DSWmicroPRO 1000

by Charles T., October 9, 2009

Strengths:

fantastic musical, tight bass; 1200 watt RMS nirvana--huge dynamic headroom for "punchy" response; exceptionally small; ideal integration with mains via phasing on remote & transient performance of sealed architecture; solid build quality; I prefer this matte finish vs gloss of 2000/3000/4000 models

Weaknesses:

remote's cr2025 battery was DOA; remote slightly finicky with IR response; second phase of LED flashes for volume selection rather hard to keep up with; not magnetically shielded (huge magnets of motor structure needed for power handling & tiny enclosure too small for shielding); slightly sloppy glue work on inverted driver surround; sub-25hz output levels will never match high end 10/12" products; minimalist side clearances in packaging combined with ~40 lb weight risks shipping damage

Review:

I purchased this as an alternative to my Energy Veritas ESW-V8, as I like to run mains with extension of at least 50hz or lower. Phasing calibration in this configuration with ported subs is a nightmare / perpetual compromise. Despite the infinitely variable phasing of the Energy, the compromise between tight punchiness of the midbass and smooth decay in the ultra low bass was impossible to achieve. I picked up a Velodyne MicroVee to test this theory (although it doesn't go particularly low), and confirmed that a sealed sub resolves the phasing problems, producing much cleaner bass and consistent bass response. This sub is the final stage of my upgrades, and is everything I had hoped for. The 4 step phasing control on the remote is the best bass tuning feature EVER in my books, and despite being a bit fincky about communicating with the sub's IR sensor, I've used Samsung Bluray remotes which were far worse. For audiophiles, the level of ideal tuning that this sub is capable of won't leave you using it much after you get things calibrated correctly, except maybe to enable/disable the sleep mode. I found the LED response very logical and easy to understand, albeit the fast flashes during volume selection might be a bit too fast to count easily. The most important ways I could see this sub being improved would be a safer packaging configuration (mine was nearly damaged in shipping due to minimal side clearances inside the box) and the use of a neodymium magnet structure to reduce weight & provide inherent magnetic shielding. I use Infinity Kappa car audio subs of this type in my cars, and they are fantastic.

by Dr. Jeff LaBarre, April 23, 2008

Strengths:

small, clean package, sounds great even in room corner placement, tight bass, no distortion at high volumes. sounds great with ALL types of music and movies too!

Weaknesses:

cost, but to my ear, compares very favorably with much more expensive subs!

Review:

have to disagree with last reviewer - absolutely LOVE this subwoofer! purchased it to specifically upgrade/replace my polk PSW 505. after hooking it up right next to the 505 I spent the evening listening to different music, and plugging each sub in, and then the other. the 505 may have more "volume" but the micropro 1000 is so much more clear and detailed bass, much tighter with no "boominess" like the 505 on higher volume. the micropro is so precise u can play it at 80-90% volume with NO distortion or boominess. I actually love the sub so much I am now considering going for the gusto and getting a micropro 3000 or 4000!

by Big-D, January 14, 2009

Strengths:

1) Clean, clear fully adjustable Bass regardless of volume. 2) Great Customer Service

Weaknesses:

Minor problem with the Remote not working, but Polk Audio's customer service remedied the situation immediately.

Review:

