I jus bought one of these bad boys at a yardsale for 10 bucks jus thought i would read some reviews, cant wait to put some POWER to it !!!!!

Just bought a pair of Cerwin Vega VS-150's from a gentlemen in Michigan, they were on craigslist. The picture of the ad looked good, so i gave him a call to see if i can go and see these beasts....and i tell you folks, when i arrived, he showed me these speakers, it was like they were in a time capsule. These puppies were like they came off the showroom floor and still smelled new. He had the original booklets/pamphlets too.
Well anyway, enough of the drool fest i had, back to the speakers..lol.
These CV's are the best i ever had, but i need more power, they are hungry, my Sony STR-DE 315 only can play them to about 50%, if any one can help and let me know what route i can go by powering them, would be greatly appreciated, the help i need is do i replace the sony or do i add amp to the sony? What unit or units will i need and is a amp even in the equation with this sony unit?
So if you can get your hands on a pair of these puppies, go for it, they are awesome, even at 50%

I paid $650 for them in mint condition and drove from the Ohio area to Pittsburgh(GO STEELERS!!!), a little over 540 miles both ways!
It's a trip I would gladly make again and again for these jewels.
I listen to just about anything(Classic and newer Rock, Jazz, Classical, Country, R&B, Rap, Pop, etc.), and these speakers cover it all. Crisp clear highs. Well defined mids. The bass is defined and not boomy and not overbearing in any way.
I love the imaging(placement is monumental as with any quality speaker). For me, they sound best midroom with open space behind them.

I'm trying to decide which to run them with, and by the way, they sound awesome with all three:
Denon POA-1500 150wpc
Technics SA -5760 165wpc old school power
Yorkville AudioPro-3000 400wpc/4 ohms

Be the signal analog or digital, they are nothing short of awesome.

I have had them for roughly 6 years. Over this period I've had some nice speakers(Klipsch Heresey, Infinity towers, Bose 901's, and various JBL's), but these were always the standard to beat. Never happened!!! I will say the speakers mentioned sound nice in their own rite, they just aren't these!

I haven't had to refoam them, but it really isn't that hard. Please, PLEASE, do not pass on these because of the orange surrounds being rotted. You can get a set from various online stores for about $35. The surrounds are very simple to replace.

Will I ever get rid of them? I don't know, but what I do know is I will need a very good reason.

I went up on this site just to see how much the Cerwin-Vega Speakers cost and to read the reviews - I bought mine years ago from a friend whose Electronics Shop was closing and they were left by a customer; I have no idea how old they are, but I have owned them for almost ten years.

I have a simple home entertainment systems with these as front speakers. These have been the best three-dimensional sounding, most realistic speakers I have ever had!

With my Sony DA 3000ES Home Theater Receiver, the clarity and depth of the movies, music and effects are awesome. Just ask my neighbors at my former apartment complex, they have called the cops several times to "Turn It Down!!! Obliviously, not Audiophiles such as you reading this review! :-)

Thank God I bought a house - now I can enjoy the real spectrum of these wonderfull speakers.

The only weak point, especially if you can see the related picture of the speakers, is maintenance – the orange liner surrounding the bottom base speaker needs to be monitored periodically (once a year if you do not notice a change in clarity) since the distance the bass travels will wear out the orange speaker foam and will need to be restored by a speaker repair professional – but that is minor to the enjoyment of such a quality set of speakers.

These are not are not made anymore, but if you take off the screen (very easy) and find the rims of the orange foam is gone - buy them anyway if you can know a speaker repair specialist - they are two of the best speakers I have owned.

Mine needed repair about five years into ownership and are now needing repair again; but the heat in Florida may be a factor. The mid-range (center) and tweeter do not need repair, at least as long as I have had mine.

I bought these Cerwin Vega VS-150 speakers off of Craigslist for about $170 in almost new condition and initially powered them with an Adcom GFA-555 amp (200 watts per channel). I later got a deal from a friend on two solid state ICE amplifiers (550 watts each) The Cerwin Vega VS-150 speakers are rated at 400 watts each. Fortunately the speakers are protected by fuses as my amps can pop these speaker's fuses at will. These speakers put out some serious bass which is what I wanted them for in the first place. They are especially good for listening at low volumes as they will put out good bass at low power levels. They also work fairly well at high volumes. 85% of my listening is done at low volumes. When these speakers are pushed really hard, the midranges and tweeters tend to get a little harsh at higher levels. When I say higher levels, I mean really high levels which is probably the upper end of the speaker's power handing abilities.

