Polk Audio PSW10 (Black) Subwoofers

Polk Audio PSW10 (Black) Subwoofers 

DESCRIPTION

Do away with distortion. While the Polk Monitor Series PSW10s 10 driver and 50W built-in amplifier are filling out your home audios bass tones, a wide variety of distortion-reducing technologies - including laser Klippel Distortion analysis - deliver bass true to the source.

  • Bass-reflex
  • 50-watt RMS amplifier
  • 10" front-firing driver
  • Frequency response 40-160 Hz (-3dB)
  • Continuously variable 80-200 Hz crossover
  • Phase switch
  • Auto on/off
  • Speaker-level and line-level inputs; speaker-level output

USER REVIEWS

Showing 11-19 of 19  
[May 23, 2009]
DanTana1
Audio Enthusiast

I went to BestBuy to really buy the Sony for $99.00 that I read so many good reviews about. I was able to audition several suboofers incuding the $474.00 Klipsch, $299.00 Polk 8" subwoofer and a couple others. The only sub that outperformed the PSW10 was the Klipsh SUB-12 and not by much. The Klipsch had more reserve than the Polk but both seem to go down as low, it wes very close to my ears a virtual tie. The Sony and 8" Polk were not even close, I really wanted to like the Sony but Polk was so much better and I was able to get an open box for $149.00 so that sealed the deal. The $474.00 Klipsch would of been nice but it was also a very large box and would of been somewhat hard to place.

I actually find the Polk PSW10 to be very musical, it seems to blend in very well with my setup. It has bass that is very tight and not boomy. I hooked mine up via the speaker cables and read that is the way to do it because of the better volume level and it worked for me. I do find that if you turn the volume all the way up it will get a little muddy and distort some, and it then starts to overpower the music not blend in well. I'm still in the process of tweaking the settings but I find that I seem to have some reserve power left over. I have both volume and crossover about one half to two-thirds. I'm listening to the Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour and it seems to be able to hit all the notes with no problem. I put on some dance and rap FM stations on my Denon TU-1500RDS and it was able to hit the lows with a strong and authoritative beat. I'm impressed with how well controlled the bass is, it doesn't seem to get sloppy unless you go overboard with the settings.

I put on the movie MI-III and the scene where they were rescuing the female agent then the subsequent holicopter chase my kids probably gave the best description when they said wow you can feel it. I'm not one to play my music or movies at the peak of my amp can allow a Sony TA-F700ES but a comfortable level and like my bass to augment and not overwhelm my materal. I'm watching Pearl Harbor right now and it sounds and feels like in the theater.

I've had Infiity Kappas with 10" woofers and this subwoofer goes lower and harder than they did. While this may not be the most auidiophile or loudest or lowest subwoofer it is also very affordable and will in my opinion deliver about 90% of the performance for a fraction of the cost of the most expensive subwoofers there are. If your looking to buy one just audition them yourself side-by-side and then decide.

The reason I'm giving 5 out of 5 is for value and performance for the dollar. It held it's own in the showroom against a $474.00 Klipsch.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 28, 2009]
mg196
Audio Enthusiast

Reading Joon's review, I can't think of ANYONE who turns up their sub all the way. SOunds like you are TRYING to destroy it!!

I based my 5/5 rating on this being a lower-powered, entry level sub. I am not comparing it to the $500+ dollar subs!!

I have a small living room and a modest home theater setup, so I dont really need more than 100wpc. I was looking for a sub that could give me tremendous power with clarity and a "focused" punch. This sub performs all those tasks without a problem! It definitely "sounds" like it performs well above its stated wpc rating.

I only have the sub level turned up to about 5, and whether I am watching my Led Zep or Who DVDs, or that legendary first scene in Fellowship of the Ring, the walls shake and picture frames rattle. Explosions burst into my living room without being muffled or distorted. During the day if my wife is watching MTV or the Food Network, the bass gently accents whatever sounds are coming out of the main speakers without ever overpowering them, or forcing me to change the volume level of the sub.

It is built like a rock (I purchased mine in the scratch & dent store - only a tiny nick) and matches my other Polk speakers' cherry finish perfectly.

My uncle likes to spend a lot of money on his a/v setup, and I always laugh to myself when I see him fiddling w/ or cursing at his $750 sub! I know that back in my living room, this puppy is just waiting for me to pump some audio thru it and I wont have to do a thing...other than dust it off occasionally.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 10, 2008]
Rob
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Outrageous price-to-value ratio; decent looking in the cherry vinyl; line- and speaker level I/O; crossover, phase and volume controls that give good resistance; decent sound enhancement when adjusted properly.

Weakness:

Really? For a hundred bucks, how can you complain?

