How is Polk psw202 good for music?

thomasshi

I listen stereo music more than watch movies (80:20). My room is small/mid size.

I am using a pair of Insignia, quite satisfied with its performance, except the lower end.

I came across a local ad that selling a used psw202 sub for $60.

Did some homework, found the psw202 has lots of connections, leave me quite many hooking-up choices. I am planning a 2.1 system. Just not sure the psw202 good in musical performance. I don't need house-shaking power (I can not, because I live in rented aprtment).

Any comment or suggestion will be appreciated. My budget is no more than $100.

Thanks in advance!

Thomas

thomasshi

BTW, I am planning use L/R out to the sub, using the low-pass built in, than to Insignia.

shack

I had 2 and even tried to mod them a little to get better performance (polyfill, spikes, additonal bracing) and never got them up to my standards for a 2 channel rig. They work fine for a small HT setup...but they are not a very musical sub IMO.

danger boy

for $60 it's probably a better sub than any other one you could find used for that price. I'd give it a try.. since you live in a small apt.. might just be what you need. Polk subs are pretty loud.. i used to have a PSW350 back in the day.. and it would shake the couch.

thomasshi

Thank you guys!

The seller has 2 psw202, ask for $100.

I am not sure to get both or just one.

thomasshi

shack wrote:

I had 2 and even tried to mod them a little to get better performance (polyfill, spikes, additonal bracing) and never got them up to my standards for a 2 channel rig. They work fine for a small HT setup...but they are not a very musical sub IMO.

I am just curious what factors make subs musical or HT-suitable. Is it power, lowest freq, speed, or others?

Since I will use mostly for music (classical, mostly orchestral and chamber), I think probably I don't need it reach very low.

Too bad that I can not try different subs before purchasing.

ronnie

the music your describing actually goes very low...real low....any polk sub will not go that low to fully produce the all out sound you need for that reproduction of low down Hz....none of my subs would do any justice either

shack

thomasshi wrote:

I am just curious what factors make subs musical or HT-suitable. Is it power, lowest freq, speed, or others?

Since I will use mostly for music (classical, mostly orchestral and chamber), I think probably I don't need it reach very low.

I found the PSW202 to be a bit boomy and/or loose. For HT applications you are reproducing LFE which generally does not need to be as precise at a sub that does well for music. A sub can be good for music and HT but there are some that that are better for one application than the other. A sealed (accoustic suspension) sub is typically better for music than HT. This doesn't mean a ported sub can't be great for music. I'm also of the opinion that it is more difficult to get a sub that is very good musically and they are typically more pricey. It's not a direct correlation but most cheap subs just don't do well for music. (the 202 is the bottom of Polk's sub line and a lot of them were given away when another set of $400 pair of speakers were purchsed).

RuSsMaN

Bag 'em both, run 'em in stereo.

I love my Polk 550 (8 inch), always have been a fan of the little Polk subs in a music setup.

shack

RuSsMaN wrote:

Bag 'em both, run 'em in stereo.

I tried this...with a pair of RT25is and never really cared for the results. But like someone said it's only $100. It's not a lot of money and it may work for him.

thomasshi

shack wrote:

I found the PSW202 to be a bit boomy and/or loose. For HT applications you are reproducing LFE which generally does not need to be as precise at a sub that does well for music. A sub can be good for music and HT but there are some that that are better for one application than the other. A sealed (accoustic suspension) sub is typically better for music than HT. This doesn't mean a ported sub can't be great for music. I'm also of the opinion that it is more difficult to get a sub that is very good musically and they are typically more pricey. It's not a direct correlation but most cheap subs just don't do well for music. (the 202 is the bottom of Polk's sub line and a lot of them were given away when another set of $400 pair of speakers were purchsed).

Thanks Shack!

This really changes my false opinion about Subs. It seems I can not get a musical sub within my tight budget.

I think I am gonna get both sub, test in 1 sub or 2 subs mode. I hope I can get better bass after adding subs.

My Insignia bookshelf does quite well over all, especially considering the money I paid for them. There is quite good sub, though a little congested, that's why I am eager to get a sub.

I only have stereo Amp, so have to go for Subs with speaker level in and out. I will use stereo even for movies, my wife hates tangling wire all over the room.

thomasshi

Rick88 wrote:

If you could up your budget , I highly recommend the Mirage Omni S8 sub. I recently got one for $199 including shipping from Vanns.com for a small room and I am very happy with its performance on both music and movies. It produces nice tight bass and surprisingly goes down to 27 Hz. It has a nice driver and is a very good looking, well built sub. I really like the front mounted controls too. It is perfect for smaller rooms or apartment dwellers. Here is a link to a review:


http://www.goodsound.com/equipment/mirage_omni_s8.htm

Thanks Rick!

Does this Mirage has speaker level out?

I only have a Stereo Amp, so have to use the low-pass built in the sub.

thomasshi

Rick88 wrote:

It only has speaker level ins. However in the manual it tells you how to set it up for use this way. It is a little vague though. My guess is that you hook up the speaker wires from the B speaker terminals on the receiver to the sub, then hook up your main speakers to the A terminals. Not sure about this though.http://www.miragespeakers.com/v2/PDFs/current_manuals/subwoofers/OMNImanual.pdf

I checked it yesterday, seems only speaker level-in, no speaker out, which means I can not use low-pass from the sub.

My NAD 7225 does not have low-pass as many AVRs do.

I think A+B out option is not so good, because the bass from the bookies will not be good.

Yes, the Mirage looks very attempting, tons of good reviews.