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Cerwin Vega D7 Pairing Advice

cmcvey

cmcvey

Member
Hey guys!

Just got a sweet pair of D7's for $100! Cabinets and grills are in near mint conditions and all the drivers sound Good. Just need to have the subs re-foamed which is costing me $130. I think I am pretty happy with the $230 price tag.
What I am wondering is if my Onkyo receiver will be good enough to run them. It is the TX-SV535.
http://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/onkyo/tx-sv535.shtml
I'm sure it's probably not the best receiver in the world but would like to use it with the D3's until I've found my ideal integrated amp.
Also have a Marantz 2230 which I love but I think I know enough to know that those 2 shouldn't mix.

Thanks!
Curtis
 
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Here's what my setup currently looks like
 

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Good deal. CVs can handle the power so I would try and feed them at least 50w more than what they are rated for. Good luck....:bigok:
 
I had a Marantz 1070 feeding a pair of Cerwin-Vega VS-80's and it sounded great. The 1070 was conservatively rated at 35 watts, but with the loudness switch engaged, they sounded full and beautiful. When my Marantz died I tried them with an Emotiva Mini (50 watts) and they sounded like transistor radio speakers! Now I have them with a Pioneer Elite (110 watts) and they sound great again (except for the tweets and caps, which have to go).
 
I don't know too much about power amps. Would something like this be what I need?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/19-Rack-3000...679103?hash=item3cfc677fbf:g:J6kAAOSweW5VgGlC

I really don't want to spend very much on my watts but also don't want to go super cheap if it's not worth it.
Another elementary question - Let's say I were to pair my Marantz with my D7s and the above amp from the link, does my sound and sound quality still depend on my receiver, or does the power amp determine the type of sound I am getting? Am I correct to say that once I add a power amp to the mix that my beautiful Marantz 2230 becomes nothing more than an input selector?

I'm pretty sure that Marantz and Cerwin Vega is perhaps a weird mix anyway (Party Speaker with an audiophile receiver)?
I could always just use my Marantz receiver with my Marantz TT and keep those hooked up to my small paradigm speakers.
Then just add the amp to the old Onkyo receiver and CW D7s.
Also, in the meanwhile before I get my power amp, should the Onkyo be able to power the D7s with a fairly loud volume without damaging the speakers? I of coarse know not to play them to the point of distortion.

Sorry for the long post but I don't want to make an expensive mistake! Your help is appreciated!
 
I'd like to help you out more but I can only say a couple things with any certainty:

1. As long as you don't crank them, it certainly won't hurt to try the Marantz with the C-V's. You might be pleasantly surprised. Make sure the loudness switch is on!
2. I would avoid Pyle myself. They seem to have terrible specs and high distortion. Basically lying about their power output as well. More for the Wal*Mart crowd than you, I would think.
3. I found a really nice Pioneer Elite amp on Craigslist for $160. It's a few years old, but like new condition, sounds great and hardly used. They're all over the place if you are patient and take time to research which Pioneer's have known issues.

Good luck and let us know what you do. I'll be interested in hearing others opinions as well, most of whom probably know more than me!
 
Pyle= pyle of junk. Good advice from heem6. I would try the Marantz first but if you go with a pro style amp remember most of them have very noisy fans so it could be an issue unless you can set things up in a closet or adjacent room.
 
I have the option right now of picking up two TOA P-924 for $300 that I could pair with my Marantz and D7's.
Any opinions?

Thanks!
 
My experience with CV's, they don't seem to be very finicky when it comes to power. As long as it's a quality receiver, even low power, they will still crank. In one room, I'm running CV VE-15's with a Yamaha R-5 receiver, only 50 watts per channel, and it's insane. I have some D7's I restored, and I'm running an old Pioneer SX-737 with them, and they knock pictures off the walls. I had some D9's not long ago, but sold them. Wish I would've waited a bit, and paired those up with the D7's.
 
LOL!! I have a HUGE soft spot for CV speakers. But they really shine, for one thing, and one thing only. I understand now, that they are called "Dorm Blaster 2000's" for a reason. They really can't play anything else. You can tame the woofer, but, no amount of toilet paper, can tame the over indulgence of the mid, or tweets.

