Creative Surround Station: Late 90s Quadraphonic PC Gaming!

[@ryanmcfadin09]

I got to say, LGR's attention to detail when it comes to the subtitles is unmatched. Somehow seeing [Immature chuckle] makes anything funnier.

[@co2metal]

Be humble=money

[@MattePurple1]

"Smooth jazz surrounds you"

[@joekenorer]

"Chaotic cacophony"

[@Squonk06]

Alec over at Technology Connections puts a lot of effort into his captions as well. Similar sense of humor with the descriptions of what's happening outside of the narration.

[@Psythik]

LGR and Technology Connections are *by far* the best subtitlers on KZbin!

[@KristoforGieske]

You know, I just have to say that as a hard of hearing person I really appreciate that LGR subtitles his videos. KZbin auto captions can be very hit or miss. Thanks Clint!

[@generalszabo]

the guy who does them also adds some funny comments in :D

[@g.u.959]

@@generalszabo it’s Clint himself who adds those in!

[@AlexDracoulis]

Agreed. I have auditory processing issues and while I can hear fine, having accurate subtitles really helps me comprehend.

[@DanielMarkstedtR]

OMG blast from the past! I had this exact quadrophonic setup with my AWE32. I got it specifically for playing Thief: The Dark Project in glorious positional audio. It worked incredibly well for detecting the position of patrolling guards while sneaking around. Few games, before or after, did 3D audio as affectively.

[@stephenthomas1492]

I think it's a great idea for people without the space or TOO much space to set up rear speakers. Heck, I'd give it a go nowadays!

[@kosmosyche]

Did AWE32 support quadrophonic sound? I've had AWE32 in my days, but I always used it in stereo, so I don't remember. The first time I tried quadrophonic was with SB Live! I think. PS I just looked up specs for AWE32, seems like it didn't support 4 channels. Perhaps you mean AWE64.

[@RetroTinkerer]

@@kosmosyche he is mixing up stuff it happens to us old people all the time, AWE32 and 64 were almost identical hardware wise (the extra 32 voices was done in software) it was the 1st SB Live, with golden outputs the one that had 4 SPK output (not 5.1) and EAX positional audio, it was not a gimmick at all, pretty cool in games like thief.

[@kosmosyche]

@@RetroTinkerer Yep. That's also what I remember, that it was Live! that first had 4.0 config, cause it was really a big deal back then, so as EAX effects. And yeah, Thief was one of those games that blew my mind with it's sound engine (as well as just being innovative and unique game on it's own). I basically lived in this game for a month or so. lol

[@oopszie]

System shock 2 on the same engine

[@realzneo]

After more than 10 years, I still enjoy all your videos!! Thank you Clint!! And thank you for having excellent audio as well!!

[@LGR]

Thanks for sticking around so long, I’m glad you’re still enjoying!

[@zeza5000]

@@LGR me Too! long time no see! man i hvent watched your videos in YEARS! but im watching em Now!

[@weeraanmelden]

This set was amazing back in the day! Everyone that listened to it, could not believe the sound from the small speakers

[@LG-ro5le]

Back in those days late 90s i had time speakers. I dont think they even make them anymore

[@BriBCG]

Honestly other than being small there wasn't much impressive about them. My friend had the 2.1 version and the speakers sound very tinny with obviously boosted treble and the bass is pretty boxy sounding with that tiny plastic 4" subwoofer tuned to a very high crossover frequency. I had a Altec Lansing 2.1 set that cost about the same, was slightly larger and sounded leagues better.

[@coolbrotherf127]

It sounded better than standard PC speakers for sure, but they don't really hold up to modern sound technology.

[@BriBCG]

@@coolbrotherf127 As stated they didn't even hold up to some offerings from other brands at the time ;) But back then PC speakers were a highly competitive market, there was all kinds of brands and models. Now it's all about headphones, rather disappointing honestly.

[@coolbrotherf127]

@@BriBCG I personally prefer the headphones for gaming compared to setting up a much of speakers. Less wires and clutter is nice.

[@nmcheese]

The sound station was definitely the way to go for that setup. So many times I tripped over the rear tripods when this was set up in my dorm room. The 4.1 became a 2.1 via attrition over the first couple years.

[@DaveVoyles]

Kai is a legend at Microsoft. So active in the tech community.

[@ermakers1297]

@@franky9928 Their internship ended and they left...

[@derpderpin1568]

@@franky9928 Meh. Nothing will ever be as bad as Vista. We can handle anything.

[@fatimasucesso1411]

@@derpderpin1568 beautiful Os. Bad performance

[@AmigaWolf]

@@fatimasucesso1411 Give me Linux (Pop OS) any day over Windows 10/11.

