PSW505 red light

Well, I've read enough posts on here to realize that both of the PSW505 subwoofers I bought are probably bricked. I noticed over the summer that they weren't working, but didn't have time to look into it, and now that I'm investigating more thoroughly, I'm outside the 3 year warranty window.

I just figured I'd post in here just in case someone has has come across some way of fixing the red light of doom issue on these subwoofers, or if someone knows where I can buy a replacement amp for a decent price, the one I saw was $215, which is more than I paid for the subwoofers to begin with.

Anyway, now I'm off to Amazon to leave a one star review (this model has almost 15% 1 star reviews due to them dying), so I'd better add my 1 star review in, and see if they're sold on NewEgg so I can leave a 1 star review there as well. Best to make sure that people know what they're getting into when they buy these subwoofers.

Comments

  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,708
    So, you paid less than $200 each and got over 3 years use from them. I don't see what you have to complain about.
    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

  • Oh... you mean because I actually managed to get almost 3 years of use out of them? I don't really know when they stopped working, but it was well short of 3 years. I guess if they worked for 6 months, I'm probably better off than the rest of the suckers who bought garbage from Polk Audio.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,708
    So, you wait for over 2.5 years to complain!?! Yeah, that dog don't hunt.
    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

  • Clearly, reading comprehension isn't one of your strong points. Regardless, I have no interest in arguing with you, if you don't have something useful to add, STFU.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,708
    Adding......

    You bought 2 dirt cheap subs
    They are over 3 years old
    You bought 2 dirt cheap subs
    You don't know when they stopped working
    You bought 2 dirt cheap subs
    You managed to get almost 3 years use
    You bought 2 dirt cheap subs
    You guessed they worked for 6 months
    You bought 2 dirt cheap subs
    You realized they stopped working, but waited months to look into it
    You bought 2 dirt cheap subs

    Clearly, you bought 2 dirt cheap subs.


    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

  • K_M
    K_M Posts: 1,627
    edited December 2019
    F1nut wrote: »
    So, you paid less than $200 each and got over 3 years use from them. I don't see what you have to complain about.

    @CassidyStains

    This is a perfect example of the stuff the forum does not need.
    Not a welcome to a new upset member, nor a fix to his problem, but a comment that was totally unnecessary and most likely made to provoke a negative response.

  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,708
    K_M wrote: »
    F1nut wrote: »
    So, you paid less than $200 each and got over 3 years use from them. I don't see what you have to complain about.

    @CassidyStains

    This is a perfect example of the stuff the forum does not need.
    Not a welcome to a new upset member, nor a fix to his problem, but a comment that was totally unnecessary and most likely made to provoke a negative response.

    So, instead of offering a welcome or a fix to his problem as you think I should have done you choose to criticize me for accurately reading between the lines and checking Amazon for their negative review before I posted, there isn't one, it becomes obvious the only purpose of your post is to take yet another shot at me. I believe that's called trolling.
    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

  • FestYboy
    FestYboy Posts: 3,861
    Some due diligence by the purchaser when purchasing an item that hasn't been in production for several years is needed. A quick Google search would have revealed that these models have amp power supply issues.

    Yeah it stinks that similarly priced subs are able to last decades and Polks cannot, but Jesse isn't out of line here, he just happens to get straight to the point without any sugar coating. Reality is just that: reality, one needs to be able to deal with it.
  • FestYboy wrote: »
    Some due diligence by the purchaser when purchasing an item that hasn't been in production for several years is needed. A quick Google search would have revealed that these models have amp power supply issues.

    Yeah it stinks that similarly priced subs are able to last decades and Polks cannot, but Jesse isn't out of line here, he just happens to get straight to the point without any sugar coating. Reality is just that: reality, one needs to be able to deal with it.

    No, he didn't say "Sorry man, that's just the way it is." he said "You have nothing to complain about." when I do, in fact have a good deal to complain about. I SHOULD expect that a $200 subwoofer should last a heck of a lot longer than two or three years, as you mentioned, similarly priced subwoofers of other brands do.

    If I were polk audio, I'd kick f1nut right off my forums because now I'm even more pissed off at their junk products, so I'll make sure to tell everyone in the community what piles of junk these subwoofers are when I give them away. So instead of just having me mad, now I'm going to make sure to make as much negative press about polk audio as I can.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,708
    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

  • I’m not seeing how that will solve your problem. It sucks to have something fail, I get it. My 505 did as well several years back. It was fixed under warranty as the product was registered and I contacted Polk when the issues began. The replacement amp has been going well for more than three years now. This isn’t just Polk though I’ve also had Klipsch brand subwoofers fail just as quick.
    Bargain products are built to hit a price point and fail often, and the 505 is one of those products and there are many others (Onkyo). Heck I only got 13 months out a $1k+ Samsung 4K HDR TV and the warranty was only good for 12 months. So yeah it is frustrating, but I’ve also purchased 19 other Polk speakers across three lines in the last 10 years with no failures.

