ThinkBlog

Hacking is, essentially, finding creative ways to do things that helpfully and/or enjoyably violate the status quo.

With all the old-technology-become-new posts lately, like the one on booting Windows XP on a 20MHz original Pentium from Back in the Day™, I was inspired to try something new with my old Aiwa sound system.

I’ve had this thing since ‘97, I think, or perhaps even before that. I realized the other day, when I was so frustrated with the two large, clunky speakers and the obnoxiously large amp base taking up so much space on my desk that I was looking into a sleek new Creative Labs 7.1 system, I would be better served by trying to get more out of my old system.

Bringing the center and surround channel speakers home from my mom’s house Monday, I hooked them up and tried tweaking the setup. Emboldened to try different configurations by not being afraid of breaking something (like I was when I got it, nearly nine years ago), I was able to amplify the surround channels and soften the center channel enough that I am now using a 5.0 speaker system that I would otherwise have trashed.

Hacking is, essentially, finding creative ways to do things that helpfully and/or enjoyably violate the status quo.

With all the old-technology-become-new posts lately, like the one on booting Windows XP on a 20MHz original Pentium from Back in the Day™, I was inspired to try something new with my old Aiwa sound system.

I’ve had this thing since ‘97, I think, or perhaps even before that. I realized the other day, when I was so frustrated with the two large, clunky speakers and the obnoxiously large amp base taking up so much space on my desk that I was looking into a sleek new Creative Labs 7.1 system, I would be better served by trying to get more out of my old system.

Bringing the center and surround channel speakers home from my mom’s house Monday, I hooked them up and tried tweaking the setup. Emboldened to try different configurations by not being afraid of breaking something (like I was when I got it, nearly nine years ago), I was able to amplify the surround channels and soften the center channel enough that I am now using a 5.0 speaker system that I would otherwise have trashed.