Home Theater Use
Written: Jan 09 '01 (Updated Jan 24 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Small and low price
Cons: No remote control
The Bottom Line: This system makes a good home theater system
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| rbinck's Full Review: Cambridge SoundWorks CSW DeskTopTheater 5.1 |
I had used the Cambridge SoundWorks four-point surround system on my computer so I knew the speaker quality of this system would be high. I needed a 5.1 system to go along with my new Toshiba DVD player and Toshiba 16:9 TV for a complete home theater system. I have a Bose Lifestyle 8 system at my vacation condo, so I was a little spoiled by the Bose clear and crisp sound. Since Bose didn’t make a 5.1 system, the Cambridge Sound Works CSW Desk Top Theater did the trick with a little extra sub-woofer help.
System Components
The system comes with an amplifier box; a woofer box and five cube speakers and speaker hook up wire. The system is available in black or computer beige. The cube speakers are quite small measuring about 3.25 inches cubed. They can be wall mounted from the rear or set on shelves. The speakers are small enough to cause the system to virtually disappear. I opted for the black version since I was going to use it as a home theater system.
Hook Up
Hooking up the system is very easy. I placed the left and right speakers in an entertainment center built around the TV on shelves. The center channel speaker was place above the TV in the center on a shelf. The rear speakers needed more creativity. Since the placement of the rear speakers needs to be above your head for best results, I chose to mount the rear speakers to the walls. I didn’t want the wiring to show, so I ran the wires in the wall. I drilled a small hole just behind where the speakers were to be mounted and made another larger hole just above the baseboards. I fished the wires through the walls and installed a blank plate over the hole at the baseboard. Running the wires under the carpet finished the speaker installation. The woofer was placed on a lower shelf in my entertainment center.
Amplifier-Decoder
Next it is necessary to attach to the TV and the DVD player. Both hook up with standard audio cables available at Radio Shack. The cables supplied with the unit assumes you are going to hook up to a computer and need to be abandoned.
The amplifier is really a combination decoder and amplifier. It has inputs for the four point surround outputs of a Sound Blaster ™ four point surround card used in a computer. The front inputs are used for your analog signal from your TV and the rears are left unused. I connected the front inputs to the variable audio outputs on my TV so the TV remote control could be used to set the system volume.
Now you need a word of caution. If you plan to use the TV speakers when you don’t want to use the Cambridge SoundWorks system, you will want to put something to add some gain between your TV and the amplifier. I used a Radio Shack DJ mixer I had laying around. The reason additional gain is needed is that when a normal listening level is set for the TV speakers, the Cambridge system is hardly audible. The system can be used just fine without the mixer, but the mixer helps me to balance my system. It also provides me with a second input for my CD player.
By the way, I do not have a FM tuner in my system, so if you need one, this has to be addressed as well.
5.1 Hook Up
I hooked the 5.1 digital signal between the DVD and the amplifier. Now when I want to watch a movie the amplifier automatically senses the 5.1 signal out of the DVD player. I usually turn down the TV volume while I watch a movie as the two signals will actually be mixed by the amplifier and reduce the 5.1 effect.
Performance
Once this was hooked up I went for the sonic standard as far as I am concerned, “Saving Private Ryan”. This DVD has everything you would want to check out a home theater system. Sounds coming from all over the place, artillery explosions, everything. When I first viewed the movie, I felt like there was something missing compared to my Bose system. It was the bass. Although the Cambridge SoundWorks woofer had a good rich deep and full bass sound, the concussion feeling of the Bose system was not there. Considering the Bose Lifestyle cost $1200 and the Cambridge SoundWorks cost $300 it was understandable. But I wanted more, so I pulled out an amplified subwoofer I had from my DJ days and hooked it up to the subwoofer output RCA jack provided on the amplifier. That did the trick and I can honestly say the Cambridge SoundWorks system with the aid of a good amplified subwoofer sounds a good as the Bose Lifestyle system at quite a lower cost. The sound quality without the subwoofer is excellent as well.
Summary
I am very pleased with my Cambridge SoundWorks 5.1 System and would recommend it for anyone who wants a low cost 5.1 system for their DVD enjoyment.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
rbinck
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Member: Richard Binckley
Location: Houston, Texas
Reviews written: 125
Trusted by: 26 members
About Me:
Retired A/V professional, likes Hawaii and Classic Cars
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