[@ajsdfk]

@@franky9928 windows 11 has been great for me. Ghost Recon 2001 works on windows 11 without fiddling, unlike windows 10. Edge browser is actually good. The window snapping system works really well with ultrawide. I waited a year to use it, and it's been a good experience. The only issue I had was my printer struggled to talk to windows 11.

[@gatchamonster]

I remember when we first got these speakers and really noticing the difference when playing Thief... the surround sound made it so moody and actually made the sneaking easier because you could tell where the guards were! Very immersive.

[@pistool1]

I got these, too, when I was 13 or something. Man, I was so happy with EAX and stuff :D Well, you gotta start from somewhere and I think that I used these several years until I purchased my first stereo setup in the end.

[@FlyboyHelosim]

I bet Thief sounds awesome with surround sound... it sounds awesome without.

[@chrishuyler3580]

OMG Thief! Totally forgot about that game!

[@microbuilder]

I hope someday we get a little tour of your collection...those shelves behind you in your opening shot are very intriguing lol

[@LGR]

Someday! Still building shelves and doing lots of organizing but it’s coming together :)

[@StigDesign]

@@LGR Love the collection :D Looking forward for video of it some day :D

[@dalehadley3283]

Hell yeah,an LGR tour would be awesome!

[@quantumrandomness5114]

@@LGR is your clone still alive

[@stephenthomas1492]

I love that it appears all organized or at least neatly stored. It's such a pet peeve of mine when people just throw things on shelves with no order whatsoever.

[@krijgwat469]

My and my best friend were pioneers in digital music among our friends, and I had this exact installation. Downloading Mp3's, converting to Mp3, making mega albums on Compact Discs to play in our cars, we knew nobody who was doing that in The Netherlands back in 1999.

[@jazzalamander]

Hey Clint, I'm really happy to see the Cambridge SoundWorks speakers being presented on your channel! I still have this speaker kit (sub+speakers) set up on my computer station (without the SurroundStation though). I've been using them almost every day for over 20 years now, and they still work fine and sound fantastic. Thanks for the video!

[@Evmanifestation]

Same, actually

[@mathieufavreaux8682]

Well, same here. I never really thought about it but these things have been following me everywhere for the past 20 years, from my parent's house, to the various places I rented as a student, to my first own place, up until now where they dutifully serve in my home office as I work remote, or when my kids play games on my computer. Quite the journey.

[@jazzalamander]

@@mathieufavreaux8682 Similar journey for my speakers. They have been in many different places, but always set up with my main PC. My setup and PC are (relatively) new, and hardware gets replaced and upgraded over time... that is, except for the Cambridge SoundWorks kit and an old Epson Perfection scanner from the same era (late 90s). They still do the job perfectly, so I see no reason to replace them. 😉

[@eaf27]

Same here on a secondary machine and easy stereo for the garage and bedroom when working.

[@odkres]

I only now realised that I have a Cambridge Soundworks setup too and I've been using it since late 90s. A sub+2 speaker cubes I got in my teens as a christmas present maybe, idk. I've never really thought about them because they still work the same they always did, so I've just kept them while upgrading every other piece of hardware multiple times. Weird. But the build quality must be atleast decent since there's a power switch and I haven't touched it in like 20 years. Of course I cut the power from the extension's switch but I didn't always do that, so the power must've been on for like 10 years altogether easily. Still working fine.

[@theandroids6796]

LOL. I had the speaker system you used for this video. Thing had crazy bass and I took a usb light bar that detected bass and would flash to give my room the most insane lightning effect you could see in 2000. Thanks for the memories and the video.

[@raven4k998]

the problem is that then the viewer must also have surround sound to enjoy it🤣

[@FreeSpeechXtremist]

I had these speakers too as a teen they were amazing only got replaced by a 900w Technics setup that I still use (with an external amp obviously) This is still is the best pc speaker system I have ever used it was a major audio file setup quality so good!

[@ghoti221]

Wow, this is one of the first LGRs where I actually owned and used the hardware in question. I thought those speakers were great -- I used them for at least 10 years until something broke and all I got out of the system was static.

[@volvo09]

Yes, I had the stereo version. I was happy with them for just as long blasting MP3's in my room.

[@raduque]

I had these speakers too. It was the black and gold model to match my black and gold Kingwin aluminum Lian Li case

[@Psycheitout]

I never had this growing up. Though I have plenty of memories drooling over systems like this in PC catalogs back in the day. However, nowadays I'm getting plenty of use out of Creatives EAX api. Using a modified version of Alchemy or DSOAL to get surround sound working on my home theater system. 4K Surround sound Thief FTW!

