late one night I figured out that the Edster prefers surround over stereo or mono sound from the television set.

I was watching the military flick “Full Metal Jacket” when the helicopters flew across the screen and the speakers.

Ed, napping on the other side of the room, made his way over to the TV stand sat down and watched the choppers fly…

I love to torture the Edster - all in the name of science, of course, so I decided to watch him during some different sonic events in the neighborhood.

These are the results…

Ed likes sirens. When the dogs start to howl at the sirens on fire trucks and police cars he’ll run to the window to listen.

Ed loves helicopters….

There is the one o’clock a.m. train that runs every night…..That don’t phase him.

Ed loves Harleys.

Mono television doesn’t phase him….

Ed loves Dolby 5.1- I felt so badly one evening for startling him…I was watching a movie when an actor rapped on a door.

BOOM! Head up and looking….

Animal sounds get a reaction too…Animal Planet anyone?

At the end of this ‘scientific study’ I realized that I was to blame for not giving Ed any creature comforts…
He barely got stereo, DVDs and his dad at home 24/7….

I am currently looking into Blue Tooth, Blue Ray and GPS technology for the Edster……But maybe I’ll start him small-Like a Sony Playstation 2

I do feel guilty not giving the Edster all the things that I never had when I was a kid, But why spoil him?

I have to plug in, hook up and read the manuals anyway……