I recently purchased the Center Channel Plus unit from a garage sale with two wall hanging bose speakers. we have tested all the wires and they are working great. everything is attached to a new receiver but the center speaker is not working. there is no sound. could this be a result of not attaching a male port to the end of the wires? presently we have exposed wires clamped to the back attachment of the center panel.
anyone have a problem similar to this.

Low profile fits like a glove under 27" tv with optional stand. Much better than the generic mass-market speakers available at CC/BestBUY - especially for under $100

Needs equalization for best sound reproduction. Very power hungry - rated at 100W and practically requires that much to get decent volume out of it.

I bought this mainly for the low profile, good looks, and ability to get the stand and stick everything under my 27" Proscan. It looks great, works great. However, it definitely needs to be equalized. Has a big hump spreading from 200Hz to almost 2kHz, centered at about 700Hz. This explains a lot of the nazal, tin-can sound everyone else has been noticing. Of course, a good speaker shouldn't need EQ... Once set up and dialed in properly, this speaker is fine for small to medium home theaters. I thought it may have been a little bit high priced 10 years ago, but considering it's competition at the time, was not a bad deal. Definitely not worth more than $100 today with all the excellent centers you can buy between $250-400...

Doesn't look too bad.

Tinny, Brassy, lacking warmth. Sounds like 2"x4" TV speakers.

I bought a set of Ensembles on Ebay, and the seller threw in the Center Channel Plus, and I can tell why. I have owned a couple sets of CSW speakers, and really like them, especially for the price. In my opinion, the CenterChannel Plus is just "a little" better than my TV speakers, in an A/B comparison. Voices don't have a natural sound, too tinny, brassy, etc. Upgraded to the CSW CenterStage(maybe a tad warm on female voices, but "much" fuller, more natural sound for a center channel).

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CSW CenterStage

it has a cool factor in its size and qty of drivers.

extremely limited range.

For the rest of the people writing good reviews about this speaker I say; YOU HAVENT A CLUE! I owned this center for several years and never realized the amount of low end needed for a center when using pro logic. You absolutely need one that reaches down to 60hz or lower. I upgraded to an mc500 with 6.5" drivers and rediscovered all of my music.

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csw mc500 center,polk cs245i.

The strength is really a weakness: Don''t just shop for price.

The weakness is my own: I should have sent them back.

Even though it''s too late, I''d like to thank all of you for sharing experiences with the Cambridge Soundworks Center Channel Plus. Not that I''m researching for the purchase of this product . . .just thought it would be interesting to hear comments about something I''ve lived with since the early 90''s. I agree with all negative posts about the Center Channel Plus. This has been one of the worse mistakes I ever made. The other mistake was getting the rest of the same company product line. After break-in time of over ten years, I can still say that the sound is like the day I received them. The voices sound like people talking with a clothes-pin on their nose. They don''t even sound close to their mates, the Ensembles, not that the Ensembles ever had a great sound, either. Take my word: DON''T BUY THEM. If you''re on a budget, hold on to your money and get something better. Think. You''re getting a supplementary system for improvement. Why would you want these if you''re better-off with the TV sound? I usually give away used equipment to my friends whenever I upgrade. In this case, the Cambridge Soundworks product will be dumped. I fear my friends would never speak to me again, or worse, these speakers might be given back to me. I can remember the day I received my Surrounds (they suck, too!), the Center Ch. Plus ("plus" crap), and four Ensembles (sheilded and regular). A comparison of the regular Ensembles and sheilded Ensembles have a different tone. I was unhappy then (as an entry level) and I''m still unhappy today. What a waste. Two good things to say. 1. I''ve learned a lesson in the importance of research before you buy. Send it back if no good. 2. In reading the majority of posts about this product on this site, I have established a greater level of confidence and respect for the people who take the time to write their thoughts. Thank you. Mike Aspras

Natural voice, wide soundstage, looks fabulous on my TV, great price.

