Men, we pretty much all love our gadgets, i know i do. When i was a student i had an obsession for hifi equipment and speakers and at one point i had a kick ass 5.1 surround sound system with full size speakers for the rear speakers, floor standing speakers for the fronts and a 200watt subwoofer. Having a movie night meant pulling out the speakers from the side of the living room and taking over the adjoining kitchen with the speakers and their trailing cables. Fast forward a few years and in our first home i have a slightly simpler system, the tv is hung on the wall ( i used to hate them being wall mounted straining your neck up) and I’ve got a stereo which stays put. On the days when Chantele would go out shopping, visiting or visit friends, id be able to make our house a temporary man cave with the volume up for movies, bass speaker on a few notches more and all of the window blinds closed and sit in my pyjamas for the day, pure bliss.
Now that we have our amazing son Elian though, its grow up time, the volume needs to be a bit more considerate, the bass speaker a bit more tamed and the thought of any accessible cables is a big NO. Don’t get me wrong, i wouldn’t want it any other way, but the living room man cave-ability has diminished. We do however now have the studio in the garden where I’ve fitted a neat little hifi and speakers on the walls, complete with a projector for watching movies in the dark evenings . I’ve joked and in all seriousness considered that when we eventually move to a new home, id like to look for a house that has either an extra room for an office, or space outside to build an office come chill out “man cave” with a big screen projector, a small fridge for drinks, a wicked sound system and some super lazy boy arm chairs which at the end of the night can rise up and lift me onto my feet before i get shouted at to come to bed.
So here are my top man cave essentials
- The Chair – So the chair needs to be big and comfy, and preferably a rise and recline to make life that bit easier. This one from Fenetic Wellbeing even has cup holders!!
- The Projector – If i was on a budget, this is perfect because its small, portable and has a built in battery so you can take it anywhere for more than just gaming duties. But if i was splashing some serious cash, a 4K projector would be amazing to keep up with the demands of technology fora bit more longevity and stunning detail
- The Sound System – on a budget (yes sorry, this to me is budget) this bose 2.1 sound system sounds much much bigger than its size. Crystal clear sound with a heck of a thump from the bass speaker. My own HiFi is a Cyrus stack system with speakers from acoustic energy ( all made in the UK), but i wont bore you with all the details of that.
- The Mini Fridge – Nothing fancy, just something that does the job. This IceQ mini fridge holds a few cans and snacks so is great and won’t take up too much room.
- The Games Console – Its got to be an Xbox 1. I’ve been a gamer for a good many years now, and it’s been predominantly Xbox based. I rather the controller, the graphics the lot.
*Post in collaboration with Fenetic Wellbeing