After deciding on a super nice 52” LCD television and complete Audio System and tucking it away in a nice neat setup where no wires are showing, I wanted a Sub-Woofer that did not look like a piece of furniture, yet still provided awesome bass, great functionality and adjustability to fit my room acoustics. After doing a lot of research, I was clearly led to the Polk Audio DSW microPro 1000. I purchased it with a fantastic deal online and then received it in just three days. While setting up my TV and Audio system, I followed the clearly written instructions that were included with the Pro 1000 and had it set up and running in just a few minutes. I first tried it playing a copy CD’s, cranking it up to test the bass and made some adjustments to my personal liking. Then I put in a Blu-Ray disk and tried the Pro 1000 while watching a movie with a lot of action. I have to say, the bass was so clear and not over powering at all, yet when scenes in the movie required it, my windows vibrated intensely. I rate the DSW microPro 1000 a 5 stars because it fits everything I wanted in a SW. Its compact size, its clean attractive appearance and its incredible clear bass that is capable of rocking the house when the volume goes up, yet provides clean crisp lows even at lower volumes where you can have a conversation if wanted. There was one drawback, and that was the fact the remote control failed to function even when I followed the FAQ & Trouble Shooting Guide pertaining to the remote control. But on a positive side, once I contacted Polk Audio, I am told that a brand new remote is already on its way to me completely free of charge via FedEx. I am the first to realize that any product can suffer the rare occurrence of a piece not working now and then; the important issue is how the company stands behind their product to remedy the situation. When I contacted Polk Audio via telephone, their customer service was first-rate. Summary: The difference between the Pro 1000 and the 2000 are a couple whistles & bells and the high-gloss finish. But considering the money saved, the Pro 1000 is an awesome unit that fills every requirement I could ever need or want. Again, by simply reading the manual, adjusting the volume and/or setting is as simple as paying attention. I am pushing my system with a Denon AVR-988 that totally blow you away and the bass the Pro 1000 puts out is the icing on the cake. Even with the ever so slight inconvenience with the remote not functioning, I still rate the Pro 1000 5-Stars for being an overall excellent product and Polk Audio’s superb customer service!

by Leo Meyer, February 4, 2009

Strengths:

Tight musical bass. Powerful subwoofer in a compact size. Remote control.

Weaknesses:

None experienced

Review:

I bought this sub to match with a pair of Polk Audio Lsi9 speakers and a Yamaha RX797 2 channel receiver. I use this system primarily for listening to a wide range of music. I have had the Lsi9's for about 8 month's and while I was extremely happy with them the low end bass was a little weak. After researching and reading reviews on a wide variety of subwoofers, both Polk Audio and others, I decided on the DSW Micro Pro 1000. I have been using it for a little over a week now, but from the moment I hooked it up I was simply amazed at the sound. Very tight musical bass that completely blends with the Lsi9's. No boominess. But what truly amazed me was how much tighter and crisper the Lsi9's sounded when they weren't driving the lower end bass. The crossover is set at 80 Hz automatically by the receiver so the only adjustment I played around with was the volume. If you have a similar application and are looking for a subwoofer I would highly recommend this product.

by Freddy M., November 9, 2009

Strengths:

The bass this thing puts out in such a small cabinet along with the provided features IE Phase select, Volume, Room Optimizer, Night-mode via remote.

Weaknesses:

Remote must be pointed directly at the subwoofer, and works only half the time anywhere between 4-6 feet. Also the 'morse-code' volume indicator LED can get a bit annoying, considering you can't change the volume more than 1 notch at a time between blinks. Easily overlooked given this sub's performance though!

Review:

Polk got it right with their speakers, but perfected it with their MicroPro subs! I was a bit skeptical about this subwoofer's performance given it's size, but you will surely be in for a treat. Extremely musical subwoofer, with plenty of thump to shake up the house during movies too!

by Frank Harper, April 17, 2008

Strengths:

Exellent Low volume bass for you junkys out there. Has a REMOTE!! and is smalle

Weaknesses:

Expected more Comparing it to a Polk PSW505.Comparing the 2 the 505 place right will easily blow away this subwoofer and is older model. and the Price. Also since it is mostly electric you have no idea where the volume is set so a meter for that would be nice along with the bottom speaker makes a little bit of unwanted noise on lower Bass

Review:

The New subwoofer is stylish nice clean look and love the fact that it is a dual speaker setup.Was suprised by where i could set it any where and get the same amount of sound from it.

Polk Response:

The volume indicator is the number of blinking lights on the unit, from 0-40. The first series of slower blinks is the first number, and the series of second blinks is the second number. For example, 2 slower blinks followed by 5 quicker blinks would be 25.

by cnh, October 21, 2012

Strengths:

Musicality: quickness, clarity and detail in a small classy package. If you have a smaller room this is 'your' sub! Nicely done Polk!

