PSW10 10" Subwoofer, Big Bass Compact Design, Up to 100 Watts

I am a self-proclaimed audiophile with a serious inclination towards VALUE. This, my friends, is a product that has immense value.To give you an idea of what I mean by value, my previous set-up had KLH Subwoofers that were so under-rated and unknown that it wasn't until I spoke of them that people even considered them as KLH (being that KLH, for some unknown reason, has a bad name. Now, by no means would I consider myself cheap...I like value--inexpensive items that do as they say while preserving quality. Being that Matt Polk put the name of the Polk legacy on these, the quality should not be in question at any point.I think the only reason that these are at such a reduced rate is because of their meager ratings (50-Watt amp and 10" woofer...something else that is unattractive is the front facing port--don't they know that most new speakers come with the port to the rear to avoid port noise??!!) and, even moreso, reviewing its bigger brothers and sisters with downward firing ports means that although this sub isn't in the same class, there are offerings for more discerning listeners. If I had a good $1000 to blow on subwoofers, I would have probably bought two of the PSW110s without question...Ah, yes...TWO.The biggest reason that I look for subwoofers of value is so that I can purchase more than one (if you were wondering why I keep using these nouns in the plural). Although I am still relatively young <30y/o, I've been into home theater since the days when there was no such thing as Home-Theater-In-a-Box and Definitive Technology illuminated the minds of young, aspiring audiophiles with diagrams of their BP3000s tower speakers with built in 300-Watt Amplifiers and 15" Sub-/Woofers. Ah yes...those good ol' days...Now, Home Theater is the standard and it may be difficult to discern one product from another (trust me, most of it is trash--INCLUDING BOSE). The best way to go about building a theater system is not by adhering to the one-click feature-like HTiB. Piece by piece...step by step... It helps to buy speakers in a particular company's model family since they are normally making use of the same drivers and are normally tonally matched. Many companies claim their speakers as tonally matched without considering the effects of the difference in enclosure size and construction of a center channel and a satellite... Ah...that's info for you--but not why I'm writing this review...This review is about the two Polk Audio 10PSWs sitting here in front of me.They sound awesome for what they are. I'm glad that an earlier reviewer made it known that the 50w amplifier is continuously rated--not instantly...or even rated considering a massive amount of Total Harmonic Distortion--as many companies do and then say "@ 1KHz"...who sits home listening to 1KHz Sine signals?? At loud volumes even? Don't be fooled. Normally they follow that spec up with "30-20KHz +/-3db" As many of you probably know...that's HALF the power that they're quoting it at...3db = 1/2 Wattage (or twice the wattage considering the context...normally, it's LESS, not MORE).Many of you, I'm sure, have bought one of these and are either loving it or hating it (most loving from what I can tell). Indeed, with the varying types of music and source program I use, these fit the bill nicely. The sound is present...strong...detailed. I haven't experienced the muddy sound as other people have noted. I'm sure that it's not just luck...I have two...surely, one would be muddy if this was prevalent.Now, time for pointers (I love the reviewers who leave pointers...it's normally the nudge for most people to consider a truly awesome product--as this one is)Pointer#1: Buy Two (2)These are probably some of the least expensive, best sounding subs you can get right now. When in the market for a sub, you should at least have a budget of $200--$400 even...otherwise, you'll find yourself wondering what you paid for... Remember, there are materials (wood, cables), components (subwoofer driver, subwoofer amplifier), and labor that goes into that bass machine. If any of these things aren't optimally constructed, the overall device will suffer. You can understand this, I'm sure. The flip side of this, is that surely, there was a corner cut somewhere. Thus, why continue to hammer out your amplifier? The amp is often overlooked in all of this. Most people see the pretty cone of their subwoofer and totally disregard the reality that the real work horse of the build is the amplifier.Having two subs is not for more bass...but to conserve the life of the subwoofers you have. In addition, when the time comes to party or watch a movie, you don't have to worry about your subs (the drivers themselves) bottoming out or sounding as if they're straining. Thus, with two, you get the benefit of both worlds (longevity, present sound quality). Electronics have limitations...use them wisely and they will perform AND last a very long time...Pointer #2: Gain >1/2You should never have to turn your amplifier gain past half. Past half is where distortion and clipping are introduced. Sure, depending on your source, this may not be prevalent, but if you have a good, strong signal, there will come a time when you hear artifacts that weren't intended for reproduction (e.g. distortion, clipping). As a rule, if you have to turn your sub past half, you might want to adjust your settings in your receiver or see Pointer #1 again... A benefit of two, is that the both of them can be readjusted lower to account for the assistance or each other. My Polks are each at about 1/3 (and that's only because I really enjoy the sound right now...so I'm excited...otherwise they would each be at 1/4). The reason you only want "enough" volume is because headroom is what you want... this is the power that is used during explosions, kick drums--sudden bursts...this is what you bought it for, right?Yes, that's right. I know that there are many other reviewers--bless their heart--who are praising having it just past half or 3/4 of the way up. Mine are at 1/3 and it was like that when I only had one connected. Now that I have both connected, I'll have to half the volume of both of them to equal the volume of the one (and no, the gain knob potentiometers are not linear, so it'll have to be by ear).Pointer #3: Subs Fill, Not DominateSubwoofer modules are only meant to fill in where the other speakers in your system fail. My set-up has Mirage towers as my mains. However, the built in crossover of my Harmon/Kardon handles all bass traffic well--cut off at 60Hz (the point where bass can not be located by the human ear). Having the setting higher than this will not only put more stress on your sub but also the amplifier (lets not forget the amp). When adjusting the gain, you just want to ensure that the frequencies from the sub are at around the same volume as your main speakers. This will keep you from being bass hungry. That's not the point of a sub...this isn't a mobile system...this is home. The environment doesn't warrant that level of "hyper-bass"... If done this way, you will be able to reach higher sound pressure levels while retaining your dynamism...These pointers should help with any sub...this sub is truly a great, great buy...Hope this helps...

