Polk Audio PSW10 10-Inch Monitor Series Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)
by Polk Audio
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Polk Audio PSW10 10-Inch Monitor Series Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)
Customer Review: Polk PSW-10: Great, with some reservations
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this subwoofer about 2 months ago and since then have given it an extensive listening test. Following is a list of things I would do to improve sound quality as well as some reservations I have toward it.
Before I start off, I would like to clarify one thing about the PSW-10 that might unjustly turn off potential buyers from it: it runs at 50 watts RMS. In the world of music and sound systems, one of the biggest misconceptions out there is that wattage directly correlates with how loud a speaker is. THIS IS NOT NECCESARILY TRUE! The efficiency of the driver determines how loud it gets at a certain wattage, not only the amount of power you're pumping into it! This is why you can buy, for example, computer speakers that boast 400watts of power and have them easily massacred in terms of volume by speaker set ups with half the power (for further examples, compare computer speaker systems to shelf systems to a true sound system. You will find the volume, at a given wattage, tends to increase as you go down the spectrum).
I found the PSW-10 easily competed in terms of volume with every other sub in it's range, including those running at twice to three times the power RMS. If you want to prove it to yourself, run down to your local Circuit City (who sells Polk subs) and sound test it yourself.
Now, onto the guts of the review.
1. As far as entry subwoofers come, this is probably the best bang for your buck that you can find bar none, especially considering the quality of the build. Built around high quality medium density fiberboard and using a highly efficient 10" driver, the PSW-10 manages to bang as well, if not louder, than other subwoofers in this category, despite running at 50 watts RMS.
2. The sound quality is excellent, with very little distortion at high volumes above 50 hz or so, with full excursion easily being reached because of the ported design. In the 40hz - 50hz range, the polk begins to show the limitations of an entry level sub, the sound becoming slightly more muddied (though not horribly so) with extended length sounds(ie. a hellicopter landing slowly) while still staying crisp for burst noise (ie. a gunshot or bassdrum). Below the 40hz, it's pretty much non-functional as a subwoofer. I should also stress that no entry subwoofer has any redeeming qualities below 40hz.
3. Music is where this subwoofer really shines! It's bass is perfect for every genre of music (my tastes tend to be a bit ecclectic and as such I tested it with Classical, Hip Hop, Electronica, Rock, and Jazz) you can throw at it. I was most impressed when playing The Chieftans "Ballad of the Irish Horse" album and could have sworn the drums were playing in the room (a testament to the quality of polk's design). Deep bass is 99.9% of the time is limited to above 50hz, right in the sweet spot of the polk, and as such, the bass lines in every Rap song I tried (the extreme being Wolfpak - Gangsta Rap and Kanye West - Golddigger) was quite impressive, accurate and crisp. When playing the 1812 Overature, the cannons were well produced, if very slightly muddied (as it is one of the few songs that ventures below 50hz) but overall very good. I was very impressed with the sound quality of the polk in music.
4. That being said, this subwoofer is ideal for music and will be disappointing for those who wish to use it for movie watching. While it is beneficial to add it to any non-subwoofer setup, the 10" driver struggles to hit the low lows with the sound becoming muddied with deep, deep bass of any length. I found this to be a problem with all entry subwoofers I've tried, not just the polk, so take this with a grain of salt.
Overall, this subwoofer is probably the best entry subwoofer you can get bar none.
TIPS FOR MAKING IT SOUND BETTER!!!
1. First thing of note: Like all quality entry level subwoofers, great sound comes with the sacrifice of volume. This sub works best in smaller rooms, say 20x10 maximum. Any larger and the sound will begin to get lost in the room and sound strained.
2. Most subwoofers work the best along the front wall of your sound system, in the corner. This however is not a cardinal rule. To find the best location for the subwoofer (this works for any sub for your information), place the subwoofer where you would normally be sitting, listening to it. Play a song and walk around the room until you find place where the bass sounds the best. Move the sub to that location and it should be ideally placed!
3. One shortcoming about the Polk is the lack of an LFE input: you only get RCA and speaker line inputs meaning that there is no way you can bypass the internal crossover of the sub. Considering the market it's aiming for, this shouldn't be too big of a problem for most people, but owners with good receivers might be a bit vexed by this. Also, do not hookup the sub through the speaker line: it'll lose a fair amount of sound quality from forcing the bass through small gauge wires. Hook it up through the RCA if at all possible and you will be greatly rewarded.
