PSW110 users...

Uilleann

So we just recently picked up one of these subs to fill out the low end of our TSi300's in the newly assembled home theater at Casa Uilleann. I've not seen much discussion pertaining to this particular model here on the boards, and was wondering if any fellow users had input on their own experiences with this sub. We were slightly torn between the Klipsch SW-450 10", and the newer Polk PSW111. The Polk was $50 more than the PSW110, and the Klipsch was another 2 Benjamins more. Cost was a factor, but we would have happily spent the extra dough if we could have heard the $50-$200 difference in the other models.

Disclaimer: The following represents our very subjective and personal thoughts, feelings, observations and best guesses during our auditioning of these three models at the retailer. We ain't experts folks...but we loves us a great sub sound all the same! :D;)

First Impressions: The smaller 8" Polk PSW111 has the more powerful 300W amp as opposed to the PSW110's less assertive 200 watts. The Klipsch is the powerhouse of the trio with 450 watts peak. Having installed car audio years back, I know all too well that simply using the wattage rating as any sort of measure of one speaker/amp against another is a huge mistake and can lead to big disappointment in the end. That being said, I'm also aware of the tonal difference the size of a driver will make - in this case 10" vs. 8".

We started out with the 8" Polk. We listened to several tracks on a CD I made before we headed out to the store, including: Pink Floyd 'Run Like Hell' from PULSE (Killer explosion at the end and a great double kick drum finale), Some obligatory Dave Matthews (don't remember which tracks), Stevie Ray Vaughn: 'Little Wing', And The Crystal Method: 'High Roller'. The little Polk certainly had plenty of volume, but it just didn't sound as clean nor nearly as punchy and tight as I would hope a smaller driver could (should?) be. It had a slightly muddy feel to it's overall tone - something I'm willing to chalk up to a poor connection with a sub standard amp as is often the case when at the local electronics store. But the other two subs used the same amp, and very similar wiring so far as we could tell.

Next came the Klipsch SW-450. Wow. Just Wow. It had that amazing low, deep, rich sort of tone that one loves to hear from a great sub. Would the adjective 'buttery' be too out of line here?? It was, from our own perspective, a very nice sub for theater sound...but it just didn't feel to us like it had the tight musical quality that would also allow it to perform exceedingly well outside of the HT realm. Could have just been our own impression, and I'm certain there must be many many owners of this sub who love it for music as well - we just weren't feeling it though.

The PSW110 seemed to be the best mix of the two: the larger driver offered a lower resonant frequency, which we liked both for music and theater. Being a front firing sub, it had a slightly richer tone (to my own admittedly limited ears mind you). Its ported on the bottom side, so in a sense you get some of both front and downward firing benefits. In a perfect world, I usually tend to prefer the sound of a great sealed sub - there's just a punch there that get you right in the bread basket. And having seen so many poorly made car audio ported sub enclosures, and the one note monotonous bass curves they produced...I've always been hesitant to put a lot of faith in the design.

How of course, could I have doubted the folks at Polk wouldn't have done their homework though? In the store, the 110 seemed average to our ears. Good volume, good general tone, not overly muddy or boomy...but we also didn't get any sense of real power or punch from it in store either. But for $200 less than the Klipsch, we figured we'd give it a shot and simply return it if it didn't perform the way we'd hoped it would once home.

Well, long story short (yeah right! LOL) once home, we've really found this sub to fit our needs extremely well. We've got hardwood floors in our front room, and the sound is surprising to say the least. We're using a Denon 1910 to process our sound and the Audyssey set up has the frequency and levels equalized out rather well for the space. I'm certain we'll tweak things a bit further over the coming weeks and months as the speakers all break in and the tone warms up a bit. Music is still quite tight and the driver exhibits good control over a wide range of tones and transients. The punch isn't the sort of gut thumping, live-concert-experience type stuff you'll hear in an arena, but there is definitely a command of the low frequencies that makes one take note. Movies also feel well balanced, without any noticeable port noise or transient lag during explosions etc. At least - none that we can hear.

All in all, we're happy. The sound fills the space of our front room nicely, and will, we hope, continue to keep us happy for a number of years hence.

So - any others out there liking theirs? Hating it? Indifferent?? :eek::p;)

All the best!

Brian~

Mon40CSMM10

My thoughts on the PSW 110:

Awesome bass drum response, even without enabling Loudness. Just turning up the subwoofer amplifier to the 9 o'clock position gives good enough output--plenty of low end pop, plenty of thump and plenty of boom, depending on the type of bass drum used in the song. I also find that turning the knob up to the halfway point is actually overpowering bass. (Room size is 16 feet wide by 10 feet deep by 8 feet hight.)