Bottom Line: I wanted to add some good, loud, rumbly bass to my system, and I'm definitely very pleased - amazed even - by the PSW10. If you are on a tight budget or just don't want to spend more than the price of this sub, I think you'll probably be very happy with it.I did a bit of research prior to getting this. It was a bit of an impulse buy; when the price dropped to around $80 shipped via Prime, I just couldn't pass it up. I had been eyeing it for a while and just pulled the trigger on a whim.I gotta say.....for the price - anywhere near, under, or just over $100, I would have to hear another sub for myself to believe it could be beat at this price point, or anywhere near it. This is just a fantastic value and in my non-audiophile opinion, you'd just *have* to spend significantly more to get something measurably better.After I ordered it, I did even more reading and over-analyzing and it looks like the only other sub that's highly recommended by audiophiles anywhere near this price range is the Bic F12, as of this writing it's right about $200 on Amazon.We're not talking about a lot of money, even at $200, but that is still double the price most people paid for the PSW10. Does the Bic really sound twice as good - 100% better? I'd love to hear it, that's for sure! Also the Bic is 475 watts and 12 inches; this 10 inch, 50 watt Polk has me turning it down more often than not, and I'm the type who asks for overkill and then double that. For the small room I have the Polk in, the Bic likely would have shaken my house down already.Now, when you start reading about subs, particularly units like the Bic, you'll stumble onto real audiophile forums and reviews. I can understand how someone who's used to a $500 sub as a bottom-barrel unit could turn their nose up at the PSW10, but it's also not even close to a fair comparison. I did get pretty nervous & got some bad buyers remorse when I read the negative reviews on some of the audiophile forums, but again; they're not comparing apples to apples. These guys are used to subs costing thousands of dollars.This Polk PSW10 gets very loud, and contrary to a lot of the reviews I've read, handles movies really well in the limited tests I've put it through; War of the Worlds, Jurassic Park, Terminator Salvation; all these movies just aren't the same without a good, loud sub, as with one, and in my opinion it sounds fantastic playing them.Look, maybe I'm not even qualified to comment on this, other than to say that if the Polk can sound as good and loud as it does for the price I paid, I would absolutely melt if I heard a higher-priced sub. This Polk gets loud, adds punch when needed, rumble and boom when called upon.....what more is there?Maybe someday I'll upgrade to a more expensive unit, but for now, I think this Polk is an absolute steal for the price and I'm thrilled with it.Also I'm using it in a pretty small (maybe 15x20) room with hardwood floors, obviously if you have carpet or a larger room that greatly affects acoustics.I will also say this: if you have anything resembling a decent stereo system but either don't have a dedicated sub, or yours is not that great, you are truly missing out on an entire dimension of your movies & music.This is paired with an old Toshiba SD-6109C receiver & 5-channel Energy speaker system.UPDATE 4/22/2014:It's been almost 2 months that I've owned this Polk sub and I'm still very happy with it. In a fit of panic that I wasn't shaking the walls of my home or annoying my fiancee enough, I went to return it and purchase the Bic 12" instead. However, I had missed the return window by a couple days.It's all well...more often than not, I'm turning this thing down, and the sound does seem to have improved over time and with use, which is normal for speakers & subs to break in.I really think anything larger, louder & more powerful would be way, way, way overkill for my purposes; and I'm the type who goes for overkill and then asks for more.Overall I'm very pleased with this Polk at any price, but especially the price I snagged it for.

