BAD. Better sound from other cheap $200 junk like Aiwa or even sony. Aiwaand sony also suck but they beat the model 88 in loudness and bass with
their much larger multiple way detatchable speakers. At least it beats a
Panisonic SA-AK20.

nice sound for a small room

bass can be overwhelming

pretty nice unit, i use it in a small carpeted bar-room. no matter where i put it, i have to keep the bass on the lowest setting or else the subwoofer is overpowering. also, i cannot figure out why anyone would use the "wide" setting. that said, the overall sound is nice, the unit is quite mobile and sounds great with a cd player. especially if compared to a bose, the price is right, and the mobility is much better than many of the other mini systems (e.g. jvc series). i'd get another.

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bose wave

Sound, ease of use

None

This is a very nice stereo. I have it in a bedroom, and it provides terrific sound and takes up very little room. I would have liked to purchase the CD version, but I could not justify the $200 premium. I have it hooked up to an external antenna and it gets very good reception.

This unit was a refurbished one that I purchased from Hifi.com via an Ebay auction. The warranty is the same as if it was purchased brand new.

Great overall sound

Terrible AM/FM reception and customer support

The sound is very good and full. The bass is great for such a small unit. But, the usefullness of this unit is limited to the CD player only. The FM reception is *very* bad. I thought that mine might be defective so I sent it back and requested a new one. I got the new one and it had the same problem. After I got the run-around, I found out that it is a known problem. Instead of fixing the problem they added an external powered antenna as an accessory that you may want to buy. Who would buy an antenna that is larger than the clock radio itself? - the reason people buy this thing is because it is portable. I sent the second unit back and have been trying to get my money back from them ever since (its been 6 weeks since I returned it). Whenever I call, I get the run-around. Warning - Don't buy from them.

Similar Products Used:

Bose Wave

Big clear sound in small package; high quality FM sound

Midrange is weak; AM reception is poor

Excellent product for a small room, office, or bedroom. Having bought a refurb unit through ebay I think the value is excellent. Certainly the bass very good, though a little 'boomy'. The midrange is somewhat lacking. Distortion is very good. As many people have noted, the AM reception is poor. It's easy to find some flaws like these but overall for the money the sound quality really is very good.

Similar Products Used:

Bose waveradio

Wonderful Sound Tonal balance is precise and natural
Plenty of power
Tuner with a Terk non powered antenna is wonderful on FM
Adequate on AM

Needs an external AM antenna jack

I have heard several Mini Systems and own a large stereo with a powerful subwoofer and I am using the Cambridge Soundworks Model 88 in place of that system almost all the time.The timbre of this little powerhouse is perfect.
The bass level tuned slightly below the center position is for me the best for bass response.
Boomboxes and indeed some large systems have massive bass and terrible timbre.This radio balances all the tones perfectly.
I have never owned a piece of equipment that I am so happy with.
I purchased it on sale for $150.00 and just hooked up the Terk non powered antenna that cost $20.00 and hooked up a Panasonic porable CD player and have a wonderful system.
Hats off to Henry Kloss and team for making as close to a perfect product as you will find in todays market.

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None

FM tuner, under counter mounting bracket, bang for buck, sound quality and bass response for small unit

only six presets per band

I was looking for a way to get some quality sound in my kitchen and not use any counter space. The Bose Wave was nice but for $350 I could buy a real stereo that sounds a lot better. At $200 the 88 was much more reasonably priced. And comparing their sounds I was suprised to find that the CSW 88 sounded better than the Bose. When I was able to get this radio for $100 it was a no brainer. CSW still made their money on the under the cabinet mounting bracket for $39.
So first the sound. With a powered sub woofer in the radio case itself you have a very full sound with an adjustment for the bass in the back. I found the bass sounded more realistic,natural than the Bose Wave radio. That suprised me, considering the hype surrounding the Wave Radio. It is very surprising to here such full bass coming from such a small package. I have listened to jazz, rock, blues and classical and it all was very pleasing. Even some Celtic Christmas stuff. The sound will fill a small room without distorting.
The FM receiver is simply superior. I am pulling weak signals from 35-45 miles away. Loud and clear. I need an outdoor attenna to pull the same stations in on more expensive stereos. And if you get some hiss switch to mono and it clears right up. The AM receptions was at least adequate to good.
This unit is excellent for comfortable background listening. I think it would be crazy to consider The Bose over this radio even if the price was equal. Mostly because of the superior bass. Full range the Wave and this seemed very similar. Both were good.
If you like your music loud get a couple of inexpensive bookshelf speakers and a receiver for $350. But for an under the cabinet spacesaver for the kitchen, this unit is awesome. A nice small remote that seems kitchen friendly. You have enough space between the top of the radio and the cabinet to fit a portable CD or MP3 player.
Don't use the Wide mode when listening to vocals. But it is nice with classical. Very nice separation.
Do your self a favor and check for sales on HIFI.Com. Then buy a couple. CSW should market this item more aggressively .