    I think the take away is you get what you pay for, Usually. I didn’t buy another Samsung tv, paid more for the Sony this time, we’ll see how that goes. It would be wonderful if electronics would last forever but they don’t. It’s a gamble and maybe it’ll be worth it based on your experience to opt for the extended warranty and if it makes you feel better to not buy Polk, cool. Don’t think any of the other competing products at the entry level, bang for buck, tier are not going to fail similarly.
    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
  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,346
    I think the amp issues on the 505 are pretty well known. That model came out more than a decade ago with an MSRP north of $500 from what I remember. That model was not a cheap subwoofer when it came out, and a three year warranty on subwoofer electronics is pretty generous. I have a late production one and it works fine. Worth the sub $200 I paid for it new, but not more than that in today’s market. Replacing the amp is quite easy out of warranty. The cost may not be worth it though. Up to an owner to decide that, but the option is there.
  • jeremymarcinko
    jeremymarcinko Posts: 3,785
    edited December 2019
    IIRC the sub had an arguably better BASH amp during its debut. About the time the subwoofer started being offered at deeply discounted prices customers noticed the BASH had been replaced with a (maybe cheaper) no name alternative and BASH disappeared from the marketing literature.
    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
  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,346
    The 505 has had the same problems since the beginning of its run. Simply an unreliable design from a period in which Polk did bad electronics manufacturing. At least they did not have to be recalled because of overheating and catching fire like a previous subwoofer model did.
  • I've already purchased replacements, and moved on. Now all that is left is to post on rummage and give away sites to have someone come take these piles of junk off of my hands. I'm sure someone won't mind tinkering around with them, or just ripping the speakers out to do something else with them.

    I'll make sure to title the post something like "Polk audio sucks..." but if you want a couple of their subwoofers that are broken for free, just come pick them up. Other than that, I'll just make sure when giving advice to anyone about buying audio products to steer clear of Polk Audio.
  • Hermitism
    Hermitism Posts: 4,192
    Don't judge Polk speakers by their subs. Apples and oranges. I got burned by purchasing a PSW125 years ago, but all the speakers I have purchased since are made by Polk, they sound great and are trouble free.
  • Hermitism wrote: »
    Don't judge Polk speakers by their subs. Apples and oranges. I got burned by purchasing a PSW125 years ago, but all the speakers I have purchased since are made by Polk, they sound great and are trouble free.

    I don't care. Polk Audio will always be garbage in my book, and I'll make sure to let anyone else who ever asks me for advice tip steer clear of their products. They have F1Nut to thank for the latter.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,708
    You're welcome......lol
    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

  • K_M
    K_M Posts: 1,627
    Emlyn wrote: »
    The 505 has had the same problems since the beginning of its run. Simply an unreliable design from a period in which Polk did bad electronics manufacturing. At least they did not have to be recalled because of overheating and catching fire like a previous subwoofer model did.

    The Lsi subwoofer PSW 1000 did not have the fire issue, (but ours broke but after over 12 years)but that previous one forget the model, had the overheating issues.

    Still have the dual 10" subs from it, but trashed the rest
  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,346
    It was a few hundred of the LSiW subwoofers that were recalled. Shame because it was a really good looking subwoofer. I had almost bought one before the problems surfaced but thought it was too expensive when they first came out.
  • FestYboy
    FestYboy Posts: 3,861
    @ryarbrou If you're giving away a pair of 505s, at least post your general location... I like to tinker.
  • K_M
    K_M Posts: 1,627
    edited December 2019
    Emlyn wrote: »
    It was a few hundred of the LSiW subwoofers that were recalled. Shame because it was a really good looking subwoofer. I had almost bought one before the problems surfaced but thought it was too expensive when they first came out.

    Great looking for sure, but heavy!
    It was not the final word in deep bass (for instance our older velodyne even beats it) but it had a bass sound that worked great on music, especially jazz.
    It had a very tight tuneful bass sound, but just did not extend really deep.

  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    ryarbrou wrote: »
    Hermitism wrote: »
    Don't judge Polk speakers by their subs. Apples and oranges. I got burned by purchasing a PSW125 years ago, but all the speakers I have purchased since are made by Polk, they sound great and are trouble free.

    I don't care. Polk Audio will always be garbage in my book, and I'll make sure to let anyone else who ever asks me for advice tip steer clear of their products. They have F1Nut to thank for the latter.

    Just an observation from the cheap seats, but you aren't doing yourself any favors. You want to blame one person for the reason a whole brand stinks ….in your opinion....and that pretty much sets up why nobody will take you seriously. Good luck with that and Merry Christmas.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • K_M
    K_M Posts: 1,627
    edited December 2019
    ryarbrou wrote: »
    FestYboy wrote: »
    Some due diligence by the purchaser when purchasing an item that hasn't been in production for several years is needed. A quick Google search would have revealed that these models have amp power supply issues.

    Yeah it stinks that similarly priced subs are able to last decades and Polks cannot, but Jesse isn't out of line here, he just happens to get straight to the point without any sugar coating. Reality is just that: reality, one needs to be able to deal with it.

    No, he didn't say "Sorry man, that's just the way it is." he said "You have nothing to complain about." when I do, in fact have a good deal to complain about. I SHOULD expect that a $200 subwoofer should last a heck of a lot longer than two or three years, as you mentioned, similarly priced subwoofers of other brands do.

    If I were polk audio, I'd kick f1nut right off my forums because now I'm even more pissed off at their junk products, so I'll make sure to tell everyone in the community what piles of junk these subwoofers are when I give them away. So instead of just having me mad, now I'm going to make sure to make as much negative press about polk audio as I can.

    Hey, come on now!

    I did side a bit with you at first, and said his reply came off a bit harsh, MOSTLY due to your negative response to it,... but you are truly over doing it now.
    Blaming him alone does NOT seem like a logical conclusion, nor productive in any way.

    Take a deep breath, it is not the end of the world.
    Have you contacted Polk Customer Service at all?

    Happy Holidays!
  • Paydirt! I've now managed to steer at least one person clear of Polk audio. A co-worker was considering buying a Polk Audio subwoofer, but I steered him clear of their garbage. One potential sale lost, many to go!
  • Ahh good for you. I hope you feel a little better.
    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
  • FestYboy
    FestYboy Posts: 3,861
    Congratulations, you're officially a troll!!!!
  • ryarbrou
    ryarbrou Posts: 8
    Score another one for me preventing a Polk Audio sale!!!