New Polk PSW808?

DAlba · January 2003

Saw the model on the CES site. What are the specs?

jrausch · January 2003

Looks like we now have a matching Lsi Sub. Very cool !!

Baltimore, MD, January 6, 2003: Polk Audio has announced the introduction of the PSW808, a high-performance powered subwoofer that replaces the PSW650, which originally debuted in early 1999. The PSW808 features dual 10-inch drivers with high roll surrounds and two-inch voice coils mounting on opposing one-inch thick MDF baffles.

The top, bottom, front, and back panels of the enclosure are finished in black high gloss laminate and the side panels are finished in either Cherry or Ebony-finish wood veneer, and the firm notes that the finishes and overall industrial design matches that of Polks Lsi Series loudspeakers.

The system, which is vented via an all-new application of Polks patented Power Port that combines a slot-loaded port with a Power Port air diffusion device. The Power Port system, explains Polk, allows air exiting the port to slow gradually, thereby reducing air turbulence at the port mouth.

A built-in 400-watt digital amplifier drives the system, featuring front panel volume and variable low pass controls, high pass filters, LFE input, phase switch, manual or auto on/off, speaker level inputs, and line level inputs.

The firm notes that the PSW808 will be available in Canada in April 2003 at an MSRP of US$949.95.

mark g. nelson · January 2003

I would love to put the 808 against my Psw 1200.

TroyD · January 2003

See, I told you guys to be patient.

BDT

polkatese · January 2003

looks very nice, I wonder how it stand next to storm III....the matching finish to the 15 is definitely a big appeal.

brettw22 · January 2003

The only thing that I don't like about it is that if you DON'T have the LSi line, that thing would look pretty silly in your place. It should have a more broad range than to just fit in if you have one specific line of speakers...............

scottvamp · January 2003

I would love to put the 808 against my Psw 1200.

Ya, me too!!!!! Bring it on!!!!:D

organ · January 2003

YEEEESSSS!!! That will be my next purchase. I guess it's time to start saving up now so I can be one of the first. Anybody know how this thing will compare to the 650? Aaaah I'm so excited!

Maurice

north51 · January 2003

When I read the description, I think you can get either ebony or cherry side panels, to match either the Lsi or the rti lines.

Is that what you guys read?

scottvamp · January 2003

Anybody know how this thing will compare to the 650?

Hard to tell - NOBODY OWNS IT YET!!!!!!
Personaly i don't think there is going to be a night and differnce between the two. It WILL a better sub non the less.

phuz · January 2003

Looks to me like it should be a good rival for the psw-1200.

brettw22 · January 2003

Originally posted by north51
When I read the description, I think you can get either ebony or cherry side panels, to match either the Lsi or the rti lines.

Is that what you guys read?

I assume that the ebony is the same washed out, greyish ebony that is an option on the LSi speakers. I think that I saw it and it's not a good ebony. It(the color) looks.......weak..........

har_navalta · January 2003

Amplifier Comparison...just for now it is too early for us.
Built in amplifier power:
PSW 1200 = 300watts
vs.
PSW 808 = 400watts

What do you think fellows...;)

MxStYlEpOlKmAn · January 2003

Dual 10's VS. Dual 12s? Are u kidding me? Unless this thing is a monster freq. hitter, with high ampage...the psw-1200 would smash it in all respects

MxStYlEpOlKmAn · January 2003

Originally posted by ATCVenom
When it comes to pure volume and extension, I believe the 1200 will still hold on to the reigns of superiority.

I only hope that the 808 will boast a mixture of deep extension, and tonal balance..... I want a musical sub. Dammit....

I agree

u **** - u changed ur post! :supermad: :supermad: :supermad: :supermad: :supermad:

scottvamp · January 2003

Watts don't always tell the tail. I think the 1200 will still be KING!!!!;)

goingganzo · January 2003

is it just a dresed up pw 650? that is what it looks like. they need a real sub. like a high excursin 12 or 15 with a good amount of power. tuned low so it can play the latest sound track with ease. just my though. o yeah i am bulding one sorry polk. love the speaks but not the subs.

Dr. Spec · January 2003

Originally posted by scottvamp
Watts don't always tell the tail. I think the 1200 will still be KING!!!!;)

I'm in Scott's camp. :cool: "At my signal, unleash hell"

fireshoes · January 2003

I hope they are using the 404 drivers, they are just mean looking!

jrausch · January 2003

The size of the driver does not make it that much better. A 10" driver can displace allot of air. The Sunfire's can certainly attest to the fact that bigger isnt always better theory. The Rels use small drivers and yet can reach very low responses. If youre looking for sonic waves that move your Lazy-Boy around the room, larger drivers would get the job done. Getting older I no longer favor this sound. I want the music to be moving, not move me. I think Polk is making a wise decision to make a sub that hopefully complements the Lsi line. They are selling a **** load of 9s and 15s. They would be missing the boat if they didnt move fast on this. Im sure they realized that most Lsi owners loved the bass, but were wanting something more to finish the low end. I would not expect the sub to sound as good as the 25s, as this may dampen further sales of them. I myself was looking to buy a nice clean sub to complement the 15s and would probably give the sale to REL. I just hope the reviews are favorable enough to go in their direction.

jltrdavis · January 2003

From the picture it looks like the PSW808 may be a little larger than the PSW650 so it should play a little deeper. Also, being that it is slot-loaded it should be more effecient. I'll give it the nod over the PSW650 but I think the PSW1200 will still be the king of make-your-neighbors-angry volume.

