WHICH SUB TO BUY (for my setup not overall) PSW505 (12") or DSW MICRO PRO 2000 (8")

TOOdamnFRANK

1) Which subwoofer would be a better choice for my setup (listed below);

A) PSW505 - {12"} - $225

DSW Micro Pro 2000 - {8"} - $400

My setup will be as follows (once i get my receiver);
front- Monitor 70's
rear- Monitor 60's
side- Monitor 50's
center- CS2
receiver- Onkyo 808


2) Obviously the 505 is bigger at 12 inches, but the dsw micro 2000 has way more power running to it and is only 8 inches, what if any are the differences between the two in terms of sound?


3) This is currently a 7.1 setup, would you suggest going to 7.2 in the future, probably in another 6 months due the costs of building this new system, or would this just be too much bass?

4) Can anyone here vouch for the sound and/or overall quality of either of these subs and give me some sort of review of your experiences with owning or hearing either one???

*I'm leaning toward the 505 because its cheaper, i can almost buy two for the price of one of the other, and visually it matches my monitor 70/60/50 speakers i currently have. I worry the micro pro wont look like my other speakers or fill the room with sound at only 8 inches vs a 12 inch sub. But I also worry the PSW505 won't fill out my setups sound spectrum either based on a review i read from a user on another website saying it didn't even fill his mid sized room with bass, and another user on here said his was unable to handle the low bass notes during war of the worlds bluray. My setup will be used mostly for 5.1 gaming through a PS3, 5.1 / 7.1 computer gaming, 7.1 BluRay watching through the ps3 and sometimes the computer. *sigh* so many questions. once again, ive said it once but ill say it again, sorry for being a noob, but im trying to learn about home audio so hopefully i wont have to keep asking questions.

danz1906

Go with two PSW505!

tonyb

How big is your room and why have you narrowed it down to just those 2 subs ? My guess is neither one will give you the low end your looking for.

packetjones

I have to agree with tonyb on this one. I am curious as to why you have limited yourself to only these 2 subs? Either of them is a good choice but there are a lot of other options out there. If you budget is $400 I would also look into subs from ID companies such as SVS/Hsu/ED. They have some great subs for this range as well.

Also what will the system be used for? it appears to be a HT setup is that right? Either way i think that you will be happy with the 2 that you have listed but there are a ton of other choices out there.

cnh

Which subs from SVS and Hsu can be shipped to your door for 400...I can't think of any off hand??

Most of those that are actually 'good' or better than other subs..start around 600 if you're lucky and most of the guys around here are running the even 'more' expensive SVS and Hsu?

Sub for 500...act quickly....here you are:

http://www.epiksubwoofers.com/legend.html


Or buy 2 for 899...now you're talking!

cnh

ken brydson

If you can push your budget there is are a couple nice Bstock SVS deals right now. PB10 for $425 and a PB12 for $529...

https://svsound.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=12

mdaudioguy

MP2K vs 505... Not all inches are the same. However, if HT is your focus, I hear the Epiks are pretty good.

Ern Dog

If it were me I'd grab one of those SVS's in B stock. Either one will be better than the two you are thinking about.

dpowell

Grab the SVS!

TOOdamnFRANK

tonyb wrote: »

How big is your room and why have you narrowed it down to just those 2 subs ? My guess is neither one will give you the low end your looking for.

I have narrowed it to those two based the fact that my current setup is all polk audio, their availability to me, and their price as i get a 50% discount on either one of those two subwoofers at the moment. Also the 505 because of its looks as they would fit the current monitor series speakers i have, and the micro 2000 due to its massive amplifier and reviews i have seen from 3 users who bought it from the site.

