Cerwin Vega Re30 and VS 120 Comparison

After noticing yet again some cabinet rattles in these Cerwin Vega speakers I decided to make a quick video comparison of them to the VS 120's, seeing as I had to pull the apart to fix them anyways.

[@walkerclark4794]

Professional video with great detailed information - thank you! Hoping to pickup a pair of RE-30's soon this is a huge help.

[@SavingVegas]

A great speaker, I'm sure you will enjoy!

[@mikebrookshire3464]

It's heartbreaking that thay are no longer making these fine speakers.thank God I have a set of D9s I bought new also a set of VS150s also a set of E 315s thanks so much for the information . Keep up the good work .

[@DougMen1]

I don't have any classic large CVs anymore, although in the past I've had 24s, 312s, and D3s, 5s, and 7s. I now have their least expensive and smallest current bookshelf model, the SL5M, and like all great CVs, they sound more natural, realistic, and lifelike than any much more expensive bookshelf speakers I've owned from B&W, Monitor Audio, Wharfedale, KEF, Tannoy, Celestion, Polk Paradigm, and PSB. They have more natural tonal balance, better dynamics and detail, and more three dimensional imaging than any of those had, and just sound more like live music in my room. Vocals, lead guitars, and other solo instruments in the center sound like they're floating in the air in right in front of me in my room. They are the bargain of the century, and the best audio purchase I've made since my D7s in the 80s. I haven't heard any of the new larger models like the SL12, but the 5s are pure magic

[@martybeaudry5747]

my fav. cerwin vega that i v owned are the AT12 and AT15. thanks for the video Bryan

[@officialgru420]

Hey you know what man. I love your content and maybe someday millions of people too. Keep trying hard work always pays off👍

[@daveiacov8858]

great videos all of them. live my E -712. same issue with cabinet. had a open 18mf cap on one crossover. have a blown midrange on one and and having a hard time getting the exact replacement. but I'm working on it. still in the testing stage as far as the amps I'm running. but so far so good.

[@SavingVegas]

Good luck. Did you test the midrange by bypassing the crossover or using a multimeter? Parts Express has good selection and usually has everything I need.

[@crsracing1313]

My parents got a set of the 12” RE 30’s that they bought brand new in 1994 when they got married and they still rock

[@PhillieBlunt]

I’ve had several pairs of speakers in the 90’s and these and the series before it are the best by far for this decade even now I have a mint almost perfect pair right now and really no play time no abuse

[@mrelac6817]

Nice video got me some JBL it 100 classics a few months ago it got me back into the 12 inch woofer speaker since all these new speakers have a smaller woofers thinner design this more elegant in the room so I broke out my old VS 120s I had four of them I bought almost 25 years ago at Fort Bragg the PX I remember doing the exact same comparison RE versus the velocity series always wondered what that second magnet on the Twitter was it actually necessary because the Twitter on the other one can get so loud It can break windows if you need it so I understand woofers maybe some magnetically silly thing who knows . I actually prefer the other Twitter but when I had that Twitter it was on some old 88 which was a series prior to the velocity series of the Ori series was a two-way design versus a 3-D design that it’s just fun to break out the old speakers record them and just well move the house around it’s foundation . I remember the salesman trying to explain the differences between the re and the VS the VS was a velocity series that it sounded faster and I’m like man if you could tell the difference in the speed of sound you need to be working for NASA we might could save the planet here in an astroid heading straight for something I don’t know made me laugh.

[@SavingVegas]

I believe when they talk about the speed they're referring to the speed of their light weight woofers that are able to move very quickly. The faster the cone returns to resting position the more accurately it can produce the next tone. I had my vs120s playing the same music beside some Yamaha 18 inch bass bins and it was easy to see how quickly the Vega's woofers moved in comparison to the Yamahas. This also plays a role in their efficiency which is why they use foam and not rubber surround material.

[@thedangler1371]

I got the black and wood grain RE 30s. Love the speakers but think they need a better tweeter. One air port came unglued and made that speaker louder. Do I fix it or take them out. Love the speakers but the high end sucks

[@graboids78]

What does the Re mean? And is the VS mean velocity sensitive? Also both of the Re 30's I just got used have a brace on both sides and one connecting the left and right between the woofer and midrange locations just like the VS you mention. Thank you for all the informative videos.

[@PhillieBlunt]

Vary solid speakers

[@choronzo202]

Nice vid!

