Home > Consumer Reviews > Polk Audio PSW111 Compact Powered 8-Inch Subwoofer (Single, Black)

After some deliberation, I decided to buy this on Amazon rather than a couple of Polk's 10-inch versions. I heard it at BB and thought it was very tight and controlled. I listen almost exclusively to music and just wanted something to fill in the lower registers. This sub complements well my new Yamaha nx-e400 bookshelf speakers (another under-recognized bargain!), which supposedly go down to 55hz on their own. I set the crossover to about 85 hz and turned the volume on the sub to almost halfway, and this combo fills my room with an almost perfect blend of bass, midrange, and treble. If you're just looking for solid bass to help your bookshelf speakers with music, this sub is terrific!

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.

If you're the type of person who thinks the rattle of a license plate from the four or more 15's in the trunk of a car sounds good, look elsewhere. This is not the subwoofer for you and your home theater. For everyone else, this is a great little sub. Proper room placement is everything with this little guy, though. Recommend a spot in a corner opposite the primary listening area.

I bought this used from amazon warehouse for about $30 less than a new one. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it other than it looked like an open box/returned item.

It sounds incredibly great for the price. My room is approx. 16x20x7 and this is plenty of bump. I love bass as much as the next guy, so if I had more cash and more room I might gotten a 12 incher, but it really wasn't needed for my room size anyway. As you can see from the pictures I added, I also have a Polk CS1 center and a Polk Monitor 60 fronts. I am in the process of getting 4 Polk Monitor 30's to use as surrounds to get the full 7.1 in my room. That room is going to be the place to be. I will be sad everytime I have to leave it.

I would have given this 4.5 stars. The deduction is because it is extremely affected by placement, though to be fair that's true of any subwoofer. I'm a little surprised that this one has lost almost all its punch now that I've moved it out of the corner, though. I would recommend a bigger sub if you need to place it along a wall in anything bigger than a 12x12 room. My living room is a little cavernous and I probably should have bought a bigger sub myself.

If you've got a corner for this, though, the sound is tight, the connections are good, and I think it's a very attractive piece of audio equipment. I've got it hooked up to a Polk SurroundBar 50 and the overall effect is very nice for not much more than $1000 total.