I checked reviews on these and they seem to be very good. Only complaint I see consistantly is that the sub needs a minimum volume to power it on. But this setting can be changed on the applifier on the sub if don't mind opening up the sub. Nice find.
Here was one guys review of this set from Amazon with the fix I mentioned above:
The AVS-5.1 is a superior performing set of home theater speakers. The center and satellite speakers produce crisp and wholesome sound with a lot of detail. The subwoofer, once the default setting is changed, produces a wonderful bass which is rich and mellow at even low volumes. At high volumes it continues its mellowness and never jars. Taken as a full set, the Cerwin Vega AVS-5.1 set produce amazingly good quality sound, comparable to the sound produced by high end speakers.
And what a good looking set of speakers!
Some people might take issue with an internal setting in the subwoofer. The sub does not kick in unless it receives a minimum volume signal. This can be annoying when you want to watch Dolby Digital/DTS movies at night. You would have to wake up your neighbors in order to turn on the sub.
Here's how to change the internal setting of the subwoofer:
You need to disconnect the amplifier from the sub and set the jumper from "auto" to "on". The "auto" mode does not let the sub kick in unless it receives a minimum volume signal. In my opinion, the this very easy to do and should not take more than a few minutes.
If you are squeamish about opening up and messing with the sub, then don't follow the procedure. Simply take a printout of this review to your nearest electronics service outlet. I don't recommend going the official customer support route with Cerwin Vega unless you want to deal with the hassles.
Warning - disconnect the power cable first! Remove the peripheral screws and carefully separate the amp from the unit. Carefully inspect the green circuit board until you locate the jumper - which clearly indicates "On", "Auto" and "Off" in white letters. Simply remove the jumper from the "Auto" position and insert in into the "On" position. Double check that the amp is still connected to the sub's speaker. Thats all you need to do. Now screw the amp back on, reconnect the power supply, turn on the sub and enjoy!
In conclusion, I am highly satisfied with this speaker set. I could not find a better 5.1 set for under $500.