Weak music reproduction, weak off-axis for highs, sounds wooden with some inputs

I bought the Center Channel Plus to upgrade my Ensemble IV center, hoping for another CSW value home run. I have an excellent A/V reciever (see the Technics SADA-10 reviews)and a tight, musical Pinnacle CT-80 sub, so I figured this would complete my HT high-value "clean sweep." Best laid plans. I find another reviewer has characterized my experience thus far with the Center Channel Plus - mildly frustrating. At its best (with voice passages, most DTS, nightly news!) it reproduces quite natural human voices, and good, wide, mid-range non-music passages. It HAS taken a long time to find the balance point between L/C/R/Sub, and I still tweak it constantly, sensing it could be a little bit better. It looks way modern and hip on my Mitsu 32" TV, and the price was right. It sounds noticeably better at higher volume levels. However, I find it''s quite limited in musical reproduction (the original Ensemble IV center actually sounds better with music). With certain passages, it does sound rather boxy and dull. I''d guess this stems from the tweeter having a particularly narrow soundfield, plus its limited top end (17khz). As I move my ear over the face of the speaker, I find it sounds best - quite good - right in front of the tweeter, but immediately off-axis the response drops off dramatically, to "wooden". All told, the Center Channel Plus is an good value (due to its incredibly low price), and it does some things well. It''s just not the high value purchase I was expecting from CSW, and that I strive for. I''m keepin'' my eye out for a better value out there.

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CSW Ensemble IV center

Slim Design, Fits on Top of TV, Handles wide range of power

Dialogue muddied, off axis dialogue hard to understand

I have been happy with my complete CS system. I bought the entire system while in college. It was affordable to but in pieces, until I had the complete system assembled. Have it hooked up to Yamaha 2092, with NHT SW2Pi to add Bass. I am looking into getting Denon 5700 and upgrade my venerable Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble with Paradigm Monitor 9's. Still in the budget phase, will be ready to take the dive into new speakers sometime this year.

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Paradigm CC-350, NHT Superzero

slim design, good power handling capability, realistic reproduction of dialogue.

can sound a little flat on quiet passages.

Usually, I skim thru these reviews to comparison shop (or to rate them against my personal experience). I am sure there are a few better center channel products out there, but you would be hard pressed to find it at anywhere near this price. When I purchased this speaker, I was rounding out a HT system consisting of the the CS original Ensemble and the Surround (not the 5.1).
My amplifer was a Technics Pro Logic reciever-definitely low-fi, and I found that the center channel plus constantly overshadowed the fronts, and required constant adjustment. That was cured with an upgrade to the Onkyo TXDS777(B) NO HISS. This reciever really kicks ass- but that's another review. Music and backgound info pan seamlessly from left to right, dialogue is crystal clear, and once I CORRECTLY matched the recievers' settings to the center channel, I have not needed any other tweaking. This speaker does it's job, and purchasing a reciever with three times the capability didn't hurt either!! Take the time to set this speaker up correctly, and you won't be disapointed.

Nicely made speaker very efficient speaker that looks good and sounds even better. One of the better center channel speakers I have used.

A little hard to set on top ov a TV

I really like the sound of this speaker.It brings out most center channel information well.Tends to be a little weak on music passages. The price of this speaker was it's best point. I got one at the local Cambridge soundworks store and it was the same price I had found on the net.

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NHT center channel and infinity center channel

Price and 5 way binding posts.

Cambridge Soundworks claims that this center channel speaker tonally matches the Ensemble satellites. I have a 5 channel setup with all Cambridge SoundWorks speakers driven by a Denon AVR-3200. I use a Velodyne 68XL Subwoofer to augment the bass. I think that the Center Channel Plus makes dialogue sound muddy and unfocused. I have tried all the settings on the Denon just to make certain that it is not the speaker.

Cambridge SoundWorks does an excellent job with marketing and probably have most of the "popular" audio/video magazines in their back pocket. I purchased the Ensemble ten years ago when I was in college an they have served me faithfully for a decade. So, I figured that I would buy matching speakers for a complete 5.1 setup. The system looks good, but the sound is definitely "entry level". So, in conclusion, if you want a center channel speaker that fits on the top of a RPTV then this speaker will work and will match the Ensembles, BUT you get what you pay for !!!

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I am currently upgrading to the Monitor Audio Silver series, beginning with the Silver Centre.