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Cerwin Vega opinion

pnovak

pnovak

New Member
Someone local posted his Cerwin Vega setup on facebook. I really didn't think I was going to be in the market for high end speakers yet but the price is just insanely low. He said he lost his job and just needed fast cash and that they are setup still and I could listen to them. Anyone have any experience with these speakers?

$600 for everything...is it worth it?
(2) Cerwin Vega xls 215
(1) Cerwin Vega power amp CXA-8
(1) Yamaha R-S700
 
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Probably, though I would doubt you'd get many on here calling them "high end" speakers. If you go by retail prices, it's a heck of a deal. I guess it depends on what you listen to. CVs have the reputation of being a heavy metal speaker not so much a fine listening speaker.
 
HiFi in WYO said:
Probably, though I would doubt you'd get many on here calling them "high end" speakers. If you go by retail prices, it's a heck of a deal. I guess it depends on what you listen to. CVs have the reputation of being a heavy metal speaker not so much a fine listening speaker.
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Ya I guess, high end compared to what I have at the moment. That was my main concern; that they had too much bass. I listen to everything so I would like something that would give me the best of both worlds. I'll go listen to them but I'll probably pass on them.
 
pnovak said:
That was my main concern; that they had too much bass. I listen to everything so I would like something that would give me the best of both worlds.
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Read the reviews on the web about these and the CLS-215 (XLS-215 is an update of the CLS-215).
All acounts say the bass is ample,but not at all bloated,very tight and pleasing.

By some accounts the expectation of over-abundant bass suprisingly left an impression of them being a bit "light" on the bass after listening to them.

My friend has a pair of CLS-215 and I can say from personal experience they dont have "too much" bass.
The CLS/XLS-215 are very well balanced speakers that sound great with most any genre of music.
Just dont make the mistake of under-powering them,that's all.

HiFi in WYO said:
CVs have the reputation of being a heavy metal speaker not so much a fine listening speaker.
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The CLS/XLS-215 are not at all typical of the what many seem to think of as the CV "party speaker" legacy.
And the expert reviews (Absolute Sound et-al) echo that to be the case as well.

pnovak said:
$600 for everything...is it worth it
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IMHO,yes it's a good deal.
If they were local to me & I happened to have a spare $600 I'd bite.
And likely you can haggle the price down just a bit from there as well.

Dont let the CV naysayers dictate your choices,let your ears decide.

HTH

Bret P.
 
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xero-D-hero said:
Read the reviews on the web about these and the CLS-215 (XLS-215 is an update of the CLS-215).
All acounts say the bass is ample,but not at all bloated,very tight and pleasing.

By some accounts the expectation of over-abundant bass suprisingly left an impression of them being a bit "light" on the bass after listening to them.

My friend has a pair of CLS-215 and I can say from personal experience they dont have "too much" bass.
The CLS/XLS-215 are very well balanced speakers that sound great with most any genre of music.
Just dont make the mistake of under-powering them,that's all.


The CLS/XLS-215 are not at all typical of the what many seem to think of as the CV "party speaker" legacy.
And the expert reviews (Absolute Sound et-al) echo that to be the case as well.


IMHO,yes it's a good deal.
If they were local to me & I happened to have a spare $600 I'd bite.
And likely you can haggle the price down just a bit from there as well.

Dont let the CV naysayers dictate your choices,let your ears decide.

HTH

Bret P.
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Thanks Bret. Ya that definitely helps. I'm going to listen to them Friday, so I'll get 1st hand experience with them.
 
My CV VS-150 were among the best full range speakers I’ve ever heard. They rightfully got a bad rap as being crappy bass monsters, but quite a bit of their stuff is as good as anything put out in it’s time in the price range. Also, you need almost no power to drive them. I think the VS-150s were something like -103db efficient.
 
Online information is just guidance.
If you like them and the price is right, then buy them and enjoy them.
I would not worry about labels like 'high end', etc.
 
rkgren1 said:
Online information is just guidance.
If you like them and the price is right, then buy them and enjoy them.
I would not worry about labels like 'high end', etc.
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I hear ya. I think it was bad choice of words to say "high end", more of upgrade. I have a pair of Boston Acoustics HD9 now with along with a pair of infinity 2000.1
 
Ok so the guy backed out meeting Friday so I went Saturday. He was there with his Girlfriend at the apartment. I told him I was interested and wanted to listen. While I was listening his girlfriend drags him in the bedroom and when they come out he is talking about the price and how he made an error and it was $600 a piece and he would throw in the amp and receiver. I said first of all that wasn't what we discussed over the phone so I was going to have to pass. He said that was fine he had someone else coming to look at them. I get a call Saturday night from this guy saying he changed his mind, really needed the money and would take the $600. I agreed to go back Sunday afternoon. It felt really shady when I was there alone with them in the apartment but I always carry so wasn't too concerned with just them two. I asked my friend to go back with me Sunday afternoon just in case. We show up...no answer at the door. I call his cell and some strange guy answers and asks who I am and what I was calling for.... said he wasn't around???? Long story short....I spoke with the landlord and he was arrested like 2 am. Turns out the guy was dealing drugs which probably means the guy that answered his phone was a cop! Can you imagine if the cops show up to arrest him and I'm standing there in his apartment handing the guy $600 in cash!!? lol...oh well
 
Had a similar "shady deal" one time--the ad stated "need cash now--any offers considered"--so I HAD to go look (never got a call-back, but the ad had an address, and it was fairly close-by). Went the next day and the landlord was piling all of their stuff (including TVs, audio gear, gaming systems) out in the back yard. There were eviction notices posted on both the front and back doors, dating back over three months.

Apparently, after a 3 month eviction process, the landlord had the tenants physically removed by the Sheriffs and was clearing out the house. Landlord told me to take anything I wanted (he was only keeping one TV), because the dumpster was being delivered in an hour or so.
 
Count me in as a CV naysayer, in most cases.

However, i am very familiar with XLS-215. It's a crown jewel in the CV heritage. It's a very well engineered and sorted speaker system by any standard. Don't let the heavy duty industrial look fool you. They're quite "hifi" capable.

They are so good in fact, that i am fairly well informed of their value and keep them on a running list of audio goodies that i watch for locally. When i saw the OP, my "scam" alarm went off immediately. IMO, 600 for just the pair of speakers is a steal. Used pairs generally sell around double that.
 
pnovak said:
Ok so the guy backed out meeting Friday so I went Saturday. He was there with his Girlfriend at the apartment. I told him I was interested and wanted to listen. While I was listening his girlfriend drags him in the bedroom and when they come out he is talking about the price and how he made an error and it was $600 a piece and he would throw in the amp and receiver. I said first of all that wasn't what we discussed over the phone so I was going to have to pass. He said that was fine he had someone else coming to look at them. I get a call Saturday night from this guy saying he changed his mind, really needed the money and would take the $600. I agreed to go back Sunday afternoon. It felt really shady when I was there alone with them in the apartment but I always carry so wasn't too concerned with just them two. I asked my friend to go back with me Sunday afternoon just in case. We show up...no answer at the door. I call his cell and some strange guy answers and asks who I am and what I was calling for.... said he wasn't around???? Long story short....I spoke with the landlord and he was arrested like 2 am. Turns out the guy was dealing drugs which probably means the guy that answered his phone was a cop! Can you imagine if the cops show up to arrest him and I'm standing there in his apartment handing the guy $600 in cash!!? lol...oh well
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Oh damn! That sucks bro and what you stated is a very strong possibility . You are much better off without them, they could have been stolen anyway. In my opinion I would go for the D series, you cannot beat the sound, build quality, and the looks
 
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