Price Paid:  $230.00 from CSW

Summary:
The Ambiance now is offered in 5.5, 6.6 and 8" models, without the rear enclosure. I installed two 8" as front and two 5.5" as surround/rear speakers into a 18’ x 16’ room. I use a Sony center and a CSW Basscube 12, all running through a Sony 333ES AV receiver. This is a awesome set up. The Ambiance in walls reproduce movie soundtracks with crystal clarity and great dynamic range. I cross the Bass over at about 80hz, which is seems about right. My local (Palo Alto) CSW store recommended the placements and speaker size based on my room size and equipment and they were right on, and as icing on the cake, they are a steal on sale.

Strengths:
Easy to install, great dynamic range

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Bass Cude 12

Summary:
I have owned CSW Ambiances since they were first made available in the early 1990s as bookshelf units. The still available in-wall and the discontinued bookshelf versions of the CSW Ambiance should be characteristically similar. Two Ambiances serve as a stereo pair in our office, connected to a Optimus receiver and a Pioneer subwoofer, crossed over at 80 Hz. These well-constructed speakers sound exceptional with fine treble reach and bass extension that belies their small size, and they present music smoothly throughout the frequency range. Given its size (11 x 7 x 5), the Ambiance cannot get below 50 Hz, but even before we had added the subwoofer, the Ambiance was able to reproduce satisfactorily the frequency extremes in the soundtrack recording from the film "Glory." A third Ambiance functions as the center channel in our home theater with the CSW Ensemble.
The Ambiance is among the few in-wall speakers to feature a sealed, acoustic suspension cabinet. This means installation need not require building a wooden cabinet inside a wall to dampen wallboard vibration.

In the new home we are planning, we plan for five in-wall Ambiances to be the speakers of choice for music and home theater.

Highly recommended at $175 each, especially for those desiring fine sound without breaking one's budget.

Summary:
I own a pair of these as well as a few other CSW systems, and I must say they impress me for their size and price. The bass from such a small speaker is particularly impressive.