I need to know... am i mad?

[Duncan]

Wahoo, following on from my computer speaker thread down the bottom of the listing somewhere, i have a confession to make...

After getting these Cambridge SoundWorks Digital (to give them there full capitalised name) on Saturday, i just can't stop listening to them... instead of using them for my computer, they are now connected to the digital out of my Marantz CDP!!

Comparing these £60 speakers (and... you've gotta ask yourself how much it cost to put a DAC in them too) to my £800 combo of Cyrus III amp and Cyrus 751 speakers, the new arrivals sound fantastic... much crisper midrange, smooth treble, and (obviously... with a sub) as much, or as little bass as you require... and, the bass you do get is VERY controlled

I really don't think that this is new toy hype, because the sound is so different to my main rig, vocals actually sound like people are singing them... its crazy!

So, as the thread title suggests, I would like to know if you think I deserve to be sat in a padded room after this revelation? at the end of the day, how can these 4" square speakers, and a sub sound better than precision made full size bookshelf speakers? - well... I think they do!!

Does anyone agree with me that (excluding Bose) smaller CAN be better??

 

[tangent]

Those high-end speakers you have, perhaps they're very linear and therefore a little dry? Whereas the PC speakers have been sweetened a bit, and you find that you don't mind the bit of a lie that they represent? I mean, why not? Lots of people like high-distortion tube amps and overdone bass -- why not sweetened speakers?

 

[raymondlin]

Duncan, you are crazy. I don't believe you. I can't, otherwise I've be wasting my money, I won't accept that......................I can't.......................................

 

[Duncan]

Tangent...

I think you DO have a point there, these new speakers are certainly more energetic than my 751s... more... erm... musical?!? (in a NOT 100% audiophile way maybe? - more of a fun one?)

Raymondlin... You don't know until you try?!

Go to your nearest PC-World, and ask for a demo!!

(just make sure that they have a digital soundcard... but, even my live! is very noisy compared to my CDP... I guess thats one thing that these speakers have taught me... just how crap my 'good' sound card is

)

Okay, granted, these little things don't go as loud as my 751s, but... what they DO kick out, i think is mighty fine... and, the 751s wheeze with low bass (a'la Pink Floyd - The Final Cut, as the plane crashes in the desert) whereas, these don't... its all much of a muchness i guess... these win at some things, the 751s at others... but... £60!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[raymondlin]

No Duncan, I know exactly what you mean, the fun factor.

 

[wasifazim]

Aren't you the guy who tried to "close" your HD580s? If so, yes, you're nuts

 

[bootman]

No. I don't think you are mad.

Cambridge, makes some nice speakers.
We have been enjoying them here in the states for some time. (they are based out of Cambridge Mass.)
I have them in my home theater setup. (not that model)
They are a good "bang for your buck" speaker company.

 

[Duncan]

Quote:

Originally posted by wasifazim Aren't you the guy who tried to "close" your HD580s? If so, yes, you're nuts

Yes, thats me... and, i'll admit that they're not closed anymore... but, its the kind of sound that i like... a nice rich sound, that closing them made... but, then it seems to make them sound lumpy... so, i undid the mod

So, mad? I don't think so... just... eccentric...

Raymondlin... Thanks for understanding...

and last, but by no means least... Bootman, you're my hero... I'm glad that there is someone else out there that knows what I mean

 

[legoman]

I am regularly amazed at how good cheap setups sound and how much % of what I want from music emotionally they can convey. I was always waiting for the day when my neverending multidecade stint in education would end and I could plunk down $10,000 for a system. But then I get home and listen to my less than $1200 system (including stands and if I had paid full price; of course my were all showroom models, models with scratches etc, so it was even less) and how it can send shivers down my spine if the music is great. or i just got a new computer with a good soundcard but the cheapest HK speakers you can get with it. And you know, the sound is not that bad. Not half as bad as one would imagine.

 

[chych]

CSW does make some nice speakers though... I think the FPS1000 sound better than my stupid "THX" certified Altec Lansing ADA885s (thankfully cost me $0). My CSW home theater is even better... though in certain passages, it is unbearable for music (blame the subwoofer though).

 

[KR...]

Reads title of thread,
remembers the infamous 600 mod (worst mod ever in the history of headphones)
skips over everyone's posts,
the answer is YES!

 

[Duncan]

I agree with you Chych, that the Sub can be too dominant, but... I've got the control at about 9 o'clock, and it sounds pretty smooth that way

(of course for movies... gotta have it at 12 o'clock... Pearl Harbour sounds SOOOOOOOOOOO Good

... but, I daren't go any further than 12... even though it'll go around to 5 o'clock, i'm sure that that'll just either make it distort, or... just sound naff)

lol KR... Well, it was 580s, and if you had of read the rest of the posts, you'd have seen that i've already been there

I've still gotta post pictures of my Grado mod... that one really is good

 

[chych]

Well Duncan, I was referring to the CSW Movieworks 408... I have the subwoofer set to crossover at 50hz and it still sounds bad... no solidity, unbearable for music. I haven't heard the FPS1000 for a while though, it is at my mother's office now... I may spring for something like the Swans M200 or something...

 

[dngl]

No, it is new toy hype. I went through the same thing when I heard the Cambridge FP1ks and the Sony CD1.7ks and the A-G MS-1s... they do things "differently", which may or may not be better. Give it some time and you'll start to miss the soundstage, the instrument separation...

 

[Russ Arcuri]

My home theater setup uses the original Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble speakers, coupled to a Velodyne subwoofer. The Ensemble "subwoofer" modules are more properly referred to as detached woofers. The crossover between them and the satellites is at 140 Hz. As such, the woofer modules have to be placed somewhat close to the satellites for proper imaging.

I picked the Ensembles for a couple reasons. One, for $500, there wasn't anything available to me in my geographic area that could compare in 1993, when I got them. Not just for HT, either -- they have a very balanced sound for music when properly positioned. For HT, they're terrific down to about 45 Hz. You'd think with 8" woofers, they'd be able to do better than that... but they're in an acoustic suspension enclosure, and are not the newer "long throw" woofers that CSW currently advertises with the Ensembles. So the bass you get from them is very low distortion, tight, and accurate. It just peters out a bit too soon for HT.

Enter the Velodyne sub. I have the crossover set to 55 Hz, which (surprisingly enough) provides a very smooth match to the Ensembles. I suspect this is due to a bit of cancelling effect from the room placements. In any case, it sounds GREAT.

The second reason I picked the Ensembles is because I knew that I'd be having kids soon, and the Ensembles have non-removable metal grilles. This protects the drivers from children's poking and prying hands. This decision has been proven to be an EXCELLENT one now that I actually have three children. The Ensembles may not be the best-sounding speakers available for $500 anymore, but they're still going strong and do sound good.

On the other hand, I'm still saving up for my Magnepans. They'll be going into a higher-end stereo-only music listening room that the kids will be prohibited from entering until they're old enough to keep their fingers OFF of Daddy's expensive gear.

As to your question, Duncan, I have no idea if you're mad. I know the Ensembles were designed carefully by Henry Kloss, but I don't think every model CSW sells was designed by him. I'm also suspicious that a speaker system incorporating DACs into the cabinets for a total cost of less than $100 could sound as good as you're saying it does, but then again I haven't heard them. So maybe they are an incredible bargain.