Bose vs. CSW vs. others (1 Viewer)

[Rory Buszka]

You really should, then, get the Cambridge Soundworks Newton Theater MC200.2, and at the very least the MovieWorks 208. However, the Newton P200 subwoofer really will be worth your while as compared to the 8" BassCube 8S.

(From the CSW website):
Total Satisfaction Guarantee
But why buy online? Because at Cambridge SoundWorks there is no risk. We offer a liberal 45-day Total Satisfaction Guarantee. If you buy from us and don't like what you get, return it for a full refund, less shipping charges - no questions asked. There's virtually no risk. See 45-day home trial details.You can try out your new system, in your home, listening to your favorite music, watching your favorite movies. If you have questions about your system you can e-mail us at [email protected] or call us toll-free at 1-800-FOR-HIFI (1-800-367-4434).

 

[Rory Buszka]

Also:


"The Cambridge SoundWorks lineup performs so far beyond its price and size class that it can be compared only with much larger speakers at substantially higher prices." - Stereo Review

"You get a month to play with the speakers before you have to either return them or keep them. But you'll keep them." - Esquire

"Cambridge SoundWorks has made a name for themselves not only by making great loud-speakers, but also by selling factory-direct, removing the mark-up of the local distributor saving us all some dough." - Home Theater Buyer's Guide

"Because Cambridge SoundWorks distributes its products directly through its mail order catalog and showrooms, the company achieves economy of scale and sells these speakers for a real bargain." - PC World

"Cambridge SoundWorks shows signs of becoming the L.L Bean of hi fi." - Twice magazine

"Cambridge SoundWorks' line of multimedia speakers is still one of the leading wonders of the computer world." - PC Gamer

"Go to Cambridge SoundWorks for terrific prices on stereo, video and home theater products….They really do have high-end stereo stuff at reasonable prices. Best of Boston" - Boston magazine

"By selling direct at an attractive price, Cambridge SoundWorks may be erecting yet another hi fi milestone. Most manufacturers depend on dealers - this marketing creativity could allow Cambridge SoundWorks to sell for as much as 40% less." - CD Review

"Cambridge SoundWorks manufactures loudspeakers that provide exceptional sound quality at affordable prices." - Stereo Review

"Cambridge SoundWorks is known to audiophiles for great sounding speakers at reasonable prices." - Computer Shopper

 

[Brian Elwood]

"The S200 surround speakers use a MultiPole™ design that allows them to be switched between dipole and bipole dispersion patterns"

Does this mean that they can be used for BOTH or that they can PRETEND to be dipole.

What - what the difference and why have bipold when you can have dipole . . . .????

 

[Rory Buszka]

It means that one of the drivers has a reversable phase which is controlled by a switch. If you don't listen to SACD but love watching DVDs, then you probably want dipole. If you love listening to SACDs but want a slightly more diffuse sound field for DVD watching than monopole surrounds provide, then you want Bipole for the best of both worlds. In fact, a diffuse surround sound field is more desirable but a dipole surround often provides a VERY diffuse sound field which can begin to sound almost too nebulous for some tastes. The MultiPoles really do dipole, though, if you want them to. They aren't just bipole pretending to sound like dipole. The selector switch is on the bottom of the enclosure so when wall-mounted, you can still get at the switch. Bipole means that both speaker drivers are moving out at the same time, while dipole means that one driver moves into the enclosure while the other pushes out. When sound is out of phase with the same sound from another source, the positional information that the brain uses to localize sounds can't be decoded by the brain so it sounds like it's all around you instead of just behind you. That's probably the best explanation I can give of this phenomenon. The CSW S200 speaker which is included with the MC200.2 Newton theater has a forward-facing 4" full-range driver and a rear-facing 2" mid-high driver. You can reverse the phase of the rear-facing driver via a switch.



