Customer Reviews

Cerwin-Vega Cvhd-5.1 Cvhd Series 6-Speaker Home Theater System

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this in October 2007. I originally ordered it from a different online retailer that was unable to fulfill the order due to a supplier issue. After searching around, I decided to order it from amazon. I had the free prime membership at the time and got free 2-day delivery. That is significant because the box weighs about 95 pounds. Needless to say, 2-day delivery with any other seller would have cost a fortune. I also ordered two additional "satellite" (hardly small) speakers to hook up a 7.1 system. These were ordered from another merchant through amazon and took a considerable amount of time to receive.

My setup consists of an onkyo tx-sr605 receiver and the cerwin vega speaker system (with the two extra speakers). The sound is really awesome. My old system was a different onkyo receiver with onkyo speakers and they couldn't compare to how the cerwin vega system sounds. My living room is fairly large and opens into the dining room and kitchen. There is a considerable amount of space for the speakers to fill with sound. The system does so with ease. As others have mentioned, the sub woofer is awesome. It easily provides as much bass as you could ask for. It also fills our large area easily. I have had the volume cranked up and the speakers sound like they were designed to be played that loud.

I'll clarify a few things about the system. First, the center speaker CAN sit on a table easily. The bottom of the center speaker has a flat area and comes with rubber "feet" to allow it to sit flat and sturdy. I have my center speaker sitting in between the feet of my plasma stand and it fits perfectly. I purchased some stick-on cork pads for under the center speaker instead of using the supplied rubber feet. I just wanted a smaller gap between the speaker and the table top.

The mounting hardware is heavy duty. The mounting plates also come with plastic drywall anchors. I did not use them. Instead I bought some from the hardware store that are designed to hold 40 pounds each. I got lucky and only missed a stud on 1 out of 4 speakers so I only needed a few of the drywall anchors.

I have my front left and right speakers mounted to the wall. The center speaker is sitting on the tv stand. The surround speakers are mounted to the speaker stands that you must purchase elsewhere (check other merchants on amazon). The surround back speakers are also wall-mounted. The sub is in the corner of the room. I used 14 gauge wire to all of the speakers. I used a single LFE cord to the sub so I can not comment on the speaker-level input. When I ran the auto speaker setup with the receiver, it came up with the recommended crossover rates that cerwin vega says to use (with the exception of the sub). This tells me to stick with what cerwin vega tells me to.

About the only hangup I had was with the banana plugs I purchased. Since I didn't have the speakers with me when I ordered the plugs, I didn't know if I needed anything special. As it turns out, I did. If you are using the wall mounting bracket, there is limited room (depth) for banana plugs because if they stick out too far, the mounting plate will not fit properly. The banana plugs I purchased are too long to use with the mounting plates. So..if you are planning on using banana plugs on the speaker end of the wires (recommended), make sure you buy some short plugs. Mine were long brass and just won't fit. They work great for the center speaker since I am not using the wall plate and for the receiver end of the wires. I believe monster and a few others make a shorter plug that I will need to try.

Hopefully this review is helpful. As others have mentioned, do not buy these speakers for the $1000 that other places charge. I may have been able to save a few bucks buy elsewhere but I wanted the speakers to come from a reputable seller in case I had any warranty issues. As I mentioned above, the box weighs 95 pounds so factor shipping into any price quotes you find.

We bought this as a gift for my son. This setup has a great fit & finish, and the Sub really shows what Cerwin is famous for. The 250 RMS watts effortlessly produce TONS of bass, and the satellites; with 6 drivers and 1 tweeter each create a smooth wall of sound. Special effects are extremely clear and realistic. Beware of the 'eviction notice' performance of this system if you live in apartments (you can always turn the gain down). The hardware in the kit is made to last (brass hangers into thick metal mounting plates), and was a pleasant surprise. The sub absolutely stomps my Bose AM-15 into the ground, and does so without the annoying port whoosh or rattling. The satellites also looks great next to the flat panel screens, sleek and purposely built. Everybody that sees and hears it complements the acoustics and cosmetics, I forecast a sales spike coming up.

This surround system provides an excellent range and blend of highs/mids/and lows. I've securely wall-mounted all 5 speakers with the included hardware, and they look very clean around my LCD TV. Most surround speakers (which come as 5 speaker packages in a box) disappoint in that you can tell exactly which speaker the sound is coming from, but with the CVHD, you get a seamless surround experience. The 12 inch sub offers lots of bass (which Cerwin-Vega is famous for), but depending on the levels you set, you can achieve a nice balanced sound without overwhelming bass. The speakers will give you a superb value when paired with a mid-to-high quality receiver (I've got it hooked up to an Onkyo TX-SR605 and couldn't be happier). As a musician, I have to say that you need sizeable speakers if you want to hear the full range of frequencies, and the CVHD will not compromise this fact. If you care about sound more than size (beware if you're married!), then this is your pick in this price range. Bill Bush, a senior speaker designer and engineer, left NHT and helped design this system, so you know you're getting a top quality product. Each speaker has 6 woofers and a tweeter, so prepare for a sonic delight!

It's been about three weeks now since i've bought these speakers and i am 100% pleased. The mids and highs that you get from the 5 spkrs sound a whole lot bigger than the speakers. The best description I can use for the subwoofer is un "freaking" believable. With the right receiver you can create true Theater like sound in your home. Listening music whether it be Smooth Jazz, Gospel, or some earth shaking Caribbean Calypso or Reggae this Cerwin Vega 6 spkr system answers the call and delivers everytime.

