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Product Reviews:
Polk Audio PSW10 10-Inch Monitor Series Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black) |
Rating: 4 (out of 5)
Summary: Great Value, however you could do better
Comments: I went with the PSW10 since the rest of my speakers in set-up are Polk Audios and opted for the 10 inch so my sub wasn't taking up so much space. Some people say that subs do not need to match the other speakers in your setup, however I decided to be safe and match all of my speakers just in case.
For the almost all part I am pleased with this speaker. I would say for about 98% of the time the sub handles what is thrown at it, however I am also not maxing my system out.
One complaint is that on low frecencies, and especially ones that last for several seconds, such as a scene with a chopper or any other low rumble you will get a lot of port noise from the sub. Taking off the screen covering the port helps a little, however not enough to complete solve the port noise. Again this doesn't happen often, however when it does it can be somewhat annoying.
My second complaint, minor, which other people have touched upon is that there is no LFE input which you will find on nearly e other sub. I just used a Y adapter and a RCA audio cable for my hook-up, however it would have been nice to have a LFE input.
You can definitely find other subs that will be better, however you will also have to pay more. If I had to do it again I would go with the PSW10 as it is a great bang for the buck and doesn't take up as much space as a 12 inch.
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Rating: 4 (out of 5)
Summary: Great sub for the price
Comments: The problem with a lot of reviews regarding home audio is that critics compare budget equipment to high dollar equipment (big surprise...high dollar wins).
This sub is a budget line addition to your home theater. If you are low on cash and need a .1 to add to your setup, this is your sub. That being said, this sub is amazing for the price tag. Great bass with no distortion (just do not go nuts with the volume). It suffers at the low range however what budget sub doesn't. Main problem is the lack of an LFE input.
Here is the solution from Polk: Use the RCA inputs and turn the frequency knob clockwise, this will essentially make and LFE connection.
One unrelated Polk story: I recently moved to Austin, Texas. I had left my Polk audio home theater in Galveston. A prick named Ike came in and flooded my storage, submerging my Polks under sludge. When I got to them I noticed the water line was halfway up the tower speakers.
Hoping beyond hope I brought the smelly mess up to Austin where I took them apart and tried to clean and dry them out. Plugged em in after a few days and they sounded horrible. Sprayed some De-Oxit cleaner on the connections and BAM!! They sprung back to life and just played through The Dark Knight with zero distortion. Polk will always be my number1choice in speaker.
Bottom Line: Great sub for the price. If you have a budget-mid range home theater, this is a great addition. If you have a high dollar set up, your probably not looking to purchase this product or reading this review. ;-) |
Rating: 4 (out of 5)
Summary: Enough sub-woofer; great value
Comments: I'd agree that the PSW10 might be stretched in any however the smallest home theater, however it does a great job on music in all however the largest rooms.
This is my second sub-woofer, the 1st being a Polk PSW505. The 505 is awesome, however it completely overpowers average size rooms when used to play music. The 505 really shines in a large room or in a home theater, where mine now resides.
In an average living room, mine is 13 x 21, the PSW10 supplies plenty of clean bass for all types of music. With the PSW10's volume at 50% and no bass boost from the receiver you will hear more bass than you would in a classical concert hall or jazz festival. Bump the bass volume up a bit & you will hear all the bass you'd find in rock / pop venues - at a bargain price.
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Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Great bang for your buck!!
Comments: I spent a lot of money on my Samsung 46A650 LCD, Polk speaker set, and Onkyo SR706 receiver. I did not really want to drop a whole lot more on a sub however knew I needed1for the low end. Since I had polk speakers I figured this would be a great compliment. I realized that the price was low compared to a lot of other subs however noticed it had great reviews. Well I am pleased to say that it appears and sounds great. For only a 50watt RMS powered sub it really puts out some low end. I have no complaints. It is quite big though (once again no complaints). It is box (square) like, so it does take up a little room. It does look sleek though. So for a little over a [...] bucks this is well worth it. Maybe down the road I'll waste a few hundred on a unnecessarily powerful sub, however for the time I am content!!!! |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: great entry-level sub
Comments: Couple of points up front: The PSW10 is NOT an audiophile-grade subwoofer, and shouldn't be graded as such. A true audiophile, if they have a subwoofer at all, will drop 2- to 3 grand on a Velodyne, Rega, Rel, etc. and then complain if they can not hear fingernails plucking the strings of a double bass. Next, the low frequencies produced in a movie are inherently different than those produced in music. Getting a subwoofer to reproduce both equally well can be tricky. My review of the PSW10 is from a 2-speaker, mid-level audio system perspective and not a 7/5.1 surround-sound home theater. I am NOT saying the -10 will not work well in a HT set-up, however suggest you may need to use 2 different settings (see below).
This subwoofer will give you tight, punchy bass for almost all music genres. I used jazz, alt country, indie rock, and a little hip-hop to get my settings. The key here is to spend time during burn-in to get your crossover, phase and volume controls all married together. Once I found the right crossover setting, I learned that a little volume goes a long way with the PSW10. As many other reviewers have noted, too much volume will shake your walls with deep, boomy, unintelligible bass. You may want some of that for an action movie, however not so much for music. Next, I used the line-in with RCA's 1st, then swapped-out those for some heavy-duty Monster 10 gauge at the speaker-level connection. Jury's still out on which sounds better. Finally, if you are placing your sub on anything other than carpet (hardwood floor, ceramic tile, or even a shelf) seriously consider swapping-out the cheapo nailed-in feet. I have hardwood flooring, so I screwed in some nice 2" legs with dampers between the box and risers, and hard rubber pads making contact with the floor. Probably has a small positive sonic effect, and actually appears a lot nicer sitting up like that, too.
Lastly, got mine at [...], with free shipping. For that price, the PSW10 is a no-brainer. And remember, you do not notice a great subwoofer until you turn it off. |