This is one of the most Detailed subs I have heard . I use it as a Home Studio Sub with a monitor controller and 2 M-Audio BX5a studio monitors . It is crossed over at 80hz and below and my monitors are crossed over at 80hz and above . I just heard my friends Klipsch 12" sub and it sounds boomy compared to this Polk sub . I knew the 10" would be the perfect size to go with my 5.25" monitors and a 10" sub is usually very tight sounding compared to larger subs but big enough to get down to 40hz and below . I bought this sub expecting to have a little bit of boominess but overall good sound because of all the awesome reviews and I had a Polk DX Sub in my car once and it sounded excellent . But back to my point , I have watched movies on this Sub and it gets on down there , I have sound treatment in my room and I have bass traps because it is a studio . But my room is about 15x30x15x30 , it is a bit of an L shaped room and the side I use the sub in to mix is about 15x15 and this sub is raised up on a platform built out of wood and topped with a sound deadening pad at about 4ft high . I used it on the floor also just to test it out . Down on the floor with the sub facing you I would say it drops down well into the 30hz and below range . I lifted it up for a tighter sound at ear level with my monitors . But I will say this as a last point . This sub sounds as good or better than some studio subs that cost well in the $300.00 range and it has plenty of punch for a 30x15 room so don't let the 50 watts fool you , it sounds so tight and defined that I almost don't believe that it is sold for this price . I worked for a Home and Car electronics store for about 3 years and I will tell you . No BS ! This is one of the best sound quality subwoofer units I have heard , comparative to subs we sold at 4 and $500.00 bucks back 8 years ago . I believe any audiophile that can hear and has the experience I do with sound will tell you . If you are in this price range this is the best sub in this and higher price ranges . When they built it they done an exceptional job . This is a long review but this Sub and Polk deserve to be a bestseller on Amazon . All I can say is Wow ! With my mouth hanging open when I am playing the 808 drum , or hear a detailed explosion on a movie . This sub does not lose it's precise sound when playing kick drums , toms and bass guitar riffs all together . You can hear the separation of the notes . No mud at all , unless you gap the volume too loud or fire the sub into a corner which I do not suggest . Turn it up a bit past half way and adjust your sub pre out on your reciever and hear it sing . It's unbelievable at this price point and I can't get enough of this sub .

