Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Connecting Integrated Amp to Sub

No I think not, I have a set of M80s powered by a Rotel amp so I know what sounds good and what does not. I also have a Hsu sub with proper bass management and to my ears it sounds better with the sub than without. You very well might have a piece of crap sub that you are trying to get to sound as good as the M60s. If this Polk, not know for good subs BTW, isn't sounding good with what ever you do then it might be time to try a better sub.

Wid: That encourages me to return the sub back to my friend (maybe that's why he gave it to me), and hunt for another one. As for Polk not being known for good subs, you can find people to say HSU, SVS, and all the others are crap. The same for any piece of audio gear, TVs, etc. So, in general, I don't make decisions based on hearsay and the opinions of casual users. And I've read some good reviews on the PSW505, by so-called pros. But we know they're paid off.
I have an acquaintance in Toronto who has bought and tried most of the big-name brands, and says nothing compares to the Polk PSW505. He's had the Polks for a year now, and uses some of the other subs to demonstrate their inferiority to the Polk.
I have a cheap integrated amp driving M60's, and although some may think it's bottom-of the-line equipment, I love it - and that's all that matters to me.

I think collectively, this site has a lot of seasoned and knowledgeable users, and that's why I visit frequently for advise.

Eric, although that particular sub isn't one that would be on my shopping list in that price range, I doubt that it should be described as "crap". It's hard to evaluate someone else's subjective description of sounds, but the "muddy" term that you use may be what any sub playing only the fundamental frequencies with little or no harmonics produces. When you set a sub to roll off above 80Hz or lower and then disconnect the mains, you hear dull thuds, which can't be termed "fast", "tight", "musical", etc. Nevertheless, when combined with the harmonics which the mains play, the net result is full-frequency music.

Hi JohnK: You're right; they're not crappy. It's just after two days of trying to set up the sub I'm getting very frustrated, and letting that frustration get the better of me. I've read many posts and articles that gives you the impression that you just hook up the sub, and away you go to Musicland. The cheap little booklet that comes with the sub doesn't even talk about stereo on its own, so I've wired the sub according to the picture which best depicts my situation. I've also tried the various combos suggested by members of this forum - thank you all for making suggestions that may be a loosing battle. Even Polk's Tech support hasn't responded yet.

John, your post sums up everything very nicely. My problem is that the music sounds considerably better with the subs off. The M60's are sweet, while the sub produces a distorted muddy sound. The peculiar thing is if I plug the pre-amp to the sub LFE I/P, I get the full spectrum of music and it doesn't sound that bad, but the sound is very poor compared to just the M60's playing by themselves. And I've tried every combo of amp, speaker, and sub. My speaker placement is wrong (house being renovated, and my bedroom has become a dumping grounds for anything you can think off). But I would still expect good sounding music. And it seems when I change the CD I'm listening to, I have to adjust the sub's volume.

Can you borrow a different sub from someone else? Perhaps the Polk is damaged in some way.

Mojo: Everyone I know that are running subs have 5.1. Won't this 'manage' the bass?

Mojo: I bought my son the same Integrated Amp that I have. He's driving some no-name speakers he literally found in the garbage, and some Sony stereo car bass speakers with a rip in them. The sound is very good, relatively speaking. Voice never comes out. Everything sounds like one complete system.

If anyone is interested in the 9,000,000 ways to connect your receiver/amp to the PSW505 sub, click on the this link.

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/individual/subwoofers/psw505/

I think I've tried every configuration that makies sense, only to be confronted with failure.

At first I thought subs stink. But after listening to my son's setup (the main speakers and sub are BAD), I think there may be hope.

With those garbage speakers of his, his sytem sounded quite nice. Surely I should be able to pass him in leaps and bounds.

Faulty sub?

Sorry for calling your sub crap, it was uncalled for.

Hi Rick: Were subs invented before the advent of HT. Maybe my amp just doesn't have the voltage levels required to sustain a sub (I think someone on this thread suggested that already). A faulty sub sounds like a reasonable conclusion, since I've tried almost everything suggested on this Forum, and none of them worked, or if they did work, it was to a limited degree.

As for calling my subs crap, I would rather have you call it the way you see, rather than just pussy-footing around. I am not offended in the least bit. It was a straight-forward call after all suggestions were tried, and not a personal attack on me. All you did was put into words what other people might be thinking. Please carry on using descriptives that you think are appropriate. No apology needed, only your good advise.