DeskTop Theater 5.1 DTT3500 Digital

Cambridge Soundworks comes through with a quality system that will make your PS2 or PC jam like a rockstar.

If you're one of the proud (and few) new owners of a PlayStation 2, don't settle for the teeny sounds of regular TV speakers. Take advantage of the optical out in the back of the PS2 and hook up a set of bone-jarring, table-shaking speakers - and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more complete and excellent system than Cambridge Soundworks' DeskTop Theater 5.1 DTT3500 Digital.

The DTT3500 is the latest in a long line of quality speakers from Cambridge. It features four 7-watt satellites, a 21-watt center channel, a 23-watt subwoofer, satellite speaker stands, a Dolby Digital decoder/control station with detachable faceplates for either vertical or horizontal placement, and a remote control. Plus, you'll find all the wires and cables needed to connect to your PS2 or PC soundcard. Installation may be a little daunting as you are dealing with connecting and positioning wires for six speakers and the control station, but follow the directions and you should be done within a half-hour.

Once it's plugged in, stand back and get ready to be blasted with some of the most awesome sounds this side of Ridge Racer. Though the 81-watt total specs don't quite compare to, say, the 200-watt Klipsch V.400, you'd never know the difference as the DT3500 pumps more than adequate sounds from their tiny enclosures. From fragging in TimeSplitters on the PS2 to watching the Terminator 2 DVD, to dodging rockets in Crimson Skies on the PC, the DTT3500 performed admirably and almost begs to be turned up just a few notches. The strength lies in the highs and midrange performance in the satellites, but while the subwoofer performed well, the bass-reflex unit yielded a bit of "muddled" bass rather than the solid "thump-thump" of an enclosed speaker.

The Dolby-Digital decoder/control center is a great piece and has options to select modes like music, stereo, 5.1, etc. and you can also control the volume of the satellites, center channel, and the subwoofer - but not the bass or treble. The one problem we did encounter is that when unit is on, a prevalent hissing sound was evident - an annoyance to contend with if you sit relatively close to the satellites, but unlikely to be noticed if they're placed further away. That said, the DTT3500 is worth every penny of the $299 price tag.

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