CSW S200 in White

 

[Alan Wise]

Brian,

The latest issue of "Sound and Vision" Magazine has a test on three budget home theater speaker systems. One is from JBL, one from HSU, and the other from Energy. All three come with subs and fit within your budget.
I reccomend you get the magazine and take look (and then a listen).

Good Luck, Al. Wise

 

[Sami Kallio]

In that case...three pairs of Polk LSi7's.

 

[Rory Buszka]

that doesn't account for a subwoofer. Also, the sub with the JBL SCS setups never really inspired me. The HSU sub was probably the 8" version.

 

[Seth Paxton]

Yes, the Energy Take 5 (and variants) system is another classic smallish, cheap setup that will sound very good. The speakers are small enough to be pretty discrete and the overall sound is pretty solid (I talked my dad into this system).

My secondary system is matching NHT (NowHereThis.com) SuperOnes (with SuperCenter), but no sub. IIRC, I got those 5 for under $800 and couldn't use a sub thanks to neighbors. Still, you could come pretty close to your budget via NHT. I bought mine online (I think from OneCall) and have never had trouble with shipped speakers (heck, my DLP set was even shipped).

So don't limit to what you can get local, although you do want to try to listen as much as possible.


Paradigms, CSW, Klipsch, Polk, etc will all get you in the same area, with variations on how harsh, bassy, etc they are.

I still have some old Bose working as my surrounds (301's IIRC). Big, solid speakers but far more out of control on the bass than the NHT 2.5i I have as fronts (and AudioCenter). It's not a case of Bose being crap, just of it not being nearly the level that the price would indicate.

 

[Rory Buszka]

Does the NHT system include a subwoofer? The CSW system includes the subwoofer in the total system price (which was a requirement), and online reviewers on AudioReview say that the Newton series satellites provide a very detailed and neutral sound - good for high-fidelity. Not especially bright or warm. Also, there are dipole/bipole surrounds as a part of this package. None of the others you mentioned (The NHTs, or the ones reviewed by S&V) have this capability. I really don't think enough credit is given to Cambridge Soundworks for the quality of their products and how they really can hold their own in price/performance, raw performance, and quality design against these other brands you mention.

 

[Sami Kallio]

Wasn't the theme "why stop there". For subwoofer, HSU STF-2 or SVS 16-46PCi.

 

[Rory Buszka]

Actually, the floating budget was anywhere from $800 to $1000. While it's fun to totally bust the budget once in a while, I don't think that's quite what Mr. Elwood wants. That's why I still say that the Cambridge Soundworks system will give him the most of what he wants for the money he is prepared to spend.

 

[Sami Kallio]

True but if I was him I would get something really good for the speaker setup for that $800-1000. Right now you can't beat the LSi7's that can be had for around $300 a pair. Of course that receiver might not be up to the task but that's another future upgrade. That's how the audio bug hits, one thing at a time. Later on add 5 channel amp and subwoofer.

 

[Rory Buszka]

But then again, it's all really up to Mr. Elwood whether he wants to wait to have a complete home theater system that he can actually enjoy or to go ahead and get it done all at once within his budget, without making an appreciable sacrifice in quality. Sure, the Polks and the SVS would make a great home theater but at the same time, he'd spend nearly double on the Polks and SVS what he would on this system which should satisfy him very well. Polk Audio and SVS might be getting a little too esoteric for his taste, who knows?

 

[Sami Kallio]

True, it is up to him, not to you or I. That is why we are only suggesting different combinations and not making him buy them. I don't see why you took offense on mine, especially when it was made tongue in cheek after seeing someone mentioning "why not stop there" by the wife. Not sure if it was the topic starter.

Seriously though, if $1000 is the limit, I would still look at LSi7's. Lets see...

HSU STF-2, $350 at CompUSA
LSi7's, $300-350
CSi20, $50-100
Surrounds, $50-100

That would still leave some playroom on the budget and for the money it would be a good HT system for movies and great for 2 channel music. When the time and money comes, it is easy to start upgrading unlike a boxed set where you can't reuse anything.