![]() Sure, there is something about the pitch that just isn't as accurate as your high-end subs, and perhaps there's a bit more "overhang" than in your servo jobbies from Paradigm and Velodyne, but the positive qualities are admirable. I paid $319.00 for it (a few months earlier I picked up the "slave sub" for $149 at the same store), and I couldn't be happier for the price of admission. I picked up the Powered sub at Best Buys (of all places) as a close-out item. While their sub/sat systems seem rather mediocre to me (lack of resolution in mids and highs), their powered sub does a bang-up job for home theater and music listening. With all the other entries for Cambridge Soundworks, I'm surprised that there's not more mention of the one product they have done well. My value rating is based on buying one used. Overall it's a very nice unit that would keep anyone happy who spent the time required setting it up in their room. We use ours for home theater, too, and it works just great. It can't do 20 Hz pipe organs, but then if you want that you better have a huge room and a heck of a lot more money to spend on your sub. Given proper placement (no "in a corner on a hard floor nonsense") and sensible use of the volume control (some people love to over-drive a sub and they all sound like hell then), it provides solid musical bass down to 30 Hz and it does it reliably (as I say, I've had mine for several years and use it daily). Now that it's a "used" model to buy and sells for under $300, it becomes a screaming bargain if you can find one in nice shape. I think a lot of the low ratings it got were because of the price problem. It was a $500 sub that was sold for $700 because of it's association with designer Henry Kloss. It cost $700 when new, by mail, and was WAY over-priced at that price. This is an "old" model no longer available as "new". Perhaps toouch particle board and not enough bracing in the CSW subs? I noticed that my old AR-15's with 12" acoustic suspension speakers in similar sized cabinets put out almost as much base volume (though not as low a frequency) with much less cabinet vibration. ![]() But when they are stressed, they disappoint. At moderate and reasonably loud levels the speakers sound great. Perhaps this is the reason for the slightly muddy base line at higher volumes. I am surprised and disappointed at the amount of cabinet vibration at low frequecies. With the slave (and the additional wattage the amp puts out with the lowered impedance) I now have more than adequate volume for those occasional transients and few of the problems. I experienced some extraneous vibrations coming from the speaker, both a little rattling of the cabinet and some noise coming from the grille area. The powered sub alone couldn't handle the room at the volumes I enjoy. I have a good sized room and enjoy home video cranked up. I used the powered sub alone for a year and then added the slave last year. By the way, those Level Twos are great speakers-they work exceptionally well with the subwoofer-better than my Ensemble II's.īased on my listening tests at several hi-fi sound rooms, there is no better sounding sub for the money. ![]() My system now includes HTD (Home Theater Direct) Level Two mains, Cambridge Soundworks Center Channel II, and Cambridge SoundWorks Surround II 5.1. Until I move into a house with an acoustically sealed listening room, I think that the slave will remain in its box. When I crank my system, my pictures rattle against the wall, very disconcerting! The same goes with reports and explosions in movies, they are heard and felt-even at low volumes.Īt high volumes, I have to be sure the neighbors are away, because this thing rattles the walls and some of my pictures-literally. In that way it sound very lifelike./ You can feel a man's baritone voice much in the same way you can feel a man's deep voice in conversation. You can still "feel" the sound without having to crank it. However, thats where I believe that this woofer shines-at low voumes. In fact, I hear the bass through my walls even at very low volumes. I have lived in apartments/condos for the last three years, and for the last three years the slave has remained in its box! The powered woofer is just too powerful by itself. A month earlier, I purchased the slave at Best Buy for $100.00. I purchased this as an open box at Best Buy for $250.00.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |