Strong deep base.... I've had it for nearly 20 years... Nothing really to compare it to today. Cant seem to find any quality subs this size.... It literally rattles the the whole house - and neighbors houses :-)...

Yea, I've pi*&$%^ed them off a few times... Who cares! Its Cerwin Vega! Had to have the control board rebuilt last year (2017) $135 and will have to re-foam the speaker this year <$50.... Not a bad investment in such great high quality and long lasting Hi-Fidelity... No doubt I'd buy Cerwin Vega again!!! My center, forwards and surrounds are all Vega! Fed by old school Harmon Kardon.

For a sub that's 20 years old and the price I paid, it is doing a fair job. Well satisfied with the low end, that like if you can see the bass out at you. Cerwin is hanging well good.

It seem to be very disturbing to the neighbors.

This sub is tough as nails. I rattles the windows and also serves as an end table. So rock on Cerwin Vega!!!!

The weakness is my own. I have lost the owners manual and have been through several major surgeries. My questions are how do you use the jacks on the back of the unit? Speakers in and out (left and right) I tried connecting these to other cerwin floor speakers but no sound. (HELP)

I bought the sub as an open box item and I have absolutely no complaints. I am on my third receiver since buying the sub. Each time is an up-grade by far and the sub keeps on thumpin'

Customer Service

Could you please send me the page or instructions on how to use the back panel on the sub. The speaker in and out jacks and also the line in jacks are two left and right. I have to "Y" mine down to one when it gets to the receiver. My receiver is not old it is brand new VSX 917v Pioneer.

Strong bass. Durable construction. Big enough to be an end table.

It seems to take a deep bass note or relatively loud volume to kick the sub out of standby.

I bought this sub six or seven years ago as an open box buy from Best Buy. Somebody must've driven it pretty hard, because the amp wouldn't turn on within about a month of buying it. I drove the sub out to Cerwin Vega in the Thousand Oaks area of California and the guys couldn't have been any cooler. They were thrilled to see a big boy like the sub-150 coming in, so they could sneak a peek at it. They replaced the amp on the spot for me at no charge and said that it was an upgrade from the stock amp which puts out 250 watts vs. the regular 200 watt amp. I've been using the sub for the last six years without any further problems and I'm very pleased with the output. It's so big, I use it on the side of my leather sofa as an end table. Works perfectly to rest all of my remotes on. Regarding performance, this sub hits hard. It'll move plenty of air. Mine is the downfiring version. I set the crossover at about 80hz and adjust my Harman Kardon receiver to match it so there's no holes in the frequency output. I usually leave the volume at the 12 o'clock position (straight up) which yields good results. I'd be curious to hear what settings other people have used that provide the best results? Overall, a strong sub that will compliment any home theater setup.

Similar Products Used:

Infinity.

Massive bass

Big, but hey, I guess it was meant to pound!

Just recently purchased this powered subwoofer and I hooked it up and this thing was amazing. I am a happy owner. At $279.00, I couldn't be happier.

Similar Products Used:

JBL PS100

Room-shaking bass, awesome power, nice cabinet finish, multiple hook-up options

Rather heavy and unweildy to move. Not a subwoofer for the faint-of-heart. It has more than enough "under the hood" to really upset some neighbors. And watch out for tilted wall hangings, items falling off shelves and people complaining about the volume level

Before I get into my review of the Cerwin Vega Sub-150, allow me to give a little background history on my quest for powerful bass at a reasonable price.

I once saw an AudioSource SW-4 on sale at my local Best Buy and tried it out. Being a down-firing 12" sub with a 150-watt amp, it didn't take much for the metal shelf it was sitting on to start rattling noticeably. Chalk up one potential subwoofer for my system. It offered impressive sound from a not too bulky cabinet. Who'da thunk it? But after later research (many, many months later) and a trip to the AudioSource web site, I find out they are sold out. Erase that previous chalk mark.

As more time went by, I found myself considering picking up an Optimus PRO-SW200P when I saw the price drop $150 from $400 to about $250 at my local Radio Shack. I auditioned it in the store and it didn't sound too bad. Being the considerate type, I didn't want to open it full-throttle in the middle of the shopping center and upset the neighboring rent-paying shops. I liked the idea of a remote control to adjust the volume on it, and with 50 more watts of amplifier power thrown in as well, I thought I might very well have found what I was looking for. But I wanted to look around some just to be sure...

Shortly thereafter, I ventured back to that same Best Buy I found the AudioSource SW-4 in (now, of course, long gone), and I find it there... in among the Cerwin Vega display, beneath a jaw-dropping markdown price card: $249.60. A Cerwin Vega Sub-150 with a 15" down-firing subwoofer driver, a 200 watt amplifier and a jet black cabinet. Parts missing: some broken binding posts on the input and output sides. But it also features input and output via left and right RCA terminals that were not damaged, so I'm thinking to myself, "All is not lost". I ask a salesman if there's an owner's manual or a box or anything. After a brief search it is determined that the slightly damaged unit on the floor is all there is. He gets manager approval to drop the price further to $199.60.

Ok, now I'm drooling.

I confer with my financial advisor (okay, you caught me- my wife) and she doesn't want me to buy damaged goods. Reasonable thinking, I suppose. But those RCAs would still allow me to hook it up as is with no repairs at all. Okay, let's compare now- the Optimus is brand-spanking new in a box with manual, remote, same amp power but with only a 12" front-firing driver (3" smaller than the Cerwin Vega), now for $50 more money. Which sub should I buy to beef-up the bottom end of my home theater?

