Were Cerwin Vega RE30 Woofers any good ?

[MisterDK]

Just wondering what you all think of the 12” woofers used in Cerwin Vega RE30 speakers. I picked up a pair of scruffy looking but complete RE30’s today for the right price of - free. They were out for trash. I pulled the woofs out when I got home and the coils checked out fine measuring at 2.9 ohms each. Guessing they’re rated as 4 ohm units. The foam surrounds are ugly but intact enough that the voice coils aren’t rubbing and cones & caps are also good. Looks like re-foam kits run about $22 or so, off ebay. The woofer frames / baskets are cast aluminum and cones paper.

If they’re known to be decent, I’m planning on trying them in my recently acquired Barzilay console.
The big question is.. Are these a good sounding woofer?

Thanks.

 

[Nyjblbob]

Well they do kick ass for Bass Duty. I doubt you get much quality mids out of them. maybe make 3 way speakers with them.
Although for a guaranteed better sound, pu a nice well bought small 2 way
stand mount pair of speakers Like maybe JBL Studio 530's or s38be
place them on top of the console, anything other than the woofers in the console is too Low!
aiming at your knees!
and use the SV's as subs!

 

[MisterDK]

Well they do kick ass for Bass Duty. I doubt you get much quality mids out of them. maybe make 3 way speakers with them.
Although for a guaranteed better sound, pu a nice well bought small 2 way
stand mount pair of speakers Like maybe JBL Studio 530's or s38be
place them on top of the console, anything other than the woofers in the console is too Low!
aiming at your knees!
and use the SV's as subs!

I was just thinking of using them for bass duty in the console’s speaker boxes and using some 12” or 15” Lii Audio, full-range units in open baffles at ear level, just above the console speakers. Being in open baffles, I suspect that the full range drivers, even a 15”, won’t do satisfying bass..

 

[superdog]

I was just thinking of using them for bass duty in the console’s speaker boxes and using some 12” or 15” Lii Audio, full-range units in open baffles at ear level, just above the console speakers. Being in open baffles, I suspect that the full range drivers, even a 15”, won’t do satisfying bass..

I'd get them refoamed and keep the speaker together.I have these speakers and I like them quite a bit.

 

[MisterDK]

I'd get them refoamed and keep the speaker together.I have these speakers and I like them quite a bit.

I may do just that. These RE30 cabinets aren’t pretty but I’ll probably keep ‘em anyway.

 

[MisterDK]

Ahh.. here they are with fresh surrounds. No coil rubbing!
Bought the foam kit from Springfield Speaker.

 

[turboyam]

I love Cerwin Vega woofers for DIY projects. Can be had for cheap, easy to refoam, nice cast frames, Mega Bass, high sensitivity.

 

[MisterDK]

I love Cerwin Vega woofers for DIY projects. Can be had for cheap, easy to refoam, nice cast frames, Mega Bass, high sensitivity.

Sensitive, they sure are.. I’m powering one off my ipad headphone output as I type this..! Yes Fragile just to test.
These actually have a fairly high range for a 12” woofer.

 

[DiGiTaL4164]

Sounds like you have things sorted. I just sent off a pair of the same woofers for a recone. I used them for many years--they are killer for bass duty.They do require a pretty beefy amp to power them properly. I am currently using a Crown pro audio power amp--XLI 1500. The Re-30s are 4 ohm, 97dB sensitivity, and 250W rms. Only weakness I would say for the RE-30 is that they are a bit weak in some higher frequencies, but for heavy rock, progressive jazz, and electronica they kick ass. Enjoy.