Hopefully the PSW808 will be the king of accuracy. I know I'm going to give it a try.

Emlyn · January 2003

This looks like what I've been waiting for. My RTi150's overpower the PSW400 I have now. The 808 does seem to be intended as an update to the 650 rather than anything else. I especially like the front panel controls. I'd go for a Cherry finish myself to blend with other furniture rather than the RTi speaker line, which uses a sort of bleached black veneer. My guess is the street price will be $800 or $850 seeing as Polk seems to have a tendency to set the street prices through authorized dealers in relation to the model number. Thank you Mr. Polk!

scottvamp · January 2003

I hate to say it but with all this enthuasism I sure only a small amount of the 808 will sell on this forum. I mean hey, the psw1200 just collected dust - mostly due to lack of sales. The sub wasn't price friendly enough for the average Polk owner. Just don't see a arge amount RUNNING out to buy this one. If i did not have my 1200 i would be excited too.

I hope they are using the 404 drivers, they are just mean looking!

YES!!!!!

Dr. Spec · January 2003

The real reason Polk switched to a slot loaded port is because this design uses part of the cabinet wall as the port and the air passing along the wall slows down due to friction and this creates the effect of a longer port without actually having one, and results in a deeper natural tuning point for the sub.

The Power Port then reduces the turbulence created when the air exits the square edged slot vent at a high velocity, and restores it to laminar flow.

Polk has been criticized for years not for the sound of their subs (which is really pretty good), but for their lack of deep extension (which is pretty bad except for the aforementioned PSW1200).

The slot vent will help fix this problem some, but not completely. The enclosure is still too small to achieve really deep extension without some sort of equalization, which Polk may have indeed employed here. HSU does it with their subs.

This might help - paraphrased from the internet:

Hoffman's Iron Law, described by Henry Kloss in the mid-1950s and later turned into an exact mathematical formula by engineers Thiele and Small, governs the behavior of woofers.

Essentially, it says that a woofer's efficiency is proportional to the volume of its cabinet and the cube of the lowest frequency it can produce before losing relative level (aka the cutoff frequency).

Take, for example, a woofer whose response is flat down to 40 hertz in a 2-cubic-foot enclosure (typical for Polk). To make its response flat down to 20 Hz, you must either increase the cabinet volume by eight times (to 16 cubic feet) or use eight times the amount of amplifier power to achieve the same listening volume. Given these requirements, you can see how difficult it can be to get respectable low-frequency response from small enclosure subwoofers without EQ and the attendant problems with excursion limits and increased THD.

Of course, proper vent length allows designers to "cheat" Hoffman's Iron Law a bit - that is why my SVS is flat to below 20 Hz without being 8 cubic feet in volume (it is 4.5 cubic feet though, much larger than most box subs). The vent ports in my sub are some 28 inches long - tough to fit into a conventional box of reasonable size - another reason cylinder subs are so efficient and play deep so easily.

Hence Polk's "compromise" design with a still small box and a slot loaded vent. I predict this sub will sound very nice, and will be flat in a typical room to about 25 Hz. Not bad at all.

Doc

gtbiker · January 2003

I'll put my PSW1200 up against it. I really stand behind my 1200 for HT duty. Way more deep rumble than I'll ever need.

Steve@3dai · January 2003

I saw this beast in person, and it's a beautiful looking sub, just like the LSi series.

Paul said it's a replacement and a step up from the 650, and uses the same high excusion drivers from the 404.

jrausch · January 2003

Well, doulble the specs of the 404 and you get an 808. 1-10" @ 200watts for the 404. 2-10" @ 400 watts for the 808. A dual 404 in one box. For the price of an 808 I can buy a used entry level REL. Those Brits get alot of bank for those subs.

Steve@3dai · January 2003

It will be interesting to see how the 808 compares with subs in about the same price point. I really like the idea of 2 10"s because of the cripsness and control of the bass with a 10", and with the proper enclosure you can get some GOOD bass out of it.

I think I am going to pick one up when they come out (August I believe) and try it out. My neighbors are gonna be pissed! hahaha

fireshoes · January 2003

I thought it was coming out in April??? August would suck!

organ · January 2003

It says April in Canada. But I don't see why it wouldn't come out at the same time for the US. Since the sub is using the same driver as the 404, is there any 404 owners out there that want to comment on the driver? I'm more interested to hear it's performance on music than HT.

Maurice

New Polk PSW808?

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