Little Boomer Packs Big Punch

Other reviews here give you the technical specifications, so I'll concentrate on what I perceive as this Polk sub's best feature - musicality. This is a relatively inexpensive sub by home stereo standards, yet it fills an important niche that will be of value to many consumers.

I have it installed in a Music/TV Room (14 X 18 X 9 foot ceiling)working with a 500W surround receiver. There are two Polk RT7s used as mains, a pair of Auratone cubes used for center channel, and two ceiling mounted JBL 10s for rear speakers.

If you want the "big boom" movie effect, the Polk sub and its built-in amp will certainly deliver it to any room up to about 20X20. I prefer to dial the sub into the system to help reproduce music more accurately, since I use the system as a main stereo source when not watching TV. I also watch a lot of concert and instructional music DVDs, and that's where the Polk is at its best.

The Polk delivers a realistic, tunable, perfectly balanced low end that will match to any speaker set and enhance any music playback system. To make it enhance your musical experience, you will have to dial back the kind of rumble that makes surround sound movies so dramatic. When I do play a TV show or DVD that requires the Big Rumble, I simple reach around behind my TV and crank up the sub a few notches.

If you like your games, DVDs or music to sound like the trunk of a hip-hop fan's car stereo, this isn't the box for you. For that kind of bass, you're going to need at least 100W and a 12" speaker. But if you're in the market for natural-sounding bass and a little more oomph from your TV system, the Polk PSW10 is an excellent choice.