November 2007 Reviewed by Randall Smith	Cerwin Vega! CVHD 5.1 Home-Theater Speaker System

Description Model: CVHD-63 main speaker Price: $149.95 USD each Dimensions: 22.5"H x 5"W x 5"D Weight: 6.32 pounds each Model: CVHD-63C center-channel speaker Price: $149.95 USD Dimensions: 22.5"W x 5"H x 5"D Weight: 6.32 pounds Model: CVHD-12S subwoofer Price: $439.95 USD Dimensions: 17.75"H x 16.75"W x 16.5"D Weight: 48.5 pounds System Price: $999.95 USD Warranty: Five years on speakers, two years on amplifiers

Features Speakers: One 1" high-definition soft-dome tweeter Six 3" cellulose-composite cone woofers 150Hz high-pass filter Wall- or stand-mount design Video shielding Subwoofer: 12" woofer cone 250W amplifier (manufacturer-rated) AC and thermal protection Speaker-level and line-level inputs Auto-on sensing Bass-reflex MDF cabinet

Friends who aren’t seriously into home theater think I’m crazy for how much I’ve spent on my system. Rather than explain why I bought each component, I just let them sit down in my dialed-in seat and experience the result for themselves. Though they never fail to be impressed, they still can’t entirely reconcile extremely good home-theater performance with spending thousands of dollars. Instead, they ask me about audio equipment they’ve seen in big-box stores. What’s most important to them are low price and the products’ cosmetic qualities. I’ve been there myself, but these days I’m willing to spend a little bit more because, in the end, I know I’ll be happier.

So when friends ask me for advice, they get more than they asked for. Most of the time they ignore my advice because they’ve already decided how much money they’re going to spend; they’re simply looking for my support of their choice. However, every once in a while I receive a product for review that fits their budget. Late in the summer, it seems that the guys over at Cerwin-Vega! read my review of SVS’s SBS-01 speaker system ($999 USD), which earned Home Theater & Sound’s Reviewers’ Choice designation, and felt that their CVHD 5.1 system was up to the test.

A big box

Cerwin-Vega!’s CVHD 5.1 speaker system arrived in a single huge box: four CVHD-63 main speakers ($149.95 each), one CVHD-63C center speaker ($149.95), and a CVHD-12S subwoofer ($439.95). That comes to a total of $1189.70 if you buy the speakers separately; buy them as a system and the price is only $999.95. The mains and center are identical in size, shape, finish, and drivers, though the center model is designed to be placed horizontally. Each cabinet is molded of black plastic, is 22.5" tall by 5" wide and deep, and weighs just 6.3 pounds, though it feels more substantial -- held in the hand, it feels quite solid. The driver complement comprises one 1" high-definition soft-dome tweeter and six 3" cellulose-composite mid-woofer cones. The speaker grilles aren’t removable, so I couldn’t inspect the drivers.

I placed the five speakers in the same locations my reference system inhabits, and connected them to my Anthem MCA 50 multichannel power amplifier. The CVHD 5.1 speakers come with brackets for wall mounting, but stands are available at an additional cost. The lack of stands made the review process a bit more difficult; using the wall brackets for a review product was not a feasible option.

At the bottom of the big cardboard box was the CVHD-12S subwoofer. As I freed it from its constraints, it became apparent that it was the sub that was mostly responsible for the system’s total weight. The CVHD-12S has an MDF bass-reflex cabinet with a textured finish, and its cone has a red rubber surround. When I lugged it into position, I noticed that the CVHD-12S looked almost identical to my JL Audio Fathom f112 sub -- each has a 12" driver and is black -- but there the similarities ended. The Cerwin-Vega! sub weighs only 48.5 pounds -- almost 100 pounds less than the JL -- and has a 250W internal amplifier. The CVHD-12S can work with either 220V or 110V supplies, via a switch on the rear panel. The user should make sure this switch is properly set, to prevent damaging the sub.

I connected the CVHD-12S to my Anthem D2 preamplifier-processor via an RCA cable, and at first set the size of the satellite speakers to Small, crossing over to the subwoofer at 80Hz. The CVHD-63s are rated at a sensitivity of 95dB, and so didn’t need much power to achieve loud volumes. However, when I calibrated the system with the D2, it became apparent that the right front speaker was about 4dB less sensitive than the others. This wasn’t a problem; I just adjusted the level of that channel in the D2’s calibration menu.