[@jbmcb]

I had the stereo version as well. Great little speakers for a good price at the time. Cambridge Soundworks was started by Henry Kloss, who designed the Advent loudspeaker in the 70's, one of the first affordable really good sounding speakers. I also bought the CS Model Six speakers, the modern version of his original Advent, which I still use to this day. They sound great for as small and cheap as they were (largish bookshelf speakers.)

[@Kaixfikwind]

It was a sad day when mine was starting to go. I had it from a Win98 system to Vista/7, it was like 15 years and 3 PCs lol.

[@draggonhedd]

Cambridge Soundworks was a Henry Kloss company originally and he was a literal audio genius. I have a bunch of Kloss stuff and its all wacky how good it sounds.

[@JJPMustang]

Ahh yeah new LGR as I take a little break at work!! Have a Happy Friday everybody!

[@Teajryan]

I hope you enjoyed your break!

[@samuelwilliams3130]

Hey me too :)

[@trex70]

Dito

[@DaveGrowl-fd7gz]

Yall we made it through the week let's goooo 🙏

[@Kilometers_KPH]

Same lol

[@jonesy7650]

Ah the good ole Creative Labs FPS-1000 4 point speaker setup.. Bought one of those back in 2000, and am still using it to this very day, still got the box and everything. It's been hooked up to every PC I've gotten for the past 22 years.. Still work great! I don't use the stands that came with them (never did) i just mounted to two rear speakers to my ceiling a few feet behind my PC station. I know they're old now, but I've experienced the last two decades of PC gaming through these speakers, and I've never felt a need to get new ones, they work and sound great.

[@ms-dosman7722]

This was all quite out of reach for me back in the 90s, but in 2020 I finally got around to building a 1999 rig with a 5.1 set (also from Cambridge Audioworks) and experience the surround sound for myself. My reaction was pretty much the same as yours.. so cool to hear those old games in a different way. I started with my all-time-favourite Half-Life and just hearing doors close behind you is such a great experience. It feels so novel but retro gamers just do appreciate these kind of things.. At first glance that Creative rig seemed a bit weird with the arms and such but I somehow appreciate it now seeing what it brings to the table. Quirky but cool!

[@DualPerformance]

An Internet Cafe of my area have this speakers, they have many many movie posters and popular music in the SoundWorks FPS1000 4.1, this was in the early and late 2000's, an unforgettable place to be

[@SubBrief]

I used those speakers for years never knowing there were arms for it! wow.

[@Vinterloft]

I still have mine and now I feel incomplete

[@MrJenssen]

I loved these old Cambridge speakers. Fantastic sound quality from those little guys.

[@AberrationX]

I had the white set, then upgraded to the DTT 3500 Digital Speaker System which I used for nearly 20 years until the sub woofer failed, and the control box died. Incredible speakers.

[@sulky9466]

Still have mine in the box in the attic, they still work last time I tried them in the summer

[@sanggeunpark7204]

true! even still I'm using it now! it has a powerful woofer and little cute satellite speakers with fantastic sound :-) sometimes I couldn't believe still it works well for longer than 23 years! (i think my father bought it in 1999) anyway it is a masterpiece of Cambridge speakers

[@FreeSpeechXtremist]

Yer I had them for many years and then in my front room for another 10 years was still going strong last time I plugged in amazing setup

[@Dutch3DMaster]

I had the black version, but they didn't work well with my Live 5.1 Digital soundcard. I still have the 5.1 5700 Digital set though (which I bought after returning the Cambridge set) and it is\was (the Pi is broken) connected to my Pi for movies. Yes, compared to what I'm now used to concerning good speakers they are not that great, but the mere fact the set still works is pretty impressive. It is close to turning 20 years old. I saw that stand in the store I bought the set and always thought that was a very clever solution.

[@Marcio_Miranda_76]

Bought one of this 4.1 in 99 and still using it. Sounds fantastic and have been in use almost non-stop for about 25 years now. Never saw that creepy Sorroundstation before.

[@nerdmeister2]

I'm also still using the Creative FPS 2000 since 1999, first on a SB live, now connected to an Audigy.

[@brennyn]

I got this set for something like $20 after a mail-in rebate that came with a sound card and they're still connected to my PC. I rarely use speakers but when I do, these are it.

[@XH13]

Same here, bought the kit in 1995 with an SB AWE32. Since the speakers are still working, I've never felt the need to replace them (I'm mostly using headphones anyway)

[@ChimpPeensRevunge]

Man, my dad totally had a 2.1 setup with these cube speakers and a sub back in the day. Seeing that independent volume knob and the logos on those cubes absolutely FLOODED me with nostalgia. Great video as always.

[@damustermann]

I had exactly the same set, it was such a boomy subwoofer, I loved it at a younger age. Horrible today, but it was amazing back then.