Very deficient bass instrument response (e.g, bass guitar, bass synth, string bass), at least when connected via the receiver Subwoofer/LFE Out to the PSW 110 R/LFE input and the Low Pass dial set to LFE. Even with the dial turned up halfway, the overpowering bass is the drums, not the bass instruments. Loudness seems like it has to be enabled to get decent bass instrument response to go along with the bass drum response from the subwoofer. If Loudness is not enabled it seems that setting the front mains to Large is needed to provide bass instrument response along with the bass drum response.

Uilleann

Interesting experience Mon. Thanks for the reply. I'm definitely going to have to go back and see if I'm picking up any of the same deficiencies you mention with your sub. I enjoy a sometimes eclectic mix of music, but so far, I haven't taken note of a drop out of a particular frequency or a loss of detail or presence on the part of my sub.

Some of my fav listening material includes Soul Coughing (loads of great upright bass playing), Pink Floyd, classical (cello in particular), and the obligatory Johnny Cash stuff. . None of it has seemed anemic or lacking to my ear - but I'm going to give it another serious listen and see if I can find anything to report.

I'm sure I should also report more on room size and shape, as well as settings on both amp and sub as far as levels and gains etc. I'll get as much of that done ASAP and report back.

I will say that, even during my car audio days, that I was never a heavy bass advocate. We always tried to design our systems for a clean and accurate tone, without any one part of the spectrum being pronounced. Can't begin to tell you the nightmares that could cause with certain vehicles (and certain customers!) LOL That being said, I may tend to like my bass a bit lower...or at least not quite so exaggerated as others may prefer. Not trying to guess on anyone's own personal tastes or any of that mind you. Just hoping to offer a touch of insight into my own tastes and preferences.

Thanks again for the reply!

Brian

Mon40CSMM10

Here are the settings I'm using with the entire setup I have--and I let the system run for four hours continuously before recalibrating:

Speaker Settings
Front: Small.
Center: Small.
Surround: Small.
Subwoofer: Yes.

Speaker Distance settings
Front Left: 9.5 feet.
Center: 9.0 feet
Front Right: 10.0 feet.
Right Surround: 3.0 feet.
Left Surround: 2.5 feet.
Subwoofer: 8.5 feet.

Channel levels
Front Left: -4.0 dB.
Center: -3.0 dB.
Front Right: -3.0 dB
Right Surround: -9.0 dB.
Left Surround: -7.5 dB.
Subwoofer: +7.0 dB.

Crossover Setting:
X.Over: 100 Hz.

It's worth noting that I increased the crossover setting from the usual recommended 80 Hz up to 100 Hz to avoid extra boomy bass drum response, since I am using the Midnight mode for movies and enabled Loudness for music. I also turned the subwoofer amplifier down from the 9 o'clock position to where the indicator dial pointer is just above pointing at Min.

It sounds good that way--just the right amount of bass response that I couldn't get before--but I also would have liked to be able to configure the sound without using Midnight and Loudness.

Captbb

What type or brand of subwoofer cable would you recommend for the PSW110?

TECHNOKID

Ok, this thread goes back to February but well, I have an excuse I was in hospital that entire month so without further dues I'll comment on my own experience while multi quoting the OP as his experience is quite familiar with mine.

I've not seen much discussion pertaining to this particular model here on the boards, and was wondering if any fellow users had input on their own experiences with this sub

.
Same here, I never found much comments on this sub be here or elsewhere. Might be simply because there is nothing wrong to comment Being technically inclined, I have noticed very few failure issues with this sub is compared with the PSW10 (which I often seen comments about port issues), while the PSW111 and PSW125 had decent performance ratings, I noticed more failure issues with those 2 (blowned fuses which would pop up after replacement which as a technician tends to keep me away from such gear)

We were slightly torn between the Klipsch SW-450 10", and the newer Polk PSW111.

Since I am not too familiar with Klipsch, I'll concentrate on Polk's product.

Disclaimer: The following represents our very subjective and personal thoughts, feelings, observations and best guesses during our auditioning of these three models at the retailer. We ain't experts folks...but we loves us a great sub sound all the same! :D;)

I don't have the pretention to consider my self as a hard core audiophile but rather as a music and movie passionate which can appreciate decent sound and recognize crappy SQ when listening (but not a big fan claiming of hearing the tiny subtle differences) so roughly the same disclaimer applies to me.

First Impressions: The smaller 8" Polk PSW111 has the more powerful 300W amp as opposed to the PSW110's less assertive 200 watts. Having installed car audio years back, I know all too well that simply using the wattage rating as any sort of measure of one speaker/amp against another is a huge mistake and can lead to big disappointment in the end. That being said, I'm also aware of the tonal difference the size of a driver will make - in this case 10" vs. 8".

