Newly Acquired Cerwin Vega D-8

lapoltba

New Member
So as the title suggests, I just acquired a set of these speakers. The cabinets are in reasonably good shape, but as to be expected they have the woofer surround delete option. I am getting them re-foamed, but in the meantime I am looking for some info on these monsters.

I have found plenty of info on the other speakers in the D series (5,7,9, etc.) but information on the D8 is no-nexistant. It seems to be the bastard step child of the D-5 and D-9, with a single mid-range and a 15" woofer. My google-fu turned up the image below which does not list the D-8.

I have heard the D-9s before and they are a beast of a speaker. I can only assume that these are the same. Probably too much for my house, but I couldn't pass up a deal.

Any thoughts?

CVSpecsheet.jpg
 
D8 is a new one on me. There are a couple of mentions of D8 on AK. Use the site option with google to pinpoint the threads. i.e. "cerwin vega D8 site:audiokarma.org".

If anyone knows, it will likely come from here! Good luck!
 
Google brought me here in the first place. My google-fu is pretty good but I haven't been able to turn up much info. All the useful info I have found so far has come from this site so I joined in hopes of finding someone with some knowledge.
 
Well through a longshot comment on a youtube video I found on another forum some documentation that proves they do exist. See below for the extra info I found.

Brief summary:
4 ohms (4-8 ohms according to speaker label)
150W RMS
32Hz - 17kHz
Sensitivity 101dB 1W@1M
1" voice coil horn

150 W @ 4 ohms... :rockon:

*EDIT* - Just realized I don't have an amplifier here to power them if they are indeed 4 ohm. Looks like I need to make a trip back to my parents house to retrieve my el-cheapo Samson F-800 amp to try these puppies out.


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I decided to attempt replacing the surrounds myself. I already had them halfway cleaned up and I can buy the proper replacements for less than I can pay someone to do one speaker. Classic "how hard can it be" moment probably. We shall see.

Also, another related question... What is the inherent value in these speakers in good working condition, new surrounds, good grill cloth and solid cabinets? I'm not impressed with the vinyl laminate/veneer that is peeling up and wrinkled in places. Is there any value to be had in re-veneering the cabinet, even in some nice maple or cherry (cheaper than walnut or mahogany)?

I'm probably not going to be keeping these for too long, they are way too big and obnoxious for me.
 
They're practically worthless. I will do you the favor of disposing of them for you.

In all seriousness, it just depends on how much work you'll willing to go through to restore and sell them. I think new veneer is too much work, but the foam is necessary. Do a really good job on the foam install. Be as symmetrical as you can with it. Have a really critical eye when it comes time to lay the foam out with glue on the cone.

Do a better job than this:

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Be willing to ship them. It amazes me what people are willing to pay for shipping, sometimes as much as the speakers cost. So if the freight charge is $150, don't be afraid to list that, someone might be willing to pay it.
 
What is the model of the woofer?

Here are two woofers from two sets of D-9's, one from ~1984, near the beginning of when they were sold and one from ~1991, toward the end. They both have the same model number however, "152WB"



I'm just curious if the D-8 uses the same woofer as the D-9 or some other 15"
 
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I am generally meticulous when doing this sort of stuff. I'm a machinist and engineer so if things aren't just so, i'm not happy. I've found most engineers and ALL toolmakers/machinists are like this, at least if they're worth a damn.

I planned on a dry run so to speak evaluating the few different methods i've seen. If at all possible I want to avoid cutting off the dust cover. I like the idea of putting low current/voltage DC through the coil to set it in the field. You can still mis-align it if you're not careful but it should be much easier to feel than just pushing on the cone.

The woofers are 152WR from the markings on the back. The plate on the back of the magnet is like the one on the right in your photo with no bulge in the center. I read somewhere that there is a WZ version that had a powdered metal impregnated cone, or something to that effect. I have no idea how that would be designated, but I am pretty sure mine aren't.
 
