Cambridge SoundWorks DeskTop Theater DTT2500 Review

Installation of the Cambridge SoundWorks DTT2500 takes a lot more time than most speaker setups. There are just a lot more speakers to account for. You should label each speaker wire to make it easy to connect to the control amp. All wires and connectors are included with the system. Cambridge even included extra long speaker wires for the rear speakers. I was able  to setup in 30 minutes.

Proper setup of the Cambridge SoundWorks DTT2500 is required to get the full effect of the surround sound. I placed the main front speakers on either side of the Sony G500 monitor. They are angled up at the ears. The center channel speaker was placed on top of the G500 using the supplied monitor mounting bracket. The rear surround  speakers were placed on the supplied speaker stand behind me. The stands angle the speakers up like the front speakers. The sub woofer was placed under the desk. The soundcard used to test the Cambridge SoundWorks DTT2500 was the new Vortex 2 SQ2500 from Aureal.

With the system all setup I fired up a game of UT and let it rip. The A3D sound of UT was taken to a level I've never heard before. While Aureal claims A3D sound can be done with two speakers, it takes on a new dimension when rear speaker are put into the mix. I was literally surrounded with sound. A rocket that missed me and blew pass my right ear came off with such realism  it made me shake. When running away from an enemy you can hear their footsteps chasing behind you. It's enough to produce sensory overload on  a big map with a lot of players. The Cambridge SoundWorks DTT2500 took UT and Quake 3A to a new level. Going back to just plain stereo is no longer an option after a close encounter with true surround sound.

The Cambridge SoundWorks DTT2500 offers great DVD playback. It's the closest thing you can get to a home theatre on your computer. Matrix sounds awesome. All the special effect came off correctly and added a true sense of being in the movies. The control amp offers great control over the speakers, allowing you to adjust the front, rear, center and sub all independent of each other. 

Music and MP3's sounds very good. The "Cambridge Sound" was all there. The bass was nice and tight and not boomy like so many other computer subs I've heard. The sub also doesn't lack volume as it can get loud enough to create room shaking bass.

Imaging is as expected with single point source transducers, which is to say very good. Placement of instruments across the sound stage was rendered quite nicely. Overall, the sound tends to be on the warm side, but, the bass and treble can cool some of that warmness. It's very rare to find a speaker which can play both music and theatre sounds just so good. Most speaker that excel at music don't do well on theatre or visa versa. 

With a street price of $249.99 from Amazon.com, the Cambridge SoundWorks DTT2500 is not cheap. It's down right expensive! Nearly twice the cost of the Midiland S7100 which has the same number of speakers and can also do 5.1 surround. The Cambridge does sound better than the Midiland however, and for many, sound is what matters most.

The Goods

The Bads

Where To Buy The Cambridge SoundWorks Desktop Theater DTT2500
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Rating: 8/10

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