[@robertholsopple9451]

I am about to redo my covers on my vs12s I just got. The grill fabric is shot. I should be getting my fabric in the mail soon. I found the same type of fabric as the original stuff but I noticed there isn't a video of anyone re-doing the covers of a speaker with grills like or even similar to a big box model cerwin vega with the plastic style grills. All the videos I found are of the cardboard style that is flat and I would imagine easy to cover. I don't know how these Vegas would be to redo the grill fabric, looks like it could be tricky. Is there a video somewhere I'm missing on how to replace the fabric on the grills? Mabe a video idea?

[@bouser210]

I broke the speaker wire connects on my re30 speakers trying to use banana plugs , and the replacements from parts express are not the right size. I decided to just put them away for a while before I do more damage trying to rush something. Any recommendations?

[@miguelsontay280]

Hi how much is it the cost that's speakers RE30 today on the market

[@lbudt29]

I own a pair of SL-12 Cerwin Vega. Bought them last year. I had to EQ them in the midrange from 1khz to 5khz down 4db. Maybe a better crossover would be best for these... recommendations ? Thanks for your channel, good tips.

[@SavingVegas]

I suppose a guy could punch all the values in one of the crossover software programs to bring up the simulated frequency graph and play around with the component values. Would need to get a good EQ to see what frequency needs to be leveled down then go from there.

[@codygernes2478]

Final thought, RE30 is for farther distance at louder volumes meaning it projects well. Vs 120 is better for higher volume at closer range. Per say indoor. The vs120’s fill your house with perfection as where the RE30’s get a little to intense on the high end and is better suit for a small venue type of deal back in that time since the bass of the vs120 and RE30 is almost not different

[@JR-ho5qm]

I wonder if the impedance on the woofers from the RE to VS was different ? Hence the different part number. Good video! I talked to CerwinVega sounds like there new line of speakers won’t have 12” or 15” models but will include a narrow baffle tower. This was a little disappointing to hear. Especially when I feel like the market is making a bit of a come back for old school 3 way big box speakers. 👍🏻🔈

[@SavingVegas]

Both the rew12 and vsw12 woofers are 4 ohm. None of the newer CV speakers do anything for me. All the more reason to keep the vintage gear alive.

[@JR-ho5qm]

@@SavingVegas ya me either, that’s why I was hoping there new future offerings under new ownership would better represent the brand. But it dosent look good.

[@johnb8637]

Is there any difference between the VS120 woofer and RE30 Woofer? (Can they be interchanged in cabs)

[@SavingVegas]

Very tough to say. Specs are very similar and I myself would say they probably could be without any noticeable difference but without getting T/S parameters for each woofer I can not say for sure.

[@GentiluomoStraniero]

I'm looking for a 12in sub. I'm going to design and build a living room coffee table with a sub built into the center pillar.

[@gerardrusso9642]

I have a setof re 30s how big of an amp do i need to properly drive these speakers

[@SavingVegas]

Those speakers have a 97dB sensitivity rating so not a lot of power is needed to get good volume out of them. With that said they have a fairly high power handling rating and the more power you can give them the better if you like your music loud. They have a 4 ohm nominal impedance so you have to make sure the amp you are using is capable of driving 4 ohms loads.

[@mattjashyn3194]

Does the re30 and at-10 have the same tweeter and what kinda power do you think the at-10 can handle

[@SavingVegas]

Yes the Re30 share the same tweeter as the AT-8 and AT-10. The Re38 share the same tweeter as the AT-15. The AT-12 has same tweeter diaphragm just different housing. AT-10 is rated for 125 watts which would be lots. That said its nice to have an amp that can do more that way you know if you do push 125 watts into them you know its clean power.

[@t2p_demoncarl139]

I'm the 200th sub🥳🥳🥳🥳

[@corsomike1]

any ideas how I can tone down the highs on my v252s

[@SavingVegas]

Depending on age and type of capacitors used in the crossover network recapping has always giving me good results in sound quality. Other than that, a good quality equalizer or just finding the right amp and pre amp combination is all you could do.

[@georgesmith4639]

Do you happen to have or know where to locate the crossover schematic for the pre-1996 VS-120 models? I found the newer schematic with the 1996 update but the component values dont line up with the actual parts on my boards. Thanks for any help.