Took some pictures for reference. Upon closer inspection of the back side of the cones I noticed two different numbers 153-W and 153-WR. The cones are also slightly different color, possibly due to sunlight or storage conditions but I don't know. I have no way of knowing if these are original cones or if they have ever been replaced.

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Also, this looks like cat damage..... Any suggestions on improving appearance?

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Beautiful woofers.

A crazy destructive idea would be to take tweezers, a brand new razor blade and cut the minor snags off. If it's a deep cut, maybe some contact cement applied with something smaller and narrower than a q-tip. Maybe a #00 or #000 philips/flathead. Or just leave em alone.
 
Yeah, removing material seems like a terrible ideal.... I was thinking of a less destructive method. I looked around for some ideas and came up with a few, which brings another question: What color were these paper cones supposed to be? Were they grey-ish or jet black?

I liked the idea of using a water based black wood die (sparingly of course) to re-color the cone, then use a very light coat of medium gloss/matte varnish to seal the surface. I would have to find something that won't add weight, and preferably water based. That should flatten out the fuzz and make things look spiffy again. Maybe watered down PVA in a very light coat.
 
They were probably a little darker, but not jet black. I couldn't find an ad for these, but other woofers from the era probably looked similar.

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As far as worth, the older CV stuff always seems to bring decent money. Not my cup of tea to listen to, but I think everyone will agree that they do well what they were designed to do; be very efficient and play loud as hell. I would imagine bass from the D8 would shake the foundation of your house. I have redone AT-12's and D-5's and they were like a gut-punch when cranked - and your cones are 3 inches larger!

When if comes to re-foam, I used a 30Hz tone to keep the coil where it should be. Never had a problem using this method but some swear by removing the dust cap and using shims. Guess it's comes down to what you feel comfortable doing. I might would shim if it was a high-dollar driver.

The AT-12's I had looked good but the D5's cones were chalky-gray, nasty looking. I masked stuff off (before re-foaming) and used Kryon flat-black and put a very light coat over the cone. The top of a spray paint can masks the dust cap perfectly. Like you say, add as little weight as possible. Not sure if this was the correct approach, but it didn't seem to effect the output of the woof (that I could perceive) and it looked darn nice afterwards. :thmbsp:
 
Short of the infamous D9, the D8's have a very nice sound all their own- I would not be ashamed to own or claim these. Very efficient, decent components used, good cabinet built- even though it is vinyl clad and a great "party" speaker.

If you have them then clean them up, re-foam them and have a good time with them. Let the classic live on to play yet another day..........
DC
 
I'd love to pick up a pair of those! And hear what all the talk is about! I acquired a pair of D3's several years back. Was never all that impressed with them though. I ended up giving them a labotamy with other drivers and XO's. Great solid cabinets I must say!
 
Good deal, that's the kind of practical answer I like to see. No hemming and hawing about changing things and opinions with no real data to back it up. I'm not saying it is the *right* thing to do, but hell if it works and the speakers still sound like they should I'm not going to complain. I know these aren't audiophile quality speakers so I'm sure some spray paint or dye won't kill them.

On that topic I saw on a forum somewhere (could have been here), someone did a no frills test of this. Two el-cheapo speakers from a bookshelf all in one system, one got water based wood dye and one got spray paint. Spray paint had a marginal effect and the dye had little to no effect on the parameters. At least that's what I got out of it.

Also, yes, I think I may need to reinforce my foundation if I decide to play these at capacity. As I said before i've heard D9's and they are stupid loud. I won't tell you what I paid for them (you will all hate me), but I will say spending $40 to repair the surrounds is meaningless.
 
Yeah, I saw that mentioned before. Seeing that I will probably never use the whole bottle, and I have to pay shipping, it isn't any better than anything I can come up with. Best I can figure is that's just some basic elmers glue with a dye in it. I'm not really looking for a shiny hard coat either, just a tint and something to recondition the cone surface.
 
I just thought it was odd that the cones were marked with two different numbers. I assume most of the 15" drivers used the same basic cone, but a mix-n-match on a pair of speakers seems kinda odd.
 
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