Cerwin-Vega SL Series Quad 5.25" 2-Way Center Channel Speaker - SL45C

Appearance & Build Quality: The first thing I noticed right out of the box is the size of these speakers. These guys are definitely on the smaller end of the size spectrum when it comes to the bookshelf speakers being sold these days. For my space, which is a typical townhouse layout with a smallish living room, they are just the right size. I know many people believe that CV speakers can only look nice in a dorm room, frat house, or garage, but I disagree. I have a contemporary décor style and these little guys totally compliment the overall look. The second thing I noticed right out of the box is the solid build quality. The fit & finish indicates to me that these speakers were built to last a long time. Sound Quality: Do not make a decision about the sound quality of these speakers within the first couple of hours of your listening experience! They need some break in time! I can tell you that I was a bit concerned at first, but after about 2 hours or so the sound signature improved dramatically to reveal a beautiful mid-range, a sparkling top end and an unbelievable amount of quality, punchy base! Of course, for home theater the overall experience can benefit from combining these with a subwoofer; but honestly, the home theater experience from just these speakers alone is actually very close to the experience I got when I combined them with my JBL 8 inch subwoofer. So, believe it or not, I can go as far as saying that you don’t really need a subwoofer with these for a small to medium space like I have. The bass is truly that impactful! So, what types of music are these good for? All types of music! Classic rock, jazz, pop and country sound awesome! For orchestral music the highs, mids and lows all work together so beautifully. Although I didn’t test them with EDM or hip hop I’m quite certain they would perform brilliantly with these genres too. Comparison: I also own a set of Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 bookshelf speakers, and they are very good speakers in their own right. The Elac set produces a very clean and ‘clinical’ sound signature; whereas these SL bookshelf speakers have more character & personality. And despite their small size the soundstage and imaging of these speakers is simply amazing. They make me feel like I’m actually listening to music at live concert, and I wasn’t expecting that! Conclusion: The Cerwin Vega SL5m bookshelf speakers are simply awesome! Great purchase! Highly recommended!

Always been a huge fan of Vega speakers., These sound amazing definitely will purchase more.

This speaker is absolutely a hidden gem. For the price you won’t find a better speaker. I was skeptical at how good this speaker would sound being so cheap and never really hearing much about cerwin Vega center channels. I was given an older CV with dual 5 1/4” woofers which is also surprisingly good. Based on that I figured I would give the sl45c a shot. I have tried Klipsch rp450c and 504c, Polk audio csia6 (current), infinity alpha 37c, Elac 2.0 6.2c, and a few others. This ranks at the top for best value and is right next to the Polk as my favorite. The Klipsch has 4 woofers as well but is way to bright for me, this speaker is the perfect balance of being clear and loud without being bright. Had I bought this first I wouldn’t have bought anything else. I am going to keep this and the Polk. I will be buying one more sl45c and keep one in my bedroom setup and switch one in and out with my Polk csia6 home theater setup. I am impressed enough with this CV to try some more CV speaker for my garage and bedroom setup. May even possibly buy a third sl45c for the garage and swap it out with the infinity. This speaker is not as large as many centers. It is wide but not too deep or y’all. What I like most about it is it being sealed. I prefer sealed centers for home theater. The Polk has dual 6.5” woofers and is ported. I provided more bass than this center but can be boomy at times. This center provides adequate bass and is very clear. I’m not staying this speaker is perfect, but after trying so many centers ranging from this @ 149 to the Klipsch retailing at 750, this had such a good value it can overcome some of its weaknesses. Each center I have tried sounds slightly different in certain areas. This speakers has good mid bass and clear dialogue which is at my ears like. For reference I run a Yamaha RXA2080 receiver. I’m glad I gave this center a shot and I will be giving CV. More chances in the future.

Can't beat Cerwin Vega. Maybe. Sounds so good and clear. I almost gave a poor review but finally connected my receiver to my TV so I could see the speaker setup. Lmao. Now it's perfect. Very loud. Great bass. Cool looking. Nice size. I love them.

Sounded bass heavy at first until I ran my receiver's Audyssey setup. Audyssey EQ's each speaker individually. Sounds good after calibration. Calibration cut off frequencies at 60 hz and below. Works well in this setup.

I use these 5.25 cerwin vega speakers for rear surround in my 5.1 Channel home theater setup. They work awsome I love them. I my setup I also use cerwin vega 12in 3 way floor speakers, and CV center Channel. They all sound great together. I have had my 12in 3ways since 1998. Still sound great and loud!

They sound great and do not distort very easily and you can run these speakers alone without a sub because they do have bass on their own. I run 75watts to my cerwin vega sl28 speakers and it pushes them great even though they are rated at 300 watt.

I had an extra 3-way 15" stereo speaker that i was using as the centre channel in my home theatre setup. It was rather "boomy" and unnatural. This speaker is much better, esp for voice, which one usually hears from the centre channel.

These speaker are really great. Be aware that they are 8omh and not 6 omh and require more power to obtain the same volume as a 6omh product. They are very good at producing clear sound with a good bass and if you have a powerfull enough amplifier you should be abale to drive them really well.

If music is your thing through these its powerful and basey, but l personally found the dialogue when viewing films to be a bit dull and hence why only 4 stars

Sometime have humming noise.

I'm running a Onkyo RZ820, Crown XLS 2002, Yamaha 5disc CD player with UBS port, Cerwin Vega SL 28's, Cerwin Vega SL45 Center Channel and two SL10S subs. The subs do alright but not the greatest if I had to do it all over again I would have went with Cerwin-Vega Xls 12S Powered Subwoofers. I use my system 50/50 for music and movies but I feel the subs lack in power when adding an amp to the towers. If you do want powered subs go with the XLS 12S or consider passive subs and add your own amp.