Price Paid:  $549.00 from Crutchfield

Summary:
I decided to get a subwoofer to add energy below the frequency of my Polk Audio RT7 mains. After reading around I decided on the PSW650 (espcially since it was on special at Crutchfield.com).

After a bit of experimentation with placement I found a very good location for the sub. I have it in my living room. It is essentially coupled to the foundation. It took about twenty-four hours to "burn in" to give the best sound.

Since I have owned it I have used it primarily as a music sub. It perfroms admirably in my system providing deep punchy bass. My living room is medium sized (18x16x11ft). I would imagine anything smaller than that would be almost to small for this sub.

I decided to purchase a very bass heavy recording (BassConnection greatest hits)to test it. Dang! Track four shakes the house literally. When I crank that song up it vibrates the cabinets in the kitchen over thirty feet away. The house seems to breathe in the strange rythmic dance with the heavy bass. Madonna's Vogue really pounds. It has done well with rock music also (Rush, Joe Satraini, Stevie Ray Vaughan).

For me it tends to run a little hot for home theater requiring me to turn it down for most movies, but that is ok.

I just had to remove one of the woofers to have a look inside. The magnets are huge! Also, the amplifier(s) are very robust with four large 15,000 uF capacitors. Very nice indeed. Two thumbs up for Polk.

Strengths:
Strong, accurate bass

Weaknesses:
A bit heavy

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I just have an interesting setup that i'd like to let you guys in on.

First of all I plan on using three of these bad boys , right now I have two. I have a yamaha Rx-Z1 receiver. I run the main outs to one of the subs, then have have Totem Rokks connected to it as my mains. Then I have my rear outs goin to my second sub, which is against the center of the rear wall. I then have a pair of Totem rokks coming out of the rear sub as my rears. I also have a Totem Mite T sitting on my rear sub as my rear center channel.

Now, what I want to add in the future, is another polk sub connected to the LFE output of my yamaha receiver. I also am going to add a pair of Klipsch quintets for my front effects. I know three of these polk subs maybe over kill. But basically, i have one dedicated for bass of the mains and one for the rears, and the the third will handle all the LFE effects. Plus the rear sub also doubles as my rear center channel stand.

Strengths:
Sounds good to me and thats all that matters

Weaknesses:
none

Price Paid:  $550.00 from Crutchfield.com

Summary:
My system:
A/V RECEIVER: Denon AVR-2803
DVD CHANGER: Denon DVM-1805
CD CHANGER: JVC XL-M700
MAINS: Polk Audio LS70
CENTER: Polk Audio CS100
SUBWOOFER: Polk Audio PSW650
SIDE SURROUNDS: NHT Super Zero A450
REAR SURROUNDS: Polk Audio RC55i
SPEAKER CABLES: Monster Z Bass 100, XPHP-CI & XP-CI
AUDIO CABLE: Monster Interlink Lightspeed Reference

Summary:
I have tried every setting (of which there are many) to get the best possible sound for music and for home theater. I have mixed feelings about this sub. My initial expectations when I began my search for a new subwoofer were much higher. Reality quickly took control. After side by side comparisons with about a dozen other subs priced from $350 to $1500, I settled for this sub. The PSW650 easily delivered the most volume out of the comparisons I made. The $1400 Velodyne SPL1200 was possibly a little tighter but a lot more expensive.

Strengths:
1- Awesome bass for home theater. You can shake the room without distortion.
2- More than enough power for a large open concept room.
3- A wide range of hook-up options.
4- Auto on/off is really convenient.
5- A very conveniently located front volume control. This would be nicer if it could be read from the top.
6- A useful +3db switch that I use when changing from music to home theater. This would be nicer if it were placed on the front next to the volume control.
7- Competitively priced and in my opinion the best for the money.
8- Very good looking and well built.

Weaknesses:
1- The biggest problem with this sub is that I would not describe it as particularly tight or punchy for "most" music. If the subwoofer volume is set too low, you lose the nice high quantity bass punch that should be present. If the volume is set too high, it has a non-definitive boomy presence which can be a benefit for home theater but not for music. There doesn't seem to be an ideal setting that works really well for music. The only way that this sub can perform anywhere close to my expectations, is if the volume level of the subwoofer is kept quite low and the crossover is set to 40Hz. This way my LS70 mains handle a good portion of the low frequencies and the overall quality is pleasing and can be described as "somewhat" punchy.
2- If your looking for a great sub for music, look elsewhere and expect to pay more, a lot more.
3- It is big and heavy.

Price Paid:  $500.00 from todays electronics

Summary:
The Polk PSW650 is an awesome speaker. I think its a great deal for the money. I considered many other subwoofers Paradigm, Velodyne, Sony, JVC, Kenwood, etc...

Strengths:
Too many to list. I love this speaker.

Weaknesses:
hummm...... maybe its a little too pretty. lol

Similar Products Used:
Marrantz, JVC, Harmon Kardon, Sony, Kenwood... heck I dont know what I havn't used, ? well, I havnt used McIntosh..

Price Paid:  $400.00 from www.acousticsounddes

Summary:
Incredible natural sound and accurate reproduction of surround tracks. Attractive design. Several options available for inputs and set-up. Great with movie sound tracks, yet responsive enough to appreciate SACD and 5.1 audio recordings without a muddy undertone.

Strengths:
Crisp bass output.
Multiple inputs.
Auto-on/off.
Competitive price for the quality of sound

Weaknesses:
Size really pissed off my wife.
Heavy to move and position.
The rumble moves things on nearby shelves.

Similar Products Used:
Velodyne-