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Polk Audio Monitor Series PSW10 10-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Cherry) | 
 enlarge | Brand: Polk Audio
Category: CE
List Price: $239.95
Buy New: $149.58
You Save: $90.37 (38%)
New (5) from $146.94
Avg. Customer Rating:  91 reviews
Color: Cherry
Media: Electronics
Size: 10 Inch
Shipping Weight (lbs): 31.6
Dimensions (in): 19.5 x 18.2 x 17.9
Warranty: 5 years warranty
MPN: AM1052-A
Model: AM1052-A
UPC: 747192110666
EAN: 0747192110666
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | A single 10-inch subwoofer with built-in high-current amplifier for big bass | | • | Equipped with one 10-inch polymer-composite dynamic-balance cone driver | | • | Features laser-based Klippel measurement technology for improved linearity and deep, precise sound | | • | Frequency Response: 35Hz - 200Hz | | • | Non-resonant all-MDF enclosure construction with 0.75-inch-thick baffles and internal bracing |
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Product Description
The newly reborn Monitor Series by Polk Audio is classic Polk: a quality-built, affordable line of high performance loudspeakers for music and home theater. The new PSW10 subwoofer complements the clean, stylish look of the whole line with powerful, efficient, accurate and musical bass in compact enclosures. Built for speed, power and value, the Monitor Series is a great introduction to high performance sound. 1 - 10 Diameter Dynamic Balance Polymer Composite cones Overall Frequency Response 35Hz - 200Hz Crossover variable 80Hz - 200Hz Power Output 50 watts Continuous Average Output / Dynamic Power Output 100 watts Inputs Speaker level, line level Outputs Speaker level Cabinet Size 14-3/8 H x 14 W x 16-1/8 D
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| Customer Reviews: Read 86 more reviews...
 Polk PSW-10: Great, with some reservations February 4, 2006
183 out of 187 found this review helpful
I purchased this subwoofer about 2 months ago and since then have given it an extensive listening test. Following is a list of things I would do to improve sound quality as well as some reservations I have toward it.
Before I start off, I would like to clarify one thing about the PSW-10 that might unjustly turn off potential buyers from it: it runs at 50 watts RMS. In the world of music and sound systems, one of the biggest misconceptions out there is that wattage directly correlates with how loud a speaker is. THIS IS NOT NECCESARILY TRUE! The efficiency of the driver determines how loud it gets at a certain wattage, not only the amount of power you're pumping into it! This is why you can buy, for example, computer speakers that boast 400watts of power and have them easily massacred in terms of volume by speaker set ups with half the power (for further examples, compare computer speaker systems to shelf systems to a true sound system. You will find the volume, at a given wattage, tends to increase as you go down the spectrum).
I found the PSW-10 easily competed in terms of volume with every other sub in it's range, including those running at twice to three times the power RMS. If you want to prove it to yourself, run down to your local Circuit City (who sells Polk subs) and sound test it yourself.
Now, onto the guts of the review.
1. As far as entry subwoofers come, this is probably the best bang for your buck that you can find bar none, especially considering the quality of the build. Built around high quality medium density fiberboard and using a highly efficient 10" driver, the PSW-10 manages to bang as well, if not louder, than other subwoofers in this category, despite running at 50 watts RMS.
2. The sound quality is excellent, with very little distortion at high volumes above 50 hz or so, with full excursion easily being reached because of the ported design. In the 40hz - 50hz range, the polk begins to show the limitations of an entry level sub, the sound becoming slightly more muddied (though not horribly so) with extended length sounds(ie. a hellicopter landing slowly) while still staying crisp for burst noise (ie. a gunshot or bassdrum). Below the 40hz, it's pretty much non-functional as a subwoofer. I should also stress that no entry subwoofer has any redeeming qualities below 40hz.
3. Music is where this subwoofer really shines! It's bass is perfect for every genre of music (my tastes tend to be a bit ecclectic and as such I tested it with Classical, Hip Hop, Electronica, Rock, and Jazz) you can throw at it. I was most impressed when playing The Chieftans "Ballad of the Irish Horse" album and could have sworn the drums were playing in the room (a testament to the quality of polk's design). Deep bass is 99.9% of the time is limited to above 50hz, right in the sweet spot of the polk, and as such, the bass lines in every Rap song I tried (the extreme being Wolfpak - Gangsta Rap and Kanye West - Golddigger) was quite impressive, accurate and crisp. When playing the 1812 Overature, the cannons were well produced, if very slightly muddied (as it is one of the few songs that ventures below 50hz) but overall very good. I was very impressed with the sound quality of the polk in music.
4. That being said, this subwoofer is ideal for music and will be disappointing for those who wish to use it for movie watching. While it is beneficial to add it to any non-subwoofer setup, the 10" driver struggles to hit the low lows with the sound becoming muddied with deep, deep bass of any length. I found this to be a problem with all entry subwoofers I've tried, not just the polk, so take this with a grain of salt.
Overall, this subwoofer is probably the best entry subwoofer you can get bar none.
TIPS FOR MAKING IT SOUND BETTER!!!
1. First thing of note: Like all quality entry level subwoofers, great sound comes with the sacrifice of volume. This sub works best in smaller rooms, say 20x10 maximum. Any larger and the sound will begin to get lost in the room and sound strained.
2. Most subwoofers work the best along the front wall of your sound system, in the corner. This however is not a cardinal rule. To find the best location for the subwoofer (this works for any sub for your information), place the subwoofer where you would normally be sitting, listening to it. Play a song and walk around the room until you find place where the bass sounds the best. Move the sub to that location and it should be ideally placed!