[@SavingVegas]

Sorry no I don't have any pre 96 VS schematics. To be honest all I have is the one I drew up myself from my 120's.

[@georgesmith4639]

@@SavingVegas Just curious what size "L1" coil you have on your board for the woofer crossover? The actual L1 coil on my circuit board measures 3.88 mH and there appears to be a stencil on the board underneath that coil that starts with "3." BUT, the schematic I have says the L1 coil is supposed to be 2.0 mH. Is your largest coil also around 3.88 mH ?

[@SavingVegas]

Do you know what year your 120s were manufactured? Revision was made to the low pass 09/23/93 which I'm sure you already know if you have the same schematic as I do. I'm going to assume the revision was the inductor. Is your C1 cap that is in parallel with the woofer 40uF?

[@georgesmith4639]

@@SavingVegas (I edited this post since I originally got confused between the 1996 revision date and the one in 1993). The date stamp on the woofer shows April 26 1995 so they are after the 1993 revision. The serial# on the back of the speaker shows 074570. The C1 cap is labelled 40uF on the side of the can. It measures 54uF on a LCR meter and is starting to bulge on the top. The L1 inductor is drawn as a long rectangle on the board stencil but the actual shape is a round spool about and inch tall and 1.25 inches across and has no labelling. It measures 3.88mH on my LCR meter ( the woofer was removed so not in the circuit). I'm measuring in-circuit since I was not planning on prying it off the board. My 1996 schematic says it should be 2.0mH. Do you happen to know what your inductor measures?

[@SavingVegas]

I can't find the schematics I drew up. I had a different set of 120s when I drew it up, not that it matters but you have me curious now. I do however have some VS150 crossovers that I opened up and the inductor for the low pass looks like it is marked 3.4mH. It's a 3 for sure but hard to make out the other number but it looks like a 4. Anyway, if yours measures 3.88 it could be caused by interference maybe? You could try removing it from the board and measure just to confirm I guess. It sounds like yours need some work anyways so I would swap that solid core inductor out with a 2mH air core and try to find a better placement for it to be sure there's no interference. When I get some time I will pull mine out and check it to see. Kind of a pain for me, my 120s are on corner shelves about 7 feet up in my shop.

[@ricomartin8720]

How much would you want for those RE 30's?? Or how much would you want for a pair of AT15's?? Please let me know? Thank you

[@SavingVegas]

An average price for AT-15's in Canada is around $800 depending on condition. The Re30's I was working on in this video are sold for $650.

[@bcarman120]

Would you choose at12 or re30? I can grab re30 pair for $100 or at12 pair for $250? Are the controls on the at12 worth it? Thanks hopefully you get this comment trying to make a decision asap!

[@SavingVegas]

Really has to do with personal preference. Myself I like the VS series over the AT and the Re30 is very close to same as the VS so I would choose the Re30's.

[@bcarman120]

@@SavingVegas aweso Awesome thank you for the response. Never knew about cv speakers until I found your channel and now I cant stop looking for deals. Much appreciated. SAVE the VEGAS

[@SavingVegas]

Right on! You will enjoy them I'm sure.

[@michaelkack]

I’m looking for a pair of refurbished Vegas can you please help me out with this I want loud Clean Bassy music I listen to a lot of Disturbed can you help me out or can I pay you to refurbish a set for me?

[@SavingVegas]

Where are you located?

[@peterrichard3706]

I got the RE 30. NO NOISE. If they do develop one I know where to look. I'm powering them with EMOTIVA A2. Should be enough ,eh?

[@chinmeysway]

Nice doggies

[@Mike-nq1rt]

Saving vegas, I just bought some VS-120’s with new foam. But when I’m bumping them, one speaker moves a lot and one is real tight like my RE-25’s. What would cause that?

[@SavingVegas]

First off have you switched channels on your amp? Just to eliminate an amplifier issue. If that is all good pull the woofers out of the cabinets and feel the spiders to see if maybe one is worn out.

[@Mike-nq1rt]

@@SavingVegas I have not tried that. But my RE-25’s run perfect on my amp. I will pull the speakers this weekend and have a look and let you know what I find!! Thank you for getting back to me and keep making the great videos!!! I love cerwin Vega speakers!!!

[@BadgerMonkey]

@@SavingVegas What does a worn out spider feel like?

[@SavingVegas]

It will feel soft, usually you can tell if they are worn out if it sags towards the cone.