What Polk bass to get?

awilki01
awilki01 Posts: 12
edited November 2003 in Speakers
I have a Polk Audio RM6200 with a PSW250 bass and it sounds great in my living room. Sometimes, however, the bass seems to be overpowered and seems to "burble" - best word I could use to describe it. I was thinking about a bigger Polk PSW bass. With my RM6200 speakers, what would be the lowest cost and best PSWxxx bass to get? I was looking at the PSW303 and 404....are those any good? I'm assuming they are MUCH better than the PSW250.....


Would the PSW303 or 404 be too much for RM6200s? I really don't want to buy a whole new speaker system....
Post edited by awilki01 on
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Comments

  • Frank Z
    Frank Z Posts: 5,860
    edited November 2003
    Before you go out and buy a new/used sub, invest in an SPL meter and calibrate your system properly. You should also get a calibration disk, such as Digital video Esentials, Avia, or the Sound & Vision disk. Take a look at the manual for your receiver (or preamp) and read up on how to adjust the speaker/sub output levels. You should also determine whether or not you have a Peak Bass Limit feature. Sounds like your running your sub way to hot and it's clipping. Proper setup and calibration will make a big difference in the sound quality.

    BTW, Welcome to the forum!
    9/11 - WE WILL NEVER FORGET!! (<---<<click)
    2005-06 Club Polk Football Pool Champion!! :D
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  • gatemplin
    gatemplin Posts: 1,595
    edited November 2003
    Speakers that reproduce bass frequencies ( around 20-160 Hz) are referred to as subwoofers. The general opinion of club members regarding Polk subwoofers is that they are not a great value. Before getting another sub try lowering the crossover freq of the 250. Also try different locations to try to get rid of the boomy sound.
    Graham
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  • fgr41
    fgr41 Posts: 432
    edited November 2003
    If you want the best bang for your buck, and keep things cheap but impressive try looking at the 10" and 12" Sony subs. They will pack a bigger punch and save you some green.

    The polk sub's don't have a very good reputation, many feel they are overpriced for what they do.

    I have had a 12" sony for a few years now and with a small modification I am still very impressed with what it does for what I paid for it.

    Sub's are interchangable with speakers. Meaning you dont have to stay with a polk sub to match your polk speakers. If you tune it right most subs will blend well.
    Front
    Polk RT800i (BI-wired)
    Rear
    Polk RT600i
    Center
    Polk CS400i (BI-wired)
    Sub
    SVS 25-31PCi (22Hz tuning port)... it's SubHuman
    Receiver
    YAMAHA RX-V1400
    TV
    Mitsubishi WT-46807 HDTV
    HD receiver
    T i V o HR10-250
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  • rs159
    rs159 Posts: 1,027
    edited November 2003
    partsexpress.com has a cheapy $120 Dayton Audio sub. Never heard it but I'd assume it would be comparable to the Sony. Their site is down now so check back later on that one.......
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  • rs159
    rs159 Posts: 1,027
    edited November 2003
    http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&User_ID=16328258&St=4589&St2=-47751873&St3=-49130663&DS_ID=3&Product_ID=122583&DID=7 - there it is...
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  • C Bennett
    C Bennett Posts: 24
    edited November 2003
    I'd look at Atlantic Technology T70 its $179(free shipping), I'd also look at Cambridge Sound Works Bass Cube 12 you can get that for around $200. Those are the two best bang for the buck and still quality I see out there right now and I searched for a week before I bought my Atlantic Technology. Also the Velodyne VX10 is a consideration for a nice Sub with a good price.

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3057792320&category=3275

    http://www.jandr.com/JRProductPage.process?RestartFlow=t&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=1912&Product_Id=3695264
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  • awilki01
    awilki01 Posts: 12
    edited November 2003
    Originally posted by rs159
    http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&User_ID=16328258&St=4589&St2=-47751873&St3=-49130663&DS_ID=3&Product_ID=122583&DID=7 - there it is...

    I'm assuming these and the Sony SA-WM40 are better than my PSW-250?

    I have an AVIA setup DVD. Maybe I will try that first like someone suggested....

    Thanks...
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  • awilki01
    awilki01 Posts: 12
    edited November 2003
    One more thing......

    I just measured my living room to be only 18'x15'. I do have my dining room directly connected at 12'x10'.

    With that being said, I don't need too big of a bass I would imagine....is this true?
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  • fgr41
    fgr41 Posts: 432
    edited November 2003
    Yes and no. If you can you want to over buy your sub, meaning buy more than you need so it's easier to tune. If you buy a smaller sub you may have to turn up the gain in order to get the sound you want and have it maxed out. With a slightly larger sub you can turn the gain down and have more room to adjust later on. I know for music I turn the sub down a bit and make it a little hot for movies.

    From my experience, with a room much like yours, I was unhappy with a 10" woofer and feel more comfortable with a 12".

    If you want to do some more research I would suggest looking at
    http://www.avsforum.com/
    and
    http://audioreview.com/reviewscrx.aspx

    Look up the Sony and other brands and see what you think. Then shop around and see what kind of prices you can find, try and get the sub from a store that has a good return policey so you can spend a little bit of time getting use to it. If you like it :), if you don't take it back and try another. Many times you don't really know how something will sound till it is in your home.

    best of luck!
    Front
    Polk RT800i (BI-wired)
    Rear
    Polk RT600i
    Center
    Polk CS400i (BI-wired)
    Sub
    SVS 25-31PCi (22Hz tuning port)... it's SubHuman
    Receiver
    YAMAHA RX-V1400
    TV
    Mitsubishi WT-46807 HDTV
    HD receiver
    T i V o HR10-250
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  • eclypse
    eclypse Posts: 595
    edited November 2003
    I'm using a Polk PSW404 in a 13x30 room and i just watched Finding Nemo and damn is there alot of low bass in that movie! Great sound and great picture on my Samsung 61" DLP.. Anyways, the room has a good 10' opening on one side and other opening cut out above the kitchen counter which is another 10' or so.. Let me tell you, i was worried about this bas cause its only a 10" and in such a large room i thought it would suffer.. I bought it cause i only payed $230 NIB i think for it.. Anyways the house was shaking! My fireplace was rattleing! I had to turn the volume down cause we live in a condo and it was 2 in the morning last night and i could'nt lower the volume fast enough for the whale seen :)

    This thing has some kick and i'm happy with it for now :D

    Oh its been calibrated and leveled using Digital Video Essentails.
    Full 5 channel set of Polk Audio
    Fronts - LSiM 705
    Center - LSiM 706c
    Sides - LSiM 703
    Mits WD-82842 82" DLP 3DTV
    Denon AVR-3313CI Receiver
    Emotiva stealth DC-1
    Emotiva XPA-2/Fronts XPA-3 Center-surrounds
    Oppo 103

    Loving the new Family! :)
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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited November 2003
    Try to demo the other Polk subs first. Find a good dealer because they will sell the sub well below retail. I know Polk subs aren't very popular here but they're not as bad as some people say. I love my PSW650. That thing can put out some serious db and has great slam for HT. The 303 or 404 will not overpower your system.

    Maurice
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