Price Paid:  $500.00 from hifi.com through eBa

Summary:
I was looking for a subwoofer to go with the mixture of speakers I already had when I came across a refurbished Movieworks 5.1 on eBay. Since the price was not that much more than a quality sub, I decided to take a chance on getting the entire set. I also thought that it would be good to have the timber matched by having a coordinated system. I was generally pleased with what I had, but wanted to take advantage of the full effects that DVD offered as well as my new Denon 1802 digital reciever. If the other speakers didn't sound that great, I could still use the sub. Cambridge lists the sub price at $450, so $50 for the rest of the speakers was a small risk. When I got the system just a few days later, I couldn't wait to hook it all up. I just got the reciever the day before, so I had a bit of work to do. At first I was not impressed. Part of the problem was that I had the front speakers too close to the TV for good seperation. I also hadn't yet learned all of the adjustments on the digital reciever. Not to mention the burning in period for the speakers (I think that some people reject speakers too soon -before they have had a chance to breathe like a fine wine and develop their true sound). Well, this took me a while. At first I had the front speakers hanging flat on the wall. They did better when I got some brackets so I could toe them in towards my listening area. The base seemed a bit muddy, so I placed a board with some tile on it between the sub and the floor. The center channel is a Center Stage speaker. This is a large and powerful center. Like some others, I keep the volume down on this. I try to use it more to fill in the sound of the fronts instead of the other way around. The surround speakers are 5.1 Nextel Multis. These have dipole- bipole switching so you can choose between more focused or dispersed surround effects. I use different settings depending on what I am listening to. Overall, the speakers are well balanced. I don't notice dropoff between the lows of the fronts and where the subwoofer kicks in like you often find in satellite systems. I used the manufacturer's recomended setting for the pass filter on the sub. It is connected to the pre- amp out instead of the sub out on the receiver. Now that things are getting broken in and properly adjusted it is sounding great and I am selling my other speakers. It is really amazing how

Strengths:
It was what I needed at price I couldn't refuse. Great sound from a small package.

Weaknesses:
The center channel is a bit powerful, but just turn it down. I would have liked some speaker placement advice from them, but found some good info at www.polkaudio.com.

Similar Products Used:
ADS, Klipsch (center), Infinity

Price Paid:  $500.00 from ebay

Summary:
The best part of this system is definitely the sub; it's wonderful and not over-powering. If you're looking for a good sub, I would pair this w/ any system I could afford.

Reading the reviews, I expected more from the Center Channel, but wasn't completely disappointed. It just didn't have the separation and clarity I expected

The front and rear speakers are acceptable for HT, but not that great for Music CDs. When playing music or TV, they have a "tinny" sound resonating from them.

Overall, for the price paid, I think it's a pretty good deal; however, if I payed actual retail, I would've sent them back.

As it is, I'm keeping the sub, but replacing the mains w/ Klipsch sb-3s, the center w/ the Klipsch sc-1, and the surrounds w/ Klipsch ss-1s.

Strengths:
The Sub Rocks; The Center is average

Weaknesses:
the Main Speakers and the Surround speakers aren't that impressive

Similar Products Used:
none

Price Paid:  $1499.00 from cambridge soundworks store

Summary:
Enamored with HT, but didn't want to take the big plunge without getting my feet wet first. At the same time, I had to live with my purchase for several years. How do you strike the balance? It took some time and some serious listening ...

Being an amateur musician, unfortunately (or fortunately?) my ears are a little more sensitive than my friends and neighbors. I needed to get something good enough to satisfy, and make me smile without getting into high-end HT (maybe later?)

Most "starter systems" sounded like disappointing junk to my ears. Maybe some people can't hear the difference, but ... Went to several audio retailers, and had them "trade up" in price point until the sound was good enough to not make me wince. Go a little farther, and I started to smile. Take the price point for the "ears smiling" package ... and compare.

Ended up with the CSW Soundworks 5.1 package. Had never done business with them before. Best smile factor at the lowest cost.

The great thing(s) about this package are the center speaker (no disappointments here!) and the authoritative sub. The fronts and rears are plenty crisp (no complaints), but the center and sub make the package rock, and separate this one from all the others.

We have a fair-sized living room, but don't need to loosen the plaster when we watch movies. Accuracy at mid-level volumes was important, as well as clarity from the center speaker and (of course) having the sub kick in smoothly and definitively ...

