Polk Audio PSW10

mayem

Hey, my friend is thinking of getting the PSW10, and he wanted my opinion. I've heard it before, and I must say its VERY loud. My question is: Does this sub have good, deep bass? I've heard people saying it has tight bass. I didn't really get to hear it playing songs to show sound quality, just blasting so loud you could hear port noise. So I was wondering, does this sub have low, deep, rich bass? Like the kick drums in songs like "I'm yours" by Jason Mraz, and "I wanna be a billionaire" by Travis Mccoy? I'm trying to name songs I know with that deep kick. Will this sub play those songs with really deep, rich bass? From what I heard it sounds very nice, and damn loud. Has a large enclosure, looks almost 1 cu. ft. if not more, and a decent sized port, which apparently by what I felt didn't seem to be flared, yet had some gate on the end.

Also, I'm trying to decide whether he should get the Polk PSW10, or the Onkyo SKW204. I like the polk since for one it looks more intimidating, and has more options on the amp, but the onkyo has a lower frequency range and seemingly bigger port (not that it determines anything, just makes me think the driver moves a bit more, and can do more), and the frequency range leads me to beleive this would be deeper, and richer, better suited for us?

I really wanna go with the PSW10 though, since it looks like a promising sub, and I actually got to hear it, but I'd much rather you're guys' opinion to help me.

Thanks for actually having the patience and caring to help me out! Thanks!

kawizx9r

Damn, post was erased.

The PSW10 is by no means a good performer. It's very entry-level and doesn't dig as deep as one would like for HT.

Budget/application will help determine what sub you should be looking at.

If you/your friend want to stick with Polk, check out their DSW Series. They're light years ahead of the older PSW's. For some serious bass-in-your-face, check out Epik, SVS, Rythmik Audio, or HSU just to name a few.

Btw, welcome to CP!

-Freddy

comfortablycurt

The PSW10 is essentially a cheap throw away sub. They were thrown in for free with a lot of Polk orders over the last couple years from sites such as amazon and newegg etc...

It by no means has the deep rich bass you're looking for. I think it's real world low end output is something like 46hz...which is absolutely abysmal for a subwoofer. There's a good reason that they can be had for less than $100 brand new. The PSW10 is also well known to have a big problem with port noise...which can be very irritating. It also really isn't that "loud" in the big picture. It doesn't have anywhere near the output that a more capable sub will have. The enclosure is also relatively small, in comparison to a lot of "real" subs. I personally would hardly even consider the PSW10 to be a "subwoofer"...since it's not even capable of any real low end extension. You're basically missing out on the last couple octaves of low bass extension.

I would also steer clear of the Onkyo. I've not heard that specific model...but Onkyo is not a speaker designer. They make great electronics, but their speakers are nothing to write home about.

A great Polk sub to look at is the PSW505.

http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-12-Inch-Powered-Subwoofer/dp/B000092TT0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293969070&sr=8-1

It's got excellent sounding bass, very reasonable low end extension...and overall will completely smoke the PSW10 and/or the Onkyo. They can be had for very reasonable prices too. Amazon has them currently for $199.99 brand new with free shipping. You'd be hard pressed to find a better deal than that in an entry levelish subwoofer.

tonyb

Everything has a purpose and use. The psw 10 would be fine for a small room such as in an apartment bedroom. Once moved to a large room though it simply can not pressurize the added space. Thus some turn up the volume, creating the port noise, trying to push the small sub past it's capabilities. Like others have said, not worth fixing, might be time to move up in the sub world.

ROHfan

tonyb wrote: »

Everything has a purpose and use. The psw 10 would be fine for a small room such as in an apartment bedroom. Once moved to a large room though it simply can not pressurize the added space. Thus some turn up the volume, creating the port noise, trying to push the small sub past it's capabilities. Like others have said, not worth fixing, might be time to move up in the sub world.

Well said. I own a PSW10 and it was fine paired with my old avr that didn't have much drive. Once I upgraded to a newer, better avr that enabled me to drive my polk mains properly, the port noise of the sub became an issue. I'm now considering the psw505 as others will also recommend here.

Pinktulip7

Its nothing but a Polk made Toy Sub

mayem

Well, my freind got the PSW110. He said he went to go listen to it in a showroom instead of being lazy, and liked it. We hooked it in his room, and I actually think it sounds good. Someone said in this post it sounds good in small rooms, apartments. Its in his dorm room, so its not in a large area. It sounds great. I think it puts out deep bass, even though the response goes down to only 35Hz or so. And about the port noise, I did hear port noise from it...... Only when it was blasting at the audio showroom. The port noise only happens when its very loud, too loud to even play in his dorm room, unless he wants to get kicked out. And also, he wanted a sub that wouldn't take up too much space. I beleive the enclosure is around 1 cu ft. internal box volume, so thats good enough for him. I gave him you're guys's reccomendations, but he said they seem more for big house application then for a small room. Maybe I should have added that, so I apologize. Bottom line is, I have heard better, but for his application its good. He could had afforded something like the PSW505, but he wouldn't fit it. This sub just jammed in between the plasma stand and the shelf, so any bigger wouldn't had been good.

Either way, I definatly took all of your opinions into consideration. If it were me, I'd get the 505 or an SVS sub, but my friend isn't much an audiophile, so hes happy, and I think its pretty good!

Thanks guys!

ROHfan

mayem wrote: »

Well, my freind got the PSW110. He said he went to go listen to it in a showroom instead of being lazy, and liked it. We hooked it in his room, and I actually think it sounds good. Someone said in this post it sounds good in small rooms, apartments. Its in his dorm room, so its not in a large area. It sounds great. I think it puts out deep bass, even though the response goes down to only 35Hz or so. And about the port noise, I did hear port noise from it...... Only when it was blasting at the audio showroom. The port noise only happens when its very loud, too loud to even play in his dorm room, unless he wants to get kicked out. And also, he wanted a sub that wouldn't take up too much space. I beleive the enclosure is around 1 cu ft. internal box volume, so thats good enough for him. I gave him you're guys's reccomendations, but he said they seem more for big house application then for a small room. Maybe I should have added that, so I apologize. Bottom line is, I have heard better, but for his application its good. He could had afforded something like the PSW505, but he wouldn't fit it. This sub just jammed in between the plasma stand and the shelf, so any bigger wouldn't had been good.

Either way, I definatly took all of your opinions into consideration. If it were me, I'd get the 505 or an SVS sub, but my friend isn't much an audiophile, so hes happy, and I think its pretty good!

Thanks guys!

Mayhem,

Considering all the factors, I think your friend will be very happy with the psw10. It seems like it will suit his needs fine. It is by no means a piece of crap and if it's not pushed it will do just fine. For my applications, listening to movies LOUD, the port noise does become an issue to an extent and it does get a little "boomy." I will upgrade in the future but I am definitely not losing sleep on its performance (or lack thereof).

comfortablycurt

mayem wrote: »

Well, my freind got the PSW110. He said he went to go listen to it in a showroom instead of being lazy, and liked it. We hooked it in his room, and I actually think it sounds good. Someone said in this post it sounds good in small rooms, apartments. Its in his dorm room, so its not in a large area. It sounds great. I think it puts out deep bass, even though the response goes down to only 35Hz or so. And about the port noise, I did hear port noise from it...... Only when it was blasting at the audio showroom. The port noise only happens when its very loud, too loud to even play in his dorm room, unless he wants to get kicked out. And also, he wanted a sub that wouldn't take up too much space. I beleive the enclosure is around 1 cu ft. internal box volume, so thats good enough for him. I gave him you're guys's reccomendations, but he said they seem more for big house application then for a small room. Maybe I should have added that, so I apologize. Bottom line is, I have heard better, but for his application its good. He could had afforded something like the PSW505, but he wouldn't fit it. This sub just jammed in between the plasma stand and the shelf, so any bigger wouldn't had been good.

Either way, I definatly took all of your opinions into consideration. If it were me, I'd get the 505 or an SVS sub, but my friend isn't much an audiophile, so hes happy, and I think its pretty good!

Thanks guys!

Did he get the PSW10...or the PSW110? Cuz there's a big difference between the two. The PSW110 is a much better sub. Still pretty entry level, but much better sounding overall.

mayem

ROHfan wrote: »

Mayhem,

Considering all the factors, I think your friend will be very happy with the psw10. It seems like it will suit his needs fine. It is by no means a piece of crap and if it's not pushed it will do just fine. For my applications, listening to movies LOUD, the port noise does become an issue to an extent and it does get a little "boomy." I will upgrade in the future but I am definitely not losing sleep on its performance (or lack thereof).

He does like it. Also, he does watch movies loud at certain hours when he knows he wont bother anyone, and I actually eliminated about 80 percent of the port noise. I just took out the sub, and stuck a 3" flare I got from Partsexpress on the back, to better direct the air going into the port. Still, at higher volumes there is still port noise. My guess is maybe some of the port noise frequencies are going below what the box is tuned to, or something, making it do that. But its still not as intense. I also took off that pointless grill on the back of the port, don't exactly know what thats for.... Maybe a safety procaution so no little kid sticks his hand or feet in the port and gets them stuck? xP Well, I think it sounds very good

mayem

comfortablycurt wrote: »

Did he get the PSW10...or the PSW110? Cuz there's a big difference between the two. The PSW110 is a much better sub. Still pretty entry level, but much better sounding overall.

