Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)

5 Responses to “Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)”

1. Harold F. Kopietz says:

   August 22, 2010 at 12:14 pm

   Review by Harold F. Kopietz for Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)
   Rating:
   Polk Audio is still making great speakers. I bought my first pair almost 30 years ago in 1978, had them for almost 25 years till I replaced them with smaller ones with a Velodyne sub. When my overpriced Velodyne sub went out on me last month, I decided to give Polk Audio a try since my first experience with Polk was so good. All I can say is that I’m glad I went with the 12″ and for the approx $300 price tag, it sounds as good if not better than my high end $800 Velodyne sounded. For the extra $75 or so, get the 12″ as opposed to the 10″, you’ll be glad you did.
2. Balashark says:

   August 22, 2010 at 12:14 pm

   Review by Balashark for Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)
   Rating:
   Was very iffy on this sub since I was going from a $1,000 Velodyne to this, but let me tell you I am not disapointed.Low tight bass with no distortion or rumble, sounds much better playing music than the Velodyne did,even though I use it mainly for movies.In my opinion you are getting a high end sounding subwoofer for $300, there is no way you can beat that!Tried to see how loud I could take it to see at what level it would start to distort, but could not get there because my windows were about to pop And my nose started to itch from the tremendous vibration, teeth rattled a little too! trust me I am not exagerating! BUY THIS SUB!!!!!
3. Money Leaker says:

   August 22, 2010 at 12:35 pm

   Review by Money Leaker for Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)
   Rating:
   Bass is clear, deep, oh, and LOUD! If you really want your HT to sound like an IMAX theater, then I whole-heartedly recommend this sub. It fills in the low end seamlessly. It also takes the burden of reproducing low lows off of your other speakers (which aren’t nearly as capable as the PSW505). This is not a cheap “rumble box”. The first movie I watched with this sub connected is Peter Jackson’s “King Kong”. The raptor/bronto chase through the gully is off the hook! The 30-ton bronto’s gallop will set up a standing wave in your intestinal tract!!! But loud does not mean muddy or rumbly with the 505. I was pushing the sub to about 50% volume and I thought my house’s windows may break. And like I said, that was only at about 50% volume. Besides, you want to be a good neighbor and not max this thing out cuz it can be heard clearly from a good 50 feet away. I find that it performs exceedingly well at about 15% of its capability in my medium/small sided living room. At normal/reasonable volumes, this sub recreates the super lows that truly make the difference between listening pleasure and listening rapture. No HT is truly complete without a sub and this one fits the bill to a tee.

   a) I definitely WOULDN’T recommend this product if you live in a dorm/apt/condo/townhouse. This thing has the sonic capability to really anger your neighbors.

   b) This sub is one of the few in its price range that actually has an LFE input (Low Frequency Effects) in addition to LL & speaker-level. I you didn’t know, LFE & Line-Level (LL) inputs both use an RCA connector. The difference is that the LFE channel carries only low freqs from source whereas LL carries the entire sound spectrum. The LFE goes straight to your sub’s amp whereas LL first goes through your sub’s built-in crossover and then from there to your sub’s amp. If you plug LL into the LFE input, you’ll be asking the sub reproduce the full sound spectrum. Not what you want, of course. Probably not a big deal whether you use one or the other. The Polk’s built-in crossover is fine, i’m sure, but I’d rather do the crossing-over at the A/V unit level.

   c) Apparently, a good powered sub has an ON/OFF/AUTO switch, a 180-degree phase-change switch, a volume control, a cross-over level control (this control is not functional if you are using the LFE), a LL input (or two), an LFE input, and a Left/Right channel speaker-level input and corresponding outputs (for a total of 8 speaker wire connectors).

   d) The unit seems very well built with what feels like sturdy wood (or MDF) and is somewhat heavy. Which is a good thing. It feels reassuringly sturdy/massive.