Mission accomplished ... no regrets! Watched ID4, Matrix et. al. today ... great performance from the setup with very little tweaking once I had it basically set up.

BTW, skip the Onkyo included with the package, trade up to the Marantz SR-5000 (no extra charge). If you can put up with a difficult manual and installation (plus no dedicated LFE-sub out), the Marantz sound will be very rewarding.

I finally slaved my sub off the center channel (the sub's installation manual tells you how to do this) and told the DVD player I didn't have sub ... the results are (nearly) perfect. If it's all about the sound, the SR-5000 does the job perfectly, suffering only in a few ergonomic areas. Just remember to crank it to 70 or more when you're installing it, or you'll think that something is broken because there's no sound (!)

Strangely enough, the DVD player (Sony DVP-570D, $400) saved my butt in configuring the system, due to the weak setup options on the amp. Enough granularity in the setup menu to take the tweaking the final few yards ... with great results.

Could I have spent more? Yes, and I will some day. Did I end up with a system that satisfies my ears without immediatly wishing I had spent more, or chosen something different? Yep! I figure this will last me for a few years (or more!) without that constant gnawing to buy something better. And the smile factor is pretty darn good.

Everything I heard below this price point (CSW, Kenwood, Blows, et. al.) just had that "el-cheapo" sound, and I couldn't bring myself to spend money on something that audibly sucks. Accuracy is big with me. With the pkg price, it works out to something like $1000 for the speakers and $500 for the amp. I feel I did great with the amp, and fantastic with the speakers.

If you're like me (first time HT user, but can't stand cheap-sounding A/V equipment), you'll probably find this an attractive compromise. BTW, using the CSW stands allowed me to precisely position the speakers for optimum effect.

Happy Listening!

Strengths:
Crisp, definitive sound. Easy setup (speakers, not amp). Pretty good "wow" factor. Center speaker rocks. Authoritative subwoofer. Crisp, accurate fronts and rears. Blends w/decor using optional stands. No regrets for a starter HT system that makes your ears smile.

Weaknesses:
Included amp (SR-5000) was a bit difficult to integrate, but worked out OK once decoded.

Similar Products Used:
(audio) Klipsch speakers, Yamaha power amps.

Summary:
I got this unit (CSW Movieworks II 5.1 ) after returning my BOSE AM6 the Polk PSW120 powered subwoofer.
The sound is far better than Bose AM6 + powered subwoofer.

The bass with the included Basscube 10 is very good and
there is ample power to shake the a mid sized living room.

The movie tracks sounds awesome.

I wouldn't recommend this for serious music listening;
but for Dolby Digital 5.1 movie soundtracks it is the best
speakers you can buy for the price (It cost me $879
at HIFI.com, which includes the Powered BassCube 10 subwoofer).

Strengths:
Good sound for movies and price

Weaknesses:
Good for movie tracks, not recommended for music listening

Similar Products Used:
Bose AM6

Summary:
I'll be first to admit, I'm no audio/video/stereophile ... but I'm progressing. For the price, I consider the CSW MW 5.1 set (paid $1600) -- which also included a nice DD receiver (Marantz SR 585) -- a secondary "entry-level" set; it's infinitely better than any shelf system or rack system and much better than any "mass-market" company speakers (ie the poor Sony, Yamaha, Advent, etc.).

Again, if you're really into the big-time, get some B&W's or KEFs or Paradigms, separate components in terms of amp/preamp, and mix-and-match your way to audio bliss (that's where I'm headed in a couple of years). But in the $1500 range, this set-up is satisfying. In no way is CSW a "high-end" company and I honestly believe that Kloss had no intentions of making it that way. But again, there are dozens of HT sets in the price range and the MW 5.1 is one of the better ones.

Sat-Sub technology will never compete with the floor-standing loudspeakers (that's why CSW has multiple products lines offering speakers ranging from the very small to the big). THere is simply too much compromise in terms of pure sound (the imaging, the soundstage, etc. etc.). BUt for a smaller room (under 15X20) or if the "wife factor" looms large, this would be the way to go.

Strengths:
good performance for its cost
nice "middle-entry-level" HT package

Weaknesses:
like all speakers in the price range, this set-up will have you wanting more (for much more money)