In summation, despite the reservations inherent of the entry level subwoofer class (and LFE port), this is an excellent subwoofer which warrants all the praise it's been getting.
Customer Review: Solid sound in a small package for a great price
Summary: 4 Stars
We purchased two Polk Audio PSW10 subwoofers for our new home, to fill out the sound for two large rooms with in-wall or in-ceiling 7.1 speakers. Size and shape were both top considerations, as we wanted to integrate the subwoofer into a window seat in our great room, so the unit had to be approximately 14" tall (precluding several other, bigger, more powerful choices). Price was a secondary consideration -- but we do appreciate good sound, and would have happily paid more for better sound, if we could get the packaging right.
As always with Amazon, shipping was very efficient and the speakers arrived in good shape long before we were actually ready to install them in the new house. Set up was no-brainer easy (as others have noted, the lack of an LFE input is easily worked around by turning the crossover level of the speakers all the way up). We routed a 20-foot RCA cable along the base of our hearth prior to installing hardwood flooring, so the terminal end could be routed behind the drywall to the final installation spot, tucked into the window seat in the very corner of the room. Remember, though, that as a powered subwoofer, you'll also need a close-by AC outlet.
Now, for the sound: it's really good -- crisp, not excessively boomy unless you turn the internal volume way up, and surprisingly capable of churning out satisfying bass in a very large space. Our primary listening environment is a large great room, approximately 32 feet by 24 feet, with a two-story cathedral ceiling. The primary speakers are Audioplex 8" in-wall speakers, driven by a Yamaha RX-663 receiver. Most of our usage in this room is for "ambient" music during the day, running in the receiver's 7-channel stereo mode -- and the Polk PSW10 admirably "fills out" the bottom end of the sound, enriching it without being distracting or boomy.
We also use this system for family movie nights, in concert with a Samsung 52" A650 LCD monitor. Once again, the PSW10 does a fine job "filling out" the bottom end with solid bass, even keeping up with the action-adventure movies my kids prefer. As a minor beef, I actually have had to get up and turn down the sub's volume during a couple movies because the level that works well with music is a little too much boom during loud action sequences... which I suppose says something about the sound levels this little speaker is capable of.
Overall, for the way we live (lots of music played at moderate volumes, regular "home theater" sessions with the whole family on the couch), the Polk PSW10s have proven to be a great buy and a great value, with satisfying performance in a right-sized package. A true audiophile might be disappointed, but for real-world, moderate-volume usage, these are great little speakers for a great price.
Customer Review: You Can't Possibly Need More
Summary: 5 Stars
You truly could not need more than this subwoofer. I have it in a large room with vaulted ceiling, and it still fills it on 1/4 volume. Seriously, it rattles my windows so much that the fake mullions (new windows) and wooden venetian blinds buzz. When I put my reciever at a slightly higher volume so that I can hear it in the living room (two rooms away), I actually can feel the bass in the floor. All of that said, it also sounds very balanced, only rattling my windows during movies with LFE. I have my receiver set up without any bass enhancement (though sometimes on the Rock EQ setting) and actually had to turn my LFE settings down a little because it was just getting out of control in action movies - I don't need to actually think there is a bomb exploding in my family room.
I realize this will all be white noise for a product which so many have already reviewed similarly, but I am writing the review to note a couple things that I had read about prior to buying this subwoofer. First, LFE's: I have an ancient Dolby Digital reciever, so perhaps this is not the norm anymore, but mine has a setting for sending the LFE's directly to the speakers. As such, it is not a problem at all to get this subwoofer to play the LFE's and by using the crossover control, to determine how much of those LFE's you want played by the sub vs. the rest of the speakers. I can't remember for sure at this point, but I think I have the cross-over set to around 100 Hz. Second, volume: I know CNET stated that it has more than enough oomph, despite the low listed power rating, but I want to emphasize this once more. Turned up past 50% volume this sub is simply more than you could sanely need. I don't know what the other more expensive subs are giving you over this one, because it is capable of overkill while still being plenty sensitive and melodic for the purposes of listening to music. Finally, I would like to note that it has an On, Off, and Auto power mode. I hadn't noticed this mentioned in any of the formal reviews, and would have liked to know that. My old sub had only an auto mode, and it annoyed me when it popped on and off during quiet scenes in movies. That said, this sub works flawlessly on auto if it is fed via the front satellite speaker wires - they are never going to be quiet during a movie, so there's basically no possibility for the sub ever powering down except once it makes sense to do so.
