The packaging was sound.

Me for believing that their home product could be as good as their PC product.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fine tune these speakers. Don't be fooled with the "placement story" behind these speakers. I found them to be on the "bright" to "tinny/harsh" side.

I called CSW before ordering and gave them my room dimensions. They "highly" recommended these speakers, (actually got them as part of the HT system).

In all fairness I've only tried them in a large room. They might sound better in the bathroom or closet, (damn, I forgot the pre-wire). Instead, I think I'll call Goodwill and go for the tax write-off.

BTW, I own CSW's MicroWorks for the PC. This PC sub/sat. is WONDERFUL! My computer with the MicroWorks blows away the Ensembles...........

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Cheese cloth, moth balls, eye ointment

Small

Bass xover freq. too high
Cheesy sound

I bought a set of CSW Proline 3 speakers from Parts Express for $138 as a "truck load buyout". They are Ensemble 2's made for bars or any commercial applicatoin that uses a 70 volt line output on the amps. I removed the 70 volt transformers to use in my home theater. I also bought 3 more of the sats for $35 each for surrounds and center.(the consumer model).
First problem: they arent shielded so you cant put them near the tv- cenetr channel use is out of the question- must by center channel plus speaker.
Upon opening for the rewire, I noted that: cheap caps and iron core inductors are use for the crossovers, large paper cone Tweeters are used (narrow dispersion and poor sound), the vinyl covering is cheap and easily marred.
Hooked them up and let the crank for a few hours.
Sat down to watch a movie. The actors sounded like they were inside the sats. Tried changing placement, height, toe and the same for the "sub" (crime to call it that). Frequency response is real uneven.
Sorry kids, this setup is going to be used ay my friends hunting camp- way to cheesy sounding for anything approaching serious listening. At least I only spent about $250 for the whole rig!
Do as I say, not as I do.

I've owned the CSW Ensemble II system for a couple of years. I do have a small living room with little space for speakers, which is why I went for a sat/sub system.
The Ensemble II system has a very neutral sound that's been quite easy to live with over the long haul. I've found that speakers with more "punch" or "character" get tiresome after a few weeks, but the sound from the Ensemble II is natural and uncolored and wears very well.

Contrary to CSW's claims, I CAN hear where the bass is coming from and, for that reason, wish that I'd sprung for the Ensemble system with two bass units rather than one. The bass reach of the single bass unit left something to be desired, but when I was able to snatch up a Subwoofer II at Best Buy for $160 ($400 list) I got all the bass I wanted.

I found the Ensemble II system to be a good system, not outstanding. It was not what I expected of a $500 speaker system. Music has a slightly artificial electronic tone to it. Mid range warmth is lacking as is upper treble. At higher volumes, the sound becomes "flat". This would probably not be too bothersome since this sound level would not be used very often.
A side by side comparison with the NHT Super Zero's along with a subwoofer quickly revealed the limitations of the Ensemble II system. The NHT system has much more detail and better imaging. Music sounded real, rather than somewhat "tinny" as delivered by the Ensemble system.

A 17 year old pair of Advent's was also compared to the Ensemble II. Even though the Advent's were old, they still delivered a much more believable sound.

At $500, it is best to keep looking . . . beyond the Ensemble II's.

I have had the Ensemble II for about 3 years now. I have been very happy with the speakers. They have a very pleasing sound, very well balanced.
I have recently added Cambridges center channel speaker. I also own the Surround II, Powered Sub, and Slave Sub.

I have been very happy with the complete Hometheater Package.

Tom

The CSW Ensemble speakers are pretty decent speakers. The crossover from the sub to sat is a bit high and you *can* tell where the bass is coming from. But compared to other sub/sat systems in the price bracket, nothing really comes close. The Bose is cool for all about 5 mintes, and then it get's weirder and wierder sounding. For the money, they are above average speakers: cute looking, nice finish, sound alright.

I've had the Ensemble II home theater package for about 8 months now and I love it. The sound is excellent, the best I've heard from a satellite system. As a home theater package, it's great. The only change I made was to upgrade the center channel speaker from the center channel II to the center channel plus, which is a better and less obtrusive looking speaker.The most important thing, however, is the music and it sounds very good to me, especially for the price. Camebridge has occasional sales as well as knowledgable and helpful telephone staff. I would have gotten the Ensemble (not the IIs), but it really only seemed to be necessary for rooms much larger than mine.
It's definitely possible to spend more (a lot more) and by moving away from satellite systems get marginally better sound (at the cost of having to deal with BIG speakers), but the Ensemble II give great bang for the buck.

I purchased a set of the Ensembles over a year ago as a replacement to a set of Bose AM-5 Series II. The Ensemble offers better overall clarity from the satellites, and they do not wear thin after a while as the Bose did.
The key to the Ensembles is that they are enjoyable to listen to. The music is smooth and enjoyable for a speaker system in the price range. Bass is quite good - but remember that I am posting this about the Ensemble, not the Ensemble II.

Another key to the Ensembles is the ability to hide them. I have felt all along that the consumer pays a premium for the luxury of a sat/"sub" system - and while the Ensemble is no exception they are better than many of not most for the price. I can think of many better speakers for the same cost - but every time I either loose bass, gain cabinet size or both! Add to that - when I think of other systems such as the excellent NHT Super Zeros and a subwoofer - the price tag goes up.

I bought my set for the television set that is not on a home theater setup. While they are not cheilded (a point to keep in mind) I have never had a speaker so well suited for video at such a low price as the Ensembles.

At the discounts commonly availible though CSW's own sales or those at Best Buy, I recommend auditioning the CSWs before your shopping is done. Recommended.

Sound quality, contruction, value for the money,
10 yr Warranty, Small size.

Not much bass below 40 hz but what do you want from two
6 1/2" woofers in a single box.

I've had mine for a couple of weeks. I use them with a
110 x 4 w/per ch JVC Pro Logic receiver. They sound just fine. Good sound stage, clear mids and highs and even good bass extension in my fairly large living room. The satellites are on stands about 27" high and a foot from the wall. The sub is just left of the right satellite on the floor 3" from the wall with the port facing forward. I cannot localize the low bass just as Cambridge states. I use the system for home theater as well music listening (vintage rock, blues, pop and some classical). My son has listened to rap on these and is impressed also.
I paid $330 with free shipping and they even came with a free Soundworks sub/sat system to boot (which sounds very good with my laptop). Try them out. You have 45 days to send them back if you don't like them!

Value, size and build quality.

None, unless you compare them to more expensive speakers.

Have been using the Ensenbles for over a year and now am shopping for floorstanding speakers. Found ones I would really like but I decided to keep the Ensembles. Why? Because the Ensembles sound good enough and when you consider the fact that they are so small and easy to live with I decided it's not worth the hassel and($900.00) cost to upgrade. Also, CSW is right, you have to move the spakers around to get the best sound. That's a lot easier to do with the Ensembles as opposed to floorstanding speakers.

By themselves the Ensembles sound fine. I listen to a lot of quiet jazz and especially find the bass to be very realistic. Imaging is not three dimensional but it is acceptable(you can dedinitely hear the vocals coming from the middle of the soundfield). If you compare them side by to much more expensive speakers you won't want the Ensembles. If you're looking for audiophile quality sound(which would be nice) don't get the Ensembles.

One more thing to think about. If you connect any speaker to an inexpensive receiver and CD player you won't get such great sound. My Ensembles are connected to a Harmon-Kardon 3270 with heavy gauge wire.

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