very, very loud

no mid-range, heavy

I just wanted to put my two cents in about my Re38s. I really do enjoy them, and I have been visitted by the police several times due to noise violations, but I don't ever feel like I got the sound that I had paid for. I did get the volume. These are the ultimate party speakers if you give them the power they need to work. I'll let the other reviews stand while emphasizing that if you are listening without cranking the volume the bass end becomes a little overemphasized leaving the midrange lacking. All in all, they have suited my needs as a college student well, but I now need something a little more responsive over the entire range. Awesome, awesome speakers to play any kind of music loud, but maybe not a quiet romantic dinner kind of speaker.

This is a great set of speakers for someone who needs around 200rms 400 max watts. The bass is clean and there is great quality in the mid-high range. If you're looking to rock a huge living room or a basement/ rec room, I highly suggest these speakers. These would be great for mid-high end receivers i.e., Sony stdr-700 or higher or jvc etc. These are the typical "party" speakers. If you're putting out more than 250watts/channel try the cerwin AL-750 or AL-1000. If not these try NAD. Good luck!

Loud! Lot of bass!

Needs a lot of power to run properly. Not the best for delicate music.

These are speakers I've owned for about 6 years now, from high-school all the way through college and into the real world. They have been absolutely great for college, you can turn them up until it hurts, and they'll shake a room like you wouldn't believe. Unfortunately, it's only recently that I've heard them played properly. I used to power them with a 70 wpc Pioneer receiver (please don't flame me for this), and just recently my roommate bought a 125 wpc Yamaha power amp. The difference was amazing. These speakers like power, and lots of it. The numbers I have quoted from Cerwin-Vega are 400 watts RMS, 1000 peak, EACH speaker.
Where the speakers aren't as good is for quiet use. They're not as clear or as precise as others that I've heard, especially when it comes to more delicate music. The 15" woofers are simply overpowering. That being said, though, they're not bad. They've stood by me through all the use (and abuse) of college and are still kicking. If you don't have a whole lot to spend, and want loud, good-but-not-great clarity, or if you're in college, they're perfect. When you get the money, though, there's better stuff to be had.
BTW major plus, listening to these with a DVD (I haven't upgraded to Dolby yet), you don't even need a sub. These'll hit lower and stronger than even a good sub ever will.

Good bass, takes alot of power, great looking, strong cabinet, great for rock & roll, fuses in speakers, self resetting tweeters.

No allowance for bi-amping, fuse holder cheap, not the best for detailed music.

I originally purchased these as the first upgrade to my system that I've owned for twenty something years. Problem was my old Sansui 8080 amp wasn't up to the power requirements of these speakers. Then I purchased a Yamaha seperate system and upgraded the cables to Monster high end stuff. BIG difference in the sound quality. Now they sound like what they were designed for. If you like bass withought ruining the channel seperation with a sub-woofer these are for you. They will make you heart & soul move. Some (if not most) of the newer speakers I listened to are really poor in the bass department. I still havn't figured out why some mfg.'s use 6" or 8" speakers for their bass. And these are speakers costing $2000 to $3000 a pair! The CV's with their 15" bass speakers make them what they are. On the other hand the high & mid's are a little soft in the quality dept. But one has to remember these speakers were less than $1000 for the pair. Speakers costing 2, 3 or 4 times as much sund tighter but then again they should.
I recommend these for someone wanting a very good set of speakers without the big bucks. Sure there are a lot better, but if you have a budget, these will work just fine.
Note: If you blow fuses it could be from amp distortion. Remember the speakers can only put out so many db's. So don't over tweek the volume control.
Once I upgraded my system, viola(!) no more blown fuses in the speakers.
I am giving these five stars for what they were designed for and their value.

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Off brand junk.

Great imaging, LOUD and CLEAR

Need more POWER!

I've had these for about 2 years, first being driven by a
Sony STRD-750 and they sounded pretty good. Then I went to an Onkyo M-401 integrated amp to drive the vega's, what a difference! I will be adding a Rotel RMP-1095 amp this weak.
Will let you know the results, but I expect I will love the combination.