But hey, Rocking the Hell OUT!! No speaker better for a block party!!

Not finicky on the amount of watts an amp produces, or whether it's tube or solid state.

Through Goodwill, a cheap receiver, someone who can re-foam the surrounds, you are providing sound, (Double Entendre) for your party, and knowing they can last.
 
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Capgun said:
"Dorm Blaster 2000's"
Click to expand...

That is funny!!! I lived in a fraternity house in college (back in the early 80's), and I couldn't tell you how many sets of CV's were on campus. You just couldn't kill them, regardless of how intoxicated everyone was.

But this is where CV kind of got "typecast" as a party speaker only. Loudness on, bass and treble cranked, some cheap ass receiver running at 110% of capacity. In reality, CV has built some respectable sounding speakers--they were just never used for actual listening. Their price point and ability to make 20 watts sound like 200 made them the "weapon of choice" for house parties.

You can drive CVs with pretty much anything. They don't require much power to get loud, but they really "open up" if you put the juice to them.
 
Yeah, I'm sure they do make some tame ones, I really haven't gone through their entire catalog. I run some CV VE-15's in another room in the house, but not my listening room. It's funny, because I have stacked on top of those, some Acoustic Research AR
M6's.
 
That onkyo can swing it but I wouldn't. I've driven cerwins with everything from flea watt tube amps to large-ish solid state. The marantz I would consider adequate, that's all. In my experience they are better with stouter amps. A decent harman kardon receiver at least, pretty much any totl model is better, and seperates are best.
 
Capgun said:
They really can't play anything else. You can tame the woofer, but, no amount of toilet paper, can tame the over indulgence of the mid, or tweets
Click to expand...

This is so untrue. Ask any member here that has been to my house. I have had people over and are blown away with the quality of sound, soundstage, tight bass, crisp clear highs and zero ear fatigue from mids. They then ask what are those bigass speakers are (I have the badges off for visits for this reason) and when I pull the grills off, they are dumbfounded. I run serious clean power into mine and not "pro" amps. I bypass the tone controls, add bracing and extra weight inside and use zero tone anything. Loudness??? No need ever. There is a spot where both my D9's and E-712's "open up" and when you hit that point, you just start smiling

ANYONE is welcome to stop by and hear what CV's can sound like with the right equipment. I play classical music, baroque organ, jazz, rock, metal etc... and there is nothing "party" about my setup's sound... unless I have a party

CV's may not be as refined as other speakers but when setup right and a few minor mods, can do what they are asked and do it with authority
 
I will add this, CV's can be run on just about anything BUT if your using weak power and want to crank, you can hurt them with distortion. They like CLEAN massive power to really appreciate what they can send to your ears. This does not always mean 120+ dB SPL's, headroom is the key and little amps and receivers can run out of it quick. This is not a problem for many people since their listening habits may prefer low volume levels. In that case, I do recommend something more "refined" but when you want to bring the thunder, CV's deliver it in spades. An EQ can also help clear up highs and mids if that is an issue. I have never had to use any tone with any CV's I have but I have always used Phase Linear or a Mark Levinson amp with a high quality preamp driving them so that may have a lot to do with it
 
cmcvey said:
Just need to have the subs re-foamed which is costing me $130
Click to expand...

Save yourself a $110 to put towards some more power and get a refoam kit and do em yourself. I was a little apprehensive on my 1st refoam, but it was a cakewalk and I have did many others since then. Ya just gotta have a little patience.
 
vinylndunks said:
Save yourself a $110 to put towards some more power and get a refoam kit and do em yourself. I was a little apprehensive on my 1st refoam, but it was a cakewalk and I have did many others since then. Ya just gotta have a little patience.
Click to expand...

Agreed, did the D9s a few weeks ago and it was quick and easy. I used the Simply Speakers refoam kit. Next ones to do are the Bose 601 series II's and a set of Mach 3's
 
Just bought a pair of CV D7s for $150 sounding great using my onkyo with 150 watts. The JBL312 s are also singing right along at the same time. So far so good with my first pair of CVs. Was always told the same old story only for loud in your face music not good for refined good stuff. Well maybe I'm going deaf because I like what I'm hearing.
 
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