For the price, you'll have a hard time finding anything this good. I can't speak to the complaints of so-called "audiophiles" that purchased a subwoofer for under 200 bucks (actually, I can: if you're a real audiophile, you'd gladly drop one- to two grand on a Velodyne, Fathome or Sunfire subwoofer), but if you've got a low- to mid-level system and want to add some punch to your music and movies, get the PSW10.

With this sub, the secret to obtaining a tight, punchy low end to your music is to spend some time getting the crossover and volume controls married. I found that the volume control moved past the 12:00 position results in wall-shaking boominess. While that might be fine for action movies, it's not so much for listening to jazz. But with the crossover, phase and volume controls set right, I got a nice enhancement to the bass my floor speakers just haven't been able to find. Since this is a mass-market box intended for use in both audio and home theatre set-ups (which put completely different demands on the amount of air moved and frequencies reproduced), you may need to accept that you might have to make adjustments when listening to one or the other.

Remember, a good sub-woofer is one that you really don't hear until you play source material without it.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 25, 2007]
Joon
Casual Listener

Strength:

Non. Its a very weak subwoofer that has a lot of distortion if you turn it all the way up. The bass on the low volume is non-existant to high volume dull rumble shakes the floors not the ear drum. It adds no punch to the drummer or car crash.

Weakness:

Its a very weak subwoofer that has a lot of distortion if you turn it all the way up. The bass on the low volume is non-existant to high volume dull rumble shakes the floors not the ear drum. It adds no punch to the drummer or car crash.

Makes me mad when you can buy an entire hometheater system with 5 speakers and DVD player that has a subwoofer thats sounds better for 300 bucks and I spent 170 for just a subwoofer that sounds crappy in comparison.

I am not happy with this subwoofer but I deal with it because I don't want to spend anymore money on a better subwoofer. I am wondering if I should have just listened to myself instead of the sales person at Tweeters and bought a Sony subwoofer for 99.00 instead. It can't be that much worst than this one.

Customer Service

dont' know.

Similar Products Used:

I wish I have tried others before I bought this one.

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Mar 21, 2007]
GlockNinja
Casual Listener

Strength:

Low price. Although Sony makes one at 100 Watts for 99.00 not sure of quality VS Polk.

Weakness:

Disappointed with sound quality. Just keep in mind that the subwoofer is to just add a little more presence to your sound not to take over like a Ghetto blaster. If you are looking for concert or night club thump....you better spend a few hundred more.

Don't expect audiophile qaulity. This is the type of subwoofer you want to set it and forget it. The volume control in the back should be set low to mid range. Anything higher than you will get distorted bass. Keep the volume and frequency range dials at mid range and try not to be too disappointed. It does make a slight difference than not having a sub woofer. It adds a little more rumble in the atmosphere. Just don't expect it to jump start your heart.

Customer Service

I bought the floor model so I got it for 179.00 but its regular price is 200.00

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
2
[Oct 07, 2005]
bogart
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

The strong built, looks and sound and of course the prestige of the name Polk.

Weakness:

No LFE out, not magnetically shielded.

This sub is one of the best sounding in it's range. The strong built and stylish looks, complements the traditional box with a modern touch of titanium faceplate. The sound is tight and clear and worth for the bucks.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Jun 28, 2005]
gcook67
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Style, Auto Off, Adjustable crossover, and Phase switch. Tight, Deep and very accurate base!!!

Weakness:

There is no LFE input.

I have just added this subwoofer to my home theater system and What a HUGE difference it has made! I have a Polk CS1 as my center channel speaker and Polk R30's for my fronts and this sub has pulled all my speakers together for unbelievable crisp, clean and accurate sound. The difference between this sub and the Bose sub is night and day. Thanks again Polk for making such a great product!!

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 26, 2005]
korando
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

The Price!!! Much better than other popular electronic brands subwoofers (I mean popular not high end gears) Great bass usign the speaker line in and output. Very clear bass and also warm if it's placed in the correct location. Easy to setup its controls for phase and frecuency crossover.

Weakness:

Lack of LFE input, instead of I had to buy a dual RCA jacks adapter. If not positioned correctly it sounds become boomy for some listening area.

Great bass response for everyday use, by its price. Well I paid more than in USA because in Mexico I must pay for importing tax. Actually it was one of the least expensive subwoofers in the store, and I was looking a subwoofer just to use in my bedroom. But I also used it in my 60 persons capacity restaurant and it really gives a good bass response for its cost. And if fills nicely and warmly all my bedroom and also the living room, where I tried it with my old Onkyo. I know that there's better ones with more power outputs, but I'm not becoming my home into that lousy boomy low riders.

Similar Products Used:

Various from Sony, Kenwood, Infinity, Yamaha, etc.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
Showing 11-19 of 19  

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