PSW111

by Bobet Faune, August 7, 2008

Strengths:

The size, you wont expect this sub would give such amount of power that you can feel. Small and reliable.

Weaknesses:

None.

Review:

PSW 111 defies the size from its sound. This sub is truly magical as it produces accurate low sound considering its size. Consistent on loud volume and manageable crossover. This is the latest piece for my home theater system collection. Denon AVR-1706 Pioneer DV-400k Polk Audio RTI6 Polk Audio RT4 Infinity primus center speaker Polk Audio PSW 111

by Tim, July 20, 2010

Strengths:

Performance that hits way above its price point. Polk's nifty power cord with its 90 degree bend.

Weaknesses:

Nothing for me. However, if someone were a real glutton for huge amounts of bass, and if they were listening in a very large room, then one of these alone may not be adequate. But that's easily solved by adding a second sub.

Review:

Right out of the box, I was impressed with the build quality of this sub. It looked and felt very solid and well made. And personally I tip my hat to Polk for designing a power cord with a 90 degree bend so the sub can be placed right up against the wall. My biggest thumbs up, however, goes to the sound. It's rare to find a sub that will play music and movies equally well. But the Polk did it effortlessly. What's more, it did it for such a reasonable price.

by Derek Ramsey, October 16, 2007

Strengths:

Great compact size to the amount of clear bass is provides.

Weaknesses:

If you're looking for a deafening boom that rattles the house during a movie, this isn't the one for you.

Review:

Looking for an amp that provides great bass without sounding muddy and overpowering a room? This is the one I'd pick. For me this amp proved that bigger wasn't needed to be better. It's small and yet it packs a great punch. Perfect bass for music and always seems to surprise me during a movie.

by Jeff, August 4, 2008

Strengths:

Nice musicality. Great looking. Tight bass. Not to heavy, so you can move it around

Weaknesses:

Spring clip connections on speaker level inputs and outputs! Why?? Binding posts are much better, especially when using heavy gauge wire or banana plugs. Crossover only goes down to 80hz.

Review:

This is an excellent sounding sub. I prefer an 8" sub for music despite what countless people on audio forums say about a smaller driver is not faster. It is! Sounds tighter with music! I know. I have had 10"and 12". This will not give you low bottom end rumble like a 12" naturally, but for it's size it does a great job in small to medium size rooms. I also bought this because it is a very good looking sub withi it's curver edges, and sleek look. Looks like a velodyne minivee, but more then half the price.

by John Buck, March 3, 2009

Strengths:

Strong bass in a small package! Looks great and fits anywhere!! A great value! I thought the 8" version sounded better than the 10" version! I think it has to do with the 150 Watts

Weaknesses:

None...The PSW111 is a brickhouse!! A must buy!

Review:

I bought this Sub Woofer without even listening to it at the store. I am such a big believer in Polk Audio Speakers I just knew it would be good! I have owned my Studio 10s now for over 15 year and they sound as good as the day I bought them! It took me a good afternoon tweaking the settings to get the perfect sound but in the end it was worth it!! The key is to set the crossover on your AVR to 80 Hz, set your front speakers to "small" and to boost up your SW Channel Db on your AVR!!

by Mike, January 22, 2010

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Review:

People! This is a great sounding sub. It is great for very small rooms/apartments. But lets get serious. It is passive and has no power on it's own. It consumes a lot of power from your amp. Think you need a bigger amp before you upgrade to a larger sub? No. A larger amplified sub frees up tons of power to feed all the other passive speakers in you system. Make sure your amp has a 'Sub Pre-Out" port and it will send a signal to the sub's amp to produce the sound. This is the first upgrade I always suggest.

by craulston, April 13, 2007

Strengths:

Small size, sound quality, power handling

Weaknesses:

none as of yet!

Review:

This is one of the most awesome subs I have ever heard, especially for its small footprint and speaker size. This is definitely a sleeper for your surround sound system. I purchased this 8-inch sub over the larger 10-inch because of its overall sound quality and punch. It was also very easy to stow it away behind my TV without any problem.

by Rodrigo Velasco, June 16, 2008

Strengths:

This woofer is ridiculous for the price, it is perfect for those who want wonderfully tight base, over ridiculously ground-shaking amateur base. It wont bring down the house if you want that (go for a more appropriate Polk woofer then), but it is surprising and great for parties/music to those who live in an apartment of set it up in a basement (concrete basement would resonate great!). Also, the foot print in amazing!!

Weaknesses:

There are no real weaknesses. I just know I want another Polk sub not necessarily more powerful, but deeper in the near future. And of course I must wait and buy a more powerful receiver. There is no point to own a larger Polk Audio sub, if I can't feed it correctly. POLK AUDIO IS THE ULTIMATE IN HOME AUDIO. END OF STORY.

Review:

I have a an Onkyo TX SR605 receiver (7.1, 630 watts, Dolby HD, HDMI READY); ALL POLK AUDIO SPEAKERS AS FOLLOWS: 2 Polk Audio R50 (FRONTS), 4 R15 (SURROUNDS), 1 CSi30 (CENTER) AND A PSW111 (SUB WOOFER). Pretty decent sound system.

by Wil On, December 22, 2007

Strengths:

Rich and Powerful bass from such a small device.