Theses speakers are heavy and you probably need to get help when moving them more than a few feet.

For the price I paid they can't be beat. I will continue to experiment with different speakers, components etc. but will probably continue to hold onto these because I really like bass. I have some more expensive speakers which probably have better sound quality but they can't compete with the bass of the VS-150's. Like someone else said in another post, a $250 Sony receiver or something similar from Best Buy or like stores won't be able to drive these well at higher volumes.

The First word that comes to mind is WOW!!! I got these from my stepdad which bought them at good guys for around $800 i know i went with him . I have bought and sold all kind of speakers over the years( since im in the dj buissness and know alot about sound) including massive 18" dj speakers but these have remained with me for one reason INSANE SOUND!!! People i was pushing them with a 2000w High current Onkyo amp (even though they are rated 400W each)and i had my 60 gallon fish tank abot 3 feet away from them they cracked the freaking glass !!! Needless to say dont put theem near glass or anything that could fall (picture frames,Decorations,Ect) cause they rattle the sh*t out of everything nearby. They have insane bass and beutifull crisp mids and highs they are protected with slow blow fuses in the back which i have blown several times yet they sound fantastic if you have the chance to get some of these which they dont make any more dont even think about them grab them they will not dissapoint you really need a strong amp or reciver to truly enjoy these not a crappy 100w per channel amp or reciver from walmart or your nerby electronics store .My dj friends have wanted to buy them in several occasions but i tell them to kiss my ass and buy their own (laughing inside cause i know they dont make them anymore) neddless to say i will probly be buried with them thats how awsome they are.My hats off to Cerwin Vega You guys know your sh*t.

Readers, these speakers really do have it all. I'm not giving mine up for anything. Solid bass, clear mids, lofty highs. Amazing. But you need a good amp rated like 10-100,000 hz, 4 ohm stable, spec'd 20-20,000 hz evenly across the spectrum. Don't put these on an amp rated 40-20k Hz.
Durable! My speakers have seen a lot of power over they years for extended periods of time. I've vaporized the metal in the 2.5 amp slow blow glass protection fuses a few times over. Yeh, that's right, VAPORIZED, with the CARVER amp driving them on something with a heavy bass line. They still sound showroom new 20 years (+/-) later.

Really big and heavy, theyt weigh over 90 pounds each!
You need a quality, mid to high-end amp or HT receiver to drive these right. A dinky 100 watt Sony or Pioneer/ Kenwood/ Panasonic, etc won't cut it.

I'm an original owner of a beautiful pair of VS-150's. Bought them a Circuit City with a BadAzz Harmon Kardon Amp at the time, already had a Carver pre-amp. Listeners, you need a solid amp to drive these babies. I've moved a few times, sold off or gave away a lot of stuff over the years, but there's a reason I still have these. These speakers rocked on my Carver/HK amp setup. Sounded gawd awful on an early Pioneer HT receiver, rocked again on a Kenwood THX certified HT receiver. Rock hard on a new Yamaha 661 7.1 HT receiver, I also have a THX certified Carver TFM 55 amp with a Carver Pre-amp featuring Sonic Holography. HoLy Effin Mother of Gawd!!! Okay, they make the windows on my house BUZZ loud when cranked up. You can go down the street 5-6 houses down and clearly hear the lyrics. My neighbors across the street have asked me to turn it down. They can hear clearly what I'm playing with both houses all windows and doors shut.
Okay, now that brute force has been established, let me tell you guys that these speakers are great for HT. Supersensitive, detailed, clear, you hear EVERYTHING, the sound of nails on a blackboard will make your spine and teeth tingle, the delicate string plucking noises on a violin or an acoustic guitar. Drops of rain, wind through a rain forest canopy. You're there.
This is my HT theatre set-up. Yamaha 661 HT receiver, Carver pre-amp, Carver TFM 55 amp, Kenwood 16 band graphic/parametric equalizer, Klipsch Quintet SL Speakers.
The Yamaha Amp has pre-amp outs. The pre-amp outs from the bass, LF, RFchannels go to my Carver pre-amp. I use RCA jack splitters where needed to get my bass signal only to go to Aux1 input on the pre-amp. I have a mix of subwoofer and LF, LR signals going into AUX2 on the pre-amp. So I can use the Vegas as Subwoofer only, or as main LF,RF speakers and still getting the sub signal. The latter is what I usually do, and I still have the Klipsch C,L,R speakers working also. In effect, I have 4 front speakers and 2 (qty) 400 watt subs between my CV's and Klipsch. My living room rocks harder than anything I've heard in an IMAX theatre. Of course, the theatre dwarfs my living room, but you get the idea.