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Bose 501, JBL??

Going through a lot of the loudspeakers out there has been a challenging experience. There are many excellent brands out there, but Cerwin-Vega consistantly holds my interest above all the rest. Why? Simple. While speakers such as DCM and even BOSE deliver crisp mids and highs, heavy bass at high volumes tend to get them into trouble fast. That's where the CV's come in with plenty of style. Originally I owned a pair of E-312's and for the price I couldn't find a better speaker anywhere. Later on I upgraded my amplifier to a Harman/Kardon AVR 70 reciever and I then realized what I have been missing. This amp ran the E-312's with excellent detail, but I'm affraid that even the E-312's couldn't stand up to the immense force that I was pressing through them. It was time to upgrade, and after six months of searching I found the ultimate pair of speakers for my situation, the RE-38's. These speakers handle power wonderfully thanks to a 15" stiff woofer design with flexible 2" rubber surrounds. The bass hits beautifully around the 40 hertz mark and can handle bursts below 30 providing your amplifier has enough clean reserve to deal the power. DO NOT, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT TRY TO POWER THESE SPEAKERS WITHOUT A HIGH-CURRENT AMPLIFIER OF AT LEAST 40 AMPS and 80 watts. Anything less than that would cause the amplifier to overload in a very short amount of time. I am considering moving up to the Harman/Kardon Signature 2.1 power amplifier to further increase the potential of these monsters. Moving up to the midrange reveals a surprisingly accurate driver for this type of a speaker system. Vocals are well pronounced and mid-bass is tight and accurate, -again, providing that you indeed feed them enough power. The distortion point of these speakers definetely lies within the midrange driver, but not because the driver can't handle it. The fault lies when the user attempts to blast these power-hungry speakers past what their amp is capable of. At this point, the woofer absorbs too much of the amps clean reserve and the result is a midrange that isn't getting the power it needs to play with accuracy.
The tweeter's in the Re-38's are incredibly strong. Where the Silk-Dome tweeters in the E-312's would enguage the circuit breakers at high volumes, the Polypropylene tweeters of the RE-38's held their ground with zero distortion. High pitched guitar solos come in loud and clear, but I suggest a 3:00 position on the treble control for this one. Anything more than that becomes offensive and can probably crack windows.
I use these speakers for everything from playing movies on DVD to DVD concerts to playing heavy metal on standard CD's. Believe me when I say this, they are super excellent for a wide range of applications. If you plan on playing nothing but classical music, then these aren't for you- but if you are harsh on speakers, have a large amp (80 to 200 watts RMS w/ 40 amp minimum High-Current) and love to blast you neighbors into the next dimension then I highly suggest picking up a pair. Excellent build quality, good clarity, extremely durable and an extremely powerful sound for the price. Hats off to Cerwin-Vega for making another fine product that I enjoy.

Excellent durability. Don't have to worry about accidently damaging the tweeter or mid range while your showing it off to your friends. The 15" sub. Need I say more! For just having them for 9 months, I have been very pleased.

Haven't found any yet.

Being a audio freak such as myself, its difficult to find a product that keeps on pleasing you. But with the RE-38 i get just that. With its massasive 15" sub its puts out more bass then some subs. Its just a awsome feeling listing to your music and feeling that bass pass right through you. It just makes the blood rush!! I previously owned a pair of Bose 701's. Well comparing Bose with Vega RE-38 I can say that I am glad I have these RE-38. Bose may have one thing that out does Vega, and thats Price. With Vega, you get a lot of speaker for you buck. I only wish Cerwin Vega would bring back the Harley Davidson of Speakers.

I recomend these speakers to any one who likes to listin to a varity of things. These speakers were not meant for listing to soft music.
These speakers also require a good amp. I own a yahama reciever. It puts out 200 Watts at 4ohms. And even though these speakers are underpowered by 200 watts they still hit hard enough to make the neighbors complain.

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Bose 701's