Listening

I like to experience new speakers with various types of music. The first track I played was "Adia," from Sarah McLachlan’s Surfacing [CD, Arista ARCD 8970]. The CVHD 5.1s presented the song in a very open, airy way. Cerwin-Vega! claims that their Linear Dispersion Speaker Technology makes it possible for these speakers to sound good in less-than-ideal positions in a room. This is a great quality for a speaker system such as the CVHD 5.1 to have -- their sleek look and shape allow them to be placed close to a flat-panel monitor. Sometimes with speakers of the lifestyle ilk, placement is governed by visual appeal rather than performance. Though they weren’t razor sharp, the CVHD-63s imaged very well, being able to "disappear" from the soundstage and letting me individually map multiple instruments in the space between the speakers. However, I did notice that when I played music at my processor’s reference volume position, the C-Vs began to distort; I quickly turned down the volume.

I then played "Babylon Sisters," from Steely Dan’s Gaucho [SACD, MCA B00000868-36]. While the drum kit sounded quick and snappy, it lacked the midbass punch I’m used to. Cerwin-Vega! suggests using a higher-than-normal crossover of 150Hz for their sub, and this was what was needed -- those five 3" "woofers" simply couldn’t play down to 80Hz. While with the Anthem D2 I can set the crossover point as high as 160Hz, I recommend you check your receiver or processor’s crossover settings before purchasing the CVHD 5.1 system. If you can’t set the crossover to 150Hz, then you’ll have to live with a hollow midbass. Or you can sidestep the processor by using the high-level crossover built into the CVHD-12S sub.

Once I’d properly integrated satellites and sub, I retested the system’s two-channel capabilities with a very clean acoustic track from Nickel Creek’s eponymous 2003 album [SACD/CD, Sugar Hill SUG-SACD 1970]. "Reasons Why," which opens with an agile bass line centrally located in the soundstage, helps me ascertain if a subwoofer is capable of playing multiple bass pitches or is only a one-note wonder. The CVHD-12S’s performance was outstanding -- I was surprised to hear it play up to 150Hz with no problem. The midbass hollowness mentioned above was replaced by a much more seamless sound. Bass notes were clean and quick, producing a great deal of weight and impact. Sara Watkins’ voice was also reproduced convincingly.

There may be no better home-theater demo than the Pod Race sequence of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. This scene has it all: great sound pans and deep, deep bass. When it comes to a good demo, what more can you ask for? I found the CVHD-63s’ reproduction of this soundtrack very accurate. The speakers’ drivers aren’t capable of moving a great deal of air, and didn’t provide a lot of punch from every position, but the CVHD-12S sub made up for that in spades. Detail was available from each channel, and the speakers’ wide dispersion permitted the system to achieve a seamless soundstage. The sound of the center speaker was very open, though the dialogue wasn’t always as big and bold as needed. The 150Hz crossover point helped somewhat in this area; the deep voices of males were much richer at this setting.

Comparison

The CVHD 5.1 system’s obvious competition is SVS’s SBS-01 speaker system, which also costs $999. The SVS system includes four identical bookshelf speakers of more conventional design: two-way models with one 1" tweeter and one 5" woofer. All of the SBS-01 system’s speaker cabinets are finished in a textured black quite similar to the CVHD-12S sub. The different appearances of the speaker systems mean that they will appeal to different consumers. The Cerwin-Vega! system’s sleek appearance will appeal to the more décor-conscious home-theater enthusiast, while the SVS will appeal to the enthusiast who doesn’t mind simple boxes in a basic finish.

On the other hand, the more conventional design and greater cabinet volume of the SBS-01 mean that its speakers are capable of playing lower in frequency than the CVHD-63s, which means that the SVS sub needn’t work as hard as the C-V sub. Although the SVS PB10-NSD sub has a smaller (10") bass driver, the C-V model, with its 12" cone, is actually smaller. The SVS is the best budget sub I’ve heard, and the CVHD-12S was every bit its equal -- both were able to play very loud and quite deep in my room. In fact, the 12S’s ability to perfectly blend with the wide dispersion of the ’63 speakers made it the saving grace of the entire C-V package. Choosing between the two would be tough -- that’s a real accomplishment for the C-V crew.

Conclusion

Cerwin-Vega!’s CVHD 5.1 home-theater speaker system is a great choice for the décor-conscious enthusiast. Its attractive speaker cabinets will easily fit almost any living room, especially one that includes a flat-panel TV. Because of their efficiency, the speakers are able to play very loud, and their good dispersion makes them easy to place while still producing a good-size sweet spot.

The superstar of the system is the CVHD-12S subwoofer. It easily shakes the room, and is agile enough to play the higher bass notes that tie the entire system together. Next time I’m asked my opinion about which speaker system to buy, I’ll have a new product to recommend. In fact, I’ve already had one friend, who’s contemplating buying a new LCD TV, look at and listen to the review samples. I told him that the Cerwin-Vega! system would be a perfect fit.

Manufacturer contact information:

Cerwin-Vega, Inc.
3000 SW 42nd Street
Hollywood, FL 33312
Phone: (954) 316-1501
Fax: (954) 316-1590

E-mail: info@cerwin-vega.com
Website: www.cerwinvega.com

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