TOOdamnFRANK

tonyb wrote: »

How big is your room

That can't honestly be answered at the moment as I have started purchasing the system to use in my new place, once I have one that is. I would assume a medium to large size living room, based on my standards of medium to large, which probably varies greatly from person to person and i have never bothered to measure a room, so i cant give you an exact number even on an estimate level other than medium to large sized living room, but it will be used for moderate gaming via PS3 and PC, some music, and some bluray watching. Something like this; 50% PS3/Computer Gaming, 25% Music, 25% BluRay.

keep in mind that I am very new to the home audio scene and I here trying to learn about speakers and setups for my own benefit so try to take it a little easy on me guys, although the more techincal advice or data you can give me or link me to the better.

TOOdamnFRANK

ok so everyone seems to like svs, and thats awesome and all, i know jack about home audio at the moment and appreciate that suggestion, but my questions were about the two polk audio subs because i can get them at a huge discount, and i can not get an svs for $113 or $200 like i can for the two polk audio subwoofers which is why I am asking about them in particular.

TOOdamnFRANK

mdaudioguy wrote: »

MP2K vs 505... Not all inches are the same. However, if HT is your focus, I hear the Epiks are pretty good.

i see you have the one sub in question in your 2.2 setup, how do you like it? is one enough to run with my setup or would i need two of them for sure? have you heard the 505 to offer any comparison?
I posted this thread with hopes of hearing from people who have heard the subs in question or own them and can offer their feedback and advice and i have yet to hear anything about the actual speakers in question, so your input would be refreshing and welcome as you seem to own one of them.

cnh

TOOdamnFRANK wrote: »

i see you have the one sub in question in your 2.2 setup, how do you like it? is one enough to run with my setup or would i need two of them for sure? have you heard the 505 to offer any comparison?
I posted this thread with hopes of hearing from people who have heard the subs in question or own them and can offer their feedback and advice and i have yet to hear anything about the actual speakers in question, so your input would be refreshing and welcome as you seem to own one of them.

I thought that is where you were coming from. So here is the scoop...even though the Micropro has tons more power; the 505 will PLAY Louder! So that is the sub for HT. On the other hand the 2000 is a great sub..in that it is FAST and much more musical. It would be best for music and OK with HT. SO I would give the nod to the 505 for HT...it's a little sloppy with music. And to the 2000 for music? So it depends on what your needs are...

And of course, two subs--either 505s or 2000s are probably better than one...gives you more placement options and more sound!

cnh

TOOdamnFRANK

does anyone know of any good semi technical home audio websites i could browse around for general home audio setups and information? or even better review sites, as in websites that review home audio speakers and/or equipment???

cnh

I assume you're read the user reviews on this site of both the 505 and the 2000??

There are a lot of websites that review equipment but reviews of Polk subs are hard to come by. Just load your sub into a google search; it will bring up a number of Hometheater...mag sites?

Good Luck!

cnh

TOOdamnFRANK

cnh wrote: »

I though that is where you were coming from. So here is the scoop...even though the Micropro has tons more power; the 505 will PLAY LOWER! So that is the sub for HT. On the other hand the 2000 is a great sub..in that it is FAST and much more musical. It would be best for music and OK with HT. SO I would give the nod to the 505 for HT...it's a little sloppy with music. And to the 2000 for music? So it depends on what your needs are...

And of course, two subs--either 505s or 2000s are probably better than one...gives you more placement options and more sound!

cnh

THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR. thanks so much.

If you dont mind me asking another question or 2.5 actually; Would the 505 sub be alright with the occasional song or two since I have the four 6.5" "woofers" in my two monitor 70's and two 5.25" "woofers" in my two monitor 60 sides if i set my front or front and side speakers to large? aka Would the 505 sound horrible with music or just not as good as the 8 inch sub due to its size comparison?

And lastly what would happen if I were to add both of them to my current setup plans? aka Is adding two different subs to a surround sound setup a horrible idea that could ruin the sound quality. Would they sound terrible if I had once of each playing at the same time in hopes of having better home theater sound and still being able to play music once in a while or would I have to turn one off and turn one on depending on what I was listening to?

If you somehow aren't annoyed yet with my questions, (once again I am new to all of this and trying to learn so I apologize if I sound like an idiot and ask the same things over and over again to make sure I'm doing things right), and if you have the extra time to answer an extra 3rd question; would two subs in one 7.1/7.2 system overpower the sound of the dialogs in most common BluRay movies or even drown out my mids or highs with my setup? AKA Are my mid/high sounds currently loud enough or pronounced enough as to justify a second subwoofer in my setup or are 2 subs overkill in this current or most common home theater setups? I am wondering because I like bass but I want to be able to hear what people are saying and doing in movies and be able to hear what the artist is singing or screaming in my music while the bass pounds as well.

I hope that is not just wishful thinking on my part. Sometimes I worry my setup isn't going to be good enough after seeing what people on this website have as their home theater setups, but this is my first attempt at creating my own and i would like it to be decent and not bankrupt me at the same time. I hope the monitor 70/60/50s/CS2/PSW505 are enough for that.
Granted I am upgrading from a $200 RCA 5.1 home theater in a box setup that was 4 years old for my movies, real 8 speaker 5.1 headphones for gaming (they weren't half bad for $200), and a $89 Logitech 5.1 Computer speaker setup so this should be a major improvement across the board. or once again; I hope so, I haven't bought the receiver yet to test it all out bc it is a new model that hasnt come out as of yet, but it looks nice so far and I tried to put it all together based on what i have read other people doing on this forum and on some other websites reviews. I don't have a million dollars to spend on a home theater, not yet at least, someday I will.

dekuda

That Epik that cnh posted is a great buy at $500 and you would be getting in my opinion a much better sub. Subs do not have to match the rest of your speaker system like fronts,center and surrounds do. The Epic is alot better value for the money . I had the psw505 and it was good for movies but did not like it for music. Good luck!

sam1233

These are killer subs, which can go till 20hz, I think.

These subs have excellent reviews and by the way they are 15 inch.

tonyb

Personally, I don't know how you can purchase gear without knowing the room your going to put it in, or even if you'll have the space. Doesn't compute. Anyway, if those 2 subs are your choice,either one will do.

kuntasensei

Good advice here. If you're limited to those two subs... 6 on one hand, half a dozen on the other. But those SVS B-stocks and that Epik would take your system to a whole other level, and I strongly recommend either of those options over the Polks you have in mind. If you stick with the Polks, you're missing out on the really deep bass that makes most digital soundtracks sound so insanely awesome.

mak99

TdF - last year I upgraded from the 505 to the mP1k, then eventually a second mP1k. I personally preferred the single mP1k to the 505 as I thought the mP1k was tighter and more punchy. The 505 seemed a bit boomy, but that could have been do to my room size and speaker arrangements. I did have the luxury of having both subs connected via a y-splitter, so could A/B compare the exact same demo song minutes apart.

FWIW, this system is use primarily for HT duty, very little 2-channel listening except for background music.

Like you, we had an all-Polk system up until February when I replaced the two microPros with an AV123 MFW-15 for lower bass response. Though I was happy with the Polk subs, I sure don't miss them with the better bass from the MFW. Of course, the MFW takes up just a wee bit more floor space!

Like the other posters above, I'd also recommend checking out HSU, SVS, Epik, etc.

Good luck!

nedh84

TOOdamnFRANK I'm a newb as well as you but I'm gonna try to answer some of your questions.

Will the psw505 fill up your room with lots of bass? I was watching Master and Commander the other day and it felt like my room was getting bombarded by cannonballs. Now if you have a medium-small sized bedroom you should have no problems. Any larger then you will have to experiment.

Will psw505 be good for music? I enjoy it with my music but like mak99 said it may not be as punchy or precise as some prefer. Honestly you'll be fine with the psw505 for now at $113.

I paid $250 for mine and at $113 you are getting that at a steal. Save up money and upgrade later then sell that sub for $150.

Just my opinion. I'll probably eventually upgrade to one of the higher end subs posted on this thread. Once I get the money anyway