PSW 650 problems

ezc

I purchased my PSW 650 at the end of Jan 02. Very pleased with the sub. One problem after about 2 months the sub wouldnt go on at all I took it back to Circuit City. They took about 3 weeks to fix. Picked it up took it home & hooked it up & still wouldnt go on. Circuit city repair center claimed they changed the amp & it should be ok but they couldnt even get the sub to power. Oh well I guess it will be another 2 + weeks again without a sub. Does anyone else have this same problem? Is there an issue with the amp for the 650?
Im going to buy a Carver Knight Shadow sub today, & when the 650 gets repaired I guess Ill use both. The 650 is a great sounding sub but its been in for repair almost 30% of the time that I have owned it! Any suggestions re the 650? Should I sell it once it is repaired? Or do you think I just have a Lemon! Oh one more thing I forgot to mention, My sub would have the hum even with the sub cable is not connected. The sub is pluged into a Monster 800HT surge protector / filter, & is left on the auto mode.

mantis

Maybe your connection to your pre amp is loose.They shouldn't have fixed it, they should have given you a new one.
I would check that your preamp setup is correct, maybe some freak thing happened, who know's.If you did get a lemon and it just won't go ,I would contact Polk direct,they are very good at customer service.

BBUBBA

I had a problem with a PSW350 , called Polk they sent me out a new amp plate and all . Just had to switch it out .unscrew plate and unhook wires , plug in new amp replace screws no sweat. No problems . Was shipped to the house in about 3 days , they didn't even want the old one back!! Thats great service if you as me!!!! Thanks Polk!

[Deleted User]

Hello,
Thanks for posting on the Forum. Here is a good way to test the operation of your sub-woofer, it is possible the problem is not the sub. Do the following:
1). remove all of the connecting cables/wires you have coming into the unit and turn the bass level all of the way down on the sub-woofer.
2). I am assuming you have a CD or DVD player as part of your system, if so, find the two RCA cables that go from your CD/DVD player to your receiver and remove them from the back of your receiver. Then bring the CD/DVD player over to the sub-woofer and plug its AC power cord into a wall outlet.
3). connect the two RCA cables from the CD/DVD player to the right and left line level inputs of the sub-woofer. Begin playing any CD and turn the volume up slightly on the sub-woofer and there should be plenty of clean sounding bass.
4). if everything sounds fine, then reduce the volume, on the sub-woofer, to zero and remove both of the RCA cables from the CD/DVD player and the sub-woofer. Find the RCA cable you were previously using and connect it from the right channel of the CD/DVD player to the sub-woofer and again raise the volume on the sub-woofer. If there is no sound or humming, then the cable is the culprit. If there is no problems, then the receiver could be suspect.
Regards, Ken Swauger

ezc

Ken, I cant even get the sub to power on. I plug it in & turn the power switch to the on position & the indicator light on the front dosnt even come on. The amp was replaced by CC under warranty & prior to that the sub would power intermittently & there was a hum once in a while too. I know that the hum is not the sub speakers beacuse I had turned off the power disconnected the sub cable form the LFE & turned the sub on (on position of switch) & after a short while the hum came back. With the new amp I cant even get the sub to power at all. I know the surge protector is working properly & I now have the Carver sub plugged into the same outlet & it works fine. I know the cable is working fine too Im currently using the same cable on the carver sub too. The cable I have is the Monster Z100 sub cable. I hope the sub works when I get it back form repair.

mantis

that suck's dude,
you bought a new sub because your current sub didn't work?
Did you want a new sub or are you fustrated with the 650?I hear you both way's,I get mad when anything goes wrong and have to wait a long time for repair/swapout.But that slife, it happen's.Polk is real good with covering there product's.They will help you out.Trust them, I do.

ezc

Mantis, Yup I bought the new sub due to the 650 wasnt working. almost 3 weeks without a sub I had to do somthing. I was thinking about buying a seccond sub but wasnt planing to buy one in the near future, but when the 650 went bad the 2nd time I just said its time to get another sub. Have you ever watched DVD movies with just dolby dig 5.0. the action parts & deep sounds dont sound very good without the sub. My RT800i have some bass but it cant replace my sub. I bought the carver knight shadow 10". Im very pleased with the preformance of the sub. After blending with my system sounds even better. My friend let me use his Velodyne cht15 for a few days & I got to compare the carver to the velodyne. I think the carver goes just as deep but the bass is tighter, faster & smoother. One big difference is the carver is 11" x 11" x 11" hard to belive that somthing so small can compare with a much larger sub. I just want a sub that works!

mantis

That still suck's but at least you have a working sub...not to mention it sound's like you like it better.If thats the case return the Polk sub(not my usual type of post)and get your money back.
I never heard that sub go,I never even seen it before.I have heard the Bob Carver sub's go,super junior,true sub,etc.They rock and hard and quick and suprises me all the power comming out of that tinny sub.
Well go watch some movies with your new sub and break it in nicely,I will sound better after you break it in.

[Deleted User]

Hello,
Thanks for the additional information. Needless to say, I'm sorry the PSW650 has caused such difficulties. If I understand the sequence of events correctly, initially the unit was working but there was sporadic operation and humming. You brought the unit into Circuit City for service and was told the amplifier was replaced. When you brought it home it wouldn't power on, correct? Now the unit is back at Circuit City service? To give the service folks the benefit of the doubt something could have happened between the service technician's test bench and your home. It could have been as simple as the AC fuse jarring out of the fuse holder. In many cases we are able to work directly with the owner to troubleshoot and solve problems. Again, I'm sorry your experienced those kinds of problems, we genuinely hope no one has a problem with one of our products. Please let me know if I can be of help.
Regards, Ken Swauger

Handyhaver

I'd like to jump on the 650 band wagon here.

I also have the 650 sub and I'm not sure if whats going on with it.
When I got it, I wired it as per POLK (l/r fronts from rec. to sub, back to the front speakers with the speakers set to large). After many people telling me if I run the sub from the LFE, it will sound and perform better. (sounded damn good to begin with). Well I did, and I don't seem to be getting enough bass at all. At low vol, the sub won't even turn on. And when I crank it up, it just doesn't sound the same as before. I was wondering if anybody has ever encountered a problem like this or is the answer just to rewire it as per POLK. The LFE cable I'm using is a 24' monster cable I purchased on the net. Is there anyway of testing it without buying another one & trying it

Thanks

Mark