A Review of The Cerwin Vega LA165 Bookshelf Speaker
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- čas přidán 30. 01. 2024
- Cerwin-Vega is back with a new affordable line of speakers called the LA series. This is the first time in 16 years that a new line of speakers from Cerwin-Vega has been developed with all three brands being under the same roof (Mobile, Home, and Pro). If you haven't heard, Cerwin-Vega Mobile has purchased Cerwin-Vega Home and Pro from Gibson about 3 years ago. So how good do the new LA165 sound? Let's find out...
In this video I go over my listening impressions on how the new LA165 bookshelf speaker sounds and then compare them to other speakers in their price range.
My look inside video on the LA165: • A Look Inside The Bran...
All of my sound demos and unboxing videos are on instagram.
instagram = GenerationBehindHiFi
Update 2/5/24:
Cerwin-Vega reached out to me and is offering a 10% discount to all of my subscribers on any products from cerwinvega.com. Use the discount code "generationbehindhifi" at checkout to get 10% off your order. Enjoy!
Please consider purchasing from the below links if you would like to support the channel. Your support is much appreciated! Thank you!
European customers please reach out to the distributor in Europe to purchase a set of LA165 speakers here: dbakuten.se/varumarken/cerwin...
Cerwin-Vega LA165 bookshelf speakers: amzn.to/3H6Gi0n
Cerwin-Vega LA14 bookshelf speakers: amzn.to/3TKsIYj
Cerwin-Vega LA110 10" Subwoofer: amzn.to/48o2W0B
Cerwin-Vega LA365 flagship floor standing speaker: amzn.to/3veeHb5
Dayton Audio DATs V3 - This is the tool I use to measure the TS parameters: amzn.to/3ZlG8L0
Speaker Switcher - I use this tool to compare speakers with: amzn.to/3FEcGXs
Brass nuts for the LA165 can be found here:
Brass nuts: amzn.to/3IFLOIS
Brass nuts vendor 2: amzn.to/3BYrwq9
Brass lock washers: amzn.to/43iaRcK
Products for damping the inside of the cabinet:
Sonic Barrier 3 layer dampening material (I'm using this on my Q350s): amzn.to/46wSRwT
Amazon Basics butyl rubber sound dampening material: amzn.to/3RJWzPr
All of my videos about Cerwin-Vega products can be found here: • My playlist about Cerw...
My videos about upgrading speakers can be found here: • My playlist about upgr...
My look inside videos on speakers can be found here: • My Look Inside Videos
My videos about subwoofers can be found here: • My playlist about subw...
GenerationBehindHiFi is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Your purchase from the above links helps supports this channel and create content for viewers like you. Thank you for your continued support!
Update 2/5/24:
Hello my audiophile friends! I have some very good news for my subscribers today. Cerwin-Vega reached out to me and is offering a 10% discount to all of my subscribers on any products from cerwinvega.com. If you have been on the fence about getting the new LA series, then now is the time! Use the discount code "generationbehindhifi" at checkout to get 10% off your order. Enjoy!
European customers please reach out to the distributor in Europe to purchase a set of LA165 speakers here: dbakuten.se/varumarken/cerwin-vega/home-audio
Cerwin-Vega LA165 bookshelf speakers: amzn.to/3H6Gi0n
Cerwin-Vega LA14 bookshelf speakers: amzn.to/3TKsIYj
Cerwin-Vega LA110 10" Subwoofer: amzn.to/48o2W0B
Cerwin-Vega LA365 flagship floor standing speaker: amzn.to/3veeHb5
Dayton Audio DATs V3 - This is the tool I use to measure the TS parameters: amzn.to/3ZlG8L0
Speaker Switcher - I use this tool to compare speakers with: amzn.to/3FEcGXs
Brass nuts for the LA165 can be found here:
Brass nuts: amzn.to/3IFLOIS
Brass nuts vendor 2: amzn.to/3BYrwq9
Brass lock washers: amzn.to/43iaRcK
Products for damping the inside of the cabinet:
Sonic Barrier 3 layer dampening material (I'm using this on my Q350s): amzn.to/46wSRwT
Amazon Basics butyl rubber sound dampening material: amzn.to/3RJWzPr
Thanks for the video. I love Cerwin Vega looks and sound. I had a pair in college and they rocked at a very affordable price. Great to see they are back putting out new speakers.