Customer Service

Never needed it from CV

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch, Carver, Yamaha, Kenwood THX certified.

Serious bass. Very clear mids and highs. Very clear sound and no distortion even at high volume levels. Very stylish. Huge and heavy. The cabinents are very solidly built. Simply badass speakers.

None.

Just don't complain if you're using a chitty amp to push these. These speakers can take 400W from a quality amp.

Weenie speakers these are not!

These speakers are badass. They are huge and heavy. I got them in Black trim and in near mint condition. If you have a chance to buy these, don't pass it up. These are no longer made.

To say that these speakers are loud is a total understatement. They put out monster bass with those 15" woofers. If you want serious sound with bone crushing bass, get a strong quality amp and hold on. They are rated at 400W each.

These speakers can bring the F'n house down.

I replaced a set of weenie Technics 3-way floor speakers with 12 inch woofers.

The people who have given these speakers bad reviews are most likely pushing them with a chitty amp.

VERY LOUD,GREAT BASE

A LITTLE BRITE,NOT MUCH OF A SOUND STAGE,LARGE AND HEAVEY.

I LOVE THESE SPEAKERS.THEY ARE VERY EFFICIENT AT 102db, WHICH MEANS THEY CAN PLAY REAL LOUD WITH MIN POWER.THESE ARE REPLACING MY PARADIGM 11SEMK2 WHICH ARE GREAT SPEAKERS.BUT THEY CANT KEEP UP TO THE VEGA'S FOR ROCK WHICH I PLAY ALOT.THE BASE IS JUST AWESOME,THE HIGHS ARE A LITTLE BRITE,BUT YOU CAN AJUST YOUR TREBLE ON YOUR RECEIVER TO FIX THAT.THEY ARE GREAT FOR SURROUND SOUND I USE MINE WITH THE LS-6C,WHICH IS A PERFECT MATCH.YOU WILL NOT NEED A SUB,WITH 2 15IN WOOFERS ITS MORE THAN ENOUGH BASE.IF YOUR INTO MORE SOFTER MUSIC SUCH AS CLASSICAL,JAZZ,YOU MAY WANT TO LOOK AT PARADIGM OR OTHER SPEAKERS THAT HAVE A BETTER SOUND STAGE.IT WAS THE FIRST THING I NOTICED WITH THESE SPEAKERS.THE LACK OF A SOUND STAGE DOSN'T SEEM TO BOTHER ROCK OR RAP AS MUCH,OR SURROUND WHEN YOU HAVE A CENTER CHANNEL.I POWER MINE WITH A HK85 WHICH IS VERY POWERFUL,I HAVE FOUND THE VEGA'S SOUND BETTER WITH ANALOG PLUGS OVER DIGITAL.WITH MY PARADIGM'S IT WAS THE OPPOSITE.ALL IN ALL THESE ARE GREAT SPEAKERS IF YOU LIKE YOUR MUSIC LOUD VERY LOUD,AND IF YOU HAVE THE ROOM THEY VERY LARGE AND HEAVEY.

Similar Products Used:

PARADIGM,ATHENA.INFINITY,BOSTON ACCOUSTICS,JBL,

Superb soundstage with valves, an absolute bargain.

90 lb's each, need a dolly to move them, lack of snob appeal, if you're a snob.

Cerwin Vega has never received the respect that they deserve. Over at the Speaker Asylum they are refered to as Bevis & Butthead's speakers, hold up to heavy urination, etc. To be fair, they seem to be marketed at people who are looking for the loudest speaker they can find. Personally, I use valve amps, to which their 101 db. sensitivity mates well. I've tried other modestly priced speakers, & the CV's beat them all soundly. There are no high end stores in my neck of the woods. On the used market, they go for nothing. Get a good push/pull vacuum tube amp (I've got a restored Sansui 1000A which really works well with these speakers) and you'll have a system which will cost thousands to better.

Similar Products Used:

Altec, Klipsch, Bose, AR, etc, etc.