A digital rain shower seemed to fall from the ceiling. When a helicopter exploded, the subwoofer kicked a physical punch of air across the carpet. Maya jumped, eyes wide. "It sounds like the walls are shaking!"

Finally, the moment of truth arrived. He pushed the heavy silver tray shut, and the DVD player hummed to life. The blue "Sony" splash screen appeared on their 32-inch tube TV. As the movie began, the iconic green code started cascading down the screen, but it was the sound that changed everything.

"Is it ready yet?" his daughter, Maya, asked, clutching a bowl of buttery popcorn.

"Almost," Leo grunted, tangled in a web of color-coded RCA cables. He was meticulously running thin copper wires under the area rug to the rear speakers. He wanted the full effect for The Matrix .