We purchased two Polk Audio PSW10 subwoofers for our new home, to fill out the sound for two large rooms with in-wall or in-ceiling 7.1 speakers. Size and shape were both top considerations, as we wanted to integrate the subwoofer into a window seat in our great room, so the unit had to be approximately 14" tall (precluding several other, bigger, more powerful choices). Price was a secondary consideration -- but we do appreciate good sound, and would have happily paid more for better sound, if we could get the packaging right.As always with Amazon, shipping was very efficient and the speakers arrived in good shape long before we were actually ready to install them in the new house. Set up was no-brainer easy (as others have noted, the lack of an LFE input is easily worked around by turning the crossover level of the speakers all the way up). We routed a 20-foot RCA cable along the base of our hearth prior to installing hardwood flooring, so the terminal end could be routed behind the drywall to the final installation spot, tucked into the window seat in the very corner of the room. Remember, though, that as a powered subwoofer, you'll also need a close-by AC outlet.Now, for the sound: it's really good -- crisp, not excessively boomy unless you turn the internal volume way up, and surprisingly capable of churning out satisfying bass in a very large space. Our primary listening environment is a large great room, approximately 32 feet by 24 feet, with a two-story cathedral ceiling. The primary speakers are Audioplex 8" in-wall speakers, driven by a Yamaha RX-663 receiver. Most of our usage in this room is for "ambient" music during the day, running in the receiver's 7-channel stereo mode -- and the Polk PSW10 admirably "fills out" the bottom end of the sound, enriching it without being distracting or boomy.We also use this system for family movie nights, in concert with a Samsung 52" A650 LCD monitor. Once again, the PSW10 does a fine job "filling out" the bottom end with solid bass, even keeping up with the action-adventure movies my kids prefer. As a minor beef, I actually have had to get up and turn down the sub's volume during a couple movies because the level that works well with music is a little too much boom during loud action sequences... which I suppose says something about the sound levels this little speaker is capable of.Overall, for the way we live (lots of music played at moderate volumes, regular "home theater" sessions with the whole family on the couch), the Polk PSW10s have proven to be a great buy and a great value, with satisfying performance in a right-sized package. A true audiophile might be disappointed, but for real-world, moderate-volume usage, these are great little speakers for a great price.

This Polk subwoofer is an excellent choice (or was an excellent choice now that it has been discontinued) for any audio system, including home theatres, or digital audio workstations.The subwoofer takes some time to tune to the system it is used with. The crossovers are not switched, but are adjusted by a pot. So tuning consistes of making small adjustments on the subwoofer to pick up where your audio system rolls off on the low end. When you get it dialed in, you know you hit the sweet spot.The bass response for the inexpensive, unshielded, and self-powered speaker is pretty good. My DAW employs Neumann KH120A monitors and a matched KH750 DSP subwoofer. So when I judge the Polk to be pretty good, that means something. I was worried that the speaker woud not have the kind of kick I am used to. I was worried that it would sound cheesy and "fake".It took me a moment to figure out the speaker lines in and out of the box, but once I had sound, I cranked it up. It is neither cheesy or kickless. It is not what I would call a studio monitor, but anytime you extend the range of your audio system, it turns into a whole different experience. The new DAW I built that uses the Polk, employs a Sch**t Audio Modius DAC and a Saga preamp. Note that the spelling of the manufacturer is seen as an explitive and will not be published - A quick plug: Sch**t Audio has the most remarkable DACs, preamps, headamps, both tube and solid state. These products have the lowest THD and IMD I have ever seen on equipment priced as low. The sound is uncoloured through good speakers and pulls you into a simply amazing musical experience.OK back to Earth. Along with the Sh**t gear, I have a pair of relatively inexpensive Yamaha HS5 monitors, plus the Polk, and for a $2k investment, the sound is far better than I expected. The Polk brings in the low-end quite elegantly. Something interesting with this little 100 Watt Subby. I love physics, particularly when is comes to sound traveling through air. But even better is resonance. I happen to know the approximate frequency of resonance for the main structure of my home. Yes, my house. I decided to see if the Polk could do what my KH750 could do. Using a pure sine wave generator, I feed the subwoofer between 65 and 70 Hz and slowely increase the output. Moving the sub to enhance the "sound" of resonance generally puts it in the right location to transfer the sound into the structure. So up goes the output, then stuff starts to happen. Windows rattle, pictures on the wall move, and other weirdities start ocurring. I cranked up the Polk enough to find that I was able to mystify my neighbor to come over and ask if I was OK.It is a great speaker, and it totally transportable and is a fun physics tool to learn about LFE and how LF sonics work. Getting my house to resonate with a speaker is one of the coolest things I have ever done.