Fully agreed as even before listening some basic physics rules applies. When it comes to subs, the larger the driver the greater potential for bass response while of course considering the quality of the driver. As far as power per say, the more power doesn't necessary qualify for better SQ. We also have to keep in mind that in order to have significant audible gain a 3db is necessary and that translates to doubling the power in order for such to be achieved and therefore the audible power difference between the PS110 and PSW111 is/should be marginal if not insignificant

The PSW110 seemed to be the best mix of the two: the larger driver offered a lower resonant frequency, which we liked both for music and theater.

Again, the physic ruling applies due to the larger size of the larger driver. In my opinion, the PSW110 is somewhat decent with music while it performs at a greater level with HT. Keep in mind I am from the old school and much prefer full range speakers with large drivers for music. Polk claims that it was design with the intention of good performance with both music and HT so maybe the issue is with me since I prefer music from full range speakers(benefit of the doubt).

Our PSW Series of powered subwoofers were designed to deliver powerful and astonishingly musical bass at amazingly low prices. Our latest models represent an evolution and refinement of this highly regarded series, and a perfect introduction to a truly visceral home theater bass experience for TSi and RM, and R/M/T Series Speakers.

BTW, most of my auditioning was done with RM products for HT (RM10s, RM20s, RM30s and SB42") which provide good results for all products but of course the better results with the larger products

Being a front firing sub, it had a slightly richer tone (to my own admittedly limited ears mind you). It’s ported on the bottom side, so in a sense you get some of both front and downward firing benefits.

I too did appreciate the end result of such design. I had the opportunity to use in different size room and floor covering (carpet in HT room with great success and hardwood floor in the living room with decent results) I have to admit IMO the sub sounded better in the HT room.

How of course, could I have doubted the folks at Polk wouldn't have done their homework though? In the store, the 110 seemed average to our ears. Good volume, good general tone, not overly muddy or boomy...but we also didn't get any sense of real power or punch from it in store either. But for $200 less than the Klipsch, we figured we'd give it a shot and simply return it if it didn't perform the way we'd hoped it would once home.

IMO, Polk did a decent job at designing this sub surely other subs might easily outperform it but lets keep in mind the price point. However, for my taste and thirst for bass this is more than sufficient for my personal needs. When it comes to HT, my idea was always thinking of complementing the audible with tactile transducers for the seating area.

We've got hardwood floors in our front room, and the sound is surprising to say the least.

As I pointed out, IMO the best results were on carpet flooring thus you might want to experiment with floor under sub management tool.

We're using a Denon 1910 to process our sound and the Audyssey set up has the frequency and levels equalized out rather well for the space.

Personally, in the HT I used a Yamaha HTR6080 receiver using Yapo to calibrate the audio not feeling the necessity to do any manual correction. As far as the living room and bedroom auditioning, I used in conjunction with various NON Polk brand speakers (IE: AKAI, M-AUDIO monitors) and also the Hitmaster which I was very fortunate to audition during Polk Hitmaster Demo (thanks to Mark and Polk)

Music is still quite tight and the driver exhibits good control over a wide range of tones and transients.

Agreed even if I feel it is not its forte/strength.

The punch isn't the sort of gut thumping, live-concert-experience type stuff you'll hear in an arena, but there is definitely a command of the low frequencies that makes one take note.

Exactly my thought thus the reason for qualifying at simple decent performance.

Movies also feel well balanced, without any noticeable port noise or transient lag during explosions etc. At least - none that we can hear.

This is where it provided me with the most satisfying experience and that is exactly where I wanted/was expecting it to perform.

All in all, we're happy. The sound fills the space of our front room nicely, and will, we hope, continue to keep us happy for a number of years hence.

I am very happy with the end result; I am convinced it will perform flawlessly for a few years. BTW, for audition purpose the size of the HT is a humble 13' x 20' (which might shrink a little as the work progresses; additional soundproofing and management to come) and the living room size is odd shape room with approximately 13' x10'

Originally Posted by Captbb
What type or brand of subwoofer cable would you recommend for the PSW110?

Welcome to Club Polk Captbb Your question would have in been best answered in a different forum (IE: cable management) but I am glad and thank you for reviving this old thread as I would have probably not noticed it

Now, to answer your question, just about any decent sub cable would do the trick. Any cable from either monoprice or bluejeans unless you feel more comfortable with higher end cable. Your choice Again, welcome to Club Polk

It would be nice if you could start a thread to introduce your self and of course your GEAR and your expectations in the near future.

BorisBoris

How would the PSW110 do for a rather small gaming/cinema room (14' x 12')? I can't really go full out and shake the floors constantly but do enjoy some quality tight bass for music and do watch blu-rays from time to time so would like it to be "cinemaesque" in that sense...

I currently have a Onkyo SKW-100 and it is a bit crap, just one bass note called boooom boom booom, overpowering even on about 25% gain