Cerwin-Vega... Deal or No Deal?

[Cory108]

My buddy found a guy selling a projector on Craigslist so he wanted me to go with him to check it out.

Yada Yada Yada

The seller is moving to the city to start his NYPD training and is basically selling all of his big stuff because he is moving in with his sister in Manhattan and there is no room for his stuff.

Upon arriving I quickly was able to spot a nice ass CV set up.

2- Cerwin-Vega E-715 15" 3-way Floorstanding speakers
1- Cerwin-Vega VE-5C Center Channel Speaker
1- Cerwin-Vega CLS-12S Front Firing 12" Subwoofer

I negotiated it all down to $400.

Would you do it?

[musicman1999]

Walk away, keep your money, CV is low end stuff, all they make is boomy bass, no finesse and no detail.


bill

[Cory108]

Originally Posted by musicman1999

Walk away, keep your money, CV is low end stuff, all they make is boomy bass, no finesse and no detail.


bill

Wow have you ever seen/heard these speakers?
The bass is good, better in a closed in space. The car audio suckS.

[phatbuddy blu]

I had the cerwin vega d 9 series back in the day and those things yelled really loud with great clarity. For "low end" speakers they were really above average in sound and produced very decent bass and midrange. And I paid 500 bucks for the pair then, so 400 for a nice set up isnt bad at all.

[musicman1999]

Originally Posted by Cory108

Wow have you ever seen/heard these speakers?
The bass is good, better in a closed in space. The car audio suckS.

Yes, in fact i have even owned a set or 2 back in the day. Just reporting what my ears have told me.

bill

[dobyblue]

The price is definitely not bad at all, I don't think anyone will argue that.
I've always found the CW sound not great for fidelity, but great for a house party.

Again, nothing wrong with the price, but they're not my cup of tea. If I didn't have a 5.1 system and my budget was $500, I'd pick those up in a heartbeat, but I would be looking to upgrade as soon as my budget picked up.

[Beta Man]

I have the 12" Floor-standers, Center, bookshelf surrounds, and 15" Downward firing Sub in the basement set-up for when people shoot pool etc. and they're taken outside during summer cook-outs, and the fronts are taken to the parking lot for tail-gating during football season...... they're good at being loud, but that's about it. If you have a rec-room etc. they work pretty well for being loud, but CV isn't really synonomous with Home-theater-quality.

If you have an extra $400 sitting around, get them to use them for basically whatever...... but If money is tight, I would put that $400 towards a different system.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

the fronts are taken to the parking lot for tail-gating during football season......

I love tailgating, but most of mine is done during the Dave Matthews Band Summer Tour season.

I wanted to ask, how do you set the fronts up for tailgating. How do you power them, source, etc.

I would really like to add a cheap pair of speakers that are loud for tailgating.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

I love tailgating, but most of mine is done during the Dave Matthews Band Summer Tour season.

I wanted to ask, how do you set the fronts up for tailgating. How do you power them, source, etc.

I would really like to add a cheap pair of speakers that are loud for tailgating.

I use a AVR, and power inverter....... yep... I got a big enough power inverter to push them with an AVR, and I connect one of my DVD players to play CDs/MP3's The power inverter is a MUST for going on tour too... (I'm not a DMB fan in the least, but went to about 65 Phish shows in my day, and plan on going to All-Good amongst other summer festivals, and Yonder, Widespread, etc) you can plug in an Aero-bed and you don't have to "rough it" when you're camping!!!!!!!

Only problem, these speakers are pretty big, so I don't take them to 3 day festivals or concerts where I'm camping etc. because I need the room for camping gear and beer

My in-dash has a separate "Brain" so I could run the RCA outs on it to play DVDs/CDs/MP3's from my in-dash, but I'd still have to use the AVR to connect and push the speakers.

[dobyblue]

That sounds pretty cool.
I don't ever camp, I've made enough friends in the last 10 years of dmb shows that I often have places to stay.
If I ever get out to the Gorge I may camp, or rent an RV.
I've seen dmb 33 times since 11.17.98, but of course have lots of friends who are big phans of Phish.


I've got Trey's DVD-Audio disc arriving this week-end, I'm looking forward to it.

[kingofgrills]

Originally Posted by musicman1999

Walk away, keep your money, CV is low end stuff, all they make is boomy bass, no finesse and no detail.


bill

I completely agree. Cerwin Vega is great if you like thumping and muddiness. They tend to lack any musical detail throughout the audible range. I have lived in a house with a 5.1 setup of CVs, and it was a bit painful to be honest.

If you truly want a speaker system that is highly musical, and not fatiguing, I would suggest shopping around before spending your money on Cerwin Vega. Brands I would suggest auditioning include Monitor Audio, their Bronze line sounds fantastic and offers an incredible value for the price. I would also suggest trying out Paradigm or even Klipsch.

[Alaskankaijudude]

Wouldn't be my first choice for my home theatre setup but for old school 2 channel stereo my CV 3 ways kick ass. I'll take my Zep, UFO, Pearl Jam, etc...blasting through these over some little bookshelfs any day.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Alaskankaijudude

Wouldn't be my first choice for my home theatre setup but for old school 2 channel stereo my CV 3 ways kick ass. I'll take my Zep, UFO, Pearl Jam, etc...blasting through these over some little bookshelfs any day.

I'd take a "tiny" little ol' pair of AAD 7001i Reference monitor bookshelfs over ANY speaker SET, SUB, CENTER etc... that Cerwin Vega has EVER MADE......

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/Superio.../aad_7001i.htm

they're decent for bookshelf speakers.

