Modern loudspeakers of acceptable quality are prohibitively expensive. Therefore, many prefer to use Soviet column designs. And indeed, in Soviet times they knew a lot about high-quality speaker systems. At the service of music lovers there were both the coolest Amphitons and the more modest Radio Engineering. And in the budget segment, AS Vega ruled the ball. They were distinguished by low price and reasonable quality. Although at that time, it was impossible to choose (and especially not compare with foreign analogues). But it is no secret that almost all devices (including acoustic) were exact copies of Western electronics. The 15AC-408 Vega were exactly the same. We will consider their main characteristics and features. But first, a few words about the company itself.
About Vega
In a very difficult and difficult country for 1946, a state-owned radio electronics plant was established in the city of Berdsk. This date is considered to be the time of birth of the Vega production association. Already in 1947, the first transistor radio was released - "Record 46". A little later, the plant mastered the production of other electronics: amplifiers, electrophones, players, tape recorders and speakers. Until the end of the eighties of the last century, the products of the Vega plant were popular and in high demand. Such demanded devices as CD players, stereo systems and stereo complexes have become on the conveyor. And suddenly everything stopped. Together with the collapse of the USSR. In 1991, the plant had a staff reduction. In the late nineties, the plant was renamed into a joint stock company. And already in the 2000s, the Vega production association appeared, which began to repair equipment and (very rarely) create it. So from the former giant in the field of electronics there were only horns and legs. Vega 15AS-408 is one of the latest speakers that were developed at this plant. After her, there was nothing new and high-quality.
Appearance of columns
Consider the design of these columns. Cabinets are made of plywood sheets (multilayer) and veneered with quite expensive wood species. On the front panel (which is made of plastic) are the speaker protective grilles and a passive radiator slit (also covered by a protective grill). Immediately above the emitter is a woofer. Above it, slightly shifted to the right, is the midrange. There is no special tweeter (tweeter) here, as the speaker system is two-way. The dimensions of the 15AC-408 are quite modest (compared to other Soviet speakers), since this particular speaker is designed for installation on shelves. But nothing prevents her from hanging on the wall. For this purpose, there are special "ears" on the back wall. That was all there was to know about the appearance of the speakers. Now let's move on to the technical specifications.
Key Speaker Specifications
So, let's move on to more interesting information about the 15AC-408 speaker system. Its characteristics are such that the user can count on a perfectly acceptable sound. But subject to the availability of a high-quality amplifier and an adequate sound source. The range of reproduced frequencies for these columns is average. The lower bar is 63 hertz. Upper - 20,000 hertz. Many modern Chinese speakers have exactly the same range. But they sound much worse. The sensitivity of the 15AC-408 is 83 dB. This is a good indicator for acoustics of this class. The rated power of each speaker is 25 watts. It is worth considering that these are "honest" Watts, and not those that are written in Chinese columns. And 25 watts is enough to sound a huge room. The speakers have an electrical resistance of 4 ohms. This means that the speakers can work with almost any amplifier. The speaker system is equipped with two speakers with paper cones. They are, of course, good, but eventually become decrepit and in need of repair. Otherwise, the characteristics of the speakers are quite acceptable.
Sound quality
Now let's talk about the sound quality that speakers 15AC-408 provide. When playing simple music (electronics, pop, rap), the quality is quite acceptable. These genres are quite simple and "unicellular." Almost all frequencies are reproduced correctly. No sagging midrange. It's just that there are not enough high ones (there is no tweeter) and too many low ones. But with complex instrumental genres (rock, metal, punk, classic), this is not the case. Noticeable failures at all frequencies. The speakers simply do not have the resource in order to reliably reproduce such music. A cool amplifier, advanced wires and equalizers will not help here. Another feature: a dull sound due to poor-quality body materials (or rather outdated) and old speakers. If these columns are slightly modified, then you can achieve very high-quality sound. In any case, many modern Chinese counterparts cannot even provide the sound that the usual 15AC-408 has.
Positive feedback from owners
In general, there are quite a few owners of this speaker system, since these speakers were quite popular at one time. What do they say about the Vega 15AS-408? Reviews of this acoustics do not differ in any constancy. There are both negative and positive comments. And the latter are clearly more. However, first things first. First, consider the positive. Many users note that for their class these speakers have good sound. However, they did not listen to complex genres. Also, the owners claim that this speaker system easily works with amplifiers of any type. Such versatility is just what the average user needs. Positive comments were also awarded to the build quality of this speaker system. Do not compare with modern crafts from the same "Vega". Many owners of these speakers claim that this is a great budget option for those who do not want to overpay for modern Hi-Fi speakers. And they are absolutely right. However, the positive reviews end there. It's time to go negative.
Negative owner reviews
Those who are not satisfied with the 15AS-408 from Vega give good arguments. They note that the speakers do not correspond to their class and are unable to produce clear sound. Moreover, many owners claim that they are akin to desktop Chinese tweeters. They probably just have “killed” speakers. But in some ways they are right. Clear sound from this speaker system is impossible to achieve. These speakers are well suited for watching videos on a computer (which users confirm), but not for playing music.
Repair Features
Due to the simplicity of the design of these columns, their repair is extremely simple. The first thing that goes wrong is the paper speakers. Replace them does not work in any way. Therefore, you have to change the entire speaker. Find such a flea market is not difficult. It will also be possible to immediately replace regular wires with better ones. In general, disassembling the column body in order to get to the insides is not a problem. Bolts are hidden under the plastic cases of the front of the column. One has only to press out the special plugs (if they are preserved), and it will be possible to unscrew the bolts without problems. The back cover is also easy to remove. And then you only need to carefully remove the speaker, solder the wires, install a new one and solder the wires back. That's the whole repair.
Verdict
So, is it worth looking for and buying a 15AS-408 manufactured by Vega? If you need inexpensive speakers with mediocre sound for watching videos, then you can purchase them. And if you value high-quality sound and like listening to music (especially complex instrumental genres), then it is better to refrain from buying. It will be a complete disappointment.
Conclusion
A little higher, we fully examined the budget speaker system from the distant past 15AS-408 from the Vega production association. These are rather mediocre columns that can be used only if there is nothing better at hand at the moment. At the first opportunity, it is better to change them to a better speaker.