Newbie, help selecting a sub

polka

Hi.

I am pretty new to the world of Polk and HT but I recently bought a
setup and am wondering about upgrading my sub already!

What I have is:

Fronts: Monitor 60's
Center: CS2
Surrounds (4 of them): Monitor 30's
Sub: Polk PSW10
Receiver: Onkyo 603 7.1., 90 watts/channel

My HT is in my basement, 20'x12'

I got the PSW10 because Polk was having that deal, buy $500 of gear and get one free, so I did.

Here are my questions:

1) Given the quality of my setup, is my sub a "weak link" or comparable to the rest? (i.e., should I upgrade the sub now, or wait and oneday upgrade
the whole setup)

2) What will I notice if I get a new sub? (I watch 80% movies/TV, 20% music). Will this be a big change or a small change (e.g., would my wife
be able to tell?) Now I don't even set my sub to the highest level,
so why would a better sub be an improvement?

3) If I did upgrade my sub what would be a good choice? (looking to spend
less than $500 if possible)

Thank you, I really appreciate the advice.

Ron Temple

1. Yes the subs the weak link.

2. You will definitely notice. Your wife will notice. If she's like mine, that won't be enough

3. SVS PB10, HSU VTF2, Rocket ULW 10 all good subs that will do well in your room at the < $500 price point. I lean toward the SVS.

Welcome to Club Polk

michael_w

1. Yes your sub is a weak link right now.
2. The difference would be like changing your speakers. Not all of them sound the same. One speaker can go loud but sound like crap while another can go just as loud but sound much better. You would probably notice things like lower reponse, wider soundstage (from the low end stuff anyways), a better blend with your other speakers as if the sub were not even there. Since you mostly watch movies it is probably pretty important for your sub to be able to reach the lower frequencies. The PSW10 is okay but it just doesn't dig that deep.
3. You can check out the usual brands people consider around here like SVS, HSU, maybe a velodyne or just make your own. Some also highly regard subs made by REL but I belive they can be quite pricy... not quite sure on that one. A do it yourself sub can be quite fun and rewarding. A few of us have made our own subs (including me) and this way you can customize it to exactly what you want. (for spl or quality, size, shape, downfiring / side / upfiring, etc...)

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

Tour2ma

Yup... Give SVS a call and discuss your needs and budget, which is a little tight. Unless you have a strong esthetics leaning towards one type of sub or the other, talk both box and cylinder options with them.

Also talk to them about their B-stock deals. They may let you move up a notch and with the resale of your PSW10, maybe even two notches.

reeltrouble1

No doubt the SVS is better. Your existing sub mates will with your present system. Consider the benefits of living with it for a while, kicking the tires so to speak, get a scratch on something. Upgrade it and it wont be long before you want better speakers, then you will need a better receiver and so on. You could get another Polk sub and stack it on top of the existing, this will get you a 6db increase, then corner load, great bass for movies. Subs for music is not my bag.

Enjoy the trip its a wild and exciting ride, dont say nobody warned you.

Welcome to Club Polk.

RT1