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Cerwin-Vega! VS-150 Floor standing speakersThe Cerwin-Vega! VS-150 is an American three-way bass-reflex speaker system. The number of drivers corresponds to the number of bands tweeter with rigid inch dome, 160 mm midrange driver and leaving a lasting impression woofer, 380 mm in diameter! The bands are separated at 250 Hz and 5 kHz. At the bottom of the back panel there are two mighty bass reflex ports, tuned to 30 Hz, only slightly inferior to the size of the midrange head. The parameters of the input module characteristic (average 7.1 Ohm, nominal 4.4 Ohm, RMS deviation ±2.2 Ohm, maximum 14.9 Ohm at 700 Hz) give a certain freedom in choosing an amplifier, and the power range (5-400 Watt) allows even the use of a good tube amplifier. The prudent designers have protected the system with a fuse, just in case someone gets cramped within these limits. The tweeter is also protected by a separate automatic device that turns off the high-frequency driver when overloaded. Proportion of the acoustic enclosure (455x910x455 mm) involuntarily bring to mind the need to improve living conditions. Despite the decent thickness of the walls, the enclosure is responsive to modest tapping. The VS-150, as is customary with the Cerwin-Vega!, has a record sensitivity of 94dB at 2.83V per 1m (the description lists a figure of 102dB at 1W per 1m). The uniformity of the field is quite high, but not astounding. Let us allow ourselves not to touch the aesthetics of the design solution.
Although the average sensitivity of the system in the high-frequency range (1-20 kHz) is slightly higher than in the range of 100-1000 Hz, when listening to a sense of obvious imbalance does not arise. Here it is more appropriate to talk about the peculiarity of the image coloring, in which some preference is given to shades of blue and green. Rather high stability of the characteristic within the upper interval provides a detailed interpretation of the proper high-frequency aspect of the sound image, which is transparent, clear and expressive. In the midrange, the unevenness of the response increases, possibly due to insufficient attenuation of the internal volume of the loudspeakers or bending movements of the cabinet walls. Since the maximum difference in sensitivity is in the very energy-rich region of 300-500Hz, its effect becomes audible at high volume. The local lift of the response in this interval, on the background of a good average unevenness (±2,3 dB), causes a slight toning of the sound. However, only an experienced expert will be able to notice this effect, and it is mentioned here only insofar as we are talking about systems belonging to the elite of hi-fi. Otherwise, the midrange frequencies are displayed quite decently. The experts especially liked the male vocals, the expressiveness of which is largely determined by the excellent quality of bass frequencies. Musical shapes with an unparalleled bass driver acquire clear boundaries and rich details, and at high volume levels the sound image is enriched by the deepest bass. VS-150 requires a room of substantial size to convincingly re-create the stage space. Most people would find the listening room space deformed, but VS-150's dynamic range is more than sufficient for real-life listening environments. You need a hall! Price: $1077 |