Yet another PSW110 victim. Unreal.

So I buy a nice set of polk Center CS4 and a PSW110 sub and a set of RTi3 booksehlfs all in Rosewood, to replace my 30 y.o Sansui Towers. Also using 17 y.o Infinity satellites for surroud do to space requirements, but I held on to the powered sub and center as I dont want to break up the set. 3 months out of warranty the PSW110 retires. (bought at Amazon from Amazon). Ijust got around to looking into the problem as the wife stubed her toe on the expensive sub and told me use it or lose it. In the meantime, I plugged in the 17 yo Infinty sub and she still thumpin away loyally. But shes black. Now I have a real nice Rosewood $250 brick, which will be a $350 brick if I decide to "buy" an amp board that clearly, according to others will also probably fail. Reviews on amazon and here also clearly show the PSW110 entire product line to be unreliable. Great job Polk. I was buying polk exclusively since about 2009 for auto, outdoor bar, home entertainment. I pulled the amp board off the back of the Cab on psw110. Nice Chinese board. I dont think im going to fork over the $100 plus and risk it so my matching rosewood cab rejoins the other components, but only because others who have replaced boards, man many , have had them fail as well. SOme of them got the $350 brick. Instead, if the amp is gonna blow up under light use, I think I'll really blow it up, on video, and put it on youtube as a warning to others that Polk is putting cheap chinese amp boards in moderately expensive cabs and despite a huge number of failures, are charging CNOTES to replace the cheap chinese amps with the exact same cheap chinese amps. I'm tired of paying good moeny for cheap Chinese crap. I I had maybe just put some real power through this, Imay have thought I over did it, but really, a home theater and she burns up? Unacceptable.

Comments

  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,307
    So's ranting on a smartphone with no punctuation or paragraph breaks.

    Sorry about your sub, though. Truly.
    You don't really expect a hundred dollar sub to last forever these days do you? Yeah, Chinese manufacturing sucks a lot of the time, but everyone's doing it these days. You're going to have to spend more for something to last longer, and even then, it'll probably be made overseas unless you're shelling out for Made in the USA.

    I have to wonder whether owners are pushing these things too hard, though.

    There are better options in the sub-$500 range.
    I disabled signatures.
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,307
    This is a great place to post your comment.
    I disabled signatures.
  • nguyendot
    nguyendot Posts: 3,594
    Seems real to me. I've always told people to get Polk speakers but avoid their sub personally.
    Main Surround -
    Epson 8350 Projector/ Elite Screens 120" / Pioneer Elite SC-35 / Sunfire Signature / Focal Chorus 716s / Focal Chorus CC / Polk MC80 / Polk PSW150 sub

    Bedroom - Sharp Aquos 70" 650 / Pioneer SC-1222k / Polk RT-55 / Polk CS-250

    Den - Rotel RSP-1068 / Threshold CAS-2 / Boston VR-M60 / BDP-05FD
  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,032
    You get what you pay for. Buy cheap get cheap period.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • I guess I get lucky.... Have had two of these amps fail on me in the PSW110, each at right under 3 years... Polk has been good about replacing them, but sheesh, would be nice to get something a bit more quality....

    http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/comment/2356610/#Comment_2356610

  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 7,952
    When the cheapest sub from an internet direct company like HSU is $450 shipped, I am not sure what you expect to get from Polk for significantly less, especially when they pay a HUGE premium to get those displays in best buy. You are paying quite a bit for that display, in addition to the sub being cheap to begin with...
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es; Squeezebox Touch with Bolder Power Supply
    Game Room 5.1.4:
    Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra

    Bedroom 2.1
    Cambridge Azur 551r; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    mantis wrote: »
    You get what you pay for. Buy cheap get cheap period.

    Bingo, 350 bucks is not an expensive sub anyway. You'll find cheap Chinese parts in just about anything these days, even audio gear in the thousands. Trick is, who will stand behind their products, with or without cheap parts.

    Polk has always stood behind there products, call customer service and see if they can help you which I'm pretty sure they can.
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  • You should have had it fail under warranty it sounds like to me. If you paid $250 for that sub you overpaid. Could have had a 505 and $50 bucks in your pocket.
    Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,307
    I misread the OP's post. Sorry, I got lost.
    He paid $250 for the sub, not $100.
    My mistake. That changes everything.
    I disabled signatures.
  • Look. When you pay $250 for a sub and it goes bad, just out of warranty thats one thing. When you see hundreds of people at various places on the web all haveing the same failure on the same exact product (and including the 12" version") that a whole nother story, It means the entire product line is gagbare. Dont give me that bs about ya get what ya pay for. Not everybody needs 450 dollar subs or 5k sound systems. I have other subs , the xfinity 17 years old and still works. Bought this to match the finish on my other polk speakers. POlk is selling junk. Nice looking cab with junk amp and they replace the failures twith the exact same junk, and charge you $100 for it. this was used for 7.1 television viewing , no resaon for this amp to fail other than it is complete junk.
  • warren
    warren Posts: 756
    It happened to me also several years ago, I bought the board and its been good ever since, but it is in the back of my mind from time to time, nagging away in the distance.
    Some final words,
    "If you keep banging your head against the wall,
    you're going to have headaches."
    Warren

  • I've had a PSW110, PSW125, and a PSW505 over the years, I can't say as I've ever had a problem.
    Where they top end gear ? No, I wouldn't say that, but they got the job done while admittedly being abused like borrowed government equipment.

