PSW404

by mark, October 21, 2002

Strengths:

Very musical and pleasing sound.

Weaknesses:

Wish it had a removeable power cord.So,I actually will give it a 4.5

Review:

The sound is very musical.None of that nonsense boomer bass stuff.It mates quite well with my "raved" $1100 main speakers.Yes,it is adjustable and probably not "too much" for an apartment small/mid size room. It opens up the soundstage,adding greater realism.I'd hate to go back to without it.I listened to several makes and models before deciding.

by Mike, December 5, 2002

Strengths:

Smooth yet punchy bass, not muddled or boomy. Compliments other speakers rather than overwhelm them. I'd say my score is more like 4.999. Unfiltered RCA connection.

Weaknesses:

Lots of knobs of switches, takes some time to adjust.

Review:

I just got my subwoofer. I love it. I admit I haven't listened to movies with it yet. But with music, the bass is very smooth, yet punchy. The bass not too boomy, muddled or boxey. Adds to the soundstage and complimented my other speakers w/o standing out. This sub likes to be played loud, even at mid-level volume, it seemed to scream "play me louder". The unfiltered RCA connection is a definite plus. There are a lot of knobs and switches so it does take a few minutes to adjust the subwoofer levels to your liking.

by DANA THOMAS DEIGHAN, December 6, 2002

Strengths:

Very smooth LFE. Unfiltered input is a very nice touch. Completely adjustable. Can improve any home theater. Has a sweet look to.

Weaknesses:

Same as most subs, Needs slight adjustment when switching from movies to music, and the controle panel is inconveniently located in the back. (then again, it would probably look stupid in the front)

Review:

After months comparing subs including models from Velodyne, Cerwin-Vega, Jbl, Athena, Paradigm and Infinity. The Polk PSW404 was released in late November and was conected to my Harman/Kardon in early December. The only sub that was equal in quality was the Infinity IL100, but at almost twice the price, the choice was easy.

by JR, January 14, 2003

Strengths:

Very Musical, great reproduction. I particularly like the switch that allows me to send all the base or everything above 80HZ to my mains. It helps with set-up, then I send it all to my good Polk mains.

Weaknesses:

Not as athletic as some other subs if Home Theater is one's main interest.

Review:

Just wanted to thank Polk for having a help-line person on the phone at 5:20 EST on a weekday to help me select my sub to go with my mix and match Polk Speakers. I upgraded from the free PSW202 which is an amazing little sub in its own right when used with bookshelf speakers like my 25 year old Scotts or the superb RTI28's from Polk---I actually tried 202 with both. But the PSW202 was not a strong performer when paired with the pretty good base response of RT800i fronts. It added some depth to the music, but not enough to keep it around since it would use juice and have to be dusted. If I was going to have a sub, I wanted one with a little more umph and definition. I would rather continue to do without than have one that just goes, "boom." The man on the help-line recommended the PSW404 to me over the PSW450 for its musicality, as I had told him that I was more interested in music than home theater. I bought the PSW404 through an upgrade program at Circuit City; and even without an adequate break-in, I am very pleased. It definitely not a one note sub. It reveals low base notes even in classical pieces with a clarity that is really something. I am discovering a depth to some of my CD's that I did not know was there. Tip of my hat to Polk: I listened to one ETTA JAMES CD twice running before putting it away. After the first track on the first play I forgot I was supposed to be "testing" the new sub. The sub did not overwhelm---it fit. I am taking the time to post this review because I value the site as well as the great Polk Audio speakers & service. Thanks Polk.

by Dale Clark, April 4, 2003

Strengths:

Great controls. Many hook up options. Auto on/off option. Solid built. Great customer service response.

Weaknesses:

None to think of.

Review:

I've never owned a subwoofer. I always owned large main speakers. Well, condo living does not provide the space for large speakers. I have the 404 matched with a pair of RTi28's and I am blown away. Being a music lover, over 700 cd's, sound quality is a must. These are by far the best sounding speakers I've ever owned. I always thought my old large expensive speakers sounded great. They did, but these sound better. I emailed a question to Polk customer service and it was answered quickly with information I needed.

by eleazar, August 9, 2003

Strengths:

if u like to tweak and get the best sound, this is your sub,lots of hook-up options. very good for music/excellent for movies

Weaknesses:

none

Review:

just had this sub for a week and it rocks! i have a mid-sized room but with a lot of open spaces on the left which equals to a BIG room. wanted to buy a sub for large room but budget-wise this is what i can get but still this sub can tick off your neighbor. nuff said

by Ian, September 26, 2003

Strengths:

Very good with movies and music. Great service from dealer.

