Jensen CS315 Review 2020

Jensen CS315's

So the infamous Jensen CS315. 

First of all, these are loudspeakers, no two ways about it. An audiophile would call them "party speakers". And they would be right. These only shine when played loud. Very VERY loud. These will not impress you at low volumes. In fact, they will likely disappoint you.

Anyone who tells you (like I found all over the internet) that these speakers suck have either never heard them powered properly, or loud enough. Or were judging them against speakers that won't piss off the neighbors.... 2 blocks away.

I've owned these for over 20 years. I bought them during a Montgomery Wards going out of business sale back in 1998-1999 ish. I got these speakers (list $99 each), a 101 disc Pioneer CD changer, and a Pioneer stereo receiver for under $200. (Full disclosure, they were the floor models. There were no "new" ones left. These were the displays, no boxes, no manuals, etc.) The store was pretty much cleared out and this was their last day in business. Back in those days I was working minimum wage, and I kept telling the guy I couldn't afford all this stuff. And the price just kept coming down. I was the only person in the store and finally the manager wandered by and asked what was up. I'd been there looking at this stuff for like 2 hours! LOL

Pioneer PD-F905 101 Disc DC changer

More or less I was really just dreaming and window shopping. With the two speakers, 101 disc CD changer, and the receiver retail was $700. He had come down to $350, but I kept telling him I just couldn't do it. The manager got in on it, and they both kept telling me what a great deal this was for $350. I finally just told them I couldn't do it and started to walk away. He stopped me and asked what it would take for me to leave with all that stuff today. I pulled out my wallet and looked through it and jokingly told them $200. The manager paused for a moment, sighed, and said "It's yours!" 

But you see, now I was screwed. $200 back then was like rent and food! I did have $200, exactly $200, but that was ALL I had till the next payday. But I just couldn't say no at that price! It was my turn to sigh, but I had said that's what it would take. So they were mine now. There was a little more haggling when they were ringing me up, as I had EXACTLY $200. This was before debit cards. (For me at least) They tried to charge me tax! I started to walk again, but in the end, they ate the tax as well, so really I got the whole shooting match for $180. 

My house was THE party house back in those days. I lived above a gas station with no other houses close by, and the gas station closed at 10pm. After it closed the party started. To say this system became the toast of the party scene was an understatement. With these Jensen's, that receiver, and the 101 disc changer I had the best system around. And so the parties just got bigger! These things would shake the walls, make it feel like your heart was skipping a beat, and you could hear them LITERALLY a block away. They thump, and they were LOUD.

I'm pretty sure the CD changer was the one pictured above, visually it's identical. The receiver? That's been lost in time, and this was really before the internet was a thing. I took what they had, with no idea what it was or how good it was. Turns out pretty damn good. Selling that receiver and CD changer was one of the worst decisions I ever made. But I kept the speakers.

So now about those CS315's. Sorry it took me so long to get around to them. I tell you that the original Pioneer receiver was petty good because I've tried to power these things with other receivers over the years, and I was never able to find anything that could run them. I tried several mid-tier surround sound systems, they failed. I tried a Sony 100W 2ch stereo receiver I found at Wal-Mart, nope. Nothing I found could run these things. I mean they would make noise, but I remembered what they were capable of. Nothing I could get my hands on would drive these things. They take A LOT of power to really perform. After 3 $150-200 ish receivers I had just decided I would have to find a vintage amp to run them. And for years I would stop by the pawnshops looking for one. But they were too expensive or had issues, or I couldn't find out the power rating, or whatever. But for most of 20 years, these just sat mainly being large end tables. I ran them with that Sony for 5-6 years, but really I had bookcase speakers that did better than these did with that 100w Sony. 

So recently I decided to get into Vinyl, and I really REALLY wanted to use these speakers. I mean, I already had them, and I remembered what they could do. So I started looking for a "real" receiver that could run them that had a phono in. I did a lot of research and read a TON of reviews. I finally settled on a Yamaha R-N303 with100w RMS/ 140W Peak. From all I can tell those are pretty real numbers, unlike the Sony I used to own.

