CERWIN VEGA AVS 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System ( Charcoal Color )

Rating:
Summary: Great Home Theater System
Review: I finally took the plunge and bought a home theater speaker system - and what a great plunge it was. These speakers are not only very, very resonably priced but are super sounding speakers too. I never thought I could get this type of sound from a speaker system that sold for under $200.00. My big concern was how they would work with music. My concern vanished with the first song on the first CD that I played(Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits). WOW! The home theater reproduction was just as impressive, beginning with the THX intro in Last of the Mohicans and every part of the dvd thereafter. My only regret is that I waited so long before I made this decission. If you are looking for great home theater and CD music sound at a very fair price, please take a look at the Cerwin Vega AVS 5.1. - I think that you will be most pleased that you did.

Rating:
Summary: Sounds great - service is not so good
Review: I purchased these speakers a couple months ago. Unfortunately it was a clearance sale so I could not return them. When they are working they sound great.

I have had trouble with the sub. It requires a very high volume to kick in - then works at any volume as it should. When i called C-V they said it is a common problem and is very easy to fix - two capacitors or something. They referred me to their local service guys who 'fixed' it - but the problem still remains. I went back to C-V and they said not a problem - we'll send you a new amp asap. That was a month ago and my system is still in shambles waiting for the new amp.

So, when the sub is working - the system really does sound great. Unfortunately you have to blast the system to get the woofer to kick in and it may go to sleep again if the movie has 20 minutes without a strong bass signal.

Reccomendation: carefully test them when you get them home and make sure there are more in stock before you take one home.

Rating:
Summary: Sounds great - service is not so good
Review: I purchased these speakers a couple months ago. Unfortunately it was a clearance sale so I could not return them. When they are working they sound great.

I have had trouble with the sub. It requires a very high volume to kick in - then works at any volume as it should. When i called C-V they said it is a common problem and is very easy to fix - two capacitors or something. They referred me to their local service guys who 'fixed' it - but the problem still remains. I went back to C-V and they said not a problem - we'll send you a new amp asap. That was a month ago and my system is still in shambles waiting for the new amp.

So, when the sub is working - the system really does sound great. Unfortunately you have to blast the system to get the woofer to kick in and it may go to sleep again if the movie has 20 minutes without a strong bass signal.

Reccomendation: carefully test them when you get them home and make sure there are more in stock before you take one home.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely wonderful sound! Here's how to tweak the sub...
Review: The AVS-5.1 is a superior performing set of home theater speakers. The center and satellite speakers produce crisp and wholesome sound with a lot of detail. The subwoofer, once the default setting is changed, produces a wonderful bass which is rich and mellow at even low volumes. At high volumes it continues its mellowness and never jars. Taken as a full set, the Cerwin Vega AVS-5.1 set produce amazingly good quality sound, comparable to the sound produced by high end speakers.

And what a good looking set of speakers!

Some people might take issue with an internal setting in the subwoofer. The sub does not kick in unless it receives a minimum volume signal. This can be annoying when you want to watch Dolby Digital/DTS movies at night. You would have to wake up your neighbors in order to turn on the sub.

Here's how to change the internal setting of the subwoofer:
You need to disconnect the amplifier from the sub and set the jumper from "auto" to "on". The "auto" mode does not let the sub kick in unless it receives a minimum volume signal. In my opinion, the this very easy to do and should not take more than a few minutes.

If you are squeamish about opening up and messing with the sub, then don't follow the procedure. Simply take a printout of this review to your nearest electronics service outlet. I don't recommend going the official customer support route with Cerwin Vega unless you want to deal with the hassles.

Warning - disconnect the power cable first! Remove the peripheral screws and carefully separate the amp from the unit. Carefully inspect the green circuit board until you locate the jumper - which clearly indicates "On", "Auto" and "Off" in white letters. Simply remove the jumper from the "Auto" position and insert in into the "On" position. Double check that the amp is still connected to the sub's speaker. Thats all you need to do. Now screw the amp back on, reconnect the power supply, turn on the sub and enjoy!

In conclusion, I am highly satisfied with this speaker set. I could not find a better 5.1 set for under $500.