Weaknesses:

none

Review:

I really wanted to get the PSW404, due to the small area I wanted to place the woofer, I settled with PSW111. After setup, I was amazed by the type of bass it produces. I'm really impressed by the sound given by such a small woofer. I use the PSW111 with my RTi8 Speakers. Polk Audio will always be my #1 choice for audio. I even got a setup of Polk Audio speakers and 2x12" Subwoofers for my car. Now I'm in the market for completing my system with a center and rear srs speakers. Maybe this summer, I may even get a Polk audio system installed in the boat.

by jhousek1, February 24, 2008

Strengths:

Tight Accurate bass at a level you wouldn't think from a package so small

Weaknesses:

None yet

Review:

I had to replace my speakers after 15 years, the foam finally tore. I had in the past purchased a Polk CS225 and RT35 speakers for my surround sound. A week ago I Purchased Polk Monitor 50's to replace my ADVENT Legacy II's To my suprise they sounded better than them! This week I was Cranking up the video games and noticed that my Velodyne sub was crackling now! I purchased A PSW111 with the only factor for choice, being price. I hooked it up using the LFE port and put the volume at mid. The sound was incredible!

by Luke S., July 3, 2010

Strengths:

Very accurate, clear sound. Fairly easy to set up and control, I used a single cable from my receiver to the subwoofer.

Weaknesses:

This subwoofer will not kill any small animals. Or, I suppose that's a good thing. You will want a larger subwoofer if you are using it in a large room, naturally.

Review:

This is a really great subwoofer for the price! I've had it for about a year now, use it all the time, (for music, movies, tv, gaming) and first of all, I haven't had one mechanical fault with it. It's clear how well the whole thing was built, from it's weight to the sturdy standing. It works well for movies, and gunshots will still make a loud *BOOM* that shakes the whole living room, but you don't get the deep rumble in action movies like you would from a larger 10 or 12 inch woofer. What I mean by that, is an earthquake type of sound won't make the entire house vibrate. That's not to say this baby doesn't pack a punch. This balance of sonic destruction and clarity makes it perfect for music. I can feel Mr. Portnoy's bass drum in my chest, but a regular stand-up bass sounds very natural and not over-powerful like another larger subwoofer might make it sound.

by Dan, December 23, 2009

Strengths:

Great sound from such a small driver. Very versetile (if tweaked right, blends well, plays nice bass highs)

Weaknesses:

....come on. of course not!

Review:

i've had this sub for 4 months or so and it is brilliant. its paired with a small yamaha pianocraft system and is made for it. I had it hooked up via the LFE input for 3 months and now im running my speakers through it via the speaker terminals (blends MUCH better). On ya polk. U ROCK!!!! (literally)

by Todd, June 8, 2010

Strengths:

For the size of the sub it does a great job. i have a room that is about 16x12 and it does not over power or rattle the room yet still delivers a great bass tone.

Weaknesses:

Bottoms out with really low bass tones. sounds almost like its blown.

Review:

I am very impressed by this sub for the size of it. it fits anywhere, looks good, and delivers most of the bass tones in any movie or music. bottoms out a bit on really low tones but other then that i would buy another one.

by Joseph, January 13, 2012

Strengths:

Decently accurate sonic quality, small footprint, plenty loud for most uses. Good build quality. Auto power on/off. Various input options, plus phasing and volume controls. Sonically blends well with the LSi series speakers.

Weaknesses:

At this price, none really. Sure, you can buy a better sub, and you are welcome to spend hundreds more to do it. Might not be the best choice for very large rooms or for home theatre enthusiasts who watch lots of war movies. Polk has better choices for that!

Review:

My PSW111 came as a "freebie" when I bought some LSi speakers from Crutchfield. I was a bit skeptical about it. I mean, it was free, how good could it be? And I'm supposed to use it with the expensive LSi's? Turns out it actually sounds quite nice! Accurate, not flubby. Nice input options, as well as controls. Keeping in mind my other sub is an older 12" Velodyn servo-controlled 400w unit that costs 10x the PSW111, I think this little fellow holds its own quite nicely. It's not going to blow out the windows like the Velodyn, but it also isn't the size of a large ottoman like the Velodyn either. For reasonable listening in a moderate size room, it's doing the job quite nicely. Nice small size, though not a thing of beauty. I got around that particular issue by going to a local crafts store and finding a large, very loose weave wicker basket, which I turned upside down over the sub. Stick some solid tchochkes on top, and looks much better, with no impact on the sound quality.

by Seung Joo, May 15, 2007

Strengths:

compact size, light weight, connetivity, tight base for music.

Weaknesses:

none so far

Review:

The fact of living in a small apartment has forced me to search for small size subwoofer. This sub is a way lighter compared to Polk 303 sub even though they both are equipped with the same size drive (8 inch). Before purchase this new sub, I tried Polk 303 which produces annoying rattling noise that made me return the unit back to fry's. Since I had the bad experience with Polk sub, I was a little bit hesitant to try another sub from Polk. But, since PSW111 is a new breed in the sub crowd, I decided to try. Foutunately, the new Polk sub has not let me down like the 303 did. There is neither rattling noise nor boom. The bass is tight & precise for music play. It is the lightest sub I have ever lifted. I haven't used this sub with any surround sound movies since I have only two bookshelf speakers (JBL EX1control). This sub produces adequate bass for my Apt living room without bothering the next door. I am really glad to decide to try this sub.

by Brad, December 28, 2011

Strengths:

Very accurate bass that hits nice and low. Fills my big room with a vaulted ceiling pretty good.

Weaknesses:

None so far...

Review:

Very clear, tight bass.