Cerwin Vega CLS-215 Speakers

[dakatabg]

Christmas is coming and I want to make myself a nice present! I want to get Cerwin Vega CLS-215 speakers. They are with 2 15" woofers and rated 500W! Does anyone know anything about them? How do they sound?

[TheHills44060]

Definite party speakers for sure...Hook them up to a pro-audio amp like a Crown or something and prepare to get an eviction notice pronto. Unless you are planning to place these in a huge room or need to play music for a large group of people they are overkill.

[LeRoy]

I was over at my local audio dealer's home this past Sunday and he brought up the topic of these CV speakers. He said it was hard for him to believe how good they sounded.. I was skeptical given the rep of CV but he kept insisting while nodding his head yes...that these CV's are very good speakers.

[harley .guy07]

Some of the online audio reviewers are giving these speakers good reviews as well. they say they sounded way better than they thought they would sound. I am used to Cerwin Vega's being bass heavy bohemoths that skimp on the mids and tweets and have an overdone sound mostly good for parties but the reviews I have read said that they are actually better than expected. i would agree though that a big room would be the best seeing that a smaller space would probably cause them to sound way overdone and not bring the best out in them. The only other thing I can say from working with the big vega's years ago is they are very efficient but to get the most out of them you will need at least 200 to 250 watts per channel of clean power and thats just to start. It might take more to get these speakers really singing.

[dakatabg]

Do you guys know if one of the 2 woofers is passive or both are working?

[harley .guy07]

As far as I know they are both active. I havent seen Cerwin Vega use many passive radiators in their speakers since I've been in this hobby. I am though going to say that it was a surprise to see the reviewers giving them the thumbs up because usually they get a lot a crap for being dorm room speakers and nothing to take seriously. They probably would not be my cup of tea but for someone looking for big speakers that could throw a lot of sound and according to some reviewers a good sound at that for their price. they do look like they are built with a little more care than some of Vega's speakers in the past. While some might give them a thumbs down for looking to much like PA speakers some people that I know that play live music in bands and are around speakers like this all the time might acually like that look. But really its more about how good they sound and if they will work in your invironment. But I would deffinately go hear them some where if I could before forking over the money for them or at least have a good return policy with them.

What do you have to power them with? that will be a big factor because its going to take some power to really get these things to bring their best to the table.

[harley .guy07]

soundstage did a review on this speaker in 2008 and said that it performed well above expectations. They said the main downfall in the design is that the tweeter horn is pointed slightly upwards so you have to have a higher listening position for them to image at their best but other than that they said the bass was tight and went to the lower 20 hertz range and that the midrange and treble was clean and mated well with each other. This is a very surprising result from what reviewers have said about their past speakers. they even said that lower power amplifiers would power them pretty well even though they thought that the 97 db effeciency was a tad above it real efficiency. Sounds like they have made a speaker that is better than their past designs and it might serve you well. Just make sure that you have enough room to let it breath and do its best.

[dakatabg]

Right now I am using Kenwood KA-128 125W per channel but if I get those speakers I will have to get a good amp. I just want to see what is the peoples' experience and decide to buy them or not!

[harley .guy07]

Well all I can say is check out that review on them and make sure you have a good sized room to allow them to breath. A lot of guys on this site are vega haters so expect that but I am sure you already know that. Hell I was not prepared for the reveiw that I read on them but it happened and I will say that If you listen to a lot of rock,blues or country music and want the ability to wack the throttle and crank it up every once in a while then go for it. I just don't have the room for a speaker of that size.

[dakatabg]

I used to have the model AT-12 and I really liked them! One of my friends has a pair of another model of them and they sound great too! I love the bass! I can put them a lot of bass and the speakers handle it with no problems. I love Cerwin Vega and they keep their price!

[harley .guy07]

then really you have nothing to think about, Go for it. from what I understand this is the best speaker vega has ever made and you allready liked the sound of their speakers before so its pretty much a no brainer.

[JoeE SP9]

I'm curious about the new model. If many reviewers are saying it sounds pretty good it probably doesn't sound any thing like other CV's. I wonder if CV lovers will like the new ones if they sound that different. So, dakatabg, let us know what you think after you get them.
I must admit traditional CV's are not my "cup of tea".

[dakatabg]

What is the model of the new one?

[winston]

What is the model of the new one?

that's the newest model in the CLS LINE and and they're bi-amp able"
i have friends here in Miami fl that have the old & new one's....the old model' grill only covers the woofer's- the mid & high are open" they claim that tweeter protection circuit in the old model is a pain the A$$' as you have to reset it often when ever time it's been cranked up. (the new one's Don't have that problem) BUT as one poster suggested you'll be needing a very large area and no neighbours to put them things to work... happy listening DAK.

[Erik1973]

"They are with 2 15" woofers and rated 500W! Does anyone know anything about them? How do they sound?"

You're kidding me, right? How do they sound? Go. To. A. Store. And. Listen. To. Them. Nobody but you can determine whether they sound good with the music you tend to play, especially not knowing *what* kind of music you play. I heard them in a store once, and they did sound kind of OK on hip hop. On the other hand, just for laughs and giggles, we did play Allegri's Miserere on them (see Wikipedia). It sounded worse than awful. I guess it won't surprise anyone they sound terrible on classical music. By the way, 500 Watt is not a measure of quality. And on Cerwin Vega, "better than expected" doesn't necessarily mean "good". Go listen for yourself. Bring your own music. Make up your own mind.

Kind regards,
Erik

[dakatabg]

Of course I will listen to them but I just want to know the other people opinion about them! I have seen them only once and they caught my eyes right away with their size and by the way they look!

[harley .guy07]

I would make sure to try to find a place to go listen to them if all possible so that you will be sure that they will fit your tastes. It does depend on the type of music you listen to on if the big Vega'a design will work for you as well. Generally speaking Duel 15" woofer speakers with a horn loaded midrange and tweeter usually arent the best speakers for classical and jazz by the way they are designed. These type of speakers generally appeal to a guy who likes the PA speaker type of sound that he is used to hearing if he goes to a local bar to hear a rock band play. these speakers are the closest thing I have probably seen to PA speakers without acually going out and buying PA speakers for your house. They will need alot of power and a lot of room and besides that its more on your own tastes and thoughts of what good sound is. And wherever you buy them if you do make sure they have a good return pollicy due to the fact that any speaker will sound different in your house than at the shop.

[blackraven]

Here's a review on them and a few user comments- http://www.avguide.com/review/tested-cerwin-vega-cls-215-loudspeaker

For $800-1000 I would rather buy a pair of Monitor Audio RS6's. www.saturdayaudio.com has them for $1100pr. http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/306monitor/