For Christmas this year I treated myself to a new sound system to go with my new 50" plasma tv. My first encounter with CV speakers was back in the mid 70's and I got hooked. I've bought nothing but CV ever since. My old surround sound system was a 5.1 CV system from about 10 years ago. So I checked their website, saw their new system and without reading a single review or anything else about them, I bought them without hesitation. I also bought 2 additional surrounds for a 7.1 system.

To power these badboys, I bought the Onkyo SR705 receiver. From watching blu-ray movies with the lossless sound encoding's, to listening to the TranSiberian Orchestra, this system rocks. And I like it loud and thundering. My living room is 12'x22', which coincidently is the perfect recommended room size from Onkyo for the 705 - 2000 cubic feet, and the highest I turned up the volume so far was 83. After listening to 2 or 3 TSO songs, I started to feel a little nauseous from the concussion of the sound. I loved it!

I had a somewhat major issue with the subwoofer. I was getting a hum when the gain was turned up. Did some research, did some tests and found the old 'ground loop' issue caused by the cable TV line. Bought a filter that was recommended by a couple of sites and presto, the hum was gone.

The other issue was the speaker stands. CV has their stands for $150 for 2. I needed 6 so I was looking at another $450. Not insignificant. Since I have the woodworking tools and the know how, I made my own. I used an oak baluster for the stem with a saw kerf down the back to hide the wire. Cost me $150 in material.

If all you care about is how your system sounds, this is an excellent choice. I had to decide between this and an even uglier system by Onkyo and settled on the CV system. The sub delivers crisp bass that will make your spleen explode if you don't turn it down a bit; the rest of the speakers sound good too - better than most that I sampled in retail A/V stores and far superior to any HT-in-a-box system. Also the wall mounts are designed very well and are compatible with the matching CV speaker stands: Cerwin Vega CVHD FST SATELLITE/SURROUND SPEAKER STAND F.

The only drawback is that the speakers are fairly large. Unlike some systems, all 5 channel speakers are the same size (23" x 5"), which is a lot of real estate on your wall. Personally I think the quality is worth it, and I sort of like the big speakers all around my big new TV. But if you want subtlety go look for something else.

These speakers were a great upgrade from the typical Home Theater in a box style fare of speakers, purchased for $499.99 plus shipping, i couldn't find a better 5.1 sound system for the price. If you pay the $1299.99 retail, you can find much better speakers in that price range. but for what they are selling for now, you can't beat it.

I went with these speakers because I used to have Cerwin-Vega car audio equipment and Concert speakers. They have always been very impressive to say the least. I am happy to say they did not disappoint. I have my CVHD 5.1 system hooked up to an Onkyo TX-SR605S. The pros of this system are that it sounds every bit as good playing music as it does playing movies. It sounds very good at high volume. This is one of the only systems in its category that I could find that comes with a 12" sub and it really makes a difference. The speakers are big and noticeable, which I like, but I can understand some won't. The only 2 cons I can think of are that the speakers come with no stands so they do have to be wall mounted and the sub tends to have a ground loop issue. I overcame the ground loop issue with one of those 3 prong to 2 prong converter things. Given that is not the best idea it is the cheapest and easiest fix if you experience this issue. Another issue I have read about on this site is that the sub shuts off at low volume. This is true but can also be easily resolved by turning up the sub output on your receiver and the volume down on the sub itself. So in closing, you are getting some awesome sound from a company with a history for amazing audio equipment in all fields, for a reasonable price. I love the set I have and would not trade them for anything. In fact I plan on buying 2 more satellite speakers and making my system 7.1. Do keep in mind there is a reason they call themselves the LOUD speaker company!

I bought the CVHD speaker package because of great reviews from sites like cnet. I wired my living room and hooked all the speakers up to my new pioneer elite reciever and the autocalibration didn't recognize the sub. Turns out, its because the sub is dead. I took it to a speaker repair shop to connect it to a known source (to rule out my cable or receiver as the cause of the problem) and they verified it was nonfunctional. The sub itself looks great and the other speakers sound good, but I have to say that I might listen to the other reviewers who say that cerwin vega's quality is questionable.

I am reviewing the sub here, but I have to add some other things about the cvhd package that I found. Of the brass knobs that screw into the back of the speakers, one was machined to an incorrect diameter so that it wouldnt fit into the bracket they included with the speakers. It was a good thing that I hadn't planned on mounting my center speaker or I would have had to wait for the company to send me another piece. Also, the plastic dry wall anchors were very flimsy, two broke after drilling the screw in place, so two speakers are only held up to the wall with three screws instead of four.

Little signs of lack of quality control like those make me regret somewhat that I went with cerwin vega. I am not so sure that this system will last very long, and I would take this into account if you are considering buying from them.

After having a Bose 28 system for a little while (and being very dissatisfied)I Sold it and bought the CVHD system & a Yamaha RX-V861 Receiver.What a difference, the bose system might be fine for someone without any concern over audio quality or tone def, But the CVHD system sounds unbelievable at any sound level.One word of caution this system will ROCK your house, So as the other reviewer stated if you live in an apartment this system will get you evicited in short order (its hard to resist not cranking it up LOUD). The only con to this system is the speakers are pretty big & are only offered in black (I'm going to paint the rears white).