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BOTTOM LINE Many times when people visit my listening room or lab, the review equipment elicits oh's and ah's and tactile responses to hand-buffed lacquer. That clearly was not the case with this Cerwin-Vega system. The sub commands a bit of visual respect, but the sats are just nondescript plastic boxes. This system must stand on its sound quality alone. And, it does.

Yes, I do prefer darker-sounding speakers as a matter of personal taste, and the Cerwin-Vega CVHD 5.1 home-theater speaker system pushed my brightness envelope a bit, but I grew to appreciate their aggressive sound. I suspect that if these sats were saddled with the usual slacker subs on the market, their forward sound would be too much. But when teamed with the bass-rich CVHD sub, the soaring high end was well matched to the solid bass foundation. In that respect, given the relatively low price, the fidelity is remarkable. When wall-mounted, these sats, with sub, comprise a system that delivers excellent value. If you need to pop for floor stands, the value quotient drops a bit. But either way, this system will please many listeners - particularly those who can listen past its plain looks and appreciate old-school fidelity.

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