On the hunt for a Polk sub

FestYboy

There seem to be a bunch of options available in the area on Craigslist. Prices go from around 200 and down.

Any of you have suggestions on what I should keep an eye out for while hunting?

deronb1

Older psw 350 or 450 are pretty nice

afterburnt

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290130&cm_re=Polk_sub-_-82-290-130-_-Product

FestYboy

Yeah, I've read you like the 505. Do you feel it's the best bang for the buck? Or would you rather go with a different model if given the chance? There's no hard ceiling on the budget, so if there's a better option close to the 505, I wouldn't have trouble going that route.

mangelou

I'm very happy with the 505.

I first considered the psw10, thinking the 505 would overpower a little monitor40 music setup I wanted to pair it with... but turned out to be perfect match. It can shake the entire house... but it's mostly a subtle accomplice.

As far as I can tell it's a great bang for your buck. Anything else comparable was at least $150-$200 more. It not very powerful under 30hz... so if you need that... idk. Got it for $189 from newegg and would do it again in a heartbeat.

dannylightning

the 505 is a great sub.. when you look at how much you can get it for at the moment its a heck of a deal..

for a few hundred more you can get a SVS sub which seems to be preferred over Polk subs but if your trying to say in the 200 dollar range the 505 is pretty awesome..

as mentined the psw450 is also a great sub but there old.. you may be able to find a used one.

BobH

Don't forget to look at Hsu, more in the price range a SVS but great subs. The 505 is great for it's price range though.

FestYboy

Took a quick look at Amazon for HSU and only came up with one model (used, passive). Do they only sell direct?

txcoastal1

Yes

ken brydson

FestYboy wrote: »

Took a quick look at Amazon for HSU and only came up with one model (used, passive). Do they only sell direct?

http://www.hsuresearch.com/

teekay0007

That is a fantastic price on the PSW505 and lots of people around here are big fans of that sub. That being said, I prefer all aspects of the Polk DSWPRO550wi over the 505. I have two of the DSWPRO550wi subs and have used them almost daily for several years without issue. Prior to that, I had a DSWPRO500, the non-wireless option predecessor of the 550, and really liked that too.


Also, for the many diehard fans of the PSW111, that Newegg link above has new 111s for $184 with free shipping! Best price I've seen on them.

Airplay355

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Polk-Audio-PSW505-BLACK-12-Powered-Subwoofer-NEW-/391795243686?epid=69637897&hash=item5b38d0faa6:g:chMAAOSwuMZZJ0t2

FestYboy

Ok, so I bit the bullet and was able to come up with 2 great deals on 2 pair (that's 4 total for the mathmaticly impaired) of 505s. Overkill? Maybe, but at the price I got them, who cares!?! Lol
Besides... I'm an admitted hoarder and I'll own that. And it's go big or go home! Gonna do some tuning but I expect to see response well below 20hz with room gain.

Had just one running last night while watching Episode IV, and wound up rattling some paneling loose durring the Force Choke scene in the Death Star. My old subs couldn't do that...

ken brydson

Not sure if even 20 505's are gonna get you to 20hz. You'll get more output but they only dig so deep. Limited knowledge on multiple subs so take my opinion with a grain of salt...

deronb1

Wont get there, but corner loaded, if possible, should bring out their best.

FestYboy

Oh common! Can't a guy dream!?
Since I'll have 4, I'm gonna crack one open and see if modding the enclosure can gain some extension. I know the amp is good for it, so a little tuning is in order. If I can get an extra half octave, I'll be really happy.

ken brydson

Mod away but IMO you'd be better off with 1 or 2 better subs rather than 4 mediocre ones.

rooftop59

you'll get into the low 20s with the right room gain or eq, and you'll gain output with multiples. Each additional sub only gives you 3 db additional output. http://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_12_2/polk-psw-505-subwoofer-4-2005.html

But one SVS PB-10 would dig deeper and at least egual the output without any work...sorry to burst your bubble: https://www.soundandvision.com/content/review-svs-pb-1000-subwoofer-measurements

deronb1

rooftop59 wrote: »

you'll get into the low 20s with the right room gain or eq, and you'll gain output with multiples. Each additional sub only gives you 3 db additional output. http://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_12_2/polk-psw-505-subwoofer-4-2005.html

But one SVS PB-10 would dig deeper and at least egual the output without any work...sorry to burst your bubble: https://www.soundandvision.com/content/review-svs-pb-1000-subwoofer-measurements

This ^^^^ and HSU offers a killer sub for equal money thst will shake your drawers off!

