I've spent a lot of time researching, building and upgrading subwoofers, mainly pro audio and home hi fi. My criterion is simple: I don't want to hear the subwoofer while it's playing, but I want to miss it when it's taken out of the mix (exception being live electronic dance music. EV twin 18" cabs & a sub harmonic synthesizer move internal organs around).
I've heard the smack talk concerning Polk Audio's PSW10. It's true that most brands' entry-level offerings don't quite enthral listeners. It's also true that patience & persistence can pay rich dividends in a system's performance.
I have a fellow audioholic bud that runs a pair of these Polks in both of his systems and they sound good enough, slightly boomy for my pallet but he likes it like that. He thinks I like too much treble, I do like the stick hitting the cymbals and afterwards the cymbal's sizzle, but not overpowering.
My beautiful wife bought me a used PSW10 for my birthday so I'd quit squalling about my GFA555 shooting craps, it powered my JBL Pro-former little passive sub and my beloved Realistic 12" passive sub before that.
It took a couple days of fiddling, didn't just fall into tune but the perseverance payed off. The system sounds great! If I wasn't happy with it, I could fix the Adcom and use a modded Peavey FH-1, I swapped the 15" cheap sounding low power Chinese driver with a JBL 2224 sub. It goes down real low.
Not needed, tho, the Polk works fine. Can I get some thoughts on this? Especially those who've had positive experiences, thanks for taking the time to read this post.