Cerwin Vega 250SE (ca. 1986)

Little is documented about the Cerwin Vega 250SE. Almost the entire surviving record is a single period test report, and even the Archive's copy of that is fragmentary. It does establish a few concrete things about the model.

HiFI-Stereo (September 1986, p.58) described one of the 250SE's drivers as having an elliptical cross-section, mounted with the longer axis horizontal. The claimed advantage was better directional properties than a dome radiator alone. Measurements in the same report (September 1986, p.60) showed high-frequency rolloff above 15,000 Hz and a periodic response variation, with peaks recurring at intervals of about 1,500 Hz. The review also noted that the midrange and treble were user-adjustable. Within wide limits, the speaker could be tailored to give almost any response the listener wanted. On musical program material, the woofer was the only driver the reviewers could drive into nonlinearity.

Beyond that review, the record goes quiet. No production years, original price, cabinet dimensions, driver sizes, or crossover details have surfaced, and the 250SE's place in Cerwin Vega's mid-1980s lineup is unclear. If you own a pair or have original literature, the Archive would welcome the documentation.

What the period review shows

Loudspeaker with at least a woofer plus adjustable midrange and treble controls
One driver had an elliptical cross-section (longer axis horizontal), claimed better directional properties than a dome radiator alone
High-frequency rolloff above 15,000 Hz; response ripple peaking roughly every 1,500 Hz
Woofer was the only driver driven into nonlinearity with music
Source: HiFI-Stereo, September 1986, pp.58–60