So, if you're looking to REALLY use these CS315's, realize they are not very efficient (they claim 90 db sensitivity HA!), and you're going to need a pretty powerful receiver. One that really puts out 100+ watts. Not rated, but REALLY does put out that level of power. I'd say this Yamaha, even having the same 100w rating as the Sony, is at least twice as powerful. I don't remember but I suspect the Sony was a STR-DH130 , or it's predecessor. The 100w rating is PEAK from what I can find. And I think most test put peak closer to 90W, and RMS around 50ish. 


I haven't seen real-world test on the Yamaha R-N303, but on Audio Science Review the Yamaha's generally perform at or above their published numbers. 

The CS315 are rated 80w RMS and 220W Peak. So just by the numbers, I'm overpowering them RMS. They don't care. My volume goes from 0-100. I have to get around 60 to get these speakers to wake up. 65 on phono, but it really depends on the quality of the vinyl. 

They get too loud above 65, I've never had it turned to 70. I couldn't stand to be in the same 700 square foot room with them at 70. Have I mentioned these are LOUD?!?! 

So finally to the sound. So I mentioned I have to turn it to around 60 to get them to wake up right? And that's the best way I can describe it. These speakers love to be played loud. They are flat at lower volume/power levels. No two ways about it. But when you get them into their sweet spot they really just wake up and sing. The sound just starts to come together. I do have to turn the bass all the way up, but that's because without that boost I'd have to have them too loud to stand otherwise.  

So that 15 in these monsters? It's full range. It's not a sub, it's a 15" loudspeaker. It's playing everything and is largely why these can get so loud. I also suspect the mid and tweeter just can't get enough power to be heard correctly until you really get the power flowing to this unit. No 15" is ever going to be able to play crystal clear mids and highs. But when it really comes down to it, if you sit on the ground and put your ear up to this puppy at lower volumes it's surprisingly clear. From years of installing car audio, I can tell you it's much clearer than any sub I've heard playing full range. So if you find yourself owning one of these, and have need to replace the 15" you'll want to be looking at PA loudspeakers and not subwoofers. I may cross these over as a test just to see what happens. If I do, I'll report back with my findings. 

Oh, you wanted to know about the bass? Bah, who cares about bass?! I suppose I should cover that while I'm talking about the 15. These are not crossed over, 1000 watt driven sub-woofers. But they will rattle your teeth. I've read a lot about them being "boomy", whatever THAT is. They boom alright. They are 15's! That's what 15's do! I suspect a lot of the people complaining they are "boomy" are not familiar with 15's. You get a harder hit from seal box car audio subs, but these are just fine for 99% of your bass needs. 15's (and 18's for that matter) have a somewhat distinct sound. If you're used to 10's and 12's I guess these might seem a bit "boomy". The port doesn't help with that, but it does help project the sound. It also will blow a paper out of your hand standing 8 feet away if you're playing something like DJ Magic Mike "Bass is the name of the game". Tested and verified. You could use those ports as fans if you really play something that gets those 15's moving.


As for the mids and highs?  Those come into play from a 5" mid and 3" tweeter. Nothing really too special here. These are crossed over, and likely the ferrofluid in that tweeter is pretty much gone if you're reading this. It has been 20+~ years since these speakers were made. I've been considering playing with replacing these. For what this speaker is, it does a pretty darn good job. Surprisingly the mids and highs are decent, once again after you get it loud enough. I'd like to see if I could get better performance out of these at lower volumes with higher quality modern speakers. I don't want to do anything that would prevent me from putting the old ones back in, in case I make things worse. But I do have an interest in playing a little to see just how well-tuned this setup really was. 

I know I've said it enough times already, but in the end, these are the classic example of loudspeakers. They were designed to be played loud, they were meant to be played loud, and they only sound good when played loud. These are NOT speakers for solo quiet listening in your bedroom. They are muddled at best at lower volumes. ESPECIALLY if you have heard them at their proper volume. These are great speakers to have when you want to entertain a party or just love listening to really loud music. These are all about the volume, not about crystal clear highs or precision. That being said, once in their sweet spot the highs and mids do sound pretty good. Loud, but good.

Of interest, I've owned these since new so I know they are 100% original. But my foam surround is lighter and my 15"s cones are not shiny and seems larger than almost all others I've seen on the internet. I've also seen some other slight differences. I wonder if there were some variations depending on year or retailer.