Weaknesses:

None at all, not even at twice the price

Review:

I have used this sub in my system now for a month or so. I gave the unit some run in time before I started to use it. I needed a sub to compliment my LSi15 towers and this is an awesome unit! Low end bass takes on a whole new meaning and this sub is able to reproduce bass and midbass with amazing accuracy. It doesn't matter if you like movies or music, at twice the price I couldn't find a better unit out there. If you are looking for a subwoofer with finesse and accuracy and still demand impact then look no further! This unit will blow you away.

by Black Dragon, January 15, 2004

Strengths:

Great bass response, seamless bass delivery, very accurate

Weaknesses:

If I wanted to pick nits, I guess the appearance could be spruced up a bit.

Review:

I actually have two of these subwoofers stacked right on top of each other for my LFE channel on my 7.1 sound system. I wanted to avoid the boominess of a 12 inch woofer so I selected a 10 inch instead. While one of these subwoofers would have been sufficient, two really bring out the explosions on all action DVD movies. Shotguns sound like they do in real life. One can literally feel the blowback when the shotgun goes off. These subwoofers are great for music as well. They are very accurate and produce a well defined musical sound. Great job on this subwoofer, Polk!

by Brian, January 16, 2004

Strengths:

Sounds amazing with movies and music.

Weaknesses:

I have blown 2 drivers so far. In my opinion they should not make a powered sub where the amp will blow the driver, just does not make sense.

Review:

Very good sound, a little much for my system right now but I have a good starting point for the rest of my 6.1 system. No distortion at all (until you blow the driver). This will make your movies more realistic since you will be able to hear and feel gun shots and such.

by Ryan J., February 22, 2004

Strengths:

very deep bass that can add depth and warmth to any system. enough bang for most people...even those who like rap

Weaknesses:

the logo doesnt match my rt35i's but beggers cant be choosers. i have no weaknesses for this product.

Review:

great sub....especially for the money. this sub shakes the entire house and i have absolutely no complaints. i have a h/k 3370 stereo reciever which puts out 75 watts/channel and i run this sub through the line in jacks. this sub definitely has the brauns to back up the polk reputation. i was watching men of honor last night and i felt every bubble that cuba gooding jr. let out of his divers suit. IT WAS GREAT!

by Bryan, March 16, 2004

Strengths:

clean low sound with no distortion, beautiful design, great price.

Weaknesses:

none.

Review:

I love this sub! I just picked up some very nice acoustic research speakers and after considering all options I settled with the psw404. YOU CAN NOT BEAT THIS SUB FOR THE $ VALUE. It plays beautifully with any type of music, and it is awesome for home theater too!

by george, May 25, 2004

Strengths:

Solid built with a tight base, and not like a boom- box performance. The price is extremely reasonable for its quality.

Weaknesses:

I can not think of any; since my system is timber and accustically matched.

Review:

All my home theater speakers are Polk Audio's. My system is a 7.1 system with a pair of psw404 as the front subs for my system. Their music quality is as good as my tube system. I am amazed!!! I use four 500x Carver power amps and a Rotel processer to run my home theater.

by Carlos Bucio, July 8, 2004

Strengths:

It delivers a very powerful precise bass.

Weaknesses:

Review:

It broke down 2 months after it was purchased. Too bad I did not buy a warranty for it. I just purchased in may of 04. Does Polk offer a 1 year factory warranty? If so please email me at the_notorious_carlos@yahoo.com Thanks

Polk Response:

Carlos, Sorry that you had a problem. Despite using the best available components and our best efforts at Quality Control, sometimes things break. The amplifier of your subwoofer has a 3 year parts and labor warranty and the speaker has a 5 year parts & labor warranty. Please contact Polk Customer Service at (800)377-7655 or by email: polkcs@polkaudio.com. They will have your subwoofer working perfectly in a jiffy at no cost to you.

by tolitsb, July 21, 2004

Strengths:

powerful soft bass

Weaknesses:

i can't think of any

Review:

i just bought a pair of rti12 and sub(psw404) csi5 team up w my old rt16 for surr.wow the best sound and combination o before i forgot my fxi3 for my surr. back. driven by yamaha rxv1400...its really amazing thanks polk..

by Eric, September 20, 2004

Strengths:

Great response, maches well with rt8i rti70s. plays loud with no distortion!

