Very ponchy bass

way to bright

I've had my vega's for the 7 years now. At first I loved them then year by year I started disliking them more and more. A couple of years ago I upgraded to my Denon and when I got home it didn't sound anywhere close to as good as it did at the dealer. The vega's had great base but that was it, the highs were to much in your face. Today I finally bought some Paradigm Reference Studio 60's and the difference was night and day. Flat frequency response, not as paunchy but lower bass and the highs don't make my ears bleed. I am now hearing sounds that weren't noticeable with the vega's(at twice the price though). On the movie side the vega's were over powering other speaker. This might not be the case if all 5 speakers are vega's but in my case I all ways had to turn up all the other channels and still could never get a proper balance for all the different levels during a movie. In my opinion the vega's are great for efficiency and bass but not a good sounding speaker.

Strong base and dynamics for quite a medium size box.

not as life like as my B+Ws

I have to be honest I love my VS 100s.
They have spunk and punch and they seem to have the warmish tonal balance that endears them to the user.
Their forte is definitely biased towards dance and rock music but they are ok with classical and quieter styles of music.
They make an excellent choice if used with amps below 60 watts as they are so easy to drive.
I use them with Sony TAF-448e amp and Sony cdp-xe900 cd player wired with m550i monster and kimber 4pr speaker cable.
System goes together rather well in a large room.
These speakers though now superceded represent 5 star value and performance.

Similar Products Used:

Jaycar JC-50s

I bought a pair of vs-100's a year ago, for the wonderful deal of $225, used and in perfect shape. To this day I am amazed about their great sound quality and imaging. Kick drums come from the middle bottom, cymbals are above the kick to the left and right, and Anisa and Rodrick from Sky Cries Mary are to the left and right, exactly where they should be! I have heard amazing stories about cracking walls with these speakers, and I beleve every bit of it.. I have accidently pissed off my neighbors the next block down a few times, with comments such as "my $%*%^# dishes are shaking!" People who have never heard them before are blown away. These speakers are rated to 37Hz, however the port is tuned at 30Hz, giving useful extension to about 30. Crystal Method will blow you away with tight, low bass. They are currently powered with a Rotel RA-1210 int. amp that sounds killer.

Anyone unhappy with the sound quality of these speakers is no doubt using the wrong equipment to drive them. When I first purchased these speakers, I was using a Technics SUA700 MK3 integrated amp to drive them. I was extremely impressed with the bass response and overall clarity. However, after purchasing a Rotel RB-981 power amp and RC-971, there was a noticeable difference in sound. The bass was not as deep (even when the bass level was at maximum), and the high and mid notes were bright and harsh.

I soon realised that this was down to the pre amp, which was cheap and crap. I drop kicked it down the stairs, but not before trying th Rotel power amp with a Peavey Unity 1001 professional mixer as the pre amp. I was highly impressed with the sound quality, which was far better than even the Technics amp had produced. Highs were silky smooth and bass could go very deep, although at just 100 watts, the ten inch driver couldn't receive too much of this deep bass. Even the mids that were sometimes harsh with the other two combinations were clean and very detailed.

I'd recommend using professional mixers as pre amps for hi-fi power amps to anyone!!!!

Overall i'm extremely happy with these speakers. I'm now about to purchase a pair of LS15 and two LW15 subs for my home cinema. I will be using the VS10s as rear speakers.

Cerwin Vega are the only brand of hi-fi speakers I look at, largely due to my heavy bass musical taste and their high power handling. Like any speakers, to get the best out of them, you simply have to use the right equipment. Some people who have written reviews below, and elsewhere, warning people to stay away from Cerwin Vega speakers are just idiots who don't know how to make speakers sound good. They should stick with bullsh*t all in one hi-fi and micro systems!!!!!!

none

Before I bought the vs-100; I had an older pair of vegas which lasted me about 9 years. I have been using vegas for the past 14 years or so. and i have never had a prob with any of there products.

VS-100 kick ass, good bass, clear mids and highs. If you have the room to put these badys you wont regreat it.
mine still look new even after 5 years now.

These speakers are worth every cent.

Price, ability to handle power, clean sound.