I am so glad Cerwin-Vega is back. I have a pair of D-9s now and only wish could afford back in 1986 the D-15s. I love Gibson Guitars but so glad you control your own destiny now. Fill every living room with orange surround woofers and keep up the legacy. Welcome back.
Red surrounds are the definition of Cerwin Vega, so without them, it doesn't quite look right
Exactly! At some point some years ago they released some all-black speakers with an ugly black over red square logo on the dust cap, they didn’t sell well 😂 long live those beautiful red-suspension beasts ❤😊
i had no idea cerwin vega was still in business. i know what speakers im buying next. my at-12's still absolutley rock the house and pis off the nighbors easily lol.
Yep. They are still in business and seem to be growing. If you would like to get 10% off your next Cerwin Vega purchase at cerwinvega.com, then use the discount code "generationbehindhifi". I hope this helps you save a few bucks.
I have a pair of cv hed u 10s with a McIntosh amp and lemme tell ya I’ve still never heard a better system. Loud as FUCK. I’ll never get rid of em.
Good job my friend! You sold them speakers!
I gave them to a friend who is building a theater room. He will be using these as rears and the LA365 as fronts.
I live in norway and have ordered la165 from the us. They are here in about 3 weeks. After i saw your test of them last time i ordered a pair. They havent come for sale in norway yet so im exited
Have you got them? And heard them? I am curious how they sound compared to other, my best speakers I have heard for the time being are Triangle BR03 and ELAC Debut 6.2, I was so surprised by the cheap ELACS that I think I want to try the UniFi Reference, but I have tried more expensive ones earlier and been dissapointed, or atleast not fully happy by the sound.
I had them for a good month now. They plays very good. Love the the mids/bass and tweeters. Better sound from tweeters from these than the xls,sl,cls,and kinese models from cerwin. I recomend these. I have had over 80 pairs of cerwin in the last 30 years. These surpriced me
I love the "macho" look
Hey! Thanks for doing this review, you really did a good job with it. CerwinVega! Sold allot of speakers throughout a long span of time. They were a unique speaker that did some things very well, which helped get people into the hobby. For some reason there is a stigma with the CerwinVega! brand name and other reviewers don’t seem interested in helping the newly owned company become a well known name again. I appreciate this review and your future Vega! Reviews. But do me a favour if your back In contact with CV! Let them know that us die hard fans want a modern version of a big box old school speaker. Now is the time it would be popular for them I’m sure. 👍🏻🔈
I hear ya! I spoke to Bob Chanthavongsa (CV VP of sales) and he said that Cerwin Vega has no plans to refresh the XLS and SL line of speakers at this time. :(
@@generationbehindhifi
Well that’s disappointing. Thanks for the info. Did he mention when the LSD series might be out?
I see Emotiva is currently designing a new big box speaker so that’s something to look forward to that I might be interested in. 👍🏻
@@JR-ho5qm I didn't get any info on the LSD series. I know! It's not what you wanted to hear and believe me I tried to get some info but I think they're very hush hush at the moment. Maybe that means something new will be coming out? ;)
They certainly look great! You could see these classic red-suspension black speakers in a ton of places, movies and shows back in mid 90s to early 2000s, and everybody knew they packed a huge punch 🔊 … it’s like those white-cone speakers from the 80s like the ones from Fisher and Yamaha, which still survive in the Yamaha HS studio monitors. Some people love their looks precisely because of that, it’s a classic look, retro perhaps, and they still sound great 🥰
Can't wait to see the subwoofer review
Same here, looking on their website it seems to have high level inputs too, (which unfortunately so many subs are leaving from) I hope it sounds as good as it appears.
@@dantev.2453 yeah exactly. do you know the frequency range on the subwoofer or how many watts it has ?