FestYboy

rooftop59 wrote: »

you'll get into the low 20s with the right room gain or eq, and you'll gain output with multiples. Each additional sub only gives you 3 db additional output. http://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_12_2/polk-psw-505-subwoofer-4-2005.html

But one SVS PB-10 would dig deeper and at least egual the output without any work...sorry to burst your bubble: https://www.soundandvision.com/content/review-svs-pb-1000-subwoofer-measurements

Yeah I just got done reading that (hometheaterhifi) review before checking back on the forum... OK, so sub 20Hz is out, but I know I can mod for better extension and improve on those less than stellar graphs.

And IIRC my acoustic theory, 2=+3dB over one, and 4 is only +6dB above 1, not 9dB.

I guess the bigger question is why/how does the SVS dig so much deeper? It can't be just the driver...

Airplay355

Depending on how big your room is, I'm not sure you'll hear (feel) much below 20hz with the SVS either. If you look at the fr response curve it looks to start dropping around 25hz. 19hz looks more like -10db down instead of the quoted -3db but maybe they mean in a normal room with some room gain help. Below 20 sounds like it would be hard for a 10" driver but I dunno, I've not heard any new SVS subs.

FestYboy

Thanks for bumping this thread, I almost forgot about it...

So I'll update while I'm here.
Currently I have 3 505s connected to my new to me Onkyo AVR. (The 4th is attached to the tv) There is a good amount of thump, but there's a definite lack of low low... Only one can be corner loaded at the moment and once the theater area is remodeled, that number will only go up by one..., though all 4 will be put to work at that point. Anywho, I did some preliminary testing with the corner loaded unit and there's a definite hump in the system that drops like a rock below 33hz. So first round of mods will be a simple port extension. I'm going to try to keep DSP out of the picture as long as possible.

Airplay355

If you can optimaly place two of them and you've got 4, why not stack them? Then you've got all 4 where you want them.

FestYboy

Thought about that and it would require a different foot solution than is currently affixed to the cabinets, and also, I wouldn't be able to place them along the screen wall as 3 of them are now. Currently the left channel is split in 2 and the one that is corner loaded is 270* out of phase ( 90* to the LP and 180* electrically out via the switch). I found this to fix the odd node that was produced.

What I should do is the sub crawl, but placing a sub on my leather couch doesn't sound like such a good idea.

rpf65

Set a piece of plywood on your couch and sub on top of that.

mrloren

A friend has the 505, just one and it does decent for his little room. I took my old HSU STF2 over one evening and the 10" HSU totally out performed his 505. My VTF3-MK5 is earth shaking bass.

If I had to place 4 505's in a room I would get two in sweet spots and the other two as close to the seating area as possible. Maybe toss is a PSW10 and hook it up with the center using the speaker wire post

FestYboy

mrloren wrote: »

I took my old HSU STF2 over one evening and the 10" HSU totally out performed his 505. My VTF3-MK5 is earth shaking bass.

This is what I keep hearing... A 10" blows a 12" out of the water... That tells me that there's a cabinet issue and or there's some internal eq being applied.

Airplay355

Driver size isn't everything, just like all 12" subs aren't as equally as capable. It sounds like the HSU is just the better sub. What is it about the 505's you're unhappy with? You're not getting what you feel is useable output below 33hz?

If you search around on the used market you might be able to find something you like. With subs though, it's usually local pickup only.

FestYboy

Correct, the output below 33Hz doesn't just roll off, it drops like there's a high pass filter involved. When I get a chance with a dB meter, I'll get better numbers, but it is dramatic for sure. I feel this has more to do with enclosure design than driver or amp choice. I have a feeling there's alot left on the table with the 505... So maybe I should start another thread detailing the process? It'll be an experiment...

rooftop59

Without eq like Ed Mullen used u don't have many good options. Sure increase the port but then the volume is off. Increase the volume and ur building a new cabinet...but then you need the exact specs for the driver to even know if that's gonna work.

I think EQ is ur only good option if u insist on keeping them...

Airplay355

Are you creating a weird null from having 4 subs attached to two sources? 33hz is pretty high for a dramatic roll off and certainly others have gotten good output below that. At least down to 25hz http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/19484/psw505-frequency-response

So if others are getting below 25 I'd bet it's probably not an enclosure issue and could be settings/setup.