Weaknesses:

Remote set-up is a bit quirky. A digital read out as opposed to blinking lights would be easier to use. Remote is not always instantly responsive. Sub cannot fill larger rooms with the same quality low bass that it can put out in small to mid-sized rooms.

Review:

Before we begin, it should be noted that Polk Audio provided a DSW microPro 1000 subwoofer to this reviewer for the following Demo. I laud Polk's commitment to product evaluation, support and accessibility. I had the microPro for about a month, during which time I had more than ample opportunity to put it through its paces in three separate systems: An all Monitor Home Theater (Polk M70s, CS2, M30s powered by an Onkyo TS-XR805), a Polk Rti-A3, CSI-3, RTi-4 system with a Pioneer AVR, and a 2.1 system: LSi-7s powered by a Denon AVR 2807 and Adcom GFA-555). I found the MP-1000 to be a wonderful all-around performer in all three systems. With its greatest contribution being to the ‘musicality’ of all systems that it was tested in. Test disks used included the cult sci-fi film Evolution, Godzilla (1998) and Rush Hour 3. A Sony BDP ES1000 was used with the Onkyo AVR and a Pioneer BDP-51fd in the two other systems. Test CDs used included, Legend, a Bob Marley collection, Virginia Rodrigues' NOS, LCD Soundsystem's Sound of Silver, and Vivaldi's Four Seasons--In order to represent the widest possible range of the musical formats. Low Frequency Effects were seamless and NOT localizable. Though it did not rattle all the walls and shake everything off the shelves, it definitely reached into that sub 25 hz zone and provided bass that one could feel as well as hear. In a small to mid-size room this little 8” sub can hold its own with the big boys. The bass was clean, deep, tight, and quick. Can you get bigger, badder Movie bass? Sure, but this sub was very impressive in those more normal spaces that most of us have in our homes! In all cases, Monitor, RTI-A, and LSI set-ups, one of the strongest features of the MicroPro 1000 was how well it blended with the main speakers. There was no gap, nothing that called attention to it, which is a very, very good thing! While the Polk sub performed quite nicely with the Monitor and RTI-A systems it really ‘shined’ as the sub 80hz end of the Polk LSI-7 2.1 system that I have in my home office. Music is really its forte. It excelled with EVERY CD I threw at it! It would be hard to find a sub that filled in the bottom end of the LSI-7s or LSi-9s (or the new LSiM 703s) much better than a MicroPo-1000. The MP-1000 can do it all in a reasonably sized room. The down sides include the rather quirky remote which takes a little time to get used to and to set up, and can be a little finicky to use. I would prefer it if Polk would put a digital Display somewhere on the sub so one could see numbers instead of counting long and short blinking lights? And also that it cannot take the place of a larger sub in a much bigger space (all of my rooms were 2000 cubic feet or less). So for those of you who have larger rooms, I highly recommend a DSW MP-4000 or maybe even two? Buy with confidence and enjoy your movies and music! cnh

by Jim Thomas, October 17, 2008

Strengths:

Very easy to set up. Polk has a winner with the Micro sub series. If you are in the market for a new sub give this a demo.

Weaknesses:

Wish I would of picked up the Micro 4000.

Review:

I used this in my HT setup with a pair of SDA-CRS+'s. It really added the low end which the CRS's lacked. Very tight bass and dug down low.This played and responded equally whether it was HT or two channel music.

by Anthony Steffens, March 29, 2013

Strengths:

Amazing power and DEEP controlled bass, great price point.

Weaknesses:

None that I have seen or heard...integrated wireless would be a good feature.

Review:

All I can say is WOW...I have been designing, installing, and calibrating custom home theaters, and audio/video systems for over 20 years...and for the price, this sub is simply unbeatable. It is pure power and super clear...this has changed my opinion on 8" subwoofers period. I purchased it more to test it out, but I can assure you I will be keeping this one...this is a treu room shaker, don't let the price and size fool you.