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boom boxes, mini systems, full component systems

This radio sounds quite good -- when it's working properly.

Hissing sound, crackling sound, poor AM reception, shoddy workmanship and finishing, modest mid-range production, dishonest company

If you think you want one of these, buy at a store so you can return it to a person face-to-face when it breaks. I wouldn't buy from ebay because they're probably dumping all of the broken ones there. If you're tempted to bid for one on ebay, first do a search of completed auctions by HIFI.com and you'll find widespread shill bidding -- people (HIFI people of course) bidding the price up, but never "winning". bobna, oldrodie, limerick35@aol.com, and many others have been doing this (don't take my word for it -- look) for some time and ebay has done nothing to stop it. Poor bobna has bid on about 15 of these radios recently and just can't seem to get one at a price he'd like!!!!!!!??? Caveat Emptor. These guys are glorified scam artists -- my opinion again :)
These opinions are mine and not those of audioreview.com

Similar Products Used:

Bose Wave Radio

Audio quality, FM reception, AM audio quality

AM reception

I've always been interested in purchasing a Bose Wave radio-liked the idea of having "big" sound from such a small product, but the price (over $300 American) always kept me away.
When I first learned of the Model 88, however, the first thing that piqued my interest was the price: $199- hey, now we're talking. I could afford that- even if it was not "quite" as good as the Bose.
As it turns out the Model 88 sounded BETTER than my friend's Bose Wave (only slightly, but considering how much cheaper it was, that fact blew me away).
The Bose ad-men go on and on about the "secret" of the Bose: the audio travels thru ducts- around this post, around that, eventually coming out with a very bassy sound. That's really impressive, but the Model 88 designer said "I've got a better idea- I'll just include a subwoofer! So while the model 88 delivers high end and midrange as well as the Bose, in my opinion, the BASE punches out MUCH better than on the Bose- there's even a "volume" control on the back of the '88 to adjust the subwoofer's output- I usually keep this at its lowest level. That's how good it is.

FM reception: I attached a radio shack outdoor directional FM antenna to the back of the 88- result: superb reception with great selectivity. In a valley near Harrisburg I'm able to pull in FM stations from Washington DC. I live very close to a handful of powerful FM transmitters. The Model 88 is the only FM receiver I own that does not get overloaded by these nearby behemoths. IF the 88 was only a "normal" sounding radio, the reception capabilities alone would make this unit almost worth the asking price.
AM reception: Not nearly as good as FM, infact it's probably the worst AM receiver I own for DX; having said that, the SOUND on AM is great- with music stations it can, at times, sound almost as good as FM on a smaller radio. With this in mind, I use the 88 as a local AM "program listening" radio- it's non-fatiguing sound makes it great for local big band or urban music stations.

Similar Products Used:

Bose Wave

I recently purchased the Model 88 radio, mainly because I wanted a music system that sounded better than those awful mass-market shelf/rack systems. I only had about $200 to spend, so I came upon an add for this radio and decided to give it a try. My overall impression of this radio is very good:
Sound quality: 5 stars; quite good bass for such a small enclosure, very reasonable amount of loudness, considerably more accurate than most shelf systems, slight spittiness on female vocals (dance music sounds VERY good).

Tuner performance: 4 stars; very good FM reception (even without included wire antenna), above-average AM reception.

Attractiveness: 4 stars; very nice-looking, but I would like a sleeker look.

Extras: 5 stars; Cool little remote (about 3 1/2" x 2") that has great range for its size, two inputs (CD and AUX) that include RCA jacks AND a 3.5 mm minijack, sleep function, bass level control, six AM and six FM preset selectable stations, headphone jack, input for 12-16 VDC power sources (such as cars/boats), "wide" button that sends out-of-phase signals to opposite channels (this extends the soundstage considerable on some recordings).

Value: 5 stars; great sound for $200, great features, easy to use, will probably impress your friends due to its unassuming appearance.