Does Cambridge’s latest $400 speaker set have the right stuff? Check out our summary below, and click to our test results on the next page for more details. I am using with the CSW Tower IIs, PSW, and a pair of Optimus bookshelf speakers for surrounds. Base extension is considerably lower than most center speakers, thanks to its dual-vent enclosure.
It uses two 5 1/4' mid-range/mid-bass drivers and a 1' soft dome tweeter. Any speaker set looking to unseat the Z-680s has its work cut out for it. The CSW Centerstage is an excellent center channel speaker. The CenterStage is one of the finest center speakers money can buy because of its accurate tonal balance and high power handling capacity. We really, really like their combination of features, including the I/O options, THX certification, and a wireless remote. The current set of 5.1 speakers that tops my list are Logitech’s Z-680s which we called “ The Best Speakers Ever” when we reviewed them last year.
But today we’re here to look at a new entrant to the heavy hitters arena for PC speakers those costing between $300 and $400.
Check out our recent review of $200 speakers for more details at this price point. But if you can nudge your price bar up to $200, where Monsoon’s 5.1 set stand out, the field opens up even more. You can get a very good sounding set of speakers, like Creative’s Inspire 5300s, for less than $100. High-end speakers from Klipsch, Logitech and Cambridge SoundWorks have done wonders for making PCs sound better. The Dixie Cups that typified PC speakers of the past have begun to give way to greatly improved speakers. Send questions to Don Lindich at Get recommendations and read past columns at site may earn affiliate commissions from the links on this page. I commend Channelmaster for trying to spread the popularity of over-the-air television, but they really need to step up their customer relations. I'm glad for them, but I'm still disappointed for all the readers who were frustrated by the experience and the company's unwillingness to respond to their complaints.
(/collections/lily-deanne-series)Īfter last week's column about Channelmaster's "Free Antenna Day" in which I said that I hadn't heard from anyone who actually got a free antenna, I have gotten e-mails from readers who were successful. When I saw them and read about the concept, I could only wonder: Why hasn't anyone done this before? It's a great idea with great execution. Most camera bags are utilitarian in design and style, but the Lily Deanne collection is designed with aesthetics in mind. I've always loved Think Tank Photo's bags for their solid construction, array of sizes and styles and unique, thoughtful features. This week's Consumer Electronics Show feature is Think Tank Photo's Lily Deanne camera bags. Two speakers can do a better job reproducing sound than a single one, and I often find the sound from phantom center channel mode is much more open than that produced by a single center channel speaker.
People sitting far off-axis from the center of the TV will not experience the sound coming from the TV the same way as with a dedicated center channel, but other than that I have not found many drawbacks to this approach. When you have good speakers, phantom mode usually sounds better than a mismatched center speaker.
Some receivers, specifically older ones, actually call this "phantom center channel" mode. Go into your receiver's speaker setup menus and for the center channel setting, turn it to "no center speaker," or "off." When you turn off the center speaker the receiver will send the center channel information into the left and right speakers equally, creating a "phantom" center channel that seems to come from between the two speakers. Because of this, my advice may seem contradictory because I am going to recommend you forgo the center channel speaker and try your system without one. Can you recommend a replacement center speaker? I am happy with the system and not ready to replace the whole thing yet.Ī: The center channel is often said to be the most important speaker in a surround sound speaker system. I am having trouble with the center speaker, and I can't get it repaired. It uses a Cambridge SoundWorks Ensemble surround sound speaker system, which is now discontinued.