Question 1

Do I need a Y-adpater?  A sound tech told me one sub wire would do the trick and just plug it into the L and ignore the R.  Is this true?

Accepted Answer

You don’t “need” a y-adapter.
It depends on your audio source. If you are using an audio/video receiver (like Yamaha/Denon/Kenwood etc) or a PC Sound card with a “sub out,” then that output already summed up the left and right channel’s bass frequencies (LFE) into one Mono output, and you can plug that into either RCA input on the PSW10 subwoofer. It’s also recommended to set the sub’s crossover dial as high as it will go (because the source will dictate the crossover point).

Why then are there left and right RCA inputs on the sub, and a crossover dial? And Speaker binding posts? All of that is for using the sub as an amp to power (efficient) speakers. In that setup, you wire up the passive speakers into the subwoofer’s binding posts, plug the L&R RCA inputs into your TV or other source’s RCA outputs, set the crossover somewhere just above the speaker’s lowest part of their rated frequency response range (if you don’t know, I think 120 Hz is a good guess), and then the volume dial controls both the speakers and the sub (you can’t independently control the balance of bass to mids/treble). The sound quality like this is… not great. But if you need the option, at least it works?

Question 2

Can this sub be added to a Vizio 2.0 sound bar, for small to medium-sized HDTV's? If not, what should I get? For TV/Games/Music

Accepted Answer

Like John, I too have a Vizio 2.0 sound bar and this pairs very well. I have a small theater room (10 x 20) and this one 10" fills the room. This sub is the best bang for the buck you can get.

Question 3

Does this speaker have a volume control?   Thanks.

Accepted Answer

Yes, it has a volume control.

If you have an integrated amp or audio-video receiver (AVR), then you plug the speakers into that, and this sub into the sub-out, and use the AVR or amp to set the bass crossover point (and turn up the dial on the sub’s crossover so that you don’t have a “hole” between where you set the sub’s limit and the amp’s low frequency output). In this configuration, you can boost or decrease the bass emphasis by turning the volume dial on the back of the sub.

In the fringe case that you don’t have a speaker amp, you can connect (efficient) passive speakers to the binding posts on the back of the subwoofer, and control the crossover and volume of the system from the dials on the back of the subwoofer. As you can imagine from a $200 subwoofer (I got this same model for half that), the amp in the sub for speakers is… not great. But it exists.

Question 4

What in your opinion is the best power setting for normal use, "on" or "auto" for this unit.

Accepted Answer

I use the "ON" power setting because the Sub and my Receiver are plugged into a smart surge power strip. When the Receiver turns on/off so does the Sub. No wasted power.

Special Feature	Surround Sound
Recommended Uses For Product	Musical
Compatible Devices	Television
Subwoofer Diameter	10 Inches
Surround Sound Channel Configuration	1.0
Color	Black
Item Weight	11.8 Kilograms
Is Waterproof	False
Item model number	AM1055-C
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer	No
Color Name	Black
Output Wattage	50 Watts
Size	36.51 x 35.56 x 40.96cm
Standing screen display size	1 Inches
Voltage	220 Volts
Wattage	100 W

Polk Audio PSW10 10" Powered Subwoofer - Featuring High Current Amp and Low-Pass Filter | Up to 100 Watts | Big Bass at a Great Value | Easy integration Home Theater Systems

Details

Description

Specifications

Have a Question? See What Others Asked

Common Questions