Customer Reviews

Polk Audio PSW10 10-Inch Monitor Series Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)

5 star:		(297)
4 star:		(131)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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.

I'm using this with an Onkyo TR-606 alongside a Toshiba 62" DLP HDTV and a full set of Polk speakers, and the sound quality is remarkable.

The only caveat is that the subwoofer input has two connectors, but you really only need to connect one of them. The manual is far from clear about this, and plenty of people will probably spend extra on a Y cable, or worse yet, put in an adapter which will add both cost and loss of fidelity. But just connecting to the left input works fine. Subwoofers are mono anyway, and the double inputs are primarily there to make certain wiring configurations easier, not to add more sound fidelity.

While I was looking for sub-woofer I was comparing PSW10 and PSW404. PSW404 sounds better but for the price $110 vs. $250 at J&R I opted for PSW10. The sale representative dropped the price for me even though they still selling PSW10 for $200 here. Those of you who worry about no LFE input, that shouldn't be a problem. All you have to do is connect the sub-woofer output of the receiver to either the right or left input on the sub-woofer. And then set the variable low pass filter on the sub-woofer to the highest setting. This will set the internal low pass filter above the low pass filter frequency given by your receiver and create an LFE input. Or you may use a RCA cable to provide a connection to both inputs on the sub-woofer from the LR pre-out from the receiver. Then adjust the cross over frequency from the woofer as desired. It sounds a little louder and better for me. I bought Monster sub-woofer cable and it sounds no better than RCA cable. Try not to waste your money on this. It has 7.4 out of 10 in CNet rating and it is #6 in editor's top list for sub-woofers. I matched PSW10 with R300, RTi4, R150, CSi3 and Denon 1906 receiver. Mainly used for HDTV over the air, DVD movies and some FM. It sounds a lot better than the sub-woofer from RM6750. It carries 5 years warranty but make sure you buy from Authorize dealer. For the price I paid I am more than happy with it. I hope this helps to your decision.

I am incredibly impressed with the PSW10. After a few hours tweaking knobs on both the subwoofer and the receiver, I have reached close to perfection. Despite the large physical size, the PSW10 seems to have disappeared! Instead, the entire room is filled beautifully with low frequencies melding perfectly with my surround sound speakers. I am no longer staring at the subwoofer when something is exploding on-screen, distracted by a distorted, booming sound.

Ignore the reviews stating that this sub is boomy and unable to accurately hit the lows. This is not the PSW10's fault. Cranking the volume knob on the PSW10 is not the way to achieve more bass or lower frequencies! Plan on spending some time to get the PSW10 just right. Listen to a wide variety of music and movies. The PSW10 will sing in perfect harmony with your set-up when tuned correctly. You will hear new lows in music you have listened to for years. You will feel the explosions in your body on your favorite action films. For around $100, this subwoofer is an absolute steal.

I bought the PSW10 on Amazon for about $100, and I am blown away by the value. I worked as a profesional home theater installer for about 5 years and sold many $400 subs that were no better than this. The 50 watt power rating is very conservative. Truth is, it's just an honest rating on a quality amp. I paired it with a run-of-the-mill Pioneer receiver and the Klipsch Quintet II speaker system. (also from Amazon $300)The end result for a $400 speaker system is amazing. For music and movies at low to moderately high volume, you could spend $2000 on a Bose system and not have sound this accurate and dynamic. (My mother in law just did).

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.

I am an older guy who has been listening to music for more than 40 years. At my age, there is no need to try to impress anyone with how loud my stereo can go. And I am wise enough to know that I don't need to spend $500+ on a subwoofer. I now listen to music at low to moderate volume levels which I have learned to feel comfortable with. Even when watching movies in surround mode, I don't feel the need to generate seismic activity. To get to the point, for most of us, this Polk PSW10 is plenty loud enough for home theater as well as music. The bass goes very low. And as long as you don't crank the volume way up on the subwoofer itself, it's not boomey. Besides, you should never need to max-out the volume on the sub-woofer. Just take the time to read the instructions and take some time to calibrate the settings on your receiver/amp as well as the subwoofer. The instructions tell you to set your front (main) speakers on the "small" setting (if you have a surround receiver or amp). After a short while you will find the sweet spot and you should seldom need to touch the volume control on the subwoofer. The only con I can think of is that this unit has a large footprint and it takes up a good chunk of space. And if you feel that you need to impress your friends & neighbors with the loudness of your subwoofer, the PSW10 might disappoint you. But, if you simply want a good-sounding subwoofer to compliment your bookshelf speakers or satellites, the Polk PSW10 will fit the bill nicely. It really makes the music (and movies) sound more alive and full. I gave it 5 stars based on the build quality, sound, and the value received. I got mine (brand spankin' new)for $88.00 at a store called Fry's. Now THAT's a bargain.

First, the price and service from OneCall cannot be beat. Circuit City has this cube for $350; from OneCall: $240 with shipping and delivery was in 3 days. My home theater is powered by a Yamaha and Denon receiver with 4 Boston Acoustic Towers, a center and Wharfedale surrounds. I replaced my 12 inch Cambridge Sound Design cube with this Polk. Performance: room shaking, tight, crisp, bass that does not distort with correct settings. Lots of control over the sound. It is up to you to find the sweet spot on the dials. I am using the LFE connection, which gives you the sound as it was engineered to be. Even your CDs will be enhanced with the right settings. BTW, this cube is big. Value and performance. Not for apartmentc, condo dwellers or those with close neighbors.

First, a bit of credentials, as this is my first review here.
I have many years of experience in good sound. Back in the day, I built and used Dynaco tube power amps from kits, and have owned Marantz, Mac and Crown amps as well. I had Tandberg cassette decks (anyone remember audio cassettes?), and Technics turntables. For speakers I've used Klipsch, JBL, Tannoy, Polk, Yamaha, and the insanely expensive - and worth every penny - Magneplanars from Magnepan. So, except for the Magnepan's, not quite audiophile, but really good home sound.

So, why would I buy a hundred dollar subwoofer from Amazon you ask?
I was looking for something inexpensive to give some bottom to the M-Audio powered speakers in my computer room, and I have seen and heard some new Polk speakers that sounded good, each in their respective price range.
Mostly, I bought this subwoofer based on the positive reviews on Amazon.

Sorry to say, I must disagree with the majority for this one.
I tried tuning it, I tried many different room placements, I tried various expensive subwoofer rca cables.
Sadly, I must report that I was unable to get any musical output from it - ever. I wasn't expecting audiophile here, just the ability to hear bass notes when they are playing. No-way, no-how.
I give it 2 stars for it's well made box, and the fact that it gives lots of rumble and (sloppy) boom, - and maybe that's enough for some.
But I have an almost 10 year old Yamaha sub (pre rca inputs, around the same power and same speaker size) that I brought into the room as an A/B test. The old Yamaha outperformed this new Polk by far.

After all of the positive reviews, I'm wondering if maybe the one I got was defective, but there is no way to get inside it for testing without voiding the return policy.
So...I returned it.
Good luck!

This Polk product was my second choice. My first choice, an Infinity subwoofer with comparable specifications and somewhat more expensive, does not have speaker in and speaker out connections. So, I took a bet the this Polk sub and could not be happier. With the adjustable crossover and volume and phase switch, it's very easy to tweak the settings for your room. I'm using it in office so rarely does it thump, but it does do a very good job of reproducing low end at low to moderate volume. If you are looking for audiophile quality, you'll need to step up a few notches. If all you want is raw bass, you're probably better off with a box with a bigger amp. But of you are looking to add nice low-end sound to a system or home theater, this is a good choice.