Almost got floored by Cambridge S30 - Page 6

Ah, so they are the same owners... nice.

Of course, this now makes me wonder how the Carnival 2 stacks up to the S30...

Other than having nipples (forgot what they're called) in the woofer and identical looking tweeters.. that's where the similarities end.

Here are pictures next to the Ascend 170se, Av123 RS250 mkII, and B&W 603 s1. At first I wasn't used to the small size... but now everything else seems so gigantic. I definitely appreciate the small visual footprint the s30 leaves in my living room. Enjoy the pics! hope they're helpful.

I use the 170se as surrounds and thought they were H-U-G-E. But that picture certainly gives perspective on the size of the first two. I am considering the S30s for a 2 ch bedroom setup after being swayed from the Pioneer SP-BS21-LR (specifically S-31B comparison). Looking foward to the SL30 impressions to the S30 when they come.

p.s. I believe that "nipple" is called the phase plug.

Eh... I like nipples better but good to know!

+1 for nipples

Me ---------Cambridge S30---------> Dennis Murphy

So I really like the s30 and decided to keep them.

I like them so much I feel they are worthy for some D.Murphy magic and sent them out today!...

I'm excited to hear what the modded s30 has to offer.

I'm not going to over hype myself but I hope so too. Your description of the modded s30 sound and the fact that Dennis Murphy will have a hand in it pushed me to go for it. It also helps that I will be returning the cbm-170 and am now under budget.

Your impressions that resonates with me...
"with more air"
"slightly smeared sound at times, is gone"
"The imaging stands out more"
"singing voices now sound more realistic"
"instruments more revealing."

There's a s30-N on amazon... Is this the same ??

Looks the same to me. If your looking to get the completely black s30 you should contact the seller and just double check that they will indeed ship what is pictured. At audioadvisor the silver face cambridge s30 is considered "black" also.

Nice review there. Never read that one. I can agree to most of this...

"The bass coming out of this speaker is sharp, clean, and powerful, and far more tonal than other (or famous, boomy) tuned/ported speakers. Really detailed stereo imaging begins way down in the midrange. Super-smooth vocals and instruments. The instruments are unaffected by each other, with is a nice compliment to the Cambridge Audio amps. The top of the high end is flat response: I had a problem with my Walkman CD player, but it's solved by using a decent component CD player. Which is to say...when you get good speakers, you may expose a weak link. The imaging from these is fantastic, they tolerate power well, and are quite loud with lower power (efficiency). I am very pleased, but I need to upgrade other components now, bit by bit. "

well good to hear the s30n's are the same. i purchased a pair of s30's black s30's last week and they arrive tomorrow. woulda sucked if they just came out with a new model

They do have a new version but it hasn't reached the states.
Cambridge sl30

I wonder what the price difference is.

^In the beginning of this thread I asked that question. I decided that I owe it to my ears to purchase both speakers and make up my own mind. One month later the Cambridge Audio s30 is going to get modded, while the cbm-170 se will be going back to Ascend Acoustics.

Reasons why I like the Cambridge Audio s30 more...
∙ Instruments and voices have weight and texture. I can hear and feel the presence of the music and not just simply hear the recording.
∙ The s30 has a slightly forward, smooth sound and is in the warmer side of neutral. In other words, it has the ability to make me melt away in the sweet spot. Don’t be mistaken, these are not boring, mushy sounding speakers. The s30 is very engaging, even intense and dynamic when asked to be, but never fatiguing. I can listen to it all day.
∙ Bass is unbelievably good for a 4.5” woofer. It’s tactile, digs fairly deep, and projects a realistic size.
∙ It images well. With the cbm-170, the sound floats in their space, while the s30 feels grounded in place.
∙ The s30 has a blacker/quieter background that allows it to have an intimate and focused sound
∙ It’s capable of playing big and pressurizing my medium size room in loud moments.
∙ They are forgiving to my non-pristine materials(e.g. streaming radio, movies, mp3, ect).
∙ I really enjoy its aesthetic and its size makes them versatile.

As far as the the Ascend Acoustics cbm-170, its sound is not inferior but different. It does a lot of things right, and in some instances prefer it over the s30. The cbm-170 has an airier treble, more articulate instrument separation, forward details, a little more depth, forward sounding, brighter, and sounds bigger (not wider). It also play louder and cleaner. The s30 is no slouch and has good treble detail and instrument separation as well, but in direct comparison, the cbm-170 does them better.

However, even with all those praises, in my system the s30 is the one that impresses me again and again. Listening to the s30 I find myself analyzing the sound less and being drawn into the music more. The combination of all the characteristics I’ve mentioned in the beginning makes what I believe to be a musical speaker. I think it will be hard for one to not enjoy its sound. My better half immediately preferred the s30 when I played them for her. She doesn’t like the sound of the cbm-170 but admits it has “nicer details.”

So far I have lived with a Klipsch rf-35, Av123 rs250mkII, B&W 603 s1, Ascend cbm-170se, and the Cambridge s30. It's hard to say the s30 is the best of the bunch, but it is my favorite. It is by no means perfect, but for $220 they have a great voice. I do look forward to a modded s30 and an external dac in the future so the sound can only get better.

I think both speakers deserve a chance to be heard. I’m so glad I took advantage of the 30-day trial period. Having the peace of mind that I picked the right speaker for me, with my own ears, is definitely worth the extra shipping cost.

i have been contemplaiting the ascend 170's and the cambridge s30 myself.i don't know if you ran the two speakers with a subwoofer or not.i am very interested how you would compare the bass response between the two speakers full range.any insight you could give me would be very appreciated.thank you in advance

well i just hooked these speakers up and all i can say is wow

thinking ahead here a little bit.. how big are the s20's if i wanted to use them as rears? any other rears you guys could suggest? i'd prefer something small.... i am even consider in wall rears.

I'm a 2.0-channel guy so I ran them full range without a subwoofer.

My expectation with the bass performance of the cbm-170 was not very high from reading online reviews. When I hooked it up I was relieved that it was competent in the bass department. It doesn't dig as deep as the s30, but what it does play it plays very, very well and rendered enough bass to satisfy me had I decide to keep it.

I find both speakers have equally strong, punchy midbass. The cbm-170 was cleaner, tighter, and I think more detailed. The s30 was a little bit bigger sounding, had more texture, and warmth.

I always preferred the way the bass sounds with the s30. Since it digs deeper it sometimes uncovers another layer or atmosphere in the music that adds to the experience.

your results may vary though..
I do have a strong receiver that brings out bass well.

thank you for your reply.tat is exactly the information i was looking for

What would be a good 5.1 receiver for around $500 for the S30 speakers.

Thank you for your reply,
how would you compare between V667 and Denon 1911 or Denon 591 ( which is 5.1). Please excuse my ignorance as i am a first time buyer of a audio system S30,S50 are on order, and need to buy everything else.

How do you think the S30s would perform in a larger room?

The space I'd be watching movies/music is about L x W x H - 30 x 15 x 11.

It's a pretty large space so I'm just curious if non-floor standers like the S30s could get the job done.

Appreciate any info! I'm new to this stuff but trying to get caught up and find it very interesting.

yes, they will be fine. i've got mine in a larger area and you can CRANK these things