A couple days later I decide to risk it and pick up the damaged Cerwin Vega despite its less-than-perfect condition and missing box/manual. Once in the store, to verify my claim that I was offered the unit for $199.60 another Best Buy manager is summoned. He looks the unit over and then asks how much I was quoted. I said $199.60. He said, "I'll let you have it for $179.60, how about that?" And no, this isn't the part of the story where I wake up and realize I'm late for work...! This unit now truly is THE BEST BUY! The store lived up to its name.

I take it home (man this thing has some weight to it!) and, with no manual to guide me, try different hook up patterns and power switch settings until I get something that works- Auto power setting, RCA input. It took a while to figure out what the difference between a green and a red power light meant (it's my first powered sub, folks, so please pardon my ignorance!) The performance evaluation has begun...

Friends and neighbors, as the phrase from the movie "The Rock" goes, "The second you don't respect this, it kills you". Truer words have yet to be found to describe this unit. I have never had a speaker with such brute force that it felt like I was being punched in the face to be next to it. This thing hits hard, loud and deep. For tightness, it hits quickly and solidly without a lot of lingering boomy resonance. From long deep booms to quick tight thumps, this thing delivers the goods in spades. And with a good test CD, that 15" driver moves enough air to dry your hair by the port mouths. At really high volumes, there is a little bit of audible "breathing" with all the air blasting in and out of the dual ports on the rear of the unit (I noticed that the newer model has slightly more flared port mouths, probably to combat this). But let's recap for a moment- this thing hits like a 5-lbs. sledgehammer in full swing. So if you're sitting close enough to this monster at high volumes to hear the ports "breathing", I assume you're either deaf or enjoy having your sinuses rattled out of your head. The bass waves are so strong they could give you a concussion.

I have a small apartment and when I put this beast's volume on five clicks above zero (barely 10 o'clock position from a zero position at 7 o'clock), I could easily hear the rattling of the springs in both the front AND the rear window casings. No wall hangings are straight anymore in the front half of the apartment. It makes a nice audio interior re-decorator, that's for sure. I have yet to try out this unit with my home theater and some movies, except during the Super Bowl where it provided excellent sound reinforcement.

The newer model may have a front firing driver and a few additional switches (like a high pass switch and another one whose function escapes me) but for a mark down price of $350 from $500 at that same Best Buy store, I'll gladly stick with what I've got!

Who is this unit for? People with lots of room and a good home theater or stereo setup. Who is this unit not for? The faint of heart or those with the malicious intent to cause haring loss to any and all within this bass weapon's blast radius.

I apologize if this review seems long-winded and more "story" than true "review" (sort of like a story you'd tell your therapist about your bass addiction), but I truly mean it when I say this thing will bat your skull around like a slapjack if you underestimate its power. This bass hits so hard it hurts- literally! These Hertz HURT!

DISCLAIMER: I do not advocate or condone the pursuit of hearing loss or disrespect of ones neighbors merely for brash and selfish displays of sonic machismo. In short, no bass "chest-beating" for me. I don't "crank it up and rip the knob off" for my own amusement at the expense of my neighbors or anyone else. So now, with this sub in my home theater's ranks, I REALLY have to watch my step!

Similar Products Used:

I've auditioned an AudioSource SW-4 and an Optimus PRO-SW200P

sheer force

size? i expected it with a 15" sub though

I just grabbed up this sub from Rex for $299; it was the last one left. As soon as I got it home and plugged in, I had to give it a test. This could be considered a big mistake...I rattled 3 trophies off my case within seconds. This thing is going to rock the parties we throw out at school. I'm not sure this would be the perfect ticket for the discriminating movie/theater enthusiast, but I know for sheer force and bass, the job is executed flawlessly [that's before even considering the "are you sure that price is right?" effect].

Cerwin-Vega's Sub-150 is The most powerful bass Subwoofer for ive ever experienced. Friends tell me my home theater sound is heart poundind and a hell of ride. Ive had this Sub so loud it was literally shaking the foundation of my house. Distortion you ask.....none! Have a nice day.

I am amazed at the sound quality of this sub. I compared it to an infinity, polk audio, and velodyne subwoofer of comprable size and price and none of them matched up. I finally got to meet my new neighbors when a fired it up. I dont think anybody who lives within a block of my house is going to like me much at all.

I have slowly built up my Home Theater. The only thing missing from my setup was a sub. At the time I purchased my sun-150 I was considering buying the AudioSource SW-15 sub. After I was able to get this at a discounted price I brought it home, and it wasn't more than two hours until I had my neighbor rushing to my apartment. I used the Avia disc to calibrate my system. After plaing the Dobly Digital Trailers availible on the DVD Spectacular disc. I heard several doors slam, arush of footsteps and then several loud thuds on my front door. My neighbor was clearly out of breath. He asked me if that was my speakers he just heard. The answer was obviously yes. At this he responded that he thought a plane had crashed just outside of the apartment building!
Question: has anyne bought the newer replacement to this sub? It has a heavier gauge cabinet, a front firing speaker, and additional amp features. Does this translate to a better sound?

Great sub. I'm hoping to pick up another one. Not sure how it compares to the SW-15 I was considering but this was a great but. It may be that it sounds great because it's the only one I've ever owned, but hey...


-Manuel C.