[@horndude77]

We had those speakers when I was a kid. We had a DIY solution instead of those arms. We bent some square tubing, attached them to our desk, ran the wire through, and mounted the speakers on the ends. I remember it being quite cool. Thanks for the memory.

[@coolbrotherf127]

As a kid, I didn't know any of this stuff existed back then. No computer I ever used had sound cards or anything like that. I'd have been blown away by stuff like this.

[@Dj3ndo]

This is pretty cool! I used to have a quardophonic setup with pretty beefy speakers in the early 2000's. This brings back memories. Return to Castle Wolfenstein was great in surround!

[@rommix0]

From Quadraphonic LPs in the 70s to Quadraphonic sound for gaming in the 90s. Quad was really the guy that just wouldn't die.

[@HamburgerAmy]

still goin strong in most cars to this day

[@Those_Weirdos]

Even Quad Damage! That's also from the 90s though, predating this weird Creative thing.

[@ILikeStyx]

Quad LPs were not that successful back in the day... It didn't help that there were multiple Quad systems :P

[@charliebrown1976]

@@HamburgerAmy That's not real Quad though. True quadraphonic surround has different channels playing in each of the four speakers. Most cars just have the same stereo feed playing in each stereo pair of speakers.

[@charliebrown1976]

And it really got the last laugh, considering that more people than ever have surround sound systems at home, if only for home theater.

[@Sasahara-Lafiel]

Still running my FPS1000 4.1 speakers, not using the stands. Nice to see other people still use them.

[@danm6805]

Great Video Clint! I worked for Cambridge SoundWorks starting in the early 2000's while they were a subsidiary of Creative Labs. The Cambridge SoundWorks branded PC speakers were awesome and still a favorite. Haven't seen a system like that all boxed up for many many years. Thanks for this!

[@texan01]

I’m still rocking the CS 2.1s over the last 23 years as my main computer speakers. They still sound great and can still rattle the windows.

[@TwentyEightySeven]

It’s a shame Cambridge Soundworks don’t seem to exist anymore. I guess Creative shut them down as a subsidiary and just merged everything under their brand.

[@waynetemplar2183]

@@texan01 I still use my setup to this day as I’ve never seen/heard a compelling reason to upgrade

[@danm6805]

@@TwentyEightySeven well, Cambridge SoundWorks as a brand still exists, though under new ownership and seem to be a reseller of Bluetooth speakers. The last remaining team members of the “old” Cambridge SoundWorks formed Andover Audio who makes audio products today!

[@velzekt]

If you have an Aureal audio card in your system, turn off the EAX effects support in the control panel for it (not just in the game) or else it limits you to like 16 sound channels instead of the 64 the card has because of how it emulates EAX, thats probably why Unreal Tournament sound was cutting in and out because it was probably trying to use more sound channels than you had.

[@HatchlingKifa]

The nostalgia levels are almost lethal for me here! Had the very same 4.1 speaker set, bundled with one of the many SoundBlaster Live! variants (I think that was "Live! 1024" but I'm probably wrong) and despite the speakers being arguably of poor quality themselves (the sub is plastic - come on...) I loved what they were doing. "System Shock 2" with surround sound lives rent-free in my mind to this day. ;) Speaking of Unreal Tournament, I think the weird audio bug is down to the fact that you had "Surround Sound" enabled. You should actually disable that, unless you were using some form of Dolby ProLogic amplituner, or something like that. I remember reading something about it on planetunreal forums back in the day, and I seem to rememeber that the game worked correctly with just "Hardware 3D Audio" enabled. EAX is a separate toggle in advanced options. If you have the time you can try it and see if that solves the issues. ;)

[@pistool1]

UT, Half-Life, Heretic II, Quake II, Hexen II, Sin. Those were the days of innocence :)

[@alfonsovaldez9034]

I have Altec Lansing ADA890 THX, Dolby Digital Surround Sound, with remote control, still like a new and working great👍😃

[@Patrick.Schmitz]

Bought a Creative Inspire 5.1 5300 set when it was released in 2001, and I am still using it today. So usefull in all those FPS games when you could hear what direction people were coming from.

[@Dutch3DMaster]

My 5700 digital set I bought in 2004 (I think it was released around the same time?) still works. I'm not sure about surround sound in games these days, but I'm also not much of a gamer, so that doesn't really help.

[@tozeleal]

Still got this speakers set on my computer setup and the sound feels really good! Got when i was a kid around 2000 and still in love with this :)

[@Koxi73]

I used EAX especially with "Thief - The Dark Project" ... was really great hearing the footsteps of the enemies behind you ...

[@forensirob]

The genuine joy you had at playing the games with surround was great to see!