@@Lowkey_nxthxn Cerwin Vega claim 50-200Hz frequency range. Not sure about how powerful the amplifier is.
@@dantev.2453 wow 50hz is not really the best then for a subwoofer
1988 I had the AT 100’s ( in my barracks room in Frankfurt W. Germany) …… Dennon 250W amp hooked to a Nakamichi Dragon cassette deck…… those speakers would dance on those tile floors….. man , it was nice , I know that it was nice because everybody told me it was nice , lol … TY
I truly enjoyed this review! For me, it's about nostalgia because my dad had Cerwin Vega HED U-321 speakers when I was a kid, and I always loved those speakers. Now that my dad has passed, I want to set up his old speakers with some new Cerwin Vega bookshelf speakers added. I saw in the tear-down video that you suggested we change the feet. Is there anything else I can change to really max out the potential of these LA165s? Thanks in advance!!!
Hi Chris! Thanks for sharing your memories with us about your dad. That's very cool that you two were able share this hobby together. As for the feet, I was just pointing out that they are interchangeable. However, I do recommend changing the steel nuts (ferromagnetic) on the back of the binding posts with brass nuts (links in the description). Ferromagnetic parts introduce passive intermodulation, aka 3rd-order harmonics distortion to the signal. Enjoy the new LA165's. For the money I don't think there is a better speaker out there or at least I haven't found one yet.
@@generationbehindhifi Thank you very much! I appreciate the help and advice. I'm glad I found your channel!
they will be back the day they start making big speakers.
cerwin vega is known for big speakers that can play loud with a very god bass. and is affordable.
Which brand and model gives you the best earth shattering base in a bookshelf speaker. I haven’t heard many high end speakers, mostly low end under 1000 bucks
I think there’s a lot of budget fans out here. Tight economy means more bang for the buck wanted and it’s great seeing a mid level speaker or low end that performs great.
Thanks Biden 👏
Oh man, back in the late 90s I had a pair of LS-12’s,
I loved those speakers more than any other floor stander I’ve had since. Sure, they weren’t audiophile grade or anything but they were clear and they got LOUD and clear. Does anybody even make a tower with a 12 in it anymore?
You need to check out the Cerwin-Vega XLS series. If you think your LS-12's were loud wait until you crank up the XLS-215. lol!
Last time I've heard a cervin vega was about 30 years ago and I'm 37 next week
Enjoy your dirty thirties while you still can. I miss my thirties. 😢
The cerwin vegas cover more or use more frequenies of the vocals than the polks.
It comes down to personal preference. Some would say the vocals are fuller and others may say it has a echo or reverb effect(im not sure of a better definition for it)
How would you say they are compared to the Elac Dubut B6 or B5 speakers?
I have not heard any of the Elac series of speakers. I reached out to them but my channel is too small to matter. :) The Elac B6 is quite a bit more expensive than the Cerwin-Vega LA165 so I would be pretty angry if they are not better.
Are these good for home theater use? I have a bed room and was gonna use these as my front speakers and get a center speaker to. Or spend 800 plus on a sound bar and subwoofer.
At $270 a pair its hard to be overly critical of them, but I was impressed what they had to offer. For HT use you will need a subwoofer with them. I would recommend the budget friendly RSL Speedwoofer 10E ($299). This combo will definitely sound better than any soundbar IMO.
@@generationbehindhifi those Rsl subwoofers are sold out but they look like they would do the job. Have you tested one?
The cabinets look just like the Phase Technology PC1.5’s
I bought 2 home subwoofers by CV about 5 -6 years ago, different models and both didnt last 3 months, maybe they have improved ?
You bought speakers made by Gibson that they slapped a Cerwin Vega logo on. I don't know if you saw the beginning of this video, but Cerwin Vega Mobile purchased Cerwin Vega Home and Pro Audio from Gibson a few years ago and this is the first time in 16 years that all three brands are back under the same roof again. Hopefully quality will improve going forward and so far it looks like it has. The LA165 model is impressive and punches well above its price point!!
