Are Cerwin Vega subwoofers good? (Buy Or Avoid?)
When it comes to subwoofers, the typical bargain is to give up some sound quality in exchange for portability. This is particularly true for subwoofers to be integrated into your car audio system. Are Cerwin Vega subwoofers among this category of subs whose sound delivery drop with their size?
Cerwin Vega subwoofers are brilliant, combining longevity, accurate sound delivery, and exquisite power handling capabilities. These woofers are normally made from industrial-gauge textured basket frames for durability. Their polypropylene cone design ensures that you enjoy minimal distortions in hi-fi delivery. Remarkably, some Cerwin Vega subwoofers can handle as much as 3600watts!
There is so much to admire about Cerwin Vega subs. One of the oldest brands in the market, let us dig deeper into their power capacities, motor design, sound quality, price, and warranty policy.
Who produces Cerwin Vega Subwoofers, and where?
CVM Acquisition Services owns Cerwin Vega subwoofers. CVM bought the Cerwin Vega speaker brand from Gibson Guitar company in 2010.
Today, Cerwin-Vega has consolidated two major markets for the distribution of its woofers. One is in Brussels, Belgium, while the other one is in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
While these locations handle international sales, Cerwin Vega subs are not produced in the United States. Material sourcing and product assembly are predominantly carried out in Asia – specifically in China and Malaysia.
Power
Cerwin Vega has some of the highest power-handling capabilities in the subwoofer market. The Cerwin Vega VPRO122D has a 1500watts peak power rating and RMS of 750watts.
It is a tad higher with the Cerwin Vega Stroker ST102D. This guy can handle a peak power rating of 1600watts and RMS of 800watts.
The SPCL182 – 18″ Dual was one of the most powerful we saw in Cerwin-Vega’s lineup. This sub had a peak power handling of 3600watts and continuous power (RMS) of 1600watts.
Motor
A significant number of Cerwin Vega come with a vented motor design. This is critical to improving the heat management capabilities of such motors.
With an enhanced opportunity for ventilation, the motor more easily dissipates its heat to prevent sound distortion.
Other Cerwin Vega subwoofers were fitted with double-stacked motors. This substantially upgraded the sound quality by improving the motor sensitivity.
The Klippel DA motors were the most striking designs we saw in Cerwin Vega subs. The latter was a stakeholder in making the motor’s electro-acoustical conversion more efficient.
This allowed Cerwin subs to deliver higher sound output despite being small.
Sound quality
We must commend the sound quality we enjoyed from these subs. The surround, back plate, and cone design were the chief contributors to the premium quality of sound output.
Starting with the cones, most Cerwin Vega subs are fitted with parabolic polypropylene cones. Thanks to such polypropylene makeup, these cones have a superior capacity to resist getting soaked up with moisture.
By resisting such moisture, the cone better retains its cone mass and, consequently, sustains its boxing tuning and resonance frequency.
The sound quality was also helped by the subs’ high rolls surround (single stitched) design.
Lastly, the bumped back plate in Cerwin Vega subwoofers enriched the bass quality, particularly at maximum excursion.
Durability
If you have been looking for a subwoofer to rock your high-fidelity frequencies for years, you wouldn’t be disappointed to give Cerwin Vega subs a try.
The basket frame design of these subs reveals a manufacturer obsessed with longevity. Particularly, the Cerwin-Vega ST154D Stroker’s heavy industrial strength textured basket frame ensures this subwoofer is as sturdy (and impact-resistant) as they come.
Audiophiles can relate to the agony of your sub overheating and eventually cracking. The good news is that such overheating is rare with Cerwin Vega subs, thanks to the detailed heat dissipation in these subs.
Most Cerwin Vega subwoofers are fitted with advanced voice coil heat sinks. This means the sub exhales the heat as soon as it forms.
Lastly, these subs are decked with thermal safeguard circuits. In events of destructive power surges or fluctuations, these circuits are automatically disconnected from the power source, saving your sub.