Weaknesses:

FOAM??? why did polk use foam on this subwoofer yet their lowest model psw202 has RUBBER SURROUNDS? WTF?

Review:

Nice construction accept for the foam surrounds. Amp and box is very solid. Ive tried to get the amp to overheat.........i couldnt. The crossover on this beast actally works unlike other subs. Mosterous bass great for rap, it is very clear and not boomy. I burned out 2 lights on my ceiling arlready from this thing. One complaint would be the port when driven extremely loud will make noise :( but, thats when the woofer is moving like 1 1/2 inches.

by Josh M, September 23, 2004

Strengths:

Deep bass even at low volume. 200 watts continuious 375 max is also good.

Weaknesses:

at high volume can hear wind from the slot port.

Review:

About 4 months ago I bought the psw-404 for my home theater. I was so pleased I went and got another one because they are really good the best I have heard lately.

by peter, October 21, 2004

Strengths:

very nice design.

Weaknesses:

sub is very boomy and bottoms out below 50hz

Review:

This is a great looking sub. That ends the compliments. The bass sounds boomy and bottom out at anything below 50hz. I know this isn't a 15" sub but come on. For the price you pay you should look elsewhere. Thumbs up on the design.

by Ben, October 24, 2004

Strengths:

Strong 200WRMS Amp, 375W Dynamic. Small box, heavy and great design..matches my Athena's. Works well with movies or music. For reference try UnderWorld or Van Helsing.. wow. You can feel it in you gut and your pant legs move.

Weaknesses:

A small weakness that I've heard is with port noise. At high volumes port noise is pretty high.. but since I have it located behind my couch in a corner the noise isn't very audible unless you get close to it. Other than that there is no weakness I can complain about.

Review:

This is my first Polk product and won't be my last now. Excellent subwoofer for a mid-large sized room (May want 2 for a real large room). Really strong for it's size and almost goes unnoticed. Blends in great with my AS-F1's. The walls actually shake in my apartment along with anything hanging on them..very impressive. I love bass and this thing can dish it out in a heartbeat. For the price I got it at there is nothing that can beat it. Great work Polk!

by Mario Balari, December 20, 2004

Strengths:

Muy buenas prestaciones

Weaknesses:

Nada que objetar.

Review:

Excelente, después de haber adquirido una unidad PSW12 , la cual producía un sonido no aceptable en algunas circunstancias, el distribuidor local, nos sugirió el cambio a este modelo por una pequeña diferencia, lo cual nos convenció totalmente de seguir comprando productos de la línea Polk. Gran servicio y atención.

by Audiophile, January 30, 2005

Strengths:

Multiple configuration options, Construction quality and of most importance THE SOUND.

Weaknesses:

My budget will not currently allow for one more ! Or more correctly my better half's imposed budget !

Review:

I have had this product for 3 months now.I believe that one must really listen with varying degrees before before a truly subjective opinion can be submitted. Where do I start? Well I have owned many other subs from Velodyne to Yamaha and the PSW404 out performs all by a substantial margine and in its price point only adds to the value.When set up properly and coupled with a very good system it will shine both in music and movie applications. I am very pleased with its performance as well as all my Polk Speakers (RTi8s, CSi25, R20s, PPSW404, R50s).

by jordan, April 10, 2005

Strengths:

great sound for the money as long as it works

Weaknesses:

the sub blew twice in one week, it cant handle extended use for music.

Review:

The 404 is a good sounding sub, but not good quality! After a couple of hours of use at a fairly high volume with the gain at 3/4 the sub fried itself. This happened to me twice in the same week. Why would the sub blow itself, it doesnt have a protect mode? Its unbelievable that a 500 dollar sub it cant even handle a few hours. I expected more from Polk and probably will never but Polk anything again! Obviously no quality control.

by Greg, June 26, 2005

Strengths:

Great sounding bass when it works.

Weaknesses:

not sure about its abiliy to handle a lot of bass all at once.

