# Thoughts on Cerwin Vega gear ... ?



## Chad (Jul 25, 2010)

I use to own some CW stuff when I was just a young fello .... and well they always seemed to be very powerfull in sound and I never had any problems with them ... so ...

The new XLS series ... anyone here use them here? Like them? 

My system will be mostly based for loud music and that "WoW" bass factor more then watching movies .. 

I was looking at:

2 x XLS215's
2 x XLS-28's
1 x XLS-6C

Thoughts? Suggestions? Other brands to consider?

:bigsmile:


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## drdoan (Aug 30, 2006)

Let us know your budget, then we can make recommendations. Dennis


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Personally I think you can find much better quality speakers for the price even if they dont have the look of CV they will sound better.


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## Guest (Jul 26, 2010)

How much power are you going to actually have? Are you looking for the highest possible SPLs? It's been awhile since I've heard CV and I remember they can jam, but I didn't think they sounded all that great.

If you want PA sounding levels at home, then maybe just look at PA gear and active crossovers. With the way SV sounds, I suspect they skimp on the crossover.


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## Chad (Jul 25, 2010)

I have set aside around $3 - $4k for speakers ... im currently having others in this forum help me choose AVR / AMP's.

I just bought a home, and have $10k total put aside for this room, so I want to spend it wisely and not have to go over budget.


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## Guest (Jul 26, 2010)

2.0, 2.1,5.1,7.1?

Is high fidelity or SPL more important to you? If your just looking for stereo, you might be able to get something from Danley Sound Labs.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

With that budget you can definatly do better then the CV's if you are looking to shack the neighbors house :hsd:.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

Chad said:


> I have set aside around $3 - $4k for speakers ....


Are you planning to add a sub??? ...this speakers have a better frequency response (28Hz-20KHz)  look here 

I have a lower end JBL (Stadium model) and I'm happy... I read that those who compared Stadium vs L890, said that the 890 is a lot better :dontknow:


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## Chad (Jul 25, 2010)

bambino said:


> With that budget you can definatly do better then the CV's if you are looking to shack the neighbors house :hsd:.


lol, as sad as it sounds, my main aim is to make as much bass and noise as possible ... my land is 125 acres and as mentioned above I am trying to "shack" the neighbors houses .... only problem is my nearest neibour is around 1/2 mile away lol.




> Are you planning to add a sub??? ...this speakers have a better frequency response (28Hz-20KHz) look here
> 
> I have a lower end JBL (Stadium model) and I'm happy... I read that those who compared Stadium vs L890, said that the 890 is a lot better


Im not sure if the XLS-215's are considerd "subs" or not, but there are 2 x 15" in each tower (4 x 15" subwoofers?) ... I was hoping these may produce the bass I was looking for? 



> 2.0, 2.1,5.1,7.1?
> 
> Is high fidelity or SPL more important to you? If your just looking for stereo, you might be able to get something from Danley Sound Labs.


Im not sure how many channels I want / need? Again the main reason for the system is to pound music hard .... if I can also have "ok" sound for movies that would be nice too.

I guess im after SPL, I just want to be able to have rave party's on my property that will pound through the quite valley ....

Im googling Danely Sound Labs right now ...

With all this being said ... I also don't want my room to look like it has "rock concert" style speakers with big mesh covers and boxes that can be kicked off stages ... i want loud sound but also want it to look neat and professional ... if that makes sense?


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

Kind of tough to shake the nieghbors house from a half mile away but if it is 90% for music then a 2.1 system would fit the bill. CV's cx15 should be fine with a nice powerfull amp that would max out the speakers wattage or even a bit more. They would be fine for music because I believe they go down to around 35hz which for music would be fine. http://www.google.com/products/cata...log_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CD0Q8wIwAQ Now it's another story if you want to watch mostly movies. A sub could be added but I really don't think it would make a huge difference to your nieghbor a half mile away...


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

Just noticed you said no concert like speakers so this would be more of what your looking for I think...http://www.cerwinvega.com/home-audio/floorstanding-speakers/xls-215.html Also you could look at JTR or Danley as you mentioned but you would eat up your budget pretty fast.


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## Chad (Jul 25, 2010)

tcarcio said:


> Just noticed you said no concert like speakers so this would be more of what your looking for I think...http://www.cerwinvega.com/home-audio/floorstanding-speakers/xls-215.html Also you could look at JTR or Danley as you mentioned but you would eat up your budget pretty fast.


Yes the XLS-215's are 2 of the speakers I originally wanted ... they dont look so "concerty" with the covers on them, and this would leave me with 4 x 15" subs ...

Ive checked out the Danley gear, but havnt yet checked out the JTR ... im goign to check them out now.

What ive found also (which I really like) is the SVS PC13 Ultra's and the A7-900 from ED ... for some reason .... I like the look of the cylinder subs, i see alot of people dont .. but I think they will sit in corners well and match the modern look im going for ... plus it looks like it would be a great beer stand! (whilst not operating?) lol

Ive never been able to keep cash in my pocket so long, its near killing me ... but I just got to do more research first ..

thanx again everyone for all the input, its kept me reading for hours every night.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

Your lucky, i wish my neighbors were that far then johnny law wouldn't be knockin at the door once a month.:foottap:.


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## Mike P. (Apr 6, 2007)

> I guess im after SPL, I just want to be able to have rave party's on my property that will pound through the quite valley ....


Give the XLS215's enough power and they'll do what you want. They are hard to beat for the price.


