Cerwin Vega
E series e-712
Versus
V series v-12f

Comparison Synopsis: If the cost is close go for the E series.

I have always been a fan of Cerwin Vega. They have constantly impressed me with their USA made products. My requirement is to build a poor man's home theater but still be top notch. Note that either of these three way speaker pairs will blow away any of my old setup (KLH 15s, TEAK, JVC 12s and other stuff). After messing with several cheesy surround satellite packages, I decided to check what a real theater would use. For 40 years now many venues have built exclusively with Cerwin Vega boxes. (no real surprise there) But alas, Cerwin has two distinct lines of home theater product. E and V series.

The natural solution is of course to buy one pair of each and compare them, right? Here are the results:

• Frequency Response: 28 Hz - 20 kHz
• Recommend Power: 300 watts
• Sensitivity: 98 dB
• Impedance: 8 Compatible
• Protection: Self-resetting PTC (tweeter); Fuse (box)
• Video Shielding: No
• Dimensions: 33" x 14 3/4" x 13 3/4" (H x W x D) 83.4 x 37.5 x 34.9 (cm)
• Diecast Aluminum Woofer: Huge power handling. Greater output with less applied power.
• Crossover Controls: Interesting, two settings for the mid and tweet. For quick EQ I guess.
• Cabinet: The cabinet is a little stronger, and clearly improves tonal accuracy.
• Tweeter: wow! High and painful.
• Midrange: Smooth, clean vocals. Ultra crisp spoken text.
• Bass: The 3 dB boost from tuning can be felt.
• Finish: Dura Black Textured Vinyl

• Frequency Response: 28 Hz - 20 kHz
• Recommend Power: 10 - 300 watts
• Sensitivity: 98 dB
• Impedance: 8 Compatible
• Protection: Self-Resetting PTC (Tweeter)
• Video Shielding: No
• Weight: 49 lb./22.2 kg
• Dimensions (H x W x D): 34" x 13 5/8" x 14 1/4" 86.4 x 34.6 x 36.2
• Tweeters: Nice high frequency clarity. The blue cone is ultra pretty.
• Midrange: Tough call on this one. They are similar in feel.
• Woofer: Moves better under low power than E, but does not boom as well when properly fed.
• Wider than the E, The cover is a bit less than full width and plastic.
• Five-way Binding Posts - yes, but the E has stronger posts.
• Finish: Thin Gray Granite Vinyl

Conclusion: E series is more rugged, sounds much crisper and feels more gutsy. The amp should have AT LEAST 100 watts per channel Yamaha or comparable receiver. Best feature is the tonal quality.

V series performs better with lower 70-100 watt power, custom molding looks more modern (but is plastic and somewhat fragile). Best feature of the V is the cool blue logo in the cloth.

Next logical step down this path would be to get a pair of smaller bookshelf speakers for the back, and an E-76c center speaker. Maybe I will go crazy and get the E-715 instead. Not like I need to hear for the rest of my life! Of course the neighbors are already upset enough.