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Going back in time. The Mighty PSW350

mantismantis Posts: 16,029
in Subwoofer Hookup & Bass Management
Hello everyone,
Since I have all this extra time on my hands, finished the L200 demo I deicided to break out my very old but in great shape PSW350.
Way back in the day I use to have a pair of Polk Rt1000p's and wanted to add a subwoofer to them. I wanted the PSW450 but every time I tried to buy one, they where out of stock and this is when they very first hit the market. I got frustrated and picked up a PSW350 in the mean time, used it and never put any thought into the thing as it wasn't what I wanted.
Once I got the PSW450 the 350 sat and really wasn't touched again.

Fast forward many years and I have collected many subwoofers and have a mental stack of them. The PSW350 was basically a stand for other subwoofers like My Supercube and at times a Velodyne Mini V.

Last year I decided to break out the laying around PSW350 and connect it to my Gym system which is Sonos amp and a pair of Outdoor speakers mounted on the ceiling. Again just used it as lower end extension and never put any thought into listening to it to judge.

Well I decided to judge it after the L200 demo and listen to how good or bad it sounds. I gotta tell you the damn thing sounds wonderful. It's very smooth and very warm to listen to. It has nice output and doesn't sound boomy at all. In my Basement it sits on Rubber workout flooring and is surrounded by poured concrete so reflections are very low.

I ran tons of music through the system and sat in my chair and actually studied how it actually performs. I'm sending it 60hz and lower and it really likes it. Blending it with my Outdoor speakers it sounds like full range, not a sub sat system. Very impressive for a subwoofer that was very affordable back in the day.

Now I wish I never sold my PSW450 as that sub as I remember was a better higher output subwoofer but sounded similar to the the PSW350.

Sometimes I really enjoy going down memory lane, revisiting older gear and really enjoying the fruits they bared. Wish polk made higher quality subwoofers still like they use to. The PSW line back in the day where very good, not the best but very pleasing overall.qi0mxv4ahxn5.png
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Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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Comments

  • ClipdatClipdat Posts: 9,294
    That app is pretty slick, being able to adjust the crossover frequency and hear it in realtime from your listening position is nice.
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  • mantismantis Posts: 16,029
    I'm using the new Sonos Amp for my basement rig. I have amps and Sonos connects for all other rooms except my Deck. That's being ran from the Sonos Connect Amp which is the white one in the picture sitting on top of the black on which is the new one. It's a super nice amp and has many new features. It's powerful and sounds awesome. Sub out is just simply awesome for a 2 channel system. you can have a nice pair of speakers and mate it with a subwoofer and fully dial it in from your seat.
    Yes it' very sweet.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • polrbehrpolrbehr Posts: 2,681
    I actually did have a PSW450 as my first sub, I recall being impressed with its output as well; powerful enough but not at all muddy. Then I got to see/hear an SVS PB12-Plus/2 at a fellow Polkies house, and that was that. I sold the 450 for $100 to a friend at work and got myself an SVS.
    But to be honest, I wish I kept that 450, I really did not need to sell it, and I definitely could have found a use for it somewhere today.
    So, are you willing to put forth a little effort or are you happy sitting in your skeptical poo pile?


    http://audiomilitia.proboards.com/
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  • mantismantis Posts: 16,029
    I hear yeah.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • Grimster74Grimster74 Posts: 2,557
    I purchased the PSW450 when they were first released. After purchasing my dual SVS's I passed the 450 onto my father for his setup. Well on April 6th, 2020, my father passed away. Just last week I removed all his setup and brought it home and placed a small 5.1 setup in my dining room, dads favorite place was the kitchen table so I found it suitable to place his setup there. The PSW450 is still one of the best subs Polk made in my opinion. No matter what I play threw it it still sounds amazing.
    Money Talks, Mine says Goodbye Rob!!!!
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  • rooftop59rooftop59 Posts: 6,886
    Grimster74 wrote: »
    I purchased the PSW450 when they were first released. After purchasing my dual SVS's I passed the 450 onto my father for his setup. Well on April 6th, 2020, my father passed away. Just last week I removed all his setup and brought it home and placed a small 5.1 setup in my dining room, dads favorite place was the kitchen table so I found it suitable to place his setup there. The PSW450 is still one of the best subs Polk made in my opinion. No matter what I play threw it it still sounds amazing.

    That’s a nice tribute to your dad and a great way to remember him. RIP.
    Living Room 2.1: Dynaudio Contour 1.3mkii; Martin Logan Grotto sub; Musical Fidelity A308; Marantz SA 14S1; Sony UBP-x1000es
    Game Room HT: Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology SM450; Definitive Technology LCR2000; Definitive Technology StudioMonitor350; Mirage Nanasats; Sub - HSU VTF-2 MK5
    Master Bedroom
    Cambridge Azur 551r; Definitive Technology promonitor 800; ACI Titan Subwoofer
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  • classic carlclassic carl Posts: 631
    I have 2 PSW450 subs in my HT. I bought the first one in 2001 and then bought a used one years later on this forum. They are both still being used every day when watching TV.
    Main System:
    Proton AA-1150 ~ Yamaha C-4 ~ Furman Elite-15 DMi ~ Sennheiser HD600 ~ Monitor Audio Silver RS8 & FB210 ~ Martin Logan Dynamo ~ Teac R-919X ~ Marantz CD5003 ~ Squeezebox Classic ~ Music Hall dac25.2 ~ Dual 1229/Acutex M312 III STR ~ Music Hall mmf-5.1/Goldring 1012GX ~ Music Hall Cruise Control 2.0 ~ Optonica RP-7705/AT-3500S/ATN12S ~ NAD PP 3i

    Home Theater:
    LG 47GA6400 ~ Yamaha RX-V800 ~ Furman Elite-15 DMi ~ Marantz DV6001 ~ EPI 180 ~ EPI M90 ~ Polk Audio CS400i ~ (2) Polk Audio PSW450

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  • TelefunkenTelefunken Posts: 1
    I'm putting together an entry level system on a shoestring for my daughter. I like the sound of the JBL 2060 two-way bookshelf speakers with 6.5" woofer, but need to beef up the bass. I bought a used PSW 350 on ebay way back in September and saved it in the box without testing it. (I know.) I have had good luck on ebay when an item is sold as fully functional in the past. I'm thinking I just don't know how to configure my system. But right now I'm not sure if the subwoofer works properly or not. I paired the little JBLs with a new Yamaha N303. 100 watts/channel was more than I needed, but I could not wait for a more modest Onkyo receiver. The problem is that the Yamaha does not have a LFE/Sub Out speaker output. I thought that I could hook up the speaker output directly into the back of the Polk sub without any headaches. The speaker signal passes through the unit okay to the JBLs through the appropriate output, but so far no sound from the Polk sub. Again, not sure if the damn thing even works. What's more, the Yamaha does not support Dolby 2.1 or 5.1 so I don't think the solution in the Polk manual is going to work either. (Set front or main speakers to small.) But I ordered the manual anyway.

    Can I test the Polk sub with a simple line-level RCA tape out or line out? If it is a good unit, how do I connect Yamaha N303 to Polk Audio PSW 350?
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  • KennethSwaugerKennethSwauger Moderator Posts: 7,521
    Hello,
    Welcome to Club Polk.
    Uneasy way of seeing if the sub works is to connect a source component such as a CD/DVD player directly to line level inputs. Of course turn the sub's volume down and begin playing a CD and slowly turn up the sub's volume.
    "True knowledge exits in knowing that you know nothing", Socrates
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