Product Comparison: Polk Audio PSW505 vs Polk Audio PSW125

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Best Pick

Polk Audio PSW505 Powered Subwoofer

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Polk Audio PSW125 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)

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General Specifications

Brand

Polk Audio

Model

PSW505 ( AM8505-A)

PSW125

Origin

USA

China

About the Product

The PSW505 is equally at home reproducing all the subtle nuance of a plucked string bass as it is belting out a rocket's roar. Full-featured and over-powered, the PSW505 will rock your world.

The PSW125 Powered Subwoofer delivers powerful, accurate and musical bass at shockingly low prices. Built for power and value, the PSW125 represents a continuing refinement of the highly regarded PSW Series and a great introduction to visceral home theater bass performance.

Key Specs

Power RMS

300 watts

150 watts

Driver Diameter

12 in.

Power RMS
Driver Diameter

Size & Weight

Color

Black

Height

16.13 in.

16.5 in.

Width

15.13 in.

16.25 in.

Depth

18.19 in.

19.13 in.

Weight

48 lbs.

40.1 lbs.

What customers say about "Size & Weight"

Polk Audio PSW505 Powered Subwoofer

Solid construction and good weight.
The weight is good though because it will never shuffle around the floor, even when pushing it.
I love the design and structure. The sub was well packaged and took a few minutes to set up.
Awesome deep bass creator and is incredibly heavy. The build is robust and works like a charm. Produces such heavy and deep bass that could shadow other heavily priced brands.
I also have one large complaint regarding the design. All of the speaker input posts are clustered so close together that it is virtually impossible to use high quality cables with good connectors. There is just not enough room.
Sound is good. Have had this for a few months now with limited use, and already 3 of the four cheap plastic feet have split and broken off leaving exposed screws that have gouged my floor.

Polk Audio PSW125 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)

If you are looking for a good sub for the size, it does a terrible job of representing 12 inch subs.
Yes, it is heavy at 44lbs, and the construction seems quite sold and well made.
Pretty acceptable size for my closet. Look great and beautifully made.
The black metal grill, and the overall size of the cabinet gives it an intimidating look.
This sub is a beast. Don't be mislead by the pictures. The weight and size of it is substantial. Very heavy.

Audio

Min. Frequency Response

23 Hz

30 Hz

Max. Frequency Response

160 Hz

225 Hz

Peak Power

460 watts

300 watts

Sound Output Direction

Front-firing

Amplifier Class

Class AB

What customers say about "Audio"

Polk Audio PSW505 Powered Subwoofer

Boy, did I make the right purchase. It did take a bit of tweaking, as it should for anyone. You need to find the right balance of power on the sub itself, the low-pass filter of the receiver, and the sub-woofer level of the receiver.
It is a powered sub woofer with more power than I ever