Dear Reader,
Music has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. Home theater came later.
In my younger days, I studied classical piano, sang in high school choir, played keyboards in worship bands, and tinkered with electronics and speaker-building.
I remember my first hi-fi set well. I’d been working at various odd jobs, delivering newspapers, mowing lawns, raking leaves, collecting newspapers and bottles from neighbors and cashing them in at the local recycling center – typical teenager stuff back then. After I’d scraped together enough money, I headed to the Sam Goody store at the local mall. I wasn’t interested in hanging out with other young teens. I was interested in buying a great sound system for my room. I came home with a pair of EPI T/E 70 bookshelf speakers and a Technics receiver. Soon after that, I bought a Sharp cassette deck a family friend was selling. And a couple years later, I added a basic Sony CD player. This setup served me for many years – well into my college years.
Of course, this was many years before “home theater” would become a thing. As a teen, I didn’t watch much TV, and I didn’t go to movies. In fact, I don’t think there was a color TV in my home until I was 17 years old.
I’ve assembled many home theater systems in my own home over the years, and assisted in designing and assembling numerous others. I’ve come to think of my own home theater system as a working lab of sorts, rather than a finished product. I’m always looking for ways to improve my home theater experience in the most cost-effective manner.
As my interest shifted to home theater over the years, my love for music has remained. I still enjoy sitting down with a good pair of headphones, discovering new music or exploring the depths of a great album.
I launched BudgetHomeTheater.net in November, 2016, mainly as a way to explore the experience of home theater in a deeper way, and also to document my journey in audio and home theater systems. Those who know me know that I never spend more than I have to. I’m always looking for best value for the money, and I hope I bring that same sensibility to BHT.
Over the years, I’ve had the chance to bring a number of other authors on board to help broaden the content offerings. Recently, my teenage son, himself a movie lover and a music student, has begun helping with site strategy and product research. When I’m not working on BHT, I enjoy reading about new technology, watching movies or hitting the slopes with my kids, and building and testing loudspeakers.
And now I have a request. Some of our pages include affiliate links. If you like what you’ve read here on BHT, please consider following links to purchase products we review. It helps us keep fresh content flowing.
Thank you for visiting our site. We hope to see you again soon.
Devin Kelley
Steamboat Springs, CO