This was my first pair of Surround Sound speakers. They were small, inexpensive and from a source I trust, Cambridge Soundworks. These are intended to be used as Surround Sound speakers. First a word about Bipolar

What is Bipolar?

Well the DSM IV defines bipolar illness as.... oh wait, these are Speakers! They are supposed to be bipolar! All bipolar means is that the speaker has cones aimed in two directions to increase the effect of coming from all directions rather than from one specific source. In movies, bipolar speakers can increase the feeling that the sound is from behind you, and not from one specific box to your right or left.

Or for that matter Dipolar?

Dipolar simply means that the speaker is designed to spread or diffuse the sound out even further. Cambridge Soundworks website explains that the dipolar mode is ideal for older Dolby Surround modes, while the bipolar speakers are more for sources where sound information is sent to a specific side, but not meant to be from a one point source, such as Dolby Digital or DTS. In simple terms, the bipolar mode spreads the sound out a bit, and dipolar spreads it out a lot. On these speakers, a switch on the front lets you switch between the two modes.

Real World Application

I used to use these as the surrounds in my main system, but never really heard them that much. They are small, I would classify them as satellite speakers although they are heavier and better made than many satellite speakers on the market and more musically capable. As I learned more about Surround Sound, I used my newer Surround Sound Receiver to set the levels on all my speakers. Typically for me to really notice these speakers, I had to push up the volume for them by a full 2 to 3 decibels. I also honestly could not really tell the difference between the bipolar mode and the dipolar mode of these speakers. I tried on several occasions, but no, I couldn't really hear any great difference for music or movies of one mode or the other. They do spread the surround out a bit, and reminded me of a boom box I used to have that had a surround mode that made the stereo speakers create a wider sound stage. The speakers are now in my bathroom, as the main left and right speakers. I have them hooked up to a portable boom box CD player in place of the horrible included speakers that came with it. I like the surround sound mode of the speakers because they fill my bathroom with sound when I'm in the bath or shower. Yeah, I like music everywhere. For movies, I am much happier with full range bookshelf speakers in both my home theater systems. Midbass and even shaking low bass is used more and more in movies in the surround channels, and these speakers simply don't reproduce that spectrum. Try listening to Ridley Scott's BlackHawk Down with a small pair of speaker s like this. The RPGs to the rear just aren't there. (and no gamers, those are rocket propelled grenades, not role playing games) In another review, I criticized Bose for their reliance on small satellite speakers and the sound (or lack therof)resulting from that type of speaker. The sonic problems with the Cambridge Soundworks Surround Sound II seems to prove that it really is just an inherent problem with small or satellite style speakers. I now use bookshelf speakers in both systems. If I had the money, I would put full towers in the rear too. My bookshelves (Polk Audio R20s in the Living Room, and Cambridge Soundworks M-60s in the Bedroom) produce realistic sound in the rear channels for movies. The low sound is especially important if you are a fan of Bruckheimer, Verhooven or even Michael Bay. They all love explosions, gunfire, and more explosions and you need a full range speaker for that. For DVD-Audio and SACD sources these little bipolar speakers are about useless. Not only do they lack bass, they also lack the pinpoint accuracy that these high fidelity audio formats demand. The rears in a good surround sound mix are not intended to be spread out or diffused, they are meant to be accurate and precise. The Surround Sound II's do not have a mode for that. (I would note that the Cambridge Soundworks new line of surround sound speakers all have THREE modes, including a precise monopole mode, and they are all bigger and have more capacity to handle at least mid bass).

Sound Quality The quality of the sound is pretty good, considering the size of these speakers. Upper and midranges are presented fairly well, although bass is noticabely absent. These speakers were clearly never intended as full range main speakers, they don't even compete with bookshelf speakers. As already noted, they do sound better than the satellite speakers that are typically packaged with Home Theater in a Box.

Appearance / Build The Surround Sound IIs are also heavy little things with a durable plastic casing. You could drop these with no effect. In a word, these are ugly. They are a creamy white plastic with a nonremovable plastic grill. I guess from the picture here, they also come in ugly slate grey. The speaker connections are of the type that you open a clip and place the wire inside. Nothing will guarantee that the wire will stay in place, it's very easy to accidently disconnect the wires while you are placing the speaker. They do come with mounting accessories, so that they could be mounted onto a wall.

Summary These were my first surround sound speakers, and not my worse pair. They are very durable, and do not sound distorted. The mid and upper frequencies they reproduce are fine for casual listening, or in my case for listening to wake up music in the shower or jazz in the tub at night. (yeah more about me than you wanted to know, right?) However, if you are serious about your movies or your surround sound music, you need a better and a bigger speaker than these. Small and satellite speakers just do not cut it for a serious home theater or music system. Because of their durability and accuracy and low price though, they do get a solid three stars.



Recommended: No

Amount Paid (US$): 149