Analysis Paralysis

I can remember a few years ago, when a young French visitor went to the supermarket with us and stood transfixed. Finally, he said, "How do you decide?"

Since then, of course, France's supermarchés and hypermarchés have easily matched America's overwhelming number of products. But our visitor's bewilderment is something I am starting to understand.

I've built a list of things we'll need for the audio-video installation; everything from the big plasma panel to the wall boxes where things will get plugged in. Took me forever. Why? Because there are so many choices.

Does Denon build a better receiver, or it it Onkyo? Or maybe Sony? How about speaker cable? The Belden 14-gauge or that other brand's 12-gauge? Panasonic, Pioneer, or Samsung? 5:1, 6:1, or 7:1? Help!

But it doesn't end there. Once I determined that whatever we wound up with would sound and look better than our old 80's-vintage rig, I ran into a new reason for paralysis. Where do I buy it? At one point the other day, I had 6 web browser windows open, toggling between different online stores to shave a few bucks off the price of a bunch of wiring components.

I think I wound up with a pretty good deal. Maybe I left a few dollars on the table. But I feel a bit like the young Frenchman, and part of me wishes for the "good old days" when you just went down to the local hi-fi store and took your lumps.