TESTED: Cerwin-Vega CLS-215 Loudspeaker
Surprise, Surprise!
April 11th, 2009 -- by Robert E. GreeneSource: The Absolute Sound
| Products in this article: | CLS-215 Loudspeaker |
Remember the commercial showing Rosey Grier, the great football player, the very embodiment of human physical power, doing needlepoint? (This was real. He wrote a book on it, Needlepoint for Men.)
This image came to mind as I listened to the 110-pound-apiece Cerwin-Vega CLS-215s, with their dual 15" woofers, reproducing a solo soprano (from Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise [Telarc])—huge power harnessed to do something delicately exquisite. The beautiful sound was no accident: A speaker that can play loudly is likely going to do a better job of small-scaled quiet music than a speaker that cannot play loudly. Audio devices do their best when they are just loafing. And even in the overall quiet of Vocalise, there are moments of intensity, as there are in almost all uncompressed music. With a dynamically limited speaker, you are only a brief peak away from overload.
The $998-per-pair CVs never get in trouble for loudness or frequency extension. At any plausible level, they are entirely comfortable, not approaching overload in any way, and low in distortion. And they have exactly the same tonal balance at, say, 95dB or more as at 70dB. No compression at all. And their bass goes down, all the way down. These things count: This is one of the most relaxed-sounding speakers I have ever encountered. Incidentally, while they are large, with their black grilles and black-ash wood finish, they are surprisingly inconspicuous and even attractive—my wife Paige gave two thumbs up for their looks and volunteered to let them into our living room, and not just the dedicated audio room.
The CV people are proud of the speaker’s power handling (500 watt peaks accepted into a 90dB+ sensitivity speaker). But there is much more to this speaker than clean loudness. Properly set up and adjusted, these truly full-range speakers also sound quite neutral, a combination that most speakers anywhere near their price do not even dream of.
The CVs are low in distortion, but directly on the tweeter axis, they over-project quite a lot the upper mids and treble from about 1kHz on up. Things are clean but raspy, with leading edges of transients emphasized too much. And one hears quite a bit of the horn character of the lower treble. But around 30 degrees off to the side and on the midrange axis, things smooth out to the point that the speaker is quite respectably flat above 300Hz, except for some extra zip between 1kHz and 2kHz and a slight roll-off in the extreme top. In this range, on this axis, from 300Hz on up, the CVs are flatter than many famous high-priced audiophile speakers! So be sure to angle the speakers correctly—and to sit on the midrange axis, not the tweeter axis, to minimize midrange coloration and get the best balance.
Below 300Hz there is some extra energy. In my not particularly bass-heavy room, only medium in size but with somewhat flexible walls and ceiling, there was extra bass and midbass. You may feel the need to adjust the bass down electronically. But such adjustment of bass up or down is almost inevitably needed in any speaker. At least here, you have a lot to work with.
With the bass adjusted and the angle properly chosen, the speaker is very nearly neutral. If you like music with any dynamic power and full-range extension—classical orchestral, rock, jazz, in fact almost anything beyond lute and soprano recorder—you will find these instant contenders at their price. After this, it is more than a little hard to take tiny boxes seriously.
The CVs also provide a quite surprising amount of detail, with “inner voices” in complex music very well preserved. The subtle detail of the harpsichord parts in Bach’s Art of the Fugue arranged for string orchestra and organ [Dorian] are delineated clearly but without over-emphasis, for example.
The CVs are a very easy load to drive, with their 91.5dB midrange sensitivity (97dB in the bass) and largely resistive load.
The narrowed radiation of sound in the mid and upper frequencies from wave-guide-loading all but eliminates the usual early sidewall reflection from, say, 1kHz on up. And there is not much bouncing off the floor or ceiling, either, above the bass. In the bass, the floor is used to advantage by the two large woofers per side. You begin to hear the spatial magic of an RFZ (reflection-free zone) room, in which no early reflections at all occur, without having to go to the rather extreme trouble of building an RFZ environment.
What is going on that generates the perceived neutrality when everything is dialed in? Answer: The CVs become quite directional starting around 500Hz and increasingly so as frequency goes up. But this happens smoothly. Also if one takes 30 degrees off-axis as the listening axis, then the additional roll-off further to the side is compensated for by a roll-up closer to the central axis, up to at least around 5kHz. So the room sound is both smooth in response and essentially flat up to 5kHz but rolls off above that—my ideal! In the frequency range where the room sound all but totally dominates—say below 300Hz—the speaker can be EQed to achieve a neutral in-room sound. And if you also smooth out completely the direct sound on the 30-degree listening axis—which is quite smooth anyway—there will be rather little coloration introduced by the room: The room sound is smooth and balanced, and there is not too much of it. The sense of listening to a horn tweeter never quite utterly vanished for me, but this became a minor point compared to these good things going on. The sound under the best conditions is refined and subtle.
