Cambridge Soundworks Surround II 5.1 speaker
Written: Dec 28 '01
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Pros: sound quality, size, ability to mount on wall, choice of surround mode
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: These are well built with small size, and great, clear sound for a surround sound speaker
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| remay's Full Review: Cambridge Soundworks Surround II 5.1 Speakers |
When putting together a home theater system, I was looking for rear speakers that were high quality, yet quite small. The Cambridge Soundworks Surround II 5.1 speaker fit both those requirements, plus had the bonus of having switchable modes of "surround" effect, which was intriguing.
I purchased the Surround II 5.1 after reading the review of them in the premier consumer reports magazine. I never saw or heard them in a store, I ordered them online. I have not been disappointed.
The speakers are used with a Yamaha HTR-5250 A/V receiver with two 20 year old Phase Research front speakers, a BIC center channel speaker, and a Klipsch powered subwoofer. The speakers do exactly what they are designed to do and what the receiver instructs them to do. The room size is about 15x20 with a VERY HIGH ceiling that slopes up to the second floor of the house.
A good rear speaker will not always be noticed, until there is a need for the surround effect. I have had comments like "gee there is not much sound coming out of them, or they don't have much bass". Well, they aren't SUPPOSED TO! When the time comes in a DVD scene, or even TV show that uses surround sound, they work perfectly.
I have played with the two modes (there is a switch), and have basically left it in the one I thought was appropriate for the room size and where the speakers are mounted. I never touched the switch on the speaker after about 2 weeks of use.
The back of the speakers allows them to be mounted to the wall. I didn't bother using expensive brackets, though. I just cut a small piece of wood, bolted it to the speaker in the hole (like a tripod mount for a camera), then hung the speaker onto a moderately heavy screw I have in the wall. Saved MUCH money on brackets. Thanks Cambridge for the design of the BACK of the speaker, as well!
Keeping in mind the size and limitations of rear speakers (they are not designed to support the FULL frequency range of music), these very well made Surround II 5.1 speakers are perfect for my system and should be for anyone else.
Comment: the speakers work GREAT to show off a home theater system with a couple of "test" audio CDs that I HIGHLY recommend:
Telarc 5.1 DTS Surround Sampler (84402), and Telarc Surround Sounds (80447)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 160/pair
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Epinions.com ID:
remay
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Member: Roger May
Location: Katy (Houston) TX
Reviews written: 40
Trusted by: 8 members
About Me:
Software checkout professional. Audio/video enthusiast. Provide Concierge services.
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