![]() ![]() Once you have those two squared away, hook up the video cables to your TV, then cruise through the system's straightforward onscreen setup menu-you're done. Cambridge includes two color-coded multipin cables-one wire runs between the receiver/DVD player and the subwoofer the other runs from the sub to the speaker (each cable is 12 feet long). The SurroundWorks 200's setup chores won't intimidate even the greenest of home-theater novices. The remote is pretty average overall our main gripe was that the tiny volume buttons should have been bigger and more accessible. Since it runs as cool as the proverbial cucumber, you can stash it inside a cabinet without fear of overheating. The 200 combines a single-disc CD/DVD player, an amplifier, and a receiver into one slim component measuring 2.5 inches high, 17 inches wide, and 14.5 inches deep. The matching gray subwoofer is a mere 11.2 inches high, 10 inches wide, and 13 inches deep, yet its little MDF (medium-density fiberboard) cabinet feels nice and solid. Rear keyhole slots allow for easy wall mounting. The speaker's concave front and side panels house special drivers, so to produce surround effects, you need to leave the sides unobstructed. The single speaker measures 4.5 inches tall, 15 inches wide, and 7 inches deep-about the size of a compact center speaker in a full 5.1-channel speaker system. People buy single-speaker surround systems to save space, and the Cambridge SoundWorks SurroundWorks 200 system is commendably petite. Best of all, the 200 provides sound comparable to that of some of the best virtual-surround systems we've tested here at CNET. The company isn't kidding when it calls the SoundWorks simplified-hooking up the audio portion simply requires plugging in two color-coded wires. I can sometimes get some improvement by changing the surround format: VMax (HK virtual surround with two speakers) is often OK, or I can turn surround off entirely, or sometimes PLII sounds best.Cambridge's "surround sound, simplified" system, the $1,000 SurroundWorks 200, features an A/V-receiver/DVD-player combo, a single compact speaker, and a powered subwoofer. I have noticed some signals that sound like they have a little static around the edges, especially if the signal is from regular cable or network (analog signals, right?). Digital signals from DVDs, CDs, and digital cable all sound pretty good. But for now, while I can't afford that, these aren't bad. My heart is still set on getting three Ascend CMT-340s up front, at which point I guess these would go to surround duty or into another room. Right now I have only the two M60s on my system: no surrounds, no sub, no center. I bought two CSW M60s a couple of weeks ago to act as stopgap speakers for the HK AVR 525 I got refurb on ebay a month or so ago. If you don't mind the potential hassle of sending them back if you don't like them and the associated S&H fee, all of them, to my knowledge, give you a 30 day in-home trial. do, IMO, provide a better value than many in store brands, including CSW. If you come back to the CSW, then at least you know that you heard a lot out there and due to personal preference, price, and other metrics, the CSW is the best system for you.Īlso, unless you aren't comfortable buying online, brands like the Axioms, Ascends, Onix Rockets, etc. ![]() to see if you find something you like better. However, you should venture out and listen to speakers like the Paradigms, Energys, Monitor Audio, NHTs, B&Ws, DefTechs, etc. The best thing to do is to go out and listen to the other speaker packages in your price range and decide if the CSW Newton line is what you really like.ĬSW speakers are good speakers at a decent price and, unless you don't happen to like their particular sound, might be what you are looking for. In the $1400 range, you have a plethora of choices, and if you are basing your decision solely on other people's recommendations or product description sheets, then you are doing yourself a disservice.
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