Cerwin-Vega 250 SE Speaker System Review

Cerwin-Vega, best known for musical-instrument and sound-reinforcement speakers, recently introduced a line of five speaker systems for the home market. Called the Select Edition Series, the speakers combine the smooth response and wide dispersion of home hi-fi speaker designs with the high power-handling capability and high sensitivity of professional models.

The Model 250SE, at the midpoint of the Select Edition 200 Series, is a floor-standing three-way system based on a 10-inch woofer operating in a vented enclosure (the vent opening is in the rear of the cabinet). The nominal system impedance is 6 ohms, and the rated frequency response is 32 to 20,000 Hz ± 3 dB. The system’s sensitivity is specified as 95 dB sound-pressure level (SPL) at 1 meter with a 1-watt input. At 550 Hz, there is a 12-dB-per-octave crossover to a 6-inch cone midrange driver, and at 3,500 Hz there is a similar crossover to a 1-inch dome tweeter.

The tweeter’s voice coil is both cooled and damped by a silicone compound, and its dome is loaded by a horn that Cerwin-Vega calls an Elliptical Acoustical Transformer. While any horn can be described as an acoustical transformer, this one has an elliptical cross section (with the longer axis oriented horizontally) that is said to give it better directional properties than those of a dome radiator alone.

Although it is not a part of the 250SE, or required for its proper operation, Cerwin-Vega also manufactures a special bass equalizer, the DB-10 Bass Turbocharger, that can be connected in the amplifier’s signal path to increase the drive level by either 5 or 10 dB at 32 Hz. The equalizer has no effect above 60 or 70 Hz and attenuates signals below 20 Hz. It is intended to restore deep-bass response to speakers whose output falls off below 40 Hz or so (a category that includes most home speakers).

Removing the 250SE’s black grille cloth, which is retained by sturdy plastic snaps, reveals the drivers and two knobs for adjusting the levels of the high-frequency and midrange drivers. The cabinet measures 28 inches high, 12-1/2 inches wide, and 11-1/2 inches deep (including the integral pedestal base), and it has a black woodgrain-vinyl finish with a black flocked covering on the front panel. The rear contains the spring-loaded speaker-wire connectors. Each speaker weighs about 35 pounds. Price: $300 each; DB-10 Bass Turbocharger, $49.95.

Lab Tests

We experimented with several combinations of control settings when measuring the room response of the Cerwin-Vega 250SE’s. The flattest response was obtained with the high-frequency control set at its minimum and the midrange control at its midpoint, so these settings were used throughout our subsequent measurements.

When we combined the room response with the close-miked woofer response, the composite frequency-response curve of the 250SE was flat within 7.5 dB from 24 to 15,000 Hz. Although the response shape could be altered to suit almost any taste with the speaker’s controls, the high-frequency output dropped rapidly above 15,000 Hz. Our quasi-anechoic FFT response measurements confirmed the general nature of the response curve, including the high-frequency rolloff above 15,000 Hz. It also showed a periodic response variation, with peaks occurring at intervals of about 1,500 Hz over the entire frequency range. This characteristic was also visible on the FFT response plots supplied by the manufacturer. It was not apparent in the room-response curves, however.

The difference in frequency response between the on-axis and 45-degree off-axis measurements was less than 6 dB over the full range up to about 15,000 Hz. The phase linearity of the system was good, with an overall group-delay variation of about 0.4 millisecond from about 500 Hz to beyond 20,000 Hz.

The system’s sensitivity measured 93 dB at 1 meter with an input of 2.83 volts (1 watt) at 1,000 Hz. The impedance reached a maximum of 25 ohms at the bass-resonance frequency, 63 Hz, and a minimum of 4 ohms at 32 and 130 Hz. At frequencies above 600 Hz it was between 10 and 15 ohms. The bass distortion (measured at a drive level of 2 volts, corresponding to a midrange output of 90 dB SPL) was about 0.7 percent from 100 to 70 Hz, rising to 2 percent at 50 Hz and 3 percent at 40 Hz. Although we were not specifically testing the DB-10 bass equalizer, we did measure its frequency response and confirmed that it essentially matched the manufacturer’s claims (a boost of 9 dB at 32 Hz or 4 dB at 35 Hz, less than a 0.5-dB effect above 100 Hz, and a cut of 3 dB at 20 Hz).

During our pulse-power tests, the 250SE’s woofer “bottomed” with a loud rasp at 100 Hz with an input of 100 watts into its 4.3-ohm impedance. At 1,000 Hz, the amplifier clipped at 240 watts into the speaker’s 15-ohm impedance, and at 10,000 Hz it clipped at 270 watts into 15 ohms.

Comments

As received, the Cerwin-Vega 250SE speakers had their level controls set to their maximum limits. Lacking any instructions or suggestions for their adjustment, we initially listened to the speakers at these settings. The sound quality was very bright and “forward,” but it was greatly improved when we reduced both control settings.

Because of the variable midrange and treble response adjustments, it is difficult to describe the frequency response of the Cerwin-Vega 250SE. Within wide limits, it can have almost any response you wish it to have if you have the patience to experiment with the control settings. Although our test settings yielded the flattest measured response, the resulting sound was too subdued for our taste, and we eventually increased the treble control to its midpoint and the midrange to its maximum. To our ears the sound was much improved, but obviously each user will have to establish his own preferred settings.

The speakers sounded good, although we noted a tendency toward a “forward” character, presumably from a midrange emphasis. This effect was strongly program-dependent and was most noticeable in A/B comparisons with other speakers we knew to be flat throughout the middle and high frequencies.

We connected the DB-10 equalizer to our playback system and found, as we expected, that it had no audible effect on most program material. Only the deepest bass frequencies are boosted by this device, and such frequencies (under 40 or 50 Hz) are rare in most recorded music. When these frequencies were present, however, the effect was clearly audible.

The woofer of the 250SE was the only one of its drivers that we were able to drive into nonlinearity on musical program material with our amplifier (the 15-ohm impedance of the midrange and high-frequency drivers is not ideal for drawing high power from a transistor amplifier). We could hear the onset of a woofer-suspension rattle while playing a recording of bass drums at a high volume with the DB-10 set to a 10-dB boost, and sometimes at the 5-dB setting, but not when the equalization was switched out.

Like almost any product, the Cerwin-Vega 250SE must be viewed in the context of its price. These days, $300 speakers are often small- to moderate-sized bookshelf units, whereas the 250SE is a husky floor-standing system that is considerably more muscular than most speakers in its price range. In addition, its high sensitivity makes it usable with amplifiers having one-quarter the rated power output that would be needed for a typical small speaker selling at a comparable price. If you take the time to adjust the balance controls to your taste, the 250SE can be a very cost-effective addition to your system.

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