I agree there are limitations to these speakers which I have had for six years and have tried to replace them a couple of times but speakers in my price range weren't that much better in my room. The Ensemble does benefit from tweaks--the addition of audioquest 4 wire and isolation pads( with good pads you might not need stands) under the satellites made a big difference--as did playing with the placement of the two woofers and the satellites which are much more sensitive to placement than I would guessed from the company lit. Recently, a salesman from a local hi-end establishment which sells $60k speakers stopped by to buy some lps I had for sale. Bob Marley's exodus was playing as he came in. He said, "That album sounds better than I remember it. and then he stood looking for the speakers (the speakers double as part of my home theatre system in a large entertainment ctr.). When he saw what he was listening to, he was a little surprised--I am sure that he has knocked CSW ensemble to his customers. All in all not a bad buy. I don't regret it at all.

I bought the Ensemble a few months back and am very pleased with the sound. The sub-sat combination allows for flexible placement, something that was much needed in my setting. The sound is very neutral, much to my liking. While they don't go below 50 Hz, something that movie watchers may want, I personally could not go below this frequency anyway without annoying my neighbors. To get a stronger bass response, I have placed the bass units together in the corner. Also, I have the satellites on stands I purchased from Cambridge(they cost about $100). My speakers are currently about 10 feet apart and are 1 foot away from the wall. I would recommend adjusting the distance these speakers are apart, and the distance they are from the wall. That will improve the sound quality.
I believe that for the price, I paid $499 (sale price), these speakers are a great buy. Coupled with the 7 year limited warranty, the average warranty being 3 years from most speaker manufacturers, I think the value just gets better.
Frankly, I am surprised to see some "1" ratings out here. Most of them complained about the lack of low bass extension with this speaker set. While that is true, the speakers go down to about 50 Hz without any problem, they sound real good on music, most of which does not require to reproduce frequencies lower than 50 Hz. For movies one can either add a powered sub or just buy the ensemble satellites along with the Cambridge Soundworks 12 inch powered sub. That will take you down to about 30 Hz. Give these speakers a try. I don't think you will be disappointed with its value!

When considering or reviewing these Cambridge speakers, it is important that one maintain perspective. Though I have recommended these speakers to a number of people, I have not recommended them to everyone. I think these are excellent speakers if you have the following audio needs/requirements: 1) the room that these speakers will be placed is relatively small; 2) the setup of the room does not permit the placement of larger floor-standing speakers; 3) your price range is around the $500 to $600 ballpark.
Several years ago, people were trying to "fit" home theatre systems in their existing living space. The placement of larger "boxes" were not only impractical, but also a interior decorator's nightmare. The Cambridge speaker provided relief in this area. For a very modest price, the average consumer could purchase an above average speaker that didn't make your living room look like a college dormatory. These are excellent sounding speakers that can easily be easily placed on a fireplace mantle (though the B&W 603 are excellent sounding speakers, they would look like hell on most fireplace mantles). Like most people who posted earlier, I too have a problem with the cross-over point of the sub-woofers. But in a smaller room, the directionality of the low-frequencies are not as acute.

A couple of helpful hints with the Cambridge Ensemble system: 1) place the sub-woofer speakers together; 2) place the sub-woofers in a corner in front, not behind the listener; 3) wire the subwoofers and satellites independently-"quasi bi-wire fashion"; 4) use better speaker wire--inexpensive recommendation: THE KIMBER PR4 ($1.50 per ft).

I have some experience with these speakers, for questions you may contact me at a_wensuc@msn.com

I tried these during one of their factory sales period. Had them for 3 weeks before I decided to send them back. My problems with them were:1. The build quality was questionable, one of the satellite speakers had a binding post that was fitted such that I was impossible to use speaker wires terminated with pin. There was also noticable crack/fracture lines on the woofer box. and one corner was actually slightly crushed and badly chipped. Now the packing boxes were not damaged so I have to assume that they were not damaged in shipping but in the factory. Secretly, I suspect that they give me some B-stocks even though I was paying the prices for new, undemo stuff.
2. The bass production is not quite as good as with the ensemble II, even with manipulating the placement of both sub, the ensemble II sounded better. so why should I pay more for the ensemble I?
3.The satellites were too bright for my liking. Treble is a little excessive. Just didn't sound natural or right to me. So, I didn't get the ensemble II either.

I tried other sat/sub from Eosone (which I didn't like the dipole satellites) and Bose(which was way too expensive or very poor value for money). I wouldn't think that the Eosone is better, just different.

Btw, I finally tried and fell in love with the Energy Take-5 system. Frankly, the energy sat/sub (ES-8 subwoofer ($300) and a pair of Take-2 sat speakers($180)) can take on the Ensemle anytime for any piece of music you care to feed it (lower & more defined bass, imaging and soundstaging is excellent) . And it cost lesser ($300+180 LIST! not sale!) than the ensemble sale price.

I saw these at a Cambridge factory outlet. There were copies of Stereo Review articles on the shelf praising this speaker to no end. When the salesman finally played these speakers for me I was greatly dissapointed. I guess I was expecting too much from them. They had a hole in the mid bass region that caused these speakers to sound bloated and undynamic. The highs were a little harsh. The bass modules were not very transparent. They could easily be localized. Over all, this was a below anerage speaker.