Chose this product over competitors because of good reviews crucially, because it has high-level inputs which are required for hooking it up with old-school integrated amps like the 90's Marantz I have. Quite happy about this purchase - the bass is "musical" and works quite well for all music genres imo. My room is 160 sqft and it has way more power than needed for it - I run it at 20-25% volume setting.I haven't tried it in home theatre setup - can't comment whether it has the gut-rumbling bass for action movies.My setup: I play guitar to backing tracks, and the backing track music and vocals tend to overwhelm my Vox guitar amp which has a single mid-range speaker. This results in severe mush all across the range.So I pulled out an old but pretty hi-fi Marantz amp and Micromega Minium bookshelf speakers I used for classical music in the past. They sound great but lack the bass, so I decided to add a subwoofer.The Marantz - like many integrated amps of the era - lacks LFE/subwoofer outputs and the recommended setup is to hook up the subwoofer in parallel to the main speakers. This requires a sub that has high-level inputs, which the Polk does.Although my set up is a mix of different manufacturers, I found the Polk integrates pretty well and the overall nature and quality of the sound is organic. I did not have to play a lot with tuning things like the bass filter freq or the woofer location relatice to the speakers - it pretty much worked out of the box.Good product, good value. I recommend.

Why did I buy THIS particular subwoofer?a) Recently the power supply on my Logitech Z-5500 computer sound system died, and after finding that (a) the cost of the repair was something like the nation budget of a small country, and that (b) the "replacement" from Logitech was of a lower quality than the Z-5500, I decided to replace the system with a used receiver (Yamaha RX-V373 5.1-Channel AV Receiver - (Discontinued by Manufacturer)) and reuse the 5 speakers, replacing the dead subwoofer with this unit.b)The result is a system which is more flexible than the original Z-5500 and has a sound quality which is AT LEAST better than the Logitech's - and I expect this system to hold up for years. Admittedly the room in which I'm using this is only 16'x22' and I can't comment on it's performance in a larger room.Now to discuss the product.Previous Polk experience: I've used Polk before and have NEVER had even a small problem with any of the units I've used and enjoyed.As people have commented in the reviews, this subwoofer has amazing bass performance, and the adjustable turnover point is a definite plus. Also I absolutely love the standby switch which allows the unit to turn on automatically when the amplifier powers on and doesn't require that I either leave it on 24x7 or that I climb under a table to turn it on and off manually whenever I want to use it.Does it as good as the Klipsch Reference R-115SW Subwoofer, Black? In a huge room probably not. In the room I'm using it in, it's close. But the answer is no. Get real - it is significantly smaller than the Klipsch and doesn't cost $700+ either. I needed a unit no larger than this one, and having visited several audio departments and four high end audio stores to compare sound performance, I think this is one of the best 10" powered subwoofers at anywhere near this price. I realize that "best" without proper instrumentation and specific measurements is entirely subjective, so YMMV on that one. But for my purposes it sounds great and I also caught it on sale for $79, AND I'm EXTREMELY satisfied with it, both sound- AND cost-wise.I was asked by a friend why I didn't get a unit that could handle 100 watts instead of 50. As a physicist the answer is simple. The volume level generated by a speaker using 100 watts may actually be lower than another using only 50 depending on the efficiencies of the two units. That is, for a given sound pressure level at the same distortion, the power required by subwoofer A may be lower or higher than subwoofer B depending on the quality of the build and the electro-mechanical efficiency of the two units. (otherwise it's simply a case of comparing oranges and apples)So would I recommend this subwoofer to friends and family? Definitely, and I'd buy it again - even if it weren't on sale