This is an excellent speaker for the money as it is, offering something at its price that is hardly available otherwise, especially for people who want to hear music where loudness plays a role, be it rock or classical orchestral, or just solo piano. Except for the potentially excess bass, you can just set it up and have a good time.
But if you are able and willing also to do some small EQ adjustment, the CVs become something really special. You have to sit in one spot vertically and horizontally, too, for best results. And you have to tolerate a small hint of the horn. But when you hear what these adjusted CVs can do both with big loud moments (try the Water Lily Mahler Fifth) and with refined textures, too (Julie London singing pretty much anything), you may well be as impressed as I am.
You’ll have to go some way to hear a more beautiful sound from a speaker than the female voice here, or a more exciting sound on symphonic music. Expert engineering and the economic benefits of mass production have scored a big triumph at a modest price. Congratulations are in order.
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Sounds like if these had JBL on the nameplate, were made of some exotic wood veneer, and were sold only in Japan they'd be about $30K! After reading your review I'd really like to hear these speakers. C-V, though respected quite a bit in the 80's and 90's in car audio, seem to be almost invisible these days amoung hi-fi enthusiasts. This speaker has the makings of a "cult-classic"...Especially if it suddenly is discontinued! I can think of a myriad of users: SET lovers, bass "phreaks", pre-teen males and much older males for whom Bose "just ain't big enough", and now, after your review, curious audiophiles. Wow, It's cool when politically incorrect stuff like this (i.e.: cabinets with the opposite of narrow baffles, with horns, and double huge woofers) delivers great sound at an even bigger value price. This is the stuff that makes audio as a hobby fun! The combination I just spoke of is truly in short supply now days and I for one congratulate C-V for pulling it off! Rock On!
Robert,
Always liked your reviewing style and while it would be easy to dismiss a speaker like this, it is refreshing to see someone stand up and tell the truth about a brand that not many...any audiophle would have taken seriously. For what they cost...I am geting a pair, it's a no brainer!
Neutral? Not according to Soundstage's measurements.
I bought these speakers without having heard them at a discount price($800.00) I have been fooling around with high-end hifi since the early 70s. I have owned practically everything. These speakers driven by a pair of outlaw 2200 200wpc mono amps, an NAD 162 preamp, an Oppo DV980H are spectacular (regardless of price). You can throw away your subwoofer. Buy them................you'll be glad. They take about 200 hrs to break-in.
And we in the submarine force Pass them down like Medals of honor to people in the baraks. I still misss the Big wooden finish...
REG's WAF notwithstanding, too bad about the garish white logos and ridiculous red surrounds on the woofs, visible even thru the grillecloth...black spraypaint, anybody?
I first heard Cerwin-Vegas at an audio show in Denver in the 1970s. Their effortless dynamics and awesome bass volume have remained in my memory ever since. I can still almost feel the way the 4-channel set-up in that hotel room vibrated my thorax. It was certainly an exciting experience. However, I heard my first Maggies about that same time and have been a fan and owner for most of the past 30 years. At this price I intend to play with the C-Vs.
I used to sell these speakers. If you like your music at concert levels, these are the speakers for you. I suggest you drink heavily and play them loud so you can't listen for their flaws. If you listen to female vocals at mid volumes , I'd suggest stuffing a towel in the tweeter. Just kidding. Unless the room is overly damped, if you play these at high levels, the room will take over the sound anyway. My suggestion, drink and crank up AC/DC.
Seriously, I wonder what the safest way is to black out the red surrounds and white logo in the centres.
I am thinking black water soluble (or, perhaps, erasable) felt markers.
As for how to black out the CV dustcap logo I'd try a black paint pen (find it in the caligraphy//hobby section of Office Max). It's likely a permanent ink magic marker would not do the job, but these pens allow you to put a small latex overcoat on whatever. I think the mass would be neglible and at worse case if you were careful and covered the logo staying in the logo area itself it would look like black on black which is always kind of cool. As for the rubber surrounds you could try a product made by the Fiebings dye company. It is a black sole and heel edging dressing which is made specifically for composition (rubber/synthetic) soles and heels. It has an adhering quality instead of just absorbing into the material like regular edge dressing or plain dye. It also means that it stays flexible since a shoe, or boot, must flex every step the wearer takes, in this case of a surround it is a definite requisite for flexibility I'd say! I would guess two light coats (it can run if put on without raking the dauber to eliminate excess). These are not proven and are just opinions on how to remove the red from the surround and the logo on the dust cap..proceed with caution.
