3DsoundSurge Reviews: Cambridge SoundWorks MegaWorks 510D Review


	Mikael Hagén puts Cambridge SoundWorks' MegaWorks 510D to the test

Please support 3DsoundSurge by visiting our sponsors

Cambridge SoundWorks MegaWorks 510D

Official specs
Manufactuer	Cambridge SoundWorks/Creative Labs
Suggested Retail Price	$350/€430/£275
Number of satellites and subwoofers	5 identical satellites and one subwoofer.
Satellite dimension	Without stands: 4 3/8" H X 4 1/4"W X 4 7/8"D 113 m x 108 mm x 125 mm With desktop stands: 6 1/4" H X 4 1/4 W X 5 1/2 D 160 mm x 108 mm x 143 mm
Subwoofer dimension	12 7/8" H X 11 7/16" W X 12" D 325 mm x 290 mm x 305 mm
Weight	Satellites: 7 oz/482 g without stands. 9 oz/539 g with stands Subwoofer: 20 LB/9.1 kg
Cables	Satellite cables: 3 meters for the front speakers and 5 meters for the rear speakers. 3 stereo channel digital mini-jack cable (2m) 3 analog stereo mini-jack to 3 stereo mini-jack (2m) Standard AC cord (1.8 m / 6 foot)
Floor stands/Wall mount options	A very simple wallmounting is included. High quality floor stands and higher quality wall mounting options are available separately.
Driver Size	3.5" in each satellite 8" woofer in the subwoofer
Power output/satellite	70 Watts RMS*
Power output for subwoofer	150 Watts RMS*
Total Power	500 Watts RMS*
THD	Subwoofer: 0.5% THD at 40 Hz / 150 Watts RMS Satellites: 0.3% at 1 kHz / 70 Watts RMS
Noise	S/ N ratio > 95 dB (digital inputs), > 93 dB analog inputs
Frequency response	satellites: 150 -18 kHz +/- 3 dB subwoofer: 32-150 Hz +/- 3 dB
Inputs	2-analog, 5.1-analog, 5.1-digital. All inputs are mixed. The digital input is only supported for Live 5.1 and Audigy cards but we found it to work with other SPDIF (Coaxial) outputs as well but then only for stereo
Input sensitivity for maximum output:	775 millivolt sensitivity
Headphone output:	No
Subwoofer output:	No
Decoder	No
Stereo to 4 or 5.1 expander	No
Equalizer or effect mode (e.g. Theatre preset)	No
Controls	Master volume control on wired remote. Subwoofer control on the subwoofer. Treble switch (flat and reduced)
Bassmanagement	The MegaWorks510 handle its own bass management which means it work fine with any soundcard/decoder but if possible you should set the decoder/soundcard to large speaker mode to avoid a small bass hump.
Our Objective measurement
Measured SPL (loudness)	We found it to be on par with the ProMedia 4.1 and slightly behind the Sirocco Crossfire reaching 104 dB in our two tests. These levels are very close to distortion free.
Subwoofer exaggeration	The subwoofer can be exaggerated with about 17 dB at 80 dB and 11 dB at 90 dB. This compares very well to the Klipsch ProMedia 4.1
Measured Frequency response	Our measurement of the frequency response of both the subwoofer and satellites are very good, close to the graphs published by Creative Labs. With the exception of a blip around 10-12 kHz it's within the +/-3 dB up to 20 kHz on axis and off axis just as good up to about 12-13 kHz where it starts to roll off considerable. The on axis performance puts the MegaWorks slightly ahead of the Crossfire up to the 9 kHz point and only slightly behind after that. This is clearly better than the ProMedia 4.1
Our Subjective Impressions
Subjective impression of noise levels	Noise levels are very low, basically inaudible 1/2 foot away.
Subjective impression of sound quality	Subjective listening the results were similar with midrange and bass slightly ahead of the Crossfire and treble slightly behind. The transient response and stereo images are both superb. The most significant difference compared to the Crossfire is the better bass extension of the satellites
Music	The smooth midrange, excellent transient response and stereo image are of course particularly noticeable in music. In some clasical music the relative weakness of the system, the treble, is still quite good even though it at times is noticeable behind an excellent system like the Sirocco Crossfire.
Games	Games performance is as expected excellent with the good bass extension of the satellties as well as excellent imaging being two key beneifts for better positioning in games. The powerful and good quality of the subwoofer and its good exaggeration ability are two other strong aspect of its gaming performance.
DVD Movies	The high quality, deep bass effects and dynamic range in DVD movies are all handled very well by the MegaWorks 510D. Worth noting no decoder is included.
Summary	The MegaWorks 510D has no problem to join the top of the line multimedia systems. Some that prefer a more prominent treble or more features may disagree but the MegaWorks 510 is currently my favourite multichannel multimedia system with the Sirocco Crossfire being a close second. It easily earns our Gold Award and Surge of Approval.
If you are interested in the MegaWorks 510D you may also find the following speakers of interest. In case we have done a review we offer a link to it, otherwise we offer a link to the official product page.	Altec Lansing's 641 Klipsch ProMedia 4.1 Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 Logitech's Z-560 VideoLogic's Sirocco Crossfire VideoLogic's DigiTheatre DTS

*The output is maintained for a test period not to exceed 30 seconds.

We will go into much more detail about the MegaWorks 510D and how it compares to some of the other top of the line multimedia systems in this review. For those looking for a shorter read, we are offering a condensed version that is about half the length of our typical detailed review.

So on to detailed overview via the

Full Review (9 pages)

Condensed Review (6 pages)