I been a fan of Polk for many years. I grew up with huge SDAs in my house as my Dad was a fan. When I got out on my own, I ended up getting my own Polks - albeit the thinner towers and bookshelfs. I'm also a fan of KEFs, but they tend to be harder to find and a lot more expensive. Polks are quite easy to find at a discount or second-hand. Just before this purchase, I owned 9 Polk speakers. I been using non-Polks for the subwoofer - Wharfdales + ones that come with the 5.1 compact home theaters made by Philips and Samsung. The Wharfdale Zaldek Subwoofer was a nice one - but it died many years ago - first always humming, then finally the power board going up in a poof of smoke. I had used it passively - using the output from the 5.1 receiver - but overall, neither of these solutions was satisfactory. If they were, I wouldn't have been looking online for subwoofers.Here is this Polk Subwoofer for seemingly half-price of what it should be - only a little bit more than a used unit - and seemingly direct from Polk through Amazon. Looking through the reviews, it seems most people are pleased. There is the odd defect - and some reviews are negative because they are downgrading from a more esoteric system - and most are pleased. On youtube, are reviews that this definitely can annoy your neighbors if that's your thing. I took the plunge.The sub arrived the next day (Prime). There's a hole punched in the side of the box, but it didn't damage the sub.This thing rocks.It's an upgrade to my system and goes very nicely with the Tsi300 fronts I have. The center and rears are also Polks, but I haven't been watching much TV - cranking the music and enjoying the big bottom I had been missing. It's as if my previous solution was missing all the lower harmonics. I don't know if it's distortion - meaning it's not a part of the original recording - but it's harmonic and sounds good and not fuzzy.I have to turn it quite a bit down - I have the volume knob at around 11 o'clock - which would be about a 4/10 on their scale. I have the filter wide open. It complements the front speakers quite well - sonically as well as visually, since both are black. Any higher in volume and it sounds unnatural, although it's still clean. This thing can fart like those bass shaker car stereos, but that's not my thing. If you want it thumping and unscrewing your drywall screws, turn the frequency to the lowest, then turn the knob to 11/10. Don't sue me if you blow up your unit as this is not advice but a tongue-and-cheek comment on this unit's versatility.I bought 2, one for each speaker - but one is enough. I'll use the 2nd one for another room. Heck, got to be sneaky and see if my Dad needs one since I'm sure he still is listening in 2.0.

Best subwoofer ...

For the last 20 years I have been an budding audiophile, exploring systems, sources and music. With quality vintage systems throughout the house I think I have a good understanding of quality sound reproduction.My living-room system always seemed lacking although engaging and adept at reproducing all genres of music (Jazz, Blues, Classical, folk, Rock, Metal, etc.). This year I decided to explore adding a sub-woofer to the system and after much research selected the Polk Audio PSW10.It was necessary to take the time needed to setup a sub-woofer correctly in my living room to get the best from it. The affect is subtle on some recordings, were the sub is not discernible unless turn off and some fullness is lost. It interesting to note that given the length of low frequencies the additive bass from a sub appears to be coming from your speakers. The bass from the sub is truly not directional. Please note that the room itself plays a big part in the quality of bass. What works in my living room may not have the same result in yours.There may be better subs out there at higher prices, but the Polk Audio PSW10 has made a world of difference to my music enjoyment and I expect to be very happy with it for the foreseeable future.

C'est vraiment nul. Je vis en France et on m'a à nouveau (deuxième fois) livre un modèle américain

Ocorreu tudo bem.

Prodotto arrivato con alimentazione per USA. Restituito