The speaker is great. I have heard it even on the Disco. Incredible bass and locate the sound. This is something you will never regret!!!!
I run 4 x CLS215's as a frontstage, 4 x CLS6's bookshelves as rears, 2 x CLS6C as a centre stage and 2 x CLS15S subs in a 7.2 HT set-up running from a 7 x 140W power amp. Simply stunning. Loud, clear and deep and at their price point it's a giggle. I have heard nicer upper ranges but only in speakers costing 3-4 times as much. Due to replce the power amp in upcoming months with something about twice as big as the CLS215's are still no where near their maximum potential. One happy customer.
well i came here wondering what to do, as my original D.9's , (there year actually the month they were first made) are have issues with the rubber seal finally its blowing off as they play, :), would rather keep my D-9's then any other speak i ever heard, but not sure if cerwin can help me this time, well other than replacement woofers, rather retofit my originals, but was nice to see such an awesome looking speak with such a great review, tis got me thinkin, but i will hold onto my D-9's till given no other alternative, as they have served me faithfullly pounding the crap outta many place i have lived, the nad 2200 power envelope makes them earn their name(also a rare item the 2200 its so clean mind ya the kimber cables help lol) wlll have a good day folks
I own a pair of Cerwin Vega D-9's that I purchased back in 1984. After replacing the tweeters (about 10 years ago,) the foam around the sub-woofers finally went. After speaking to a tech from SimplySpeakers.com, located in Florida, I sent both subs to them and had them refurbished (re-foamed). The subs are easy to take out of the cabinets. I think that it cost about $50.00 per speaker, but the result was worth much, much more and the sound is... well,... like I have a brand new pair of D-9 speakers! Absolutely amazing!! The tech mentioned that it was much better to repair them rather than purchase new 15" CV woofers because they just don't make speakers like that any more...He was so right!! Regardless of the critics, I have my D-9's matched with a pair of Bose 901's and the sound is incredible. I'm currently planning a home theater in my basement and I'm leaning towards the Cerwin Vega CLS-215's, again; with a pair of 901's on top (supported by a small 10" I-beam.) It's a great combination for the price. Good Luck with your D-9's for they are truly classic speakers!
Those aren't subs.
Refoam them. Red surrounds are available from CV but black aftermarket surrounds are also available. They are inexpensive (approx. $25.00-35.00 USD) and return your speakers to their original glory. I have D7s and in 22 years I have refoamed twice with awesome results. These speakers will last a lifetime with just a little maintenance. Just remove the old foam carefully (VERY carefully) and clean the glue residue from the frames thoroughly. Most high-end audio shops will also do this for you. Hang on to those D9s! They're irreplaceable. If you can find a DB 10 Bass Turbocharger (equalizer) you will never look back. Good luck.
Sounds like there can't be much to lose, considering some fools spend a thousand bucks on speaker cables
and a $1000 CV speaker is probably better than 5k spent Harman International crap!
I just picked my 1 CLS-215. Yes, just one for now, I got it from a local electronics wholesaler who was only charging $350 each, but he only had one in stock. I'm driving it with a Crown amp that puts out about 400w per channel. Sounds awesome! My brother has a setup with a Luxman amp and nice KEF speakers and we both think that the CV's are a near match at lower volumes and if you like to listen to loud music, well, there's just no comparison. I'm not knocking the KEFs, its just that the CV's can be cranked to ear splitting volumes before they distort, whereas the KEFS would probably explode! I will be getting my second CV soon, I can only imagine how good it will sound. My brother, who is kind of an audio snob originally called them "frat house speakers" but now he has respect for these monsters!
Hello from Russia , this model cheep chinese product , only woofers survive from past . Real Cerwin Vega! loudspeakers ended in mid 90 years . DC series , build in Denmark last strike . DC 1515 the beauty in the beast !
I had these delivered two weeks ago and I am still in awe. Cerwin Vegas! ???? I have quite a few speakers, Totem 1's, Inifnity Preludes, Klipsch THX Ultra 2 with sunfire EQ sub and the Vegas are the ones that blow me away. High end is smooth and super detailed, The bass has extreme authority and is clean and not boomy and this is in a less than ideal 12 foot by 13 foot room. Extreme defintion among insturments and moments of startling realism. I am rediscovering my enitre music collection again. My audiophile snobbery has got the best of me. Cerwin Vegas now rule. The cheapest way to audio nirvana
this are made in china .. not the real deal like it was before.. what a waste but if anybody wants regular cheap speakers i guess this are it.. nothing like the speakers manufactured in usa. everything manufactured after the 90's its junk. sorry but i have a new pair and they do not compare to the old stuff.
I had to get over the fact these speakers are made in China and found a demo set for $699.00. I couldn't pass them up for that price and I glad. These are incredible speakers at any price! These speakers are great at any volume level but they really shine when you turn up the volume.