Review:

So what happens if the driver does blow, will it work again if it cools down or am i F'ed. Someone please let me know because im sick to my stomach that i spent 400 bucks on this thing a week ago and it doesnt work now.

by J. Bramy, August 16, 2005

Strengths:

MUSCIAL - says it all.

Weaknesses:

None

Review:

Very pleased with the performance. Don't know about the home theater "boom and bang" folks, but for MUSIC it's excellent. Do not understand how one could overload it. I use it in a medium size room and it has more than enough output to satisfy even a heavy rocker. It blends quite well with the Polk bookshelf speakers, and adds the bottom octave that makes the music so satisfying. Would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a MUSICAL sub. Great value for the money. Well made, high quality workmanship is apparent.

by av8tr, October 7, 2005

Strengths:

Power Hits at all the right times- Music and Home Theater- Very Strong Sub Recommend Highly

Weaknesses:

I had a hard time hiding it's (physical size) in our medium sized living room.

Review:

Excellent sub - lots of plaster shaking going on in my medium sized Polk surround 6.1 room- Polk speakers throughout. Onkyo Amp. My wife woke up and told me her bed was shaking... Great sub. I paid $399 from American TV in Sept 2005- probably a few extra dollars but it was well worth it. I love this sub lots of power!

by Jason, October 26, 2005

Strengths:

When I have one that is working, it is great!

Weaknesses:

I am working on my 2nd sub that has had the power supply go bad. The first was replaced with a new speaker, the 2nd has been shipped back to Polk to be repaired. I am sure this one will go to and without a warranty, I will go out and purchase a quality speaker. This was my first and will be my last Polk purchase!

Review:

Not happy at all!!

Polk Response:

Sorry to hear you have had problems with your PSW404. Sometimes electronic things break. The PSW404 amplifier has not been chronically problematic. The important thing is that the company stand behind its products and provide fast, no-hassle service, something Polk is well known to provide. The warranty only expires at the end of the time limit, not when a product has been serviced once or twice.

by Simaan, October 29, 2005

Strengths:

Its really powerful, i like the box.

Weaknesses:

it kinda gets a little hot

Review:

I've never rele had any experience with any subs. i bought the sub from circuit city as an "open box" item, and it didn't come with a manuel, so i don't rele know how to work it that well.

by Joey Spin, November 1, 2005

Strengths:

Great for movies and looks good.

Weaknesses:

Does not work well under pressure. If you like to jam fairly loudly for more than 5 minutes this sub is not for you!

Review:

I agree with some of the other posts. I love my polk Rti10's so to keep my system balenced I went with this sub. Like one gentlemen said THIS SUB CAN NOT HANDLE LONG PERIODS OF MUSIC AT A DECENT VOLUME. For movies sounds great, music not the greatest

by Al, November 6, 2005

Strengths:

BAM!!! To strong for a 1500 sqft condo. It looks good and quality of course the Badaboom...

Weaknesses:

I have to make a sign at my door, "POLK's do not disturb" ((((( BOOOOOM )))))

Review:

I bet you out there, If there good reason you want to consider buying on a high quality affordable subwoofer look no further you can either choose the 404 or 505. Damn I live in a Condo, my neighbor starts knocking at my door, even the next floor above me and below. I guarantee you wont be dissapointed. My condo shakes and rattle. Hook up on a Pioneer 1015TX, M60 FS, Rti4, Man ohh man look no further. For you out there POLK's invest on Polk Audio.

by Jose Marin, December 1, 2005

Strengths:

The bottom of the story is I got this system 1 year now and I have been in some places and believe me It's a matter of matching all componenets. Polk you really kick ass.

Weaknesses:

yes 1. My wife does not like it when is over 50% in my onkyo. It gets very loud. jajajajajaja NO WEAKNESSES

Review:

Just have to say I'm sorry for those with problems with this unit. It just rock's. Great bass punch, magnificent accurance and superb balance with all my other polk components. Guys you need to make the perfect match. My system: PSW 404 (just great) 1pair of RTI's 8 for the front (uffffff magnificent speakers) my center is a polk CS5 (sounds very live) and to finish 1 pair of polk RTI's 4 for the rear part ( the match with the front and center is the best I heard in years not even with the LS series) Plus check your crossover adjustments on your receivers, may be something is not right.

by Ray, December 26, 2005

Strengths:

has hit hard every time hasn't missed a beat.

Weaknesses:

have not found any as of yet even with a large room.