    At present, the PSW505 is going for $243.97 with FREE shipping on Amazon.
    https://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-12-Inch-Powered-Subwoofer/dp/B000092TT0?th=1

    $243.97. For real wood veneer, decent MDf cabinet (1" front baffle). 12" driver.
    300 watt rms amp.
    Did I mention $243.97 with FREE shipping ?

    Now is the PSW505 the be-all-and-end-all of subwoofers ? No, but it's not meant to be.

    The PSB Subseries 450 also has a 12" driver, nice build, and a 400 watt rms amp.
    For about $1500.
    Their subwoofers are warrantied for ONE year.

    $1500 with a one year amp warranty vs $243.97 for an amp with a three year warranty.

    My question is, how do they do it ?

    Sal Palooza
  • I've had a PSW110, PSW125, and a PSW505 over the years, I can't say as I've ever had a problem.
    Where they top end gear ? No, I wouldn't say that, but they got the job done while admittedly being abused like borrowed government equipment.

    At present, the PSW505 is going for $243.97 with FREE shipping on Amazon.
    https://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-12-Inch-Powered-Subwoofer/dp/B000092TT0?th=1

    $243.97. For real wood veneer, decent MDf cabinet (1" front baffle). 12" driver.
    300 watt rms amp.
    Did I mention $243.97 with FREE shipping ?

    Now is the PSW505 the be-all-and-end-all of subwoofers ? No, but it's not meant to be.

    The PSB Subseries 450 also has a 12" driver, nice build, and a 400 watt rms amp.
    For about $1500.
    Their subwoofers are warrantied for ONE year.

    $1500 with a one year amp warranty vs $243.97 for an amp with a three year warranty.

    My question is, how do they do it ?

    You can find the PSW505 new at Crutchflied and various others for $199.95 shipped. I found one for $60 used and another where I paid $100 for it with a CS10 and a Denon AVR1911 package.
  • ben2talk
    ben2talk Posts: 4
    nexcorp wrote: »
    Nice Chinese board.... Polk is putting cheap chinese amp boards in moderately expensive cabs and despite a huge number of failures, are charging CNOTES to replace the cheap chinese amps with the exact same cheap chinese amps. I'm tired of paying good moeny for cheap Chinese crap.

    I find your comments about 'Chinese Crap' to be rather offensive and racist. I guess this is normal for people from the USA who must try to believe that their overpriced system is the only way to get 'quality'.

    After someone I know bought a German safety razor, I bought a similar one via Aliexpress. The quality is 95% as good as the German razor, the function 100%, and the price was 8% of the retail of the German one.

    It is definitely not crap.
    My wife also works in a large electronics company (KCE in Thailand) which produces extremely cheap electronics. It is a tier 5 factory (certification - this is a top level quality factory producing top level quality).

    I think the issue with the Polk subs is that the electrolytic capacitors are failing - and so it falls to Polk to produce an alternative design or upgrade the current design.

    What is annoying is that this company promises speakers for life (I have a pair of B&W speakers that are going very strong that I bought in 2001 with a sound quality comparable to a brand new pair of Monitor Audio Bronze that I bought 18 years later.

    Speaker warranties (just 3 to 5 years isn't long really) should cover manufacturing defects and premature failures. Speakers (like TV's) should NOT expire so soon - and that's nothing to do with manufacturing in China, Korea, Japan, or Birmingham UK. It is about design and quality.

    Subwoofers are basically very expensive (compared to a PAIR of amazing bookshelf speakers, just for a limited range of 30Hz up to maybe 200.....) and I think the guarantees should be at least 5 years and with more reliable amplifiers (like my Yamaha receiver - the last one worked for 17 years before I had issues with mechanical parts - switches and knobs). For a relatively simple BASH (actually much lower quality audio quality, just a high efficiency amplifier, I think it should be easy.

    Polk should actively support speakers for at least 10 years - upgrade this board and release an alternative replacement.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,708
    I find your comments about 'Chinese Crap' to be rather offensive and racist. I guess this is normal for people from the USA who must try to believe that their overpriced system is the only way to get 'quality'.

    Seriously dude........grow up.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk

  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,307
    Wow. This kid's angry! Someone get him a juicebox and a fruit chew, stat!

    Such a shame. You sound like you could be smart, but your attitude sucks, too, just like that other dude's. Epidemic. At least you seem to be able to write properly.

    Racist. Shaking my head at that one. Disappointing. Weak and inaccurate call of a really ugly term. If you've experienced it, you wouldn't cheapen it with such haphazard use.
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  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 6,646
    nexcorp wrote: »
    It means the entire product line is gagbare.

    Reading "gagbare" made me chuckle. :p
  • codycatalist
    codycatalist Posts: 2,662
    Sheet at this rate let's make Toyota support and maintain my car for 10 years. Anyone with me?!
    Just a dude doing dude-ly things

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