I've been looking for speakers for about 6 months and was planning on spending $3000 to $5000. I think these Cerwin-Vegas sound as good if not better than anything I've listened to under $5000.00
Homeboys and Girls...I have a pair of AT-12's that I bought back in the early 90's. Cerwin Vega really really really kicks ass. I would so love to have the room to install these CLS-215's. Guaranteed Eviction Notice Performance!
I have a pair of these speakers but finding a hard time finding an amp to push them at a decent price.I don't want to spend alot of money on a amp or pre amp. any ideas
I have a pair of these speakers but finding a hard time finding an amp to push them at a decent price.I don't want to spend alot of money on a amp or pre amp. any ideas
I've been considering these for a game room "whoopass" rock 'n roll system, having owned a pair of Cerwin Vega D9's back in the day and remembering how they rocked.
As best I can tell, the CLS line is being replaced by an new "XLS" line. There's an XLS-215 model, but it's only rated down to 38 Hz (-3dB) as opposed to 24 Hz for the CLS-215. Also, I read on a forum somewhere that the XLS is being made out of different materials--if I remember correctly, paper on the new line vs. some sort of fiber-impregnated drivers on the old line.
Anyone have any additional info?
I've not even heard or seen these speakers yet. But I do intend to order a pair, at the list price I think its a no brainer. Right now you can purchase them direct from the Cerwin Vega site for $599! That makes this decision a very easy one to make.
The $599 price on the CV website is for a single speaker, not a pair.
I have a pair of Cerwin Vega D15-EE's that I have owned since 1987. They still ROCK after all of these years!! They survived 2 moves to Germany, 1 to Georgia, 1 to Kansas, 2 to Nebraska and 2 to Iowa. Heat, cold, humidity and dry weather can't kill'em! I don't know much about where they are building them now and not sure where mine were built. I actually came here looking for a matched surround system and started reading the posts. One of the last posts mentioned changing materials from the rubber surround to a paper type. Mine are the paper type. The AT line that replaced mine were made of rubber surround. While stationed in Germany, these were the only speakers to have. I have never regretted buying them. Mine have a horn tweeter and midrange with a self resetting circuit if things get too hot. I am finding it hard to audition any locally due to the shortage of authorized suppliers. It's a shame for such a great company and equally impressive product.
These are great speakers
The new XLS 215 is replacing the CLS 215, let's hope they have improved the design to make them even more compelling for music lovers to try them out. I hope Bob would do a follow-up review on this new model.
I have these as part of my surround sound system. I was looking for them on line and found many sites claiming to have them. A lot of these sites were advertising them at a heavy dicount. There is good reason for this, they simply didn't really have them in their possesion. After giving a couple of companies my credit card info, they would charge my account and never deliver. After weeks of headaches and trying to get the charges settled with my credit card company, I finally got the refunds credited to my account.
After all that I found a pair of cls15's (which are the set with one 15 inch woofer in each) on Overstock.com. I ordered them and got them delivered without any hassle. They were killer. I was really wanting the cls 215's (which are the ones featured and have the 2 15 inch woofers in each and weight a good 110lbs each).
One day after looking around my wish came true. I found a pair at Overstock.com. I immediately got on the phone and asked the saleswoman if they truly indeed did have these sitting in a warehouse. She insisted that they were really there. I ordered them.
The best thing is yet to come. The shipping on this day happened to be $1.00 for any purchace. You heard it right, one dollar! I couldn't believe it because these thinbgs had to be delivered by semi truck on a pallet. Anyways, purchasing these on line was a bit of a nightmare, but in the end I was completely satisfied.
I have the cls c6 as the center, a pair of cls 215's as the fronts, a pair of cls 15's as rears, a cls 15s sub in the front, a cls 12s sub in between the rears on the rear channel (I know!) and all I can say, is it's rediculous!
Freinds come over and when the sit down to watch a movie, they freak. The sofa literally moves their you know whats. Their hearts pound, the pictures in the house shake, stuff falls thoughout the house. Don't get these if you live close to a neighbor, unless you just want to be a jerk! You will surely just make them mad. If you live in an apartment, forgetaboutit!
One more thing, if you don't already have a case of tinnitus, you will after you get these. If you have heart palpitations, ask your doctor! Otherwise, enjoy!
Tom,
Orlando, Florida
Forgive the spelling up there ^ ... it's just that I get so excited when I think about these, I furget how to spell. Oh yeah, I got killer deal on these at Overstock. I'd be very cautious about purchasing these anywhere else, unless you get them directly from CV. Don't just go for a company just because they are linked through Amazon either (that's where I got burned twice).