​


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## Chad (Jul 25, 2010)

Mike P. said:


> Give the XLS215's enough power and they'll do what you want. They are hard to beat for the price.
> 
> 
> ​


If they state that peak power for the XLS-215's is 500 watts ... is this the maximum that should be applied? Or are you able to hit them with a little more?

Also, when using an external AMP, do you loose the AVR output power? I mean say if the AVR has 140w per channel, and you add a 200 watt external amp, would this equal 340 watt per channel total? Or does that power not get used when using an external amp?

wohha did that even make any sense that last part? lol


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## jackfish (Dec 27, 2006)

Actually, the Cerwin Vega CLS 215s are definitely worth their price and may be a good solution for those who like their sound. If you can find them in closeout they are better than the XLS.

http://www.avguide.com/review/tested-cerwin-vega-cls-215-loudspeaker
http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/cerwinvega_cls215.htm
http://forum.stereophile.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=87465&an=0&page=0#Post87465


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## Mike P. (Apr 6, 2007)

500 watts is lots for these speakers and staying within the manufacturers rated power means years of trouble free performance.



> Also, when using an external AMP, do you loose the AVR output power?


Yes. The AVR needs to have pre out jacks to feed the external amp.

​


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## Spuddy (Jan 2, 2010)

For bass I think your best bet would be to build a horn, such as one of the Danley tapped horn kits.. That will give you massive bass to well below 20 hertz with almost no power needed- Horns are definitely your best bet for volume, and in the case of these tapped horns, sound quality will also potentially improve because the woofers won't have to play at distortion levels to make some boom.

To keep up with the sub(s), I would recommend some Klipsch Reference towers (you can still get the RF-83s I believe, for something like $1,300/pair). While they do sound better for theater than for music, they are quite adept at both, and you certainly won't be able to outdo them with the bass unless you're wearing ear protection; I know first-hand that cranking them to the point of distortion is literally a painful experience that no one is crazy enough to try and do for daily listening :whistling:


In short, HORNS. They are what you want! Horn subs will play deeper and louder with less power, and horn tweeters will make your ears bleed before distorting :T


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## JoeESP9 (Jun 29, 2009)

Let me add a different viewpoint. The real question is, do you want good sound or just loud sound. If you just want it loud any CV or horn speaker will give you that. If you want good sound then you should look elsewhere. There are any number of speakers that will play loud without the boomy bass of CV's or the in your face cupped hands coloration of most horns.
You should get out, visit some stores and actually listen to some "good" speakers. If you still like CV's or horns so be it. However the chances are very high that you may like something else. Speakers are the most personal and variable part of any system. What I like you may hate and vice-versa. This applies to everyone. My advice regarding speakers is "Never buy any speaker unless you've heard it".

FWIW:
CV speakers have never sounded good to me. I haven't heard the new CV's but have heard good things about them. What I've heard suggests they sound nothing like traditional CV's. As for horns, the only ones I've ever heard that sound good to me are Avant Garde Trio's. They are the only horns I've ever heard that don't have a cupped hands coloration. 

Tweeters that can make your ears bleed belong in PA systems not home stereo/AV gear. Compare the treble in any PA speaker that has piezoelectric tweeters and any decent dome tweeter. Even horn tweeters sound better than piezoelectric. With that said, my opinion means as much or little as anyone else. 

Your ears are the ones you have to please. You can't do that unless you make an informed decision. An informed decision is not the result of checking things on the internet. It's the result of actually listening to a variety of speakers.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

Well said outlaw:T.


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## looneybomber (Sep 20, 2006)

I think this is what you need.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

Not sure what he said but i think he likes it:bigsmile:.
Can you say OVERKILL! I wonder how big that room is .:yikes:


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## looneybomber (Sep 20, 2006)

bambino said:


> Not sure what he said but i think he likes it:bigsmile:.
> Can you say OVERKILL! I wonder how big that room is .:yikes:


It's small and I laughed! I also thought of that saying, "if it's too loud, you're too old"...I think I'm too old.:huh:


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

Never to old for to loud...As long as it sounds good that is.


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## ironglen (Mar 4, 2009)

Wonder how long he'll be living above his parents' garage :doh:

Or when they'll be home from work :foottap:

On a serious note, I need to take notes on his wiring methods :rofl:


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## ironglen (Mar 4, 2009)

I used to have a pair of old 15" CV 4-driver 3-ways: they were HUGE! I wish that I could have kept them as they were great for rocking out in the garage.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

ironglen said:


> Wonder how long he'll be living above his parents' garage :doh:
> 
> Or when they'll be home from work :foottap:
> 
> On a serious note, I need to take notes on his wiring methods :rofl:


I think he's also off on his optimum seating position too.:rofl:
Maybe it's just the camera angle:dontknow:.


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## Chad (Jul 25, 2010)

Not sure if it was on here or another forum but someone showed me some Elemental Design speakers ... and well I fell in love right away.

A7-900 x 2 = 2600 RMS (subs only), 4 x 18" drivers. (400lbs each lol sweet jesus!) In room average SPL is 129.93 db (for single unit)

Every review I read, and others that have heard them in real life say that one of them is insanely loud and overkill, and even cracked drywall in the eD listening room! So I bought 2 of them just to be safe! I wanted to make sure party's pound good at my home!

http://www.edesignaudio.com/product_info.php?t=0&products_id=606

I also purchased 1 set of there 3 way towers, 1 set of 2 way rears, and 1 2 way for center.

The 8 week build time for the subs will kill me :hissyfit:, but its worth the wait! 

Il post some pics once they show up!

Also bought a a smoke machine and 3 x lasers! 2 x green and 1 x RGY laser. To get this look!






Il keep yas posted!


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