Installation
We had no issues installing our Cerwin Vega subs. This translates to ease of integration into your existing audio setup even if you have little to no sound engineering experience.
The installation ease can be traced to these subwoofers coming pre-wired. This saves you the burden of working out inputs and fitting wires.
We also appreciated the labeling of the ports on the back of these Cerwin subs. Such identification ensures minimal guesswork as you precisely know which components should be connected.
Price
We will classify Cerwin Vega subwoofers into the middle-end price category. Their prices are graded from as low as $49 to as high as $1600.
The CVP104- 10″ Dual 4-ohm was the cheapest we saw. It went for a meager $50. Note that it was not the highest quality either. But it would do for someone desperately in need of a quick sub but wouldn’t mind how short its lifespan is.
Stepping up the price, we come across Cerwin Vega subs like the VPAS12 – 12″ Powered Active Subwoofer. This guy goes for around $350.
In the upper price category, the SPCL182 – stroker pro classic 18″ 3600w dual 2-ohm subwoofer was one of the most expensive subs in Cerwin Vega’s lineup.
This sub goes for a hefty $1600. Would we say that price is justified?
Well, with an advanced heat sink, industrial-grade cast aluminum basket, 4″ Single Layer High Temp voice coil, and premium B/L motor structure, we can’t say the price was too outrageous.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t other subwoofer brands in the market offering these features for less.
Do Cerwin Vega subwoofers have warranty cover?
All Cerwin Vega subwoofers are covered with a 12-month non-transferrable warranty policy. This policy from Cerwin Vega Mobile covers your subwoofer for any malfunction from workmanship or material defect.
Warranty claims must be reported to Cerwin Vega’s customer support department via an email to ra@dat-cvm.com.
Note that you will be financially responsible for the cost of shipping the defective product to Cerwin Vega.
Best Cerwin Vega Subwoofers review
In this section, we will examine some of the best Cerwin Vega subwoofers. While we tested quite a handful, we were particularly delighted with the Cerwin Vega VPAS10 and the XD8s subwoofers.
What did we like about them?
Cerwin Vega VPAS10
We loved this subwoofer’s thermal protection circuit, input types, sound clarity, and peak power handling capability.
Starting with the thermal protection circuit, we were pleased we didn’t have to bother about this sub overheating.
The Cerwin Vega VPAS10 is fitted with a self-regulating circuit that automatically shuts the subwoofer off when it gets hot. This was critical in protecting the amps and overall sub from damage.
The Cerwin Vega VPAS10 has a commendable peak power handling capacity, coming at 550w. However, we were not impressed with its RMS value, which we felt was too low at 220w.
This subwoofer has two input types. These are high-level and RCA inputs.
Such facilities make this subwoofer one of the most versatile in Cerwin Vega’s lineup. It integrates well with your existing speaker system (thanks to the high-level inputs), with the RCA inputs seamlessly integrating this sub into more sophisticated car audio setups.
Admittedly, we felt Cerwin Vega should have upgraded the loudness slightly. Nonetheless, the deficiency was abundantly compensated for in the depth of the bass delivery.
Lastly, it wouldn’t have hurt if this subwoofer came a bit cheaper.
Cerwin-Vega XD8s – 8″ Subwoofer
For those who want to delicately enhance their audio system, balancing the depth and the power, you should consider the Cerwin Vega XD8s – 8″ Subwoofer.
Notably, this sub leverages an 80W RMS plate amplifier –further decked with a variable crossover facility. You get a powerful sub with a frequency range falling as low as 32Hz and frequency response peaking at 255Hz.
Integrating this Cerwin Vega into your existing system is seamless. Simply use the bypass setting accompanied by the crossover point to sync with your existing audio stack.
To enhance the phase alignment, you can use this sub’s polarity switch. This sub is additionally furnished with TRS and RCA input connectors.
The TRS connectors work for balanced signals, while the RCA counterparts are suited to unbalanced signals.
Resources
Cerwin Vega VPAS10 Subwoofer Review – Merely Music