PSW10. Says on the back, looks just like a PSW10. Remember, hes in a dorm room. He'll probably get kicked out if he had loud bass, and didn't have much room, so the PSW10 makes him very happy, I also did some small modifications on it for him. I just took the subwoofer out, stuck a 3" port flare from Partsexpress on the back with some pretty big flare on it, and it eliminated almost all the port noise. Also took off that stupid port grill thing Idk why people hate on this sub so much. Sure its not the best ever, but it actually sounds good if you have it in the right place in the room. The audio system was one of the first things we did in the room, so we could put the sub wherever we want. And also, after doing the placement test, where it is right now, any remaining port noise you really don't hear at the couch.

mike34

Is the psw 202 the same as the psw10 ?

I have a 202 and I am considering fixing it. Its going to cost 60 bucks to get it fixed and shipped back to me from polk.

If the 202 is also a "toy sub", maybe I should let it go and take the plunge into getting a real sub.

What do you guys think? I mainly just play movies loud and my living room is only about 12 x 25. I was happy with the 202 until it broke. Will I notice a big deference with a real sub?

mike34

Anyone??

z3r0m4g3

Go ahead and get a PSW-111 I have an 18x20 Living room and I bought a PSW-111, 200 watts, 10 inch monster, but you could save an extra 125 dollars and get a sub from the PSW series it depends on budget. Hope this helps.

comfortablycurt

mike34 wrote: »

Is the psw 202 the same as the psw10 ?

I have a 202 and I am considering fixing it. Its going to cost 60 bucks to get it fixed and shipped back to me from polk.

If the 202 is also a "toy sub", maybe I should let it go and take the plunge into getting a real sub.

What do you guys think? I mainly just play movies loud and my living room is only about 12 x 25. I was happy with the 202 until it broke. Will I notice a big deference with a real sub?

Personally, I wouldn't spend $60 bucks to fix your 202. You'd be better off putting that money towards a better sub, such as a PSW505 IMO. They can be had on the regular for around $200, and even with free shipping a lot of the time.

z3r0m4g3 wrote: »

Go ahead and get a PSW-111 I have an 18x20 Living room and I bought a PSW-111, 200 watts, 10 inch monster, but you could save an extra 125 dollars and get a sub from the PSW series it depends on budget. Hope this helps.

The PSW-111 has an 8" driver, not a 10", and it's 150 watts, not 200. Also, in my humble opinion it's not exactly a "monster". It's not even really much of an improvement over the PSW10...and in fact, the 111's overall frequency response rating is even slightly worse than the PSW10. But, it sounds like you're happy with it, and that's what matters.

IMO, the PSW505 would be a much better choice for an upgrade, and can be had for basically the same price as the 111. A PSW111 would be more of a lateral move really.

z3r0m4g3

I meant to say psw 110, it has a 10 inch driver, 200 watts ME RETARTED, as I lick my elbow, the 110 is a monster, for me at least, thats what I meant to say. Sorry for the confusion.

comfortablycurt

z3r0m4g3 wrote: »

I meant to say psw 110, it has a 10 inch driver, 200 watts ME RETARTED, as I lick my elbow, the 110 is a monster, for me at least, thats what I meant to say. Sorry for the confusion.

Ahh, that makes a little more sense then.

In either case, it's still my opinion that the 505 would be a better choice. It can be had for basically the same price too. Looks like the 505 would only be about $6 more on Amazon. The PSW110 is $194 + $30 shipping, where as the PSW505 is $230, with free shipping.

You're happy though, and that's what matters. I have heard the PSW110, and it's a very nice sounding little sub.

mike34

ok. I will be upgrading to the 505. I agree that the 60 bucks would be better spent on the upgrade rather than the repair.

Currently I have my 202 hooked up using the front speaker in and out method.

Is this the preferred method on the 505? OR will I have to use the rca cable from the sub out/in method?

TECHNOKID

comfortablycurt wrote: »

Did he get the PSW10...or the PSW110? Cuz there's a big difference between the two. The PSW110 is a much better sub. Still pretty entry level, but much better sounding overall.

Big huge difference between the 2 of them!

comfortablycurt wrote: »

Ahh, that makes a little more sense then.

In either case, it's still my opinion that the 505 would be a better choice. It can be had for basically the same price too. Looks like the 505 would only be about $6 more on Amazon. The PSW110 is $194 + $30 shipping, where as the PSW505 is $230, with free shipping.

You're happy though, and that's what matters. I have heard the PSW110, and it's a very nice sounding little sub.

Depends what the user intend to do. The PSW505 is good for music but you have to consider that for HT it is old obsolete technology and fact is the 505 is a poor performer when it comes to HT use. I own the PSW110 and it is great for HT use so the choice of a 505 over a 110 and vice versa depends on what is the most usage for the sub.

Cheers!
TK

mike34

what about my 505 hook up question?

can anybody help me with that

TECHNOKID

mike34 wrote: »

what about my 505 hook up question?

can anybody help me with that

Your choice, it has both speaker level and LFE

Input; Speaker level 5-way binding posts, line level (filtered) and LFE (unfiltered)