[@chrishuyler3580]

Cambridge Soundworks sold a 2-channel version of this, which is the model you usually end up seeing at thrift stores. It had to be one of the first affordable subwoofer + satellites products available. I bought one in 1999, sophomore year in college, and remember being very excited about it. I was big into subwoofers and car audio at the time. In addition to PC duty, we often used it for watching movies on VHS, spanning them out as far as they could go on either side of my sweet 20" CRT TV. At loud volumes the bass didn't sound too great so we stuck a sock in the port and that helped. Good times! Thanks for the memory!

[@gabronx]

I had that exact quadrophonic set in the 90s! Those were my first speakers ever and i've used them till they broke😂 what a fantastic sound AND memories!

[@Cinkadeus]

I had that speaker setup for years and years. The power supply even turned brown I ran it so long. Loved it so much. The sound of you tapping on the sub set off memories for me. So much Unreal Tournament ran through that setup.

[@PikaStu666]

Aww yeah! I had that same set of speakers around 1999-2001, the rears sitting on those terrible tripod legs that fell over every time you looked at them! Those were the days!

[@thewiirocks]

I love how awkwardly 1990s these things look! 😂

[@BuddhaPhi]

Those tripods fell over constantly!

[@VoodooIMB]

This channel is like therapy to me.

[@maciej21]

I recently found my 4.1 system just like that one you have and I was really surprised how loud and good the sound was. I've got rid off the yellowish residue and they are now proudly surrounding my pc setup. For 20+ speakers they really rock

[@koilamaoh4238]

i have 5.1 surround one, from walmart like 100$ (15 years +? maybe lol or more)_.. my god still sounds awesome, and that "bass" is nice and loud, hard to find anything close to the bass, sadly :( Only thing that sucks, are the new mobos with newer connectors, as old mobos had regular connections for these or a sound card.

[@Korosivv]

Good speakers can last literally half a century if taken care of! Some people even use headphones from the 70s today because of how good the sound quality is! Sound equipment might be the longest-lasting electronics.

[@koilamaoh4238]

@@Korosivv Indeed. We tend to discard them by then to upgrade to next tech as we bored of them; thinking its the better option. I have a nice pair of old sony studio headphones, still working great. But I do prefer my small sound bar for my pc as its less space, as it has a lot of clarity and no bass, sounds nice but nice to have bass :(

[@datacipher]

Ha. Mine look brand new but I haven’t done anything with them in a decade. Do you just hooked them up to your current setup?

[@maciej21]

@@datacipher yes. but since i have a laptop with no front/rear in port, ive hooked up only the front cable (green one) making this a stereo setup- this is fine as i play using my headset and only listen to musing using speakers.

[@pongopea]

somewhat comical that Clint puts so much effort into his subtitles on a video about surround sound, thanks a lot for that, man

[@tmilker]

These are great speakers! I bought the 2.1 set new back in the day for my office at work and then years later gave it to a friend and he's still using it to this day.

[@catriona_drummond]

Same. Bought it in the 90's when it was still labeled "Cambridge soundWorks" and it#s still going strong.

[@volvo09]

@@catriona_drummond yeah, those were the ones I had "Cambridge soundworks". It was hard to find GOOD PC speakers back then.

[@tmilker]

@@catriona_drummond I still have my Cambridge Soundworks 5.1 setup(I don't have the sub anymore, I replaced it with a side firing Sony) that came with a DVD player which was a big deal because of the price back then. I think the speakers might be 3" instead of 2" too. The tripods are much better than this set even though they're plastic. I also have a desktop 5.1 setup too that was newer with rectangular speakers. Cambridge Soundworks legit made some of the best stuff for PC audio back then.

[@PileOfEmptyTapes]

Mine unfortunately seem to have been discarded not that long ago, but the power supply was still there and saved the day when the one powering the WiFi router/AP was getting too weak. I did get a well-kept set for a colleague to use at his office computer a while back though (less than 20€ well-spent). Even measured its frequency response recently (I always knew the highs were a bit sharp, but yikes - that being said, you can get the midrange nice and flat with the sub on the desk) and devised an EQ in REW to be used with Equalizer APO.

[@volvo09]

@@PileOfEmptyTapes that's all I have left from mine too... The old style heavy transformer power brick with the barrel jack cut off since I used it elsewhere, 😆 Edit, with a bit of bright blue and some green paint on it from when I painted my room 2 ridiculous colors as a kid!

[@EvilDarkCow]

I had that exact Cambridge system (or a similar one) in black. Served me until the early 2010s when the subwoofer finally gave out. What a great set.

