RIP - Eugene "Gene" Czerwinski - founder of the Cerwin-Vega Amplifier Company*

RIP, Mr. Czerwinski.

[FONT=&quot]http://www.dailynews.com/business/ci_15747512Genen[/FONT]

Eugene "Gene" Czerwinski, founder of the Cerwin-Vega amplifier company and a developer of the Sensurround audio system, has died. He was 83.

The longtime Chatsworth resident died Friday at Simi Valley Hospital.

A former aerospace engineer with a degree from the University of Michigan, Czerwinski founded Cerwin-Vega in 1954 in Reseda. The company was also headquartered for a time in North Hollywood and Pacoima before relocating to Simi Valley in 1986.

Cerwin-Vega initially built speakers for home use, but Czerwinski was always fascinated with those that could handle deep bass tones. In 1957, he built the world's first solid state amplifier and in 1964 he developed an 18-inch speaker that was the most powerful of its kind at the time.

That endeavor paid off a couple of years later with the invasion of British rock groups led by the Beatles, recalled his daughter, Connie Czerwinski, a former president of the company.

"The musicians were trying to play as loud as they could and they were blowing up speakers right and left and he was approached by (speaker companies) VOX and JBL and several others to design a really good bass speaker that would sound great and be pretty indestructible," Connie Czerwinski said.

In the 1970s, Czerwinski partnered with Universal Studios to develop Sensurround for the movie "Earthquake." That collaboration won him an technical Academy Award.

Bill Anderson, a former sales trainer at Cerwin-Vega, said that Czerwinski was well-liked by his employees.

"He gave me a job when I sorely needed one and it became a home for 10 years," Anderson said. "I can't tell you how much people liked him."

In 2002 Czerwinski sold his company to the Stanton Group and the operations were moved to South Florida.

"His work inspired performers to be their best, and gave music fans the tools they needed to get the most out of recorded music," company CEO Timothy Dorwart said in an e-mail.

In addition to his daughter, Czerwinski is survived by sons Steven and Darius.

 

Rest in peace Mr. Czerwinski.

- Sushimaster

 

R.I.P.

Lots of us have heard his speakers at live shows.

 

RIP. Used his PA speakers for years. In fact, I just used a Cerwin monitor tonight.


Dan

 

RIP.
I've had a big pair of Cerwin-Vega speakers in my living room for over 23 years and thousands of hours of use.

 

I think most of us have had a pair of CV speakers pass through our doors at one time or another!

He will be missed. Thanks for all the music Gene.

 

R.I.P.

 

Thats true. In my experience it seems at one time or another a hobbiest has had a pair somewhere, sometime. I had the U123 (I think thats the number, in 1977) and later the great S1 which was great(power and a smidgeon of East coast sound-smoothness). For a west coast speaker that was a great accomplishment...Take care and Gene, you will always be remembered with affection. A fan...John M.

 

And don't forget the MAMA Foundation, which they founded. MAMA Label. some great jazz cds.

 

Let's not forget the invention of the "Stroker" wherein one of the dual spiders was out in FRONT of the cone.

An interesting link mentioning Gene in passing (the middle part):
http://www.positive-feedback.com/pfbackissues/0604/pappas.spectron.6n4.html