Get it. Worst case scenario you can return it, but you won't.
Customer Review: Best sub-woofer for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
I have always loved going to friend's houses with the "awesome" sound system to watch movies. I decided to make my own system, though a novice. I have a medium sized living room with a 32 inch Dynex LCD screen(the couch is about 10 feet away). I also have the sound powered by an Onkyo head unit with 2 channels up front and a center speaker, all in all very exceptional sound by itself but my movies were lacking depth.
Last year I purchased this sub-woofer at HH Gregg for $150, it was 200 at Best Buy. I can't remember if it came with rca cables or not. It was easy to hook up, it came with directions to install with multiple configurations and the best place to set it. That was good for me because although I had an idea where it needed to be, it confirmed my thoughts on the location. It doesn't seem like a lot(50 watts rms)but it is really awesome for a few reasons...
-first, I had to turn the volume down to about 60% because the windows in my house were rattling(1500 Square Foot house)so 60% works well. I still have to keep any glasses or candle holders from touching within 15 feet from the stereo to keep things from vibrating.
-Also you can adjust the frequency, meaning you can have the sound very low and rumbly like a space shuttle taking off, or you can turn the frequency higher so it responds to a bit higher noise like a bass guitar or a muscle car. Either way I played with it through a few action movies(makes Matrix wake up) to get the right setting, I'm somewhere in the lower middle because my normal speakers have a wide range as it is.
-It has an auto setting so it only turns on when there is sound going through the RCA cables so you don't have to worry about turning it off or wasting electricity.
If you have thousands invested in your home system, invest in the same quality sub. But, if you want to triple your movie experience and have a basic or starter 5.1/7.1, go with this one. I have no regrets. It will chatter so-to-speak under loud bass scenes if it is turned to 100% and the main volume is way high, but most people won't do that unless they just want to rattle their fillings. For a good sounding system, there has to be a balance between all the frequencies, not just the normal sound and !!!BASS BASS BASS!!!. I 100% recommend this product. 1 year and happy as all get-out.
Next step is a PS3 so I can stream Netflix.
Customer Review: Truly AMAZING sound
Summary: 5 Stars
I wanted to put together a decent sound system on a budget, so I bought a cheap SHERWOOD receiver, 2 small BIC bookshelf speakers, and this baby for $300 total delivered from AMAZON. Having spend over $1500 on my main sound system, I was expecting a much smaller sound, but what a surprise. Even at half volume, this SUB blows away the more expensive 12" SUB in my main system. Even more amazing because
in this system I used $60 BIC speakers (for the PAIR), vs. $700 BOSE speakers in the main unit. And more amazing still, this $300 system is located in my basement which has a cement floor and cinder block walls - not the best acoustically speaking. My room is 15X15 and built like a bunker, and this baby rocks the whole room, at half volume. Truly AMAZING. It has a few flaws I must admit:
1) It lacks a direct SUBWOOFER input jack - you can work around this by hooking the amps SUBOUT To the L channel of the LR stereo input, but it shouldn't be that way.
2) You cannot remove the power cord from the unit - I find this feature helpful because I like to keep my components unplugged when not in use, and it is easier to get at the back of the speaker than it is to get at the plug in the wall. It also helps when you are moving it around to be able to remove the cord. Definitely a shortcoming.
3) The electric cord could be a bit longer.
4) A remote control for the volume would be nice.
5) You have to unplug it to keep it from drawing any juice when idle.
This dumb red LED stays lit all the time even when it is off if you leave it plugged in.
BUT ON THE PLUS SIDE:
1)
Tons of bang for the buck - as i said for $99 it outperforms the BIC I paid $180 for.
2) Tons of bang for the space - it is a nice size - smaller than the 12" BIC yet bigger sound on fewer watts.
3) It is attractive - nice cabinet, nice grill.
All in all a definite 5 star item, especially under a hundred bucks delivered.
If you want to shake the earth, this baby will get the job done. Just keep it away from any fragile items that might vibrate off of shelves or walls.
Added bonus: are you losing a noise war with a neighbor who owns a motorcycle? This baby will even the score.