[@markreno2252]

I bought these speakers in the 90s and had them setup in quad configuration, complete with the best Soundblaster card you could get at the time. Used EAX to make things sound weird at times. Still the best-sounding computer speakers I've ever heard and I'm still using them today. Just in stereo these days, or 2.1 if you will.

[@jondonnelly3]

I stopped using "pc speakers" a long ago and went with active monitors. Your missing a ton of frequency spectrum above the mini cubes and below them, especially lower mid range. So if you enjoy music then time for an upgrade.

[@DjBass-c4j]

Glad you found these sealed. Old speakers like this don't age well because the foam surround desintegrates. Nice video:)

[@AleixoAlonso]

I'll have you know that I'm still using these exact speakers today! Swiped them from my fathers office 6 years ago and I'm listening to your voice through these 4.1 beautiful speakers :) Music sounds really awesome with them :D You can see their age, though. Two out of the four speakers have lost their Cambridge logo and EVERYTHING is yellow xD

[@chrishuyler3580]

I had the 2 channel set for at least a decade but then it started picking up police radio signals. You couldn't hear them, but when they drove by it would go nuts with feedback. I never turned them off so you'd just hear static from the other room LOL. I wish I kept them though, I could probably fix it today or use a better power supply.

[@Scoth42]

Still using the 2.1 version of the Cambridge Soundworks set to this day on my main PC. I've never had room for a proper surround sound setup and use headphones when I need "good" sound so these ancient Cambridge Soundworks things were and still are fantastic.

[@ScottGrammer]

I remember that monstrosity! I had a set of the 2.1 Cambridge speakers that look just like the 4.1 system you showed. Actually I still have them, they're just in storage. They still work 24 years later, although there is a hum from what I suspect is a failing filter cap in the wall-wart power supply. Cambridge Soundworks was founded by Henry Kloss, an audio giant who also founded KLH, was a co-founder of Advent and Acoustic Research, and who invented the projection television!

[@zacksstuff]

I still use them every day. They sound great, so why would I replace them?

[@Brianybug]

I had the arm thingies and the Cambridge Soundworks 5.1 surround set with the wooden-ish sub and cool control box. Loved it and it sounded great!

[@person749]

In Massachussetts they actually had a Cambridge Soundworks store where you could demo these speakers with Unreal. It was incredible as a younger person. I think there was a Gateway Country in the same plaza!

[@chrishuyler3580]

I think that must have been how I ended up with the 2 channel set in 1999. Emerald Square Mall in North Attleboro!

[@person749]

@@chrishuyler3580 Shopper's World in Natick for me!

[@Gappasaurus]

1:33 OMG i think i spied that weird, colorful “My PC” keyboard i sent in years ago sitting on the back of that CRT 😆

[@DrAcOFoto]

That's a pretty neat hardware to put the speakers, I always wanted something like it. I own the PC Works 2 speakers model! They were finally replaced with the Creative Inspire 5.1 5200, quite an upgrade for sound quality in my room. I used the Inspire speakers through the years with a SB Live! Gold, Audigy2 ZS, and finally a X-Fi Xtreme Music card with the Elite Pro's external I/O console. Years of music and movies have been enjoyed on this setup. =)

[@rozzbozzgames]

I had this unit (without the "scaffold" lol) and used it well into the late 2000's (I think until around 2012) best bit of PC kit I ever got (in terms of longevity and quality). Great vid!

[@SedatedByLife]

Wow this Cambridge was my first surround sound setup way way back. I remember buying it at CompUSA when I was working there in my teens. Oh the nostalgia. It sounded phenomenal for the time and price point

[@BilisNegra]

Totally agreed. If only I knew where the set we had at home ended up 😭

[@cubeflinger]

I wanted this! Didn't get my first surround set til COD1. Creative 5.1. changed my life. Never been without surround sound in some form since.

[@gigabytemon]

This was a really nice tribute to Sim Wong Hoo, the founder and CEO of Creative. He would have loved you covering his stuff on your channel.

[@tomtalk24]

Not true. He covered their stuff before and Sim never even noticed.

[@toraktorak]

I'm not sure why but this is the best video you've done in awhile.

[@carlklitzke9455]

Would love to see an episode with this and the 3D shutter glasses. I know you can't really show the effect but some commentary on it would still be neat. Maybe throw an Aura Interactor in there for maximum immersion.

[@VectrexForever]

The disc projectiles in Unreal Tournament flying past my head in 3D combined with surround audio was something else.

[@bigpapanacho4033]

I’m 31 now but my dad has these when I was younger. I’m glad to see they were as good as I remember.

[@siliconinsect]

Sim Wong Hoo (founder of Creative Labs) passed away Jan 4th -- likely as you were filming one of his wacky creations. Great vid as usual!

