Cambridge Soundworks Make Great Speakers for your PC
Written: Mar 20 '01 (Updated Jun 24 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy set-up, great sound, good price
Cons: no headphone jack
The Bottom Line: Good price, very easy to setup, great sound, and require virtually no space in my crowded desktop!
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| britguy's Full Review: Cambridge Soundworks C1MWBWEE 2 Speakers |
Cambridge Soundworks have been around for a very long time, and they have carved out a dolid reputation for themselves with regard to the quality of their products.
I have owned my PC Works speakers for several months now, and I am very pleased with the $35 I spent at CompUSA to get these speakers for my home computer.
Setup is simple, fast, and made easier with very clear and concise instructions. All cables are supplied in the box, and again, the instructions make it a breeze to hook up each wire and plug in its correct place.
There is a small 'remote' volume control, which has ample wire for you to be able to place it anywhere that is convenient to you. There is a piece of two sided tape supplied, that enables you to stick it to the monitor (for example), or anywhere that your imagination conjures up.
I chose to put my volume control on the front, right-hand side of my monitor, near the top; so that the wires go back down, out of sight, over the rear of the monitor.
The speakers themselves are that unimaginative, PC-standard light-beige in color. Size-wise, they are pretty unobtrusive, and therefore allow fairly free reign as to their placement around your computer.
There are 3 actual speaker units; 1 subwoofer, and 2 treble units.
The two smaller treble speakers (3 inch cubes) come with optional slide-on stands that are further enhanced by some little rubber 'feet' that stick to the underside of the stands, and protect your surfaces, and maybe have a damping effect as well.
These I have set up to the left and right of my monitor, and they take up very, very little space on my very, very cluttered desk!
The subwoofer is a larger speaker, about 6 in. tall, 9 in. wide, and 7 in. deep. But still, since this is a sub, and placement is not critical at all for subs, it can go out of sight and out of mind, and (like me), you could put it under the desk, against the wall. All of the wires plug into the sub's rear, and it is on this rear panel that you will find the unit's power button, and a small knob to adjust the bass level.
The sound quality is superb in games & applications, but it really shines in music reproduction. I am not an audiophile, so I won't pretend that these speakers are the worlds most superb setup for music ever invented,which would definitely draw comments from those with more refined ears than mine! But what I will say is; that I know how I like my music to sound, and these speakers are fully capable of giving me what I enjoy!
The bass is full and powerful, and the highs are crisp and clear. Playing music on my computer is now such a pleasure for me, because it just sounds so good!
The tiny satellite speakers handle the treble and midrange very well, and the bass blends in very smoothly. So much so, in fact, that sometimes I think that ALL of the sound including the bass, is emanating from those two little cubes on my desk, and I have to look underneath to remind myself that there is another speaker pumping out the bass, on the floor!
These speakers perform well even at high volume, and all in all, I am well pleased with my investment.
My only complaint, and it took my wife to point it out to me( I didn't even notice!), is the lack of a headphone jack. Sometimes you want to listen to something late at night, and you don't want to disturb everybody else, who may be sleeping in the next room, so headphones become a necessity.
But, for whatever reason, it's not an option with these particular speakers. Which is not a fatal flaw, but still a glaring one.
My own solution is to upgrade to the SoundBlaster Live Platinum soundcard, which will give me a headphone jack in the front panel of my computer, thus solving my problem!
Great speakers, nonetheless.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
britguy
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Member: Ken
Location: Yonkers,New York
Reviews written: 52
Trusted by: 30 members
About Me:
Raised in England
Living in America
Wife and 2 kids
Lab Technologist and Photographer
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