It's been a long time since I compared them, but my failing memory is that the 2.2 was the *overall* better speaker by a small margin. The 3.5 had better bass extension, but it did so by means of an equalizer that somewhat compromised the bass quality compared to the 2.2. There were/are aftermarket mods to the equalizer that can improve it substantially, though. In the highs, the 3.5's advantage in air and spaciousness over the earlier CS2 was negated to a large extent, I thought, in the 2.2, though I still felt the 3.5 was better at portraying an air of spaciousness in recordings. Both speakers are quite flat in the highs, meaning that they might sound tilted to the bright side in overall tonal balance; I recall the 2.2 was a little more refined and less bright than the 3.5, and I think that's why the general consensus was that it was all-around a better speaker. I personally would have taken a 3.5 over the 2.2 for the bass extension, since I listen to a lot of Mahler and organ recordings; it was always one of my favorite speakers, the first one I heard that showed me what the high end was all about.