   e) Would I buy this sub again? Well, I’ve discovered that many of the wonderful items that are for sale at Amazon are no longer being produced. IE, they are discontinued by the manufacturer. Do a product search at polk.com and you will no find this sub (you can do a search in the product support section to find its corresponding literature pdf). I just guess that that is the nature of the beast. Great products sooner or later get replaced with even newer & greater products. The older and merely “great” (not “greater”) products still need to get cleared out of the inventory so they wind up at amazon.com or other e-tail sites. So, despite the fact that this sub is no longer in production, no longer supported, and is probably a year or two or three (or more) old… would I still buy it again? HELL YES!
4. Joey Joe Joe Jr. Shabadoo says:

   August 22, 2010 at 1:28 pm

   Review by Joey Joe Joe Jr. Shabadoo for Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)
   Rating:
   I have been in the process of slowly replacing my speakers, going from an old set of conventional 3-way Altec Lansings (w/Bose surround satellites and a Boston Acoustic center channel) to an all-Polk Audio 5.1 configuration. Over the last few months, I purchased a set of Polk Audio RTI A7s for my fronts, a Polk Audio CSI A6 Center Channel, and a pair of Polk Audio RTI A3s which serve as rears. The new speakers offer great clarity and response across the mid- and high-range (they are all voice matched so it sounds great) but they are a bit lacking in terms of bass as compared with the old Altecs, which featured a 12″ woofer and a lower -3db limit of ~30Hz, rendering a subwoofer unnecessary. I needed that little super low-end “thump” I used to have (the A7s, the most responsive speakers I own at the low-end of the sound spectrum, have a lower -3db limit of 35Hz), and after reading the reviews here this sub seemed like the best combination of performance and value. I purchased this item from Amazon and it arrived in 3 days’ time. Plugged it in and all I can say is wow. I have a medium-sized room, and this product has no problem providing the low-end bass I need without breaking a sweat. The PSW505 is self-amplified, and I have it set at less than half of max volume. At its current setting it is more than suitable. When I crank it up, it makes the entire room shake, and literally rattles my teeth.

   The PSW505 features level control, phase control, adjustable crossover setting (from 60Hz to 125Hz) as well as a standby switch and the ability to manually turn it on or off or set it to auto, which automatically looks for a signal and if it doesn’t find one shuts the sub off within 15 minutes. You can hook it up using dual inputs (banana plug capable), unfiltered LFE, or filtered line-level input, which I am using. The item looks sharp too, with a sleek black wood-grain finish, a silver front faceplate, polymer composite cone, and a stylish dark grey molded grill to direct the bass to the listening area. It’s also magnetically shielded so it won’t affect other nearby A/V components if it’s front-placed, like mine is. The quality and craftsmanship are evident even before plugging it in.

   Tooth-rattling notwithstanding, the bass is extremely clear, with very distinct bass reproduction for both music (plucked strings, bass notes) and entertainment (booming bass for those Hollywood blockbusters). I have not been able to push it to the point of distortion, even at max volume it easily handles the load (Running on a Yamaha RX-V1800 with a PS3 handling the Bluray/DVD/SACD duty). I am completely satisfied and would recommend this sub to anyone with a high-performance system and the necessary space. At this price you can’t go wrong with this item, as you can scale it to any size room you need short of a concert hall. I don’t see myself needing to replace this item for a very long time, if ever. Highest recommendation.
5. Anthony Petan says:

   August 22, 2010 at 1:46 pm

   Review by Anthony Petan for Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)
   Rating:
   I tried a couple of other subs before I finally broke down and bought this one. Not the least expensive one, but definately the loudest one I’ve owned! My listening area is 16′ X 18′ with a large opening into the Dining Room. This sub really hits hard and lets you feel the bass the way it is meant to be. I have it stationed behind my wifes chair, and the first time I had it on with her sitting in place she kept leaning forward and looking behind her chair to see what all the rumbling was. I just laughed when she asked me if I did something to the Surround System. Spend the extra dough, you won’t be disappointed.