Are Cerwin-Vegas any good? (1 Viewer)

[Greg*go]

Hello,
I recently got a really good deal on a Cerwin-Vega LW-15 subwoofer. It's a 15 inch front firing 200 watt sub. I always thought they were at least moderately good, but I haven't seen anyone talk about CV on here. I have now been offered another good deal on a CV center channel, the E-76C. It has a 1 inch tweeter, and dual 6 1/2 inch woofers. Someone offered me it for $100, should I get it? And how good is Cerwin Vega in the land of speakers? Thanks in advance.
Greg.

 

[Shawn C]

I don't know what the consesus around here is, but I don't think they are all that great. They're not all that bad either. I think that they sound pretty average. I have heard worse though.

I think that their subs are probably better than their other speakers. They markey their speakers as being the 'loudest speakers in the world', whatever that means.

 

[Robert_Gaither]

I hate to say but imho CV are pretty bad (almost bose like as they emphasize loud and neither talks too much about "accuracy"). I think you might do better checking out some of the DIY sites here (in the Advanced section) and elsewhere and build a simply 2-way kit for this price (literally a bookshelf, but if you build 3 for a LCR then you will have an excellent start for your HT).
http://www.speakerpage.com/K05B50price%20sheet.htm
for example sells a pair of completed bookshelves using Vifa woofers dirt cheap and not much more than the CV your friend offered.

 

[Greg*go]

Thanks for the response. I was thinking the same thing, that they fall into the realm of mediocrity. I got that LW-15 for $77, which was quite a good deal for a 15 inch sub, but please don't compare them to Bose, I don't want to feel that bad for myself... All I need now is the other 5 channels and a half decent amp to complete the system.
Greg.

 

[Dave Getson]

For $77, I don't think you could go wrong. Enjoy it!! Let us know how it sounds once you've had time to play around!!

 

[Robert_Gaither]

Well one of the good thing about the sub is that you can seal it and add a Tempest Driver most likely with a little insulation and it should kick more tail (you can't do that to a Bose! ).

 

[DavidAM]

I've always like Cerwin-Vega for some reason....both car subs and home speakers. They make good full range home speakers for younger people that are more interested in being loud and bassy, more than detail and imaging. They are great rock music speakers when you want to be able to crank out the music at a party. As far as the home subs, they are decent subs. They aren't SVS low are anything, but they will put out a good amount of bass in the frequency range that is used the most. Here is a review of the LW 12 (12" model) from one of my old Sound and Vision magazines. It was a 5 way comparison test between the Vega, Hsu VTF-2, Klipsch KSW 12, Mission 700AS and Tannoy PS110. After reading this review, you'll see that the pretty harsh words the others had to say don't actually hold water. There is no comparison between your sub and a Bose sub. Yours will put out a good amount of SPL. Here's the review, hope it helps!

With the tallest, heaviest cabinet in the bunch, the LW 12 has a fairly large internal volume while retaining a moderate footprint. It passes full range signals (no filtering) through both the speaker and line level outputs, and the off/auto-on/always on power switch gives you the option of leaving the sub on all the time.

Low frequency extension was limited. Measured under lab conditions, the -3db reference point varied from 51 to 60hz depending on the crossover setting, and volume fell about 8 db when I set the crossover point as low as it would go--which means you'll have to adjust the volume during setup to compensate.

The LW 12 displayed greater extension in the real-world environment of my listening roomm, with a -3db reference point of 51hz and an honest 25 hz at a soundpressure level (SPL) of 89db. But the frequency contour created by the 8-db drop means you'd have to crank the volume all the way up to achieve that juicy 25hz, which would inevitably make the sub sound way too loud at higher, more common frequencies.

The sub's average output (106 db SPL over the 25-62hz range where you'll find most of the bass on pop recordings) looks great on paper, but my 116.4db maximum SPL measurement at 62 hz might give the impression that the LW 12 is more powerful that it actually is. It's how it sounds at 30 or 40 hz, not 62 hz that matters.