Also, I have a pair of B&W 705's that will BLOW AWAY my CV RE-30's in every aspect..... My CVs will distort at volume levels that my B&W's will continue to sing at..... rock music, classical, you name it. (and those B&Ws are my rear surrounds) and they're "just bookshelfs"

[Alaskankaijudude]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

I'd take a "tiny" little ol' pair of AAD 7001i Reference monitor bookshelfs over ANY speaker SET, SUB, CENTER etc... that Cerwin Vega has EVER MADE......

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/Superio.../aad_7001i.htm

they're decent for bookshelf speakers.

Also, I have a pair of B&W 705's that will BLOW AWAY my CV RE-30's in every aspect..... My CVs will distort at volume levels that my B&W's will continue to sing at..... rock music, classical, you name it. (and those B&Ws are my rear surrounds) and they're "just bookshelfs"

I was talking more about realworld, us folks who aren't made of money...

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Alaskankaijudude

I was talking more about realworld, us folks who aren't made of money...

Yeah, I used those speakers as an "over the top" example.......

I didn't try to "force" them, but I have a pair of B&W 686s that I was using for surrounds before I upgraded my fronts, and moved the 705s, that are even SMALLER bookshelf speakers than the 705s, and they're about $500 a pair, and they can hold their own against the 12" RE-30's........ They don't look impressive, but they are a solidly made speaker...... (because they're Kevlar, does that mean I should try to shoot them???? hmmm better not)

There are certain things BIG enclosures do well, but I'm telling you, those little guys can hit punchy-clear bass too.......

[Alaskankaijudude]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Yeah, I used those speakers as an "over the top" example.......

I didn't try to "force" them, but I have a pair of B&W 686s that I was using for surrounds before I upgraded my fronts, and moved the 705s, that are even SMALLER bookshelf speakers than the 705s, and they're about $500 a pair, and they can hold their own against the 12" RE-30's........ They don't look impressive, but they are a solidly made speaker...... (because they're Kevlar, does that mean I should try to shoot them???? hmmm better not)

There are certain things BIG enclosures do well, but I'm telling you, those little guys can hit punchy-clear bass too.......

Right on, point taken. I guess I also just like looking at those big bad boys. I'm quite sure there are better speakers but for what I'm using them for, they're more than good enough for me.

[Cory108]

Alright I am gonna be honest hear. I have been fortunate enough to be around some of the best home audio components known to man and I have suffered through some of the trashiest set ups also.

IMO the set up I bought (Cerwin-Vega) is good for the money. The speakers had been babied and after a thorough test ranging from Heavy Metal to Pop to some Blus, the speakers do the job well.

This isn't a $60 5.1 Walmart surround sound set up we are talking about. There are better speakers, and there are worse.

For $400, it was a deal that I couldnt pass up and it reminds me of those great teenage years where all you did was hang out with your buds and have a great time listening to loud music.

Yes these speakers can bring a lot of bass, but they are 15"s. The sound and levels of bass are all determined by your receiver.

You could have the best set of speakers and subs in your car but if you still are using that $70 Sony (e)Xplod(e) deck you got at Walmart, The speakers are still gonna sound like crap.

[guitarist155]

sweet man, seems like a great price and as long as you enjoy it thats all that matters. unless you use bose

[prerich]

Originally Posted by Cory108

Alright I am gonna be honest hear. I have been fortunate enough to be around some of the best home audio components known to man and I have suffered through some of the trashiest set ups also.

IMO the set up I bought (Cerwin-Vega) is good for the money. The speakers had been babied and after a thorough test ranging from Heavy Metal to Pop to some Blus, the speakers do the job well.

This isn't a $60 5.1 Walmart surround sound set up we are talking about. There are better speakers, and there are worse.

For $400, it was a deal that I couldnt pass up and it reminds me of those great teenage years where all you did was hang out with your buds and have a great time listening to loud music.

Yes these speakers can bring a lot of bass, but they are 15"s. The sound and levels of bass are all determined by your receiver.

You could have the best set of speakers and subs in your car but if you still are using that $70 Sony (e)Xplod(e) deck you got at Walmart, The speakers are still gonna sound like crap.

There are other things that determain the bass in your speakers, more important that your receiver itself. It's your speakers. Speakers are the only component that you actually listen to. You may have an excellent receiver, but if your subwoofer only goes down to 40hz - you've got a problem. If you have a great receiver but your using a passive subwoofer with a sensitivity level of let's say 84db - you've got a problem. If the max spl of your sub is only 90db - you've got a little problem. The point that I'm making is that a fine receiver can't make up for a weak speaker, but a decent speaker will always show its strong points.

Your CV's are familiar to me. If they are the model I think they are - they have a sensitivity of 104db at 1 meter - these could be powered by a 5 watt amp and still be loud as all get out. Loudness is not the only thing - dynamics, imaging, soundstage ect. are all in play - and it all starts at the speaker. If I had to make the choice - I would choose the best speakers I could buy - then match them with good - clean amplification. Just like a bad amp can make good speakers sound bad (the speakers are only reproducing whats given) - a good amp can't make bad speakers sound good (bad speakers can't reproduce the sound in the first place).

P.S. Enjoy your Cerwin's - especially if they are vintage ones!

[Beta Man]

Either way, As I said, I have a full 5.1 set of CV in the basement now, and they are certainly good at getting loud! Also, "yeah" the sound difference in those and my current speakers is HUGE, but so is the price-tag, so just enjoy them.... For that price, if you take care of them, you can turn around and sell them for $400 in a couple years if you decide to go with something else.

I also found that the Center channel provided quite crisp/clear dialog.... You just won't get the "spine tingling" treble