3. One shortcoming about the Polk is the lack of an LFE input: you only get RCA and speaker line inputs meaning that there is no way you can bypass the internal crossover of the sub. Considering the market it's aiming for, this shouldn't be too big of a problem for most people, but owners with good receivers might be a bit vexed by this. Also, do not hookup the sub through the speaker line: it'll lose a fair amount of sound quality from forcing the bass through small gauge wires. Hook it up through the RCA if at all possible and you will be greatly rewarded.
In summation, despite the reservations inherent of the entry level subwoofer class (and LFE port), this is an excellent subwoofer which warrants all the praise it's been getting.
 almost completely useless... February 4, 2006
110 out of 150 found this review helpful
Polk makes great speakers (LSi series), good speakers (RTi series), ok speakers (Monitor series), and mediocre speakers (R series). But like most speaker manufacturers, their subs are horrible for the money. Why? Because they are betting that if you are already buying their speakers, you'll likely want to buy one of their subs too, especially if some slimey and/or ignorant salesperson tells you that you MUST "match" the sub and speakers.
Of course, those of us who know something about audio know that aside from a few rare exceptions (like Magnepan planar speakers which really require a super-quick musical subwoofer) there is ABSOLUTELY NO SUCH THING as "subwoofer-matching"---just get the best-sounding sub you can afford. The best bang-for-your buck subs are made by the two dominant Internet-direct subwoofer specialists, Hsu and SVS.
This PSW10 is a prime example. If you are in a small room and listening to jazz or rock music, it's not too bad. Use it while blasting hip-hop, or watching a special-effects loaded movie like "Jurassic Park" or "Fellowship of the Ring" and you won't even know it's there---it simply does not go low enough nor loud enough (let's not even talk about if it's clean enough) to do the job. The only worse mass-market subs I've ever heard would be the Sony and Yamaha subs; the Infinity subs are slightly better.
For this price range you can do much better looking at the 12" Dayton subwoofer from partsexpress dot com which goes for under a hundred fifty dollars shipped.
Polk Audio PSW10 Powered Subwoofer June 1, 2007
26 out of 26 found this review helpful
While I was looking for sub-woofer I was comparing PSW10 and PSW404. PSW404 sounds better but for the price $110 vs. $250 at J&R I opted for PSW10. The sale representative dropped the price for me even though they still selling PSW10 for $200 here. Those of you who worry about no LFE input, that shouldn't be a problem. All you have to do is connect the sub-woofer output of the receiver to either the right or left input on the sub-woofer. And then set the variable low pass filter on the sub-woofer to the highest setting. This will set the internal low pass filter above the low pass filter frequency given by your receiver and create an LFE input. Or you may use a RCA cable to provide a connection to both inputs on the sub-woofer from the LR pre-out from the receiver. Then adjust the cross over frequency from the woofer as desired. It sounds a little louder and better for me. I bought Monster sub-woofer cable and it sounds no better than RCA cable. Try not to waste your money on this. It has 7.4 out of 10 in CNet rating and it is #6 in editor's top list for sub-woofers. I matched PSW10 with R300, RTi4, R150, CSi3 and Denon 1906 receiver. Mainly used for HDTV over the air, DVD movies and some FM. It sounds a lot better than the sub-woofer from RM6750. It carries 5 years warranty but make sure you buy from Authorize dealer. For the price I paid I am more than happy with it. I hope this helps to your decision.
An excellent sub.equally at home with movies or music.the polk has great bass slam ... November 18, 2005
17 out of 25 found this review helpful
This is an excellent subwoofer.I am using them on two of my home theater systems. polk speakers,have always been known for natural reproduction of sound wheather it be a movie..rock.. folk ..jazz,..rap...pop..classical..or electronica...When no bass is present,there wont be any,unlike the one note boom woofers,that are muddy or thick...With the polks,you are at the movies,or theater,or a rock concert...For the ultimate in home theater,use a stereo pair..Wow either way a super subwoofer...5 star rated.
The PSW12 (after the PSW10) May 6, 2007
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I started with a PSW10 that I got for around one hundred dollars on sale from a local retailer - its 50 watt output didn't quite "match" the 110 watt output capabilities of my system, and I knew there was something missing from my low frequency spectrum, so I thought I'd give the PSW12 a try for a hundred dollars more.
The PSW12's overall 26Hz to 200Hz frequency response range (as opposed to the PSW10's 35Hz to 200Hz) in addition to its 100 watt RMS, 260 watt dynamic power output really delivers. The PSW10 provides a nice rumble, but it was the ability of the PSW12 to deliver that "take-your-breath-away" kind of bass that makes such a difference.
The PSW12 kicks when it's supposed to, it sustains a rich, powerful low frequency emission to provide an unsurpassed atmospheric ambience and it will reproduce booms and thuds that will literally rip through the listening environment like a thunderbolt on a mission!
The PSW12 offers versatile connection options: speaker level input/output, filtered line-in and (unlike the PSW10) an unfiltered LFE.
The PSW12 offers versatile control options as well. Power can be set to "Off", "Auto" and "On". Volume can be adjusted to suit anyone's needs - mine performs as I've described above while being set only slightly above halfway, but if I felt like it I could turn it up enough to make the walls rumble too. The low pass filter can be adjusted to accommodate various speaker capabilities. The phase switch can be utilized to further refine performance.
The additional 9Hz of frequency response with more than double the power output capabilities over the PSW10 does make a huge difference...although the PSW10 performs nicely for its own specifications.
The PSW12 is magnetically shielded, whereas the PSW10 is not - this doesn't affect LCD monitors, but I was concerned about what I might be tempted to put on my new nightstand/subwoofer. You'll have to accommodate about two more inches of H/W/D as well.
Your choice of subwoofer can "make or break" a home theater...the PSW12 is definitely a maker!
I am extremely satisfied with the PSW12. I highly recommend this product to anyone insistent upon an outstanding overall audio experience!
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