Review:

I have had this sub since they came out and I have a 19'x23' room and the sub still sounds great hooked up to a Onkyo receiver and rti70 front speakers and fxi30 for surround, what a team, but I am considering adding a dual sub which will probably be a 404 sub just for that extra kick.

by Printninja, March 10, 2006

Strengths:

Strong, steady, efficent sound. Sometimes sounds bigger then it is, but never smaller. Basically does precisely what it's designed to do, but little more. Rises well to the demands of home theater, and is more then versitile with music.

Weaknesses:

Will never be confused with a $1000 sub. Aesthetically unimpressive appearance. Sounds a bit slow for a 10" driver. Noisy power supply.

Review:

Very pleased with my first Polk "powered" subwoofer. I normally run this in a 6.1 system with a pair of vintage monitor 7's (circa 1986) as front mains, a pair of FXi50's for the rears, and CSi30s as front and rear centers. Power comes from a Yamaha RXV-1300 amp and a Sony DVP-NS755V DVD/CD/SACD player provides the source material. Very few speakers I've auditioned sound as good as this sub combined with my ol' Monitor 7's. The 7's have always been just a bit lacking in low bass, and this sub fills in that deficit perfectly. In plain stereo, with my old Yamaha A-520 amp and NAD 5240 CD player, the combination was reminiscent of the Vandersteen 2C's I auditioned 20 odd years ago. In my room, which is approx 12' x 19', the unit sounded best placed about 2' away from the wall, centered between the main speakers. For home theater the RXV-1300 amp and this sub perform flawlessly. I am not prone to "pushing the volume", but in the crane chase scene from Terminator 3, this sub was vibrating the doors in the house so much I thought I was going to break them out of the frames. I can't understand how people are blowing this sub out unless they are driving low-powered amps into clipping. On SACDs, the bass is life-like, smooth and well defined, but never overpowering. If anything, it could stand to be a bit faster or "snappier." It starts to exhibit less personality the lower you go (which is not unusual with subs in this class.) Under a certain frequency, instruments start to lose their uniquely inherent bass characteristics, and they all begin to adopt like sounding "thuds." If there is room for improvement, I feel there the crossover could use a little attention, but that may simply be a concession of marrying this sub to 20 year old speakers that were never designed to work with a sub. Years ago, I tried running my Monitor 7's with an old "non-powered" Cerwin Vega 12" sub, and the result was awful. The monitor 7's didn't seem to play well as satellites. I'm not sure they are the perfect match for the PSW404, but they're darn close. My only real complaint is that the transformer on the power supply does make an audible buzz. I had to loosen a couple of the phillips head screws and experiment with tightening the plate with each screw individually to reduce the buzzing noise. This presumably now allows a tiny bit of air to escape around the edge of the plate, which may or may not affect the sound characteristics? The construction is solidly impressive, but the styling is kinda.... blah. Black wood veneer with a cheesy silver edge bordering the grill??? I know Polk can do better. The rear controls are well laid out, but I question whether a phase switch is really necessary in a properly wired system (but it can't hurt to have.) Also, if you have carpeting, don't expect the plastic feet on this unit to reach through to the floor. I also wish Polk would work on an alternative to sharp veneered corners, because they are sooo easy to dent & chip. All in all I'd call this a solid performer for a reasonable price, kinda like a Ford Cobra, but not a Chevy Corvette. With the right combination of componants it'll work very, very well, but it's not going to do everything perfectly, and it's never going to be confused with a Ferrari.

by Tony Mayol, March 14, 2006

Strengths:

Great prescence, in big rooms great for movies and music

Weaknesses:

NONE, i have nothing bad to say

Review:

this one by far is the best sub i've ever had, home theaters begin with movies, i remember i used to connect my beta to a bulb amp, it sounds great. Now we can hear music dts audio cd, SACD, DVD-A, you can also have a fat bass prescence, and for a review i just read you have to make a little config. to your amp, and you can listen to loud music for long time. I can help if you want

by pinoy, April 13, 2006

Strengths:

very good for music/good for Movies

Weaknesses:

for its price it should have been more powerful and tuned 25hz or lower (movies nowadays have more and more subsonic bass content and cant be heard without a properly tuned sub in the 20-25hz zone)

Review:

great for small to midsized room...location is the key here plus i got a parametric eq hooked up with the subsonic filter set at 30hz. port noise can be heard when played very loud. as usual demo it at home in your ideal spot, it sounds great if u put it in the right spot(spent weeks tweaking on everything)

by Jason, April 28, 2006

Strengths:

Great design.

