Audio Systems: Cambridge Soundworks, cambridge soundworks, top contender

Question
Dear Kevin,

Thanks for referring me to Cambridge Soundworks, as I am considering putting together a system from them.  I still like the JBL system I had talked about (5 satellites, center, & 8" powered sub), but Cambridge Soundworks is a top contender.  They have a pair of satellites from their Movieworks packages that have a 4" driver and 1 3/4" tweeter.  That's somewhat bigger than the JBL's which have a 3" driver and 1/2" tweeter.  The center is just like the satellites but with 2 drivers and 2 tweeters.  The sub and surrounds are another package called the Ensemble II.  The surrounds are identical to the other ones I mentioned except they're not magnetically shielded.  The sub is passive with (2) 6 1/2" woofers.  The woman at CS told me that a powered sub is better than a passive one in that it'll give you deeper bass.  I really thought that this CS sub would outdo a 8” powered sub in that it has 2 woofers.  She said that the CS sub would have better accuracy, but a bigger driver in a powered sub will give you deeper bass.  Is this true, and is a powered sub better than a passive one?  The CS sub and surrounds are rated at 6 ohms whereas the other CS fronts are rated at 8 ohms.  Is that going to be a problem?  Should all speakers in a system match in regards to impedance?  I was also thinking about buying the JBL system, which is rated all at 8ohms, and replacing the fronts with the two from Cambridge Soundworks.  Would this be o.k., or again, will I run into problems with impedances not matching?  All speakers from CS have binding posts and the JBL spring clips.  I don't know if one is better than the other.  The last thing is will I really get better sound with the CS fronts because they have much larger tweeters and a bigger driver than the JBL?  What about the surrounds, does it matter what size drivers they have?  The woman at CS told me that is not always the case, as it depends on construction.  Is she right?  Thanks very much for your help again.


Answer
Dear David,

First, the lady at CSW is right: driver size, especially when you're dealing with something as small as these speakers, won't tell you alone which one will sound better. However, the first difference between the CSW package and the JBLs is the tweeter dimension. A 1/2" tweeter stands a chance of breaking up at very high frequencies. A 1-3/4" tweeter will be smoother, will handle a broader range of high frequencies, and will likely never break up the signal. "Break up", BTW, simply means that it will stop producing sound in favor of noise. The midrange drive size difference is less dramatic, but my guess is that the CSW box is sturdier and less resonant than the JBL box.

The only way to test them is to listen to both side-by-side in your own listening space. Lacking that, trust the advice of someone you trust in these things. If that's me, then go with the CSW package and forget about the JBLs. (No, I don't own stock in CSW--don't even own one of their products. But they have a rock solid reputation for value and quality.)

Second, don't worry about the impedances. CSW wouldn't market them as a package if they didn't work together. Besides, virtually every A/V receiver made these days can handle both six ohm and eight ohm loads. No biggie. And, no, if you combine the speakers from the two makers, impedance matching should not be a problem either.

Yes, a powered sub will give you deeper bass than a passive one. That's because the low frequencies, which are hard enough to drive normally, are given a boost with their own amplifier. However, I've had passive subs that worked quite well, but only mated with the satellite speakers for which they were specifically designed. That's because the passive sub has no crossover, so it's automatically cancelling out signals above a certain frequency and accepting only those signals below that frequency. The plus side to that is greater accuracy, because the crossover has been factory set. A powered sub will have an on board crossover so you can set your own crossover point. Don't like 80Hz? Then try 90Hz!

Yes, the 8" cone will give deeper bass than two 6" cones. However, very deep bass (50Hz and below) causes more problems than it solves. These problems are call "standing waves", which all subs develop (because the wave forms are so large their repetition literally "stands" in your room) but the deeper ones develop more. Standing waves create "boomy" bass, like the stuff you hear in pimped out, low rider cars these days, which will tend to get annoying in the long run. CSW's 6S model (the passive one with two 6" cones) goes down to 45Hz--more than enough for most applications. (Where they won't work? Pipe organ concerts or avalanches at real life volumes...)

As you might guess, I'm more of a fan of honest, audible bass without too many standing waves. Just so you understand, all bass creates standing waves. What you want to do is minimize them. If you agree with that, then the CSW sub will probably be okay.

The penultimate factor in all this is the size of your listening room. If it's 14'x14' or less, then either sub/sat package should work just fine.

Lastly, and for me the clincher, is binding posts vs. spring clips. While I've had some very good speakers with spring clips, they've long since been passe. Binding posts are plentiful and inexpensive these days, and I simply don't even deal with speakers (or receivers) that don't have them.

Gee whiz, David, I think in three missives I've written you a primer on home theater speakers. No charge.

Kindest regards,

Kevin