I have had the ensemble speakers for eight years. They were an upgrade from the "smaller Advent" so it was definitely a step up. There is no question that their bass response stops at about 50 Hz and that the woofer placement is much more touchy then the manufacturer claims. However I am pretty well pleased with them. I have been looking around lately and can't find anything better for the money. (at least here in Vermont) I'm thinking of adding a PSB Alpha-1 subwoofer, tried one out and was very pleased with the bass improvement. For all but the most intense listening they are quite good, and much easier to deal with from an aesthetic point of view.

I've had an Ensemble system for a few months now and am very pleased. At first, the satelites do sound a bit harsh and tinny, but I find that this is due to a slight roll off in the mid range. Proper placement is definitly key to these speakers. The subs and sats need to be carefully arranged and rearranged before making any judgements on them. Bass is deep and clear, but a little softer than most listenners are used to. A powered sub helps a lot! Overall the entire system is clean and fairly accurate, but don't expect much punch out of them. These are not party speakers; they're music speakers. (If you're interested, try listenning to CSW's Tower III's for the same price.)

These are some of the best sub/sat speakers CSW offers. They have tight, clean bass down to around 40 Hz, with smooth midrange and clear highs. They handle any amount of power I crank through them without damage, and play quite loud. The use of two woofer modules was a good idea because it makes the bass location less noticeable. They have the best warranty I have seen (10 years!) and they have natural sound comparable to products in the $1000-$1400 range. I highly recommend them, but use a high-quality receiver, which means Harmon/Kardon, Denon, etc. and not Sony, Pioneer, or Technics. These speakers are hard to beat.

I was initially setting up my HT system when I bought this Ensemble speakers asan open box purchase. For $250, I know it's a good deal. Though I can not compare this to my NHT Super1's (in the front and center) in terms of imaging and clarity, the lower bass extension (possibly in the upper 40Hz region) makes
the Ensemble a very good surround speaker in my Dolby Digital setup. This way, I am able to set the bass mgmt to "large" in all 5 channels. Also, the
placement flexibility is endless. I could hide the bass modules in one corner,
and put the satellites on stands where they look good. And when I'm tired with this setup, I can put the bass module closer to and below the satellites but still look pleasing. I know Ensemble could be beat by speakers from DefTech,
Mirage, etc. but not for $250/pair that has bass extension down to upper 40-ish Hz.

New Ensemble (dual woofs, twin sats), $449 special (+$50 S&H).
I measured the output using Stereophile's Test CD 3.

The listening room is not anechoic (18x12x8'). The low to mid
range tested fine (as expected); the high end was piercing (I'm
wearing ear plugs during this test). First, the low range, then
the mids, then the highs. This may be formatted oddly but
hopefully not messed up too badly by the posting machine.

Amp was set to pass-through so flat as flat gets (electronics-wise).

Lows:

One woof in a corner, tile floor, measured at 1m w/digital meter:

Freq dB (A weighting):

_20: 55,
_25: 56,
_30: 64,
_40: 68,
_50: 77,
_60: 83,
_80: 80,
100: 80,
120: 80,
160: 75,
200: 74,

The above is one woof's output only. Freqs below 30 seemed to
be the real thing, not doubling distortion.

All LS positioned normally, measured at approximately 2m:

Freq dB (A weighting):

__20: 51
__25: 54,
__30: 62,
__40: 67,
__50: 77,
__60: 78,
__80: 76,
_100: 76,
_120: 77,
_160: 75,
_200: 80,
_250: 81
_300: 81,
_400: 81,
_500: 81,
_600: 82,
_800: 85,
1.0k: 86,
1.5k: 85,
2.0k: 84,

Above 2kHz output rose dramatically from the highly reflective
room (tile floors), as high as 100dB at 5kHz. These measurements
were taking on-axis (at about 2m):

2.5k: 90,
3.0k: 96,
4.0k: 99,
5.0k: 100,
6.0k: 100,
8.0k: 95,
_10k: 93,
_12k: 90,
_16k: 85,
_20k: 70

I cannot stipulate to the quality of the test CD.

Suggestions: An equalizer may help give some bass back without
resorting to a subwoof (I use +3dB at 30Hz). A typical 100Hz bass
control is too high and tends to muddy the sound rather than boosting
the bass. Depending on the room, a cut in the treble (2kHz and above)
is probably a good idea. A dead room may do fine as-is.

Construction appears good. The sats are heavy plastic, and I've not
heard the grill at all. The woofs are small, and very skinny. They
are directional so they should not be put togther on either side, but
instead in separate corners. I've got the sats about 4 feet up, and
1 foot out, at the outside ends of shelving. Between them is a heavy
curtain. The shipping weight was 53 lbs, so about 20lbs each for the
woofs. These are in white, and I barely notice them (sight or sound).

The sound is clear, and plays very loudly without apparent strain.
I've never bottomed a woof, but I haven't tried. It's likely that
this loudspeaker system is better than most of your CDs, so if you
don't need big ugly boxes to impress your friends (and neighbors!),
this system is worth a try out. Get an equalizer, or a subwoofer,
and turn the treble down in a bright room, and you'll hear things
you may have missed in your last 'best in the world' speakers.

Three stars, since anything this cheap can't be that good...right?