Weaknesses:

Not sure if it can handle the power it says.

Review:

I bought this sub when it first came out. Replacing a Sony I had. I bought a set of Rti 70 to go along with this sub, and got the free sub the psw 10 I think. The cheaper sub is running better than the $500 sub. It blew shortly after the warranty ran out. Polk said there wasn't anything they could do. I love Polk speakers but I am affraid of them blowing.

by Kurt, July 9, 2006

Strengths:

Not the worst sub I ever heard, however if you want a car sub in your house to listen to gansta rap...this one is for you.

Weaknesses:

Sound quality and sound quality.

Review:

This is one boomy sub. It destroyed my sound stage and depth of feild.

Polk Response:

Finding the right spot in a room that produces flat, accurate bass from a subwoofer is one of the hardest things in audio. Getting a good blend between a subwoofer and main speakers is the second hardest thing to do. These aticles may be helpful to find the right positioning and adjustments for truly satisfying bass perfromance form Polk and other brands of subwoofers:
http://www.polkaudio.com/education/article.php?id=17
http://www.polkaudio.com/education/article.php?id=20
From the comments of other PSW404 owners it is apparent that other PSW404 owners have had more success in integrating it into their rooms and systems.

by gabe, September 27, 2006

Strengths:

Sounds great, doesn't miss a beat with any live composition. Plus, does not have any port noise at all. There is no need to turn up the gain past half for great sounding results.

Weaknesses:

BAD REVIEWS FOR GREAT PRODUCT.

Review:

I bought this sub a week ago after thoroughly comparing several name brands such as velodine and infinity, and I am glad. I work in the car audio industry and the build of the sub is extremely important to me. The vast surround, build, and its astecially pleasing design is far superior.

by Jerry, December 10, 2006

Strengths:

The subwoofer is a treat to listen to with movies such as Star Wars and even while watching football games.

Weaknesses:

None so far except for the difference of opinion on how to hook it up between Polk and the store.

Review:

We bought a 46" Sony LCD HDTV, a Onkyo TXSR604 and the Polk Audio Surroundbar and the PSW404 Subwoofer. I am no audiophile so we are just learning how to best configure this system. Polk says connect the subwoofer through the front speakers connections and gives a compelling technical reason. The installation team at the store where we got this all (they do a lot of installations in our area) say they never configure it this way and always through the sub-woofer cable. Currently we are using via the speaker cable connection to the front speakers connections on the amplifier. So we are still sorting this all out but overall are very pleased with the Polk products.

by MK, August 20, 2007

Strengths:

Solid construction, very deep bass without any boomy crap. Great value for the money.

Weaknesses:

Looks. Thank goodness it's mostly out of sight.

Review:

I picked one of these up about eight months ago for my tiny apartment (400sq ft) since the rest of my speakers are Polk. I've been very happy with it so far. It's ugly (sure wish I could've gotten it in cherry to match the rest) but it sounds very nice.

by Brian, October 31, 2007

Strengths:

Amp and freq. tuning knobs, ability to bypass the manual amp and freq. tuning if you'd rather the A/V amplifier do the tuning.

Weaknesses:

nope

Review:

I've had this sub 2 months. I've been amazed at some scenes from many movies. If you are going to demo how powerful this thing is, take LOR Return of the King and play the part where Froto, Sam, and Smiegel are starting to climb the stairs and the bassaliss (not sure if i spelled any of those names right) comes out. I thought at one point that my house was going to collaps it was hitting so hard. Some people complained of "boomy" noise in their reviews. That's what a bass does...it goes BOO00MMMM. I noticed that if the sub hit the right frequency, it was resonating things in the room, including the air intake for A/C, which made the bass sound unpleasing. I moved it to the other side of the room and it has sounded beatiful ever since. At no point have I ever felt that the sub's output wasn't clean or pleasing. It easily fills my 240 sq. ft. room, and I'm certain it could go further. It can be felt in adjacent rooms as well as rooms above. I have Onkyo TX-SR605 driving it via subwoofer cable to the unfiltered input. Definitely worth what I paid for it.