Price Paid:  $400.00 from FutureShop

Summary:
I purchased my Polk Audio PSW 140 subwoofer about a year and a half ago and have been for the most part very satisfied. It has loads of power for the price, which is amazing for its size. It has good quality controls and a pleasing exterior look, although it does resemble some lower grade subwoofers. It has a good overall frequency range but does lack the lowest bass (only rated to 30Hz). I purchased this subwoofer mainly for music and find that it has a very smooth response and blends seamlessly with my Mirage 595is main speakers. It does, however, have a problem reproducing stong bass signals at high listening levels, especially Nine Inch Nails, causing the lowest bass to drop out and the overall volume to reduce. That said, this subwoofer has no problem devastating my 11x9 living room when watching movies in Dolby Digital and Dts surround sound. I would have to say that this subwoofer is an all around exceptional performer especially for its price. My parents own a mirage BSP 150 which has a lower response (22Hz) than the Polk but its transition between mid bass and low bass is rumbly and not smooth like Polk. I give this subwoofer top marks for sound and watts per dollar.

Strengths:
Good power for the price. Compact

Weaknesses:
Paper cone and foam surrounds. Sensitive to strong signal content causing it to reduce volume.

Similar Products Used:
Angstrom Omega 10i isobaric subwoofer, Mirage BSP 150 sealed bipolar subwoofer.

Price Paid:  $189.00 from Circuit City

Summary:
I bought the PSW140 open boxed from Circuit City for $189 to compliment my inexpensive bedroom setup. I am using Polk R10s as my fronts and surrounds, with a Polk CS175i as my center. They are driven by an Onkyo DR-90 DVD player/receiver. Considering I only paid about $900 for all of this equipment, I am more than satisfied with its performance.

For its part, the PSW140 does an excellent job for both home theater and music. In fact, it's probably overkill for my small (16 X 12') bedroom, but that's OK by me. It is especially effective for home theater use. It's very good for music, but it isn't quite as fast as the subs in my Definitive Technology BP-2004TL speakers in my living room HT setup. I'm probably being nitpicky here, but I do sometimes notice a slight lag in the bass when playing music.

Overall, for what I paid for this sub, I am overjoyed by it. If it had been at the full retail price, I would have chosen the Velodyne CT-100 instead.

Strengths:
Clean, tight bass, small size for a 10" sub.

Weaknesses:
Not quite as fast as some of the other subs that I've tried. Especially noticeable while playing music.

Similar Products Used:
Velodyne CT-100, Definitive Technology BP-2004TL (tower w/built in sub), Polk PSW120, JBL ARC10

Summary:
I have had a JVC pro-logic receiver and Polk speakers for about 5 years. Recently upgraded to a Yamaha 5250 and Pioneer 525 DVD to get the AC3 / 5.1 sound. I have Polk S4 fronts, C150 center, and M3s in the rear. What a major differance the Polk PSW140 made when I added it last week. These little bookshelfs have never sounded so great. The none-directional bass has made this system sound much bigger / better than I ever imagined. My room is 24' x 22' (a big part of my basement)and there is absolutly no problem filling it with rumble & roar. The quality is great to - real tight responce. I have about $320.00 in it - ($258 on eBay, $30 shipping, and $30 for a Monster cable) - an excellant buy!

Strengths:
strong clean bass, size, price

Weaknesses:
none

Summary:
This is a great subwoofer. Offers powerful bass from a reasonably sized cabinet. Solid construction. Mates well with Polk RT 15/25/35 bookshelf speakers. Great value as usual from Polk. I auditioned Velodyne and DCM along with the Polk and the Polk definetly offered the most bang for the buck.

Strengths:
Solid deep bass.

Weaknesses:
None.

Summary:
I've had these for about 2 months now and I'm very pleased. They has smooth bass unlike others I auditioned. I'm using Polk RT600's for the mains in my home theater system and really enjoy their sound but thought they were lacking in bass. The PSW140 fills the void perfectly. I also liked the smooth sound of the Energy sub which was a little less ( just under $400.00) but decided to keep it all Polk Audio. Both music and TV sound clean and full now. Just remember to be careful when you pick it up as it looks like it would be easy to damage the woofer with your fingers. To sum it up a pair of RT600's at about $300.00 each and the PSW140 at about $400.00 will please just about anyone who wants a great sounding system at a reasonable price. What really makes me happy is I can leave my beastly large $4000.00 speakers in the den and not hooked up to the TV to get the sound I wanted.