[@graphicsbyteUSA]

My parents had that mount setup in the 90s. It was terrific with Quake and Doom. It was attached to a seven-piece Creative speaker system. A few years ago the speakers burned out so I repurposed the arms to hold a camera.

[@RemkoBrugman]

Wow this looks neat 😊 I had two amplifiers from thrift stores and two sets of speakers connected to a SoundBlaster Live in 1999. I still think my four beefy speakers sounded better then the tiny satellites from Cambridge, but it took up a lot more room (filled my entire bedroom actually)

[@Bumper3D]

Never even heard of the SurroundStation, but my friend next door had a set of those quadraphonic Cambridge speakers and I remember being amazed by them! We only had a stereo pair of IBM/Infinity speakers on our Aptiva back then... Cool old tech and it's nice to see that speaker set in pristine condition! Now I need to get myself a set of period correct surround speakers!

[@Flibster]

Oh god... I had something very much like this. Loved the quadrophonic at the time. For me, the games that stood out at the time Unreal and Alien Vs Predator

[@miketech1024]

That room you’re in looks like my personal heaven… There’s just…. so many awesome things!

[@AlecLeigh]

this was the bee's knees back in the day, i thoroughly impressed some friends with this and Winamp never sounded so good without this!

[@matthewrichards88]

@Eric E really kicked the lamas ass with this setup!

[@ScaryMoldyToast]

Holy crap LGR! I am using that classic Cambridge Sound Works 4.1 speaker kit right now, it still works!

[@sengyew83]

Your timing is impeccable, Creative Labs CEO Mr Sim just passed away early yesterday morning.

[@Srvrdown57]

I’m going to comment before I even watch this!! My Dad still has that speaker system, without the arms, working and sounding amazing on his new setup!! He bought it new, mom was not happy, but it made my early years of PC gaming very enjoyable!!!

[@infin1ty850]

A little LGR before I have to join my weekly work meeting is exactly what I needed.

[@SimmerJonny]

I never had quite the same kit, but I remember setting up a sweet surround sound setup just to play... the sims 1... that's right. And boy did I enjoy it! Where have those days gone?!

[@catriona_drummond]

I bought it in the 2.1 Version in the 90's when it was still labeled "Cambridge SoundWorks" and it's still going strong. Never needed any other speakers.

[@maciej21]

I found mine 4.1s in a basement not so long ago, got rid of the yelowishness and they are now proudly standing on my pc desk. Really nice sound for 20+ year old tech

[@SumeaBizarro]

I found a used setup. I kinda cheated by pairing them with actually great quality satellites from JAMO 2.1 but generally good setup for the budget.

[@jamegumb7298]

I just tossed mine beginning of the year. It was yellow and busted and all kinds of meh. EPQ304 with 4PA speakers is a good replacement. Much better dynamic range.

[@vaughnparkes]

I still have my Altec Lansing 4.1 Speaker System that I bought in the year 2000 and still works up to this day. Although, I now have it stored away. I used to have the speakers placed several feet away from my desktop machine for the front speakers and several more feet away for the rear ones - all spread apart from each other. I did a lot of movie watching back in my time using these speakers, and played some games like Half-Life, Counterstrike and Need for Speed. It was most enjoyable (for me) with movies because you get to experience other dynamics of what's happening around you that you couldn't see. Systems like these are still being sold today, but mainly for home theater and creators' use.

[@ReginaTrans_]

i don't know why but I loved this video

[@needmorebrain]

Nice! I've just ditched my 20 year old 4.1 Setup (Altec Lansing ATP5) today for some new 2.1 Logitech speakers. I needed a system with an additional AUX jack and less cables and space. I did use the same 4.1 system since 2002. Such a coincidence to see you releasing a video about that just yesterday.

[@AkosJaccik]

Oh, man. I was using headphones in the last ~15 years, and somewhere in the meantime the support for my Audigy 2 died off for the newer Win versions - but I still have my old Genius 5.1 system (I do recall _loving_ how the autocannons in Il-2 Sturmovik shook the room), and this video made me kind of want to kick it into life once again somehow.

[@ChrisRowe]

I bought the successor to these - the Creative inspire 5.1 speakers back in 2002 and they're still very much in use today - hooked up to my projector.

[@OfficialDJSoru]

The timing to talk about Creative could not be better. You need to make a retrospective of Creative in honor of the recently deceased founder.

[@zatramander]

That Cambridge speaker set brought back a lot of memories -- our turn of the millennium PC had the 2.1 set with those exact satellites and the same subwoofer (only with just stereo inputs and outputs), and it was AWESOME. And now I realize I currently use and enjoy pretty much a direct descendant of that speaker line -- the Creative Gigaworks T3 (2.1). :D

[@MMmmmVarley]

About 3 weeks ago I donated my old Creative Labs FPS2000 to the local Goodwill after MANY years of use. They followed me all over the world for 20+ years. I hope if finds a good home. This is the first LGR that brought me to tears.