The lowest notes on "Salamander Pie" and "Dimples" sounded impressive, but a sub with better extension would have reproduced them more evenly and with more authority. On Cantate Domino, the organ fundamental was abset and the 60hz harmonics dominated the tonal balance. In other words, the bass sounded cleaner with the LW 12 than with some subs that play lower, but it lacked a tactile, low end feel

The LW 12 delivered stable and precisely positioned images on everything I listed to. But its output was 1 to 7 db less than that of the best performers in this group with movies and music having strong content below 40 hz. For instance, Bass Erotica's Bass Ecstasy, with its plentiful fundamentals in the low 20s, showed lots of evidence of doubling. (Doubling is when the harmonics of the low notes play louder than the fundamental--feed in a 22hz tone, and you get the 44hz harmonic. This makes the recording sound less "bassy".). And the LW 12 couldn't do much with the 25hz and below rumblings on the Lost in Space DVD.

The Cerwin-Vega might not be the most impressive performer in this bunch, but it gets all the basics right and certainly has nothing to apologize for. --End Review

Now, remember this is the 12" model, not the 15" that you would and this was a test of $500 subs. If you got that LW 15 for $77, you certainly got the deal of the year! Also, the chart on the last page has the average SPL at 106.0db and maximum SPL at 116.4db at 62hz (which was the highest max SPL of the bunch....next up being the Klipsch at 115.1db at 62hz....all were measured at 62hz). Finally, low end extension was 89db at 25hz. Like the review said, the Vega doesn't go much lower than 25hz. I'm sure your 15" will play a little lower and a little louder than the 12" tested here, so I bet you will be a happy camper with your $77 sub.

 

[Sheldon C]

Greg - I have that exact same subwoofer, and believe me you got one hell of a deal. I have cerwins all the way around and am very happy with them. I understand that I'm not supposed to like them and they are considered crap on this board, but I know what my ears tell me. Granted I do love metal music so that could be the big reason why.

Awhile back I demoed some B&W speakers at a local store using the Master of Puppets album. While they sounded very good, they just didn't "kick my ass" the way I'm used to with my speakers. I will say however, that I don't like to listen to my cerwins in two channel stereo. Admittedly they don't sound great unless I am using all channel stereo or pro logic or something like that.

I really don't understand the bose comparison, first of all cerwins are very cheap. Even if they did suck as much as a lot of people say they do, it still wouldn't be a rip off because of their price.

As far as the sub goes, it will hold it's own very nicely. A friend of mine recently bought a svs 16-46 pci and while his definately goes deeper and yes louder too, it does NOT "blow mine away" by any means.

 

[Robin Wingo]

Hi my very first set-up was the cerwin-vegas the e-76c distorted my picture tube in my opinion do not buy!!!

 

[keithVANhorn]

I also have CV all around minus a sub. I have RE30's up front, RE 25's for the rears and a RE-6C up front. I've had them for almost 6 years now and to me they sound great, still.
Just my .02

 

[BlakeN]

Cerwins are great for loud party music. Perfect for a college type atmospher. They are just all arround fun party speakers. I'd say you got a great deal and if you like what you got who cares what anyone else thinks.

 

[Mark gas]

Cerwin-Vega is out of business and is looking for a new owner. There are some great deals to be found on Cerwin-Vega close outs, check out futureshop they have some deals on remaining Cerwin-Vega speakers.

 

[keithVANhorn]

where did you hear this? There is nothing about going out of buisness on CV website.

 

[Mark gas]

People in the car audio sence have know this for awile.
I just read this today.
By Joseph Palenchar
SIMI VALLEY, CALIF. -- Cerwin-Vega is close to selling the company following a severe cash crunch that forced it to cut its U.S. workforce in half over the past five months, the company said. The company, family-owned since its founding in 1954 by Gene Czerwinski, didn't say who the new owner might be or what it plans for the brand. Cerwin-Vega sells into the home, car and pro audio markets.
The most recent layoffs occurred in late September, reducing the U.S. employment rolls to about 100. The company has been up for sale since June.
The economy, prolonged softness in the home speaker market and the loss of Best Buy in March as a car speaker account contributed to the company's cash crunch, said Ed Mims, worldwide executive director of sales and marketing. Another contributing factor was the longer than expected chainwide rollout by Best Buy of a new home speaker series. The rollout took 100 days instead of the 30 days originally planned by the chain, Mims said.
Best Buy accounted for more than 20 percent of Cerwin-Vega's home and car audio sales, Mims noted.
Cerwin-Vega is headed by president Connie Czerwinski, daughter of the founder.
from http://www.soundillusions.net