Cambridge SoundWorks PCWorks: A compact audio dynamo!
Written: Mar 13 '01 (Updated Mar 17 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Spectacular sound!! Bargain price!!
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: B-I-I-G-G, spectacular sound from a small speaker system!
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| mkp51's Full Review: Cambridge Soundworks C1MWBWEE 2 Speakers |
It’s a sunny March Saturday morning in coastal Maine, and here I am... buckled into my jet-black Lamborghini Countach, blissfully flying along this country road at 137 miles per hour. The gorgeous coastal scenery whizzes by as a fuzzy gray, blue, and white blur. I’m being doggedly pursued by a trio of state troopers, all three driving souped-up cruisers that are practically glued to my rear bumper; all desperately trying every maneuver in their considerable driving arsenal to pass and stop me. With a fierce determination equal to theirs, I somehow manage to prevent them from getting by me.
Then, without any warning...
...NO SOUND!!! The audio portion of my Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit computer game suddenly...
...QUITS!!
ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!! @$*&#*%^#!)!!! %^&#)*&^!!
For the second time in less than a week, my vocabulary descends to the level of blithering idiot. A very profane blithering idiot at that!!!
It's my first full weekend at the controls of my brand new Compaq Presario 5004, that digital speed demon powered by a 1.1 GHz AMD Athlon microprocessor, 60 GB hard drive, and 16 MB Nvidia TNT2 M64 PRO graphics card. In the week I've owned this machine, I’ve been catching up on my game-playing with wild abandon. Now, with the audio gone, I am despondent. I’m absolutely convinced that my computer's sound card has malfunctioned.
After overcoming that momentary seizure of panic that usually comes when something very new – and very expensive – spontaneously dies, I put on my electronics technician’s "thinking cap" and try to figure out what’s wrong. I exit from the game and test for sound in Windows ME. Nope... not a peep. A very bad sign. Next step: I plug a set of Sony "Discman" miniature headphones into the computer’s "audio out" port. There it is – sound!! WHEW!! My computer is okay!! It’s those Logitech "Soundman" speakers that failed.
Later that afternoon, I drive to our local Staples store (well-l-l, not exactly "local..." the nearest one is 32 miles from my house) to shop for a new set of computer speakers. (Remember from my review of my Presario 5004... it came without speakers!) This particular store has quite an impressive array of speaker systems to choose from. I was about ready to select a better grade of Logitech speakers when I spied a set of Cambridge SoundWorks (CSW) PCWorks speakers on display. I ask the salesman for a demonstration of the CSW speakers’ capabilities. Even in this cavernous store, the music emanating from the CSW system can only be described as glorious. That’s all the persuasion I need. I pay my $40.00 and happily drive home with my new speakers in tow.
The CSW PCWorks speaker system was designed by Audio Hall of Fame member Henry Kloss and made in partnership with Creative Labs, the company that also manufactures Soundblaster audio cards for PC’s. Simply put, this compact computer speaker system is an absolute dynamo!! It consists of two 3-inch X 3-inch X 3-inch satellite cubes, a 9-inch X 6-inch X 6-inch subwoofer unit, and a wired remote volume control unit. The subwoofer is the central unit in the system. In addition to pumping out a deep, mellifluous, natural sounding bass into the room, it provides amplification for the satellites.
It didn’t take me long at all to get my new CSW PCWorks speaker system set up and running. Here’s all I had to do:
* I plugged one of the volume controller’s 6-foot long leads into the computer’s "audio out" port, and the other lead into the subwoofer.
* I connected each satellite to the subwoofer. The satellites each have a lead that’s about ten feet long. This allows for maximum flexibility in placement.
* I plugged the subwoofer into household current. (The subwoofer receives power from a 12 VDC step-down transformer.)
* As the instruction manual points out, the human ear can’t distinguish the location of bass frequencies; so subwoofer placement is not critical. I placed mine near the floor on a low-lying shelf below my scanner. For best results, it’s recommended that you not place anything within 4 inches directly in front of the subwoofer.
* I turned power to the subwoofer on, booted my computer, and listened for that magnificent sound I had heard at Staples...
The sound wasn’t just magnificent; it was positively overwhelming!! At all times, it was crisp (without being overly bright), clear, well balanced, and natural.
I decided to give the speakers an intensive "test drive." I started off by playing a music CD in my computer – The Best of the Guess Who. The bass throbbed, electric guitars growled, and Randy Bachman’s gritty voice wailed, all with the same natural audio qualities you’d expect from your stereo system. After auditioning The Guess Who, I tried a little Beethoven. The sweet tones of his "Spring" Violin Sonata gently filled my home office and wafted throughout my house, courtesy of this unspectacular looking, but spectacular sounding computer speaker system.
After trying out the music CD’s, the real testing began... computer games!!! In quick succession, I sampled Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit (picking up right where I left off when the sound quit – I got busted in a matter of minutes!!); Triple Play 2001; Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2000; and Family Feud. All these games have large and intensive soundtracks; the Cambridge SoundWorks PCWorks speakers handled them all effortlessly. I never heard any distortion, fuzziness, or clipping, regardless of how loud I set the volume.
This afternoon, I handed this superb speaker system another major test: On my way home from work, I bought a DVD copy of the movie Gladiator. For nearly an hour, I watched the movie on my 19-inch monitor, completely transfixed by the gorgeous video and thrilled by the spectacular sound coming from my speakers.
I "discovered" Cambridge SoundWorks speaker systems two years ago, when I bought an "Ensemble IV" satellite/subwoofer system for my stereo. When I first bought it, I was amazed at the sound quality that emanated from that miniature dynamo; two years later I’m still amazed. The Cambridge SoundWorks PCWorks is as good as my "Ensemble IV" system; in fact, I rate it as the best computer speaker system I’ve ever heard. Considering its $40.99 retail price, it also a system that packs a huge "bang for the buck" for consumers.
So, if you’re looking for a new computer speaker system that will bring your games, music, and movies alive, look no farther that Cambridge SoundWorks PCWorks. Go ahead... buy ‘em and set ‘em up… then kick back and enjoy the music!!
Recommended:
Yes
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mkp51
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Location: Midcoast Maine
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