PSW125 died, need help with options

d_rob1031 said:

So the amp in my PSW125 died (has the heartbeat thump that seems prevalent) and I am waiting on Polk to tell me what to do with it since it is just out of warranty. It looks like the replacement amp is about $125, assuming they won't replace it.

I've been looking at the SVS Outlet thread and see the SB-1000 for ~$400

Coming from the standpoint I know little about the difference between the two, and the Polk is larger, would this be a downgrade going to the SVS?

Room size is about 2800cf, view is about 80% TV/Movie, 20% Music

Thanks for any help.

Click to expand...

SB-1000 will be a significant step up in sound quality but as a small sealed sub it's way under powered for primarily movies in a 2800cf room. I would look at ported subs. If your budget is in the $400-500 range I would look at:

SVS PB-1000 (unfortunately no more in outlet)
Monoprice Monolith 10
RSL Speedwoofer 10S
Hsu VTF-1 MK3
Hsu VTF-2 MK5

d_rob1031 said:

So the amp in my PSW125 died (has the heartbeat thump that seems prevalent) and I am waiting on Polk to tell me what to do with it since it is just out of warranty. It looks like the replacement amp is about $125, assuming they won't replace it.

I've been looking at the SVS Outlet thread and see the SB-1000 for ~$400

Coming from the standpoint I know little about the difference between the two, and the Polk is larger, would this be a downgrade going to the SVS?

Room size is about 2800cf, view is about 80% TV/Movie, 20% Music

Thanks for any help.

Click to expand...

If you were generally happy with the Polk you could repair and add a second for about $400, hopefully less if you get a break. Two subs are substantially better than one. It's hard to say what would have caused an amp failure, but a single relatively small sub in a larger room often gets pushed hard, maybe without the listener even realizing it. Having two subs would result in each working less at any given volume level. Of course with cheaper subs you have cheaper amps, quality is sometimes suspect.


If you want to go in another direction for whatever reason, then what's your spending limit? How much of an improvement (if any) are you looking for? The HSU 12" is about $600, the base 15" is about $850 (both delivered). The extra $250 is well worth it if you can swing it, that upgrade will have a "wow" factor associated with it as compared with the Polk.