[@NLS87]

I had those speakers in 2000. Great quality for the price like you don't find today!

[@JurisKankalis]

I'm on a half-decent set of headphones (AKG K72) - and just normal 3.5 jack from my laptop - and the sounds when Klint clicked on "front left", "rear left" etc. - those sounds, surprisingly, even for me came from the respective places - and pretty distinguishable at that. So well done, thanks for a video of this weird contraption - greetings from Latvia.

[@LGR]

Happy to hear that you could hear it!

[@CoolestUserEver]

That's a dream setup! Surround sound back then was so unusual (and yet well implemented) that in the early 2000 I got kicked out of or banned from several CS and DoD servers. I had a cheap but unexpectedly good 5.1 headset and I could pinpoint other players **very** accurately. The sound gave me direction, elevation and distance and knowing most of the maps inside out allowed me to know exactly what passage the players were using. I could also make out very clearly the specific weapons sounds and knew what to expect thanks to the sound quality ant it being right on my ears. It was amazing...but obviously I had to stop using it. Other players would not understand how 5.1 wasn't just a worthless expensive gimmick and thought I was using wallhack. All the cables were also a hassle so even multimedia use was kinda cumbersome with plugging and unplugging it all since my big head don't allow me to wear most headsets for a whole day or even just a movie without getting a headache.

[@EvilErwin23]

I'm still using my Cambride Soundworks speakers from 2000/2001 right now. Never feld the need to update to other speakers. Every other thing (computer, monitor, mouse,..) on my desk got updated several time. But not the speakers. 😁

[@tweedeldee8122]

I'm still using my 2 channel version of this on my pc right now. It's the only part of my system that hasn't been upgraded in over 20 years.

[@Hodenkat]

I have that setup I'm using right now! I've long lost the "arms" but everything else is working very well!

[@tubaterry]

This is the first LGR where I had exactly what you've showcased (the FPS1000 kit), it was the first speaker set I bought with summer job money. this is an intense nostalgia trip, nice!

[@AlexDracoulis]

I was always fortunate enough to have a bookshelf or whatever behind my desk for the rear speakers, but I remember seeing these and kept them in the back of my mind just in case I ever needed them. I kinda almost wish I hadn't gotten a surround sound setup back in the day, because I can't live without it now.

[@ukbikenutj1442]

Bought this exact set in 1998 to go with a Sound blaster live 5:1 for Unreal and then UT99.25 yrs old now and still going strong.The power block has turned brown now but it all works perfectly.Absolutely amazing pc speakers back then and still are.

[@AC3DG]

I had a 2.1 setup of these speakers' slightly bigger brothers. Whole set was only $100 back in 1999 and 24 years later I still have them (in a closet) but they still work and still sound pretty damn good!

[@JTD121]

@LGR I could've sworn I had seen you cover this, but within the first few minutes, I figured that out; you unboxed it! As for the speaker inconsistency, it could be the hardware; old caps or something, this was from that time. If it's software, that might be something you could test, too. Different desktop setups with different sound cards.

[@TexTom1981]

I've still got a stereo version of this model in use as my mains on my Mac in my office. Still works great and sounds great. Those tiny speaker pods are pretty amazing for the sound they provide.

[@odius94]

I love that your family room is a computer warehouse!

[@livefreeprintguns]

BRO! I had this same exact setup except it was only two speakers with the subwoofer. Made my Tribes games all that much more epic.

[@MrLurchsThings]

Awesome to see CS getting some love. I used to live and breathe that game back in the day at LAN parties.

[@Kai-oz1ce]

I still have my Cambridge Soundworks FPS1000 purchased in 1999. It still works and still sounds great. Using them now while watching your video as part of my newly built PC, but without my Creative Soundblaster Live! Value soundcard that I used to use with...

[@jaythelonelydriver]

Always love your videos. If you didn't know, the founder/CEO of Creative recently passed 4 days ago. Sad time now but we were lucky to see Creative Technology put our tiny country (Singapore) on the world's map! Way back in the day. And my first set of speakers ever were from creative and I actually still have them RIP to Mr Sim Wong Hoo.

[@cyrollan]

Love the thumbnail. That was one of my favorite expressions to make for pics taken at parties back in the day

[@QX1138]

I use a similar method to the Quadrophonic to mount the rears for my SteelSeries Arena 9, I use a pair of camera boom arm mounts and I got it say it such a joy for immersion in PC Gaming.