Seemed to poorly with older receivers and amps

When I first got these speakers and hooked them up to a older 150 watt Carver receiver, I was disappointed with the bass (these were Cerwin Vegas, c'mon!) and the midrange and highs were too bright. I took the time to break them in some and much to my delight they loosened up and started to sound better. I then added them to a Dolby 5.1 / DTS system (Sony STR-DE845)as the rear channel, since DTS uses all 5 channels for full-range sound these speakers were a fine compliment to the front (Infinity RS 6001) and certainly held their own even when faced with the mighty TelArc Surround Madness Sampler DTS CD. They are very efficent and require little power to drive them, yet can handle the even the most demanding DVD's and CD's I can throw at it. Inexpensive enough to buy as rear channel for those looking to upgrade and worry about matching your big front speakers big sound.

Who Should Buy: They are great rear speakers for those building a Dolby 5.1 or DTS system and have 100+ watts of power - Nice speakers for stereo and those who like any bass oriented music (rock, hip-hop, techno etc.)

Who Should Not Buy: Those who own older equipment, these speakers seem to do much better with the newer digital receivers and amps. Also, if your favorite musician is Yanni or Kitaro.. please look elsewhere.

Similar Products Used:

Bose 301's, Cerwin Vega Earthshakers

Well I think the VS-100's process frequencies from 18Hz-50Hz very proficiently, and output them into a very composite and diverse range of sound. The tweeters have exceptionaly good sound, in terms of clearity and pitch. The woofer produces a reasonable amount of fore-sound and bass. I still prefer un-mached quality speakers wich are flawless in sound output ie. JBL EOS system, and Bang & Olufsen BEO's ! However Cerwin-Vega have out done themselvews producing some better stuff, then their usuall overpriced crap !

I had a set of these back when all I had was some Onkyo gear and for this kindof cheaper system the speakers are fine if all you want is loud music..Sound
is harsh. Do Not!!! put Cerwin Vegas with Adcom components..Adcom gear is a
little on the bright slightly harsh side to begin with.

I owned the VS100s for about 3 years before I moved on to something else. This change coincided with my gradual steer away from bass-heavy synthesized music. I still occasionally do listen to this type of music, but my main priority is older 4 & 5 piece acoustic jazz stuff.In my older house, where my system was set up in a smaller back bedroom, with proper sound proofing, the vegas did not sound too bad with my x-pre, NAD 2600 amp, & Denon 460 CD player. The bass ran right through me, & it felt good. The tubed pre amp help soften the grating highs & next to non-existent mids. As I started to listen to more acoustic music (jazz), the true colors of the Cerwins became apparent. Saxaphones & trumpets sounded like cats being raped in a back alley. It was unbearable. I actually refused to listen at times because of the headache that was soon to follow. These speakers have NO midrange & POOR imaging. It also has the classic "boxy" sound that is so common with certain substandard speakers. Any complex recording sounds like a wall of mud. When I moved to a different house, I set up my stereo in a larger living room, where the speakers lost the benefit of the smaller enclosure which suited the heavy bass that they are designed for. Now I had NO reason to keep these things, because they sounded horrible in the open space of my living room.
I guess these speakers suited my during my hazy, crazy years, but for now they are siting in my back bedroom as a part of my B system.

The Cerwin-Vega loudspeaker line is not for everyone. It is not for the audiophile. Nor is it for the faint of heart. Myself, I am a student. I live in a University Residence. I purchased my VS-100s about 2 years ago for $600 Cdn. Tax included. What you get with the Cerwin-Vega is great low end bass. While the VS-100 only has a frequency response from 37 Hz - 20 kHZ, it is a solid 37 Hz. Cerwin-Vega is not B&W however. Jazz and classical music will not sound like they are dancing to your ears, but they won't sound grating either.
Cerwin-Vegas move things. Doors start to rattle. The picture of your late dog Bowser falls off your desk. The telephone rings and you don't hear it. In short, they are something of a statement. One thing to note, however, is that the VS-100 is a three way system, not a two way as the information at the top implies. There is a 1" dome tweeter, 4" midrange cone, and a 10" (hence VS-100) woofer.

If you want back snapping bass and a beat that yells get up and dance, then the Vegas are your choice. If not, then I hear that that BOSE is getting great reviews for their Accoustimas systems. They really deliver. Oh and then again maybe it wasn't BOSE. Just a thought though. Enjoy the ride.