@@generationbehindhifi yes I saw that I was just making a comment that's all
@@c0uchsl0uch No problem!
Is the woofer surround still foam? Or did they at least upgrade it to something more reliable long term? That was a huge issue as they would crumble and rot. Their larger models were fun speakers and super efficient back in the day.
Yep. I talk about the surrounds at the 2:04 mark. czcams.com/video/l-8BOFfhCds/video.htmlsi=gXrYeGS-p3iUkLqX&t=124
@@generationbehindhifi indeed you do. However, knowing that the surrounds as they are aren't up to today's common materials are the deal breaker for. I still own speakers that are 10+ years old in a spare room and dry rotting isn't a concern. But with C.V.'s they are. My son still has my old 5.1 system from Acoustic Research I gifted him that's over 20 years old, are in mint condition and still sound great. That's all I'm saying. Thx 👍🏼
@@ben23a31 The surrounds are made from butyl rubber so I don't understand your response about "not being up to today's common materials". My reply of "Yep" was in response to your question about "have they upgraded them?". Like I said, I mention that the surrounds are butyl rubber in this very video! :)
@@generationbehindhifi my bad, must have missed that part. I had Vega's back in the mid 80's and those surrounds looked nice but we trash. Thx for clarifying 👍🏼
@@ben23a31 No worries! A lot of speaker manufactures used foam surrounds back in those days. Even Acoustic Research did on their flagship AR9s. Thankfully, I can't think of a single speaker manufacturer that is still using foam surrounds on their speakers today.
Will you review la365 soon?
It's coming. 🙂
Can you do a side by side comparison with the Polk XT-20 and see who you prefer?
Sure, I will touch on this in my review video of the Polk Monitor XT20.
@@generationbehindhifi -ok, great. And when will this be? I own the Polk XT20, so I want to seeca comparison.
@@ernies8828 I give a sound comparison in this video between the XT20 and LA165. My look inside video was just released on the Polk Monitor XT20 so the review video will be out next month. I prefer the LA165 over the XT20. IMO its a more complete package.
@generationbehindhifi - is the cerwin Vega night and day better, however? Yes, the crossover board seems beefier, but that doesn't always mean the speaker is better. However, in 8 ohms, if the Cerwin Vega is better, I need to know how much better, and in what way? I would greatly appreciate it.
@@ernies8828 Ernie, only you can decide which one is better. This hobby is so subjective, that's why I recommend you purchase a pair to try them out and decide for yourself. Most dealers and Amazon offer a 30 day free in home trial period.
PS: I did include a sound comparison video between the LA165 and XT20 in this video. Did you see it?
That's a lot of effort (🤔) just to finish it off with a ten cent frame grill with no impact protection..what were they thinking.
If you have to worry about "impact" protection then you probably have bigger problems to worry about. ;) The grills are actually made from MDF instead of plastic which is pretty rare at this price point.
It's rare nowadays because it's a throwback to the 1970's. Technically it's not a grill anyways, it's a screen, lol. I would prefer an actual plastic molded grill that offers protection when stuff is getting moved around, positioned etc..
Looks a lot like an older heco bookshelf speaker box.
I believe it is.
KITTY!
The entry level polk really aren't too good. Not particularly clean (murky) or solid (not gutsy) . The TSI were like that. The signature elite start to get decent, but unresolving and polite. You have to buy at least the reserve to get real performance. Anyone considering the entry or polk XT or elite, the C-V might be a better choice.
Ehh for 270 dollars i'd probably buy a 30 year old pair of Cerwin Vega AT-10s or something rather than buying their new products.
Looks like a 20 year old speaker
Do they pack BASS
They certainly do! You could see these classic red-suspension black speakers in a ton of movies and shows back in mid 90s to early 2000s, and everybody knew they packed a huge punch 🔊 … it’s like those white-cone speakers from the 80s like the Fisher and Yamaha, which still survive in the Yamaha studio monitors. Some people love their look precisely because of that, it’s a classic look, retro perhaps, and they still sound great 😎