The Zeppelin

Sam likes buying speakers. He is always trying to replace whatever speaker we have currently, in our lounge room, for something better. I'm not complaining, you understand, even if it does get all my anti consumerism hackles rising. Good sound, it would appear, tops the health of the planet.

Yes, feel free to call me a hypocrite any time you want. Go ahead.

He always buys them on Sale, at a half price discount price, if he can. He has a good eye for a bargain. Sam doesn't pay the asking price for anything.

Be still my beating hackles. (Destroying the planet at a discount rate?)

We've had a few speakers, it is true to say. Some got returned to the shop when they proved to be inferior. Some were returned because they were broken. Some were kept, replacing whatever speaker we had at the time. He gives all of our castoffs to his brother and sisters, so that must count for something. They have the best audio equipment of anybody they know. (Too much?)

However, we have had a zeppelin styled speaker for the longest time. (I guess I should work out what type of speaker that, actually, is, but it is the one that looks like a zeppelin) It has beaten all challengers, thus far.

The latest unit up for the test, is a B&O unit. (I had to look, I had no idea otherwise) It looks like a beige box.

Apparently, I fell asleep on the couch at 8pm. I got some hooch, I have to be truthful.

"Mark is down," I say.

"Any fucken excuse," says Sam.

Sam says he hates coming home every day to stoner eyes, while I think I am being delightful.

"And you fall asleep at 8.30pm on the couch," says Sam.

But, I digress.

I woke at 10.30pm with Sam comparing the old zeppelin speaker to the new B&O speaker. I woke to music playing.

"What do you think of this?" says Sam.

"Where am I?"

"Do you like this sound?"

The lounge room comes into focus. "What?"

"Hang on, I'll switch them." Thank the universe for modern technology, mercifully the music wasn't changing too.

"Switch what?" I pull myself up in the couch, I feel like I weigh 200 kilos.

"Which one do you think this is?"

"Which one is what?"

"Do you like this one?"

"Huh?"

"Hang on, I'll switch back."

"You are making me dizzy."

"Come on, it is an easy question," says Sam. "What do you think?"

"I like this one better." It somehow felt warmer.

We switched backwards and forwards a few times, as I wiped the sleep out of my eyes.

Surprisingly, the zeppelin still holds up.

“Which do you think is better?” asks Sam. He switches between speakers again. I was trying to focus, one eye closed, trying to backtrack to the last thing I remembered.

“So, what do you think?”

“This one,” I said. “Which one is this?”

“The zeppelin.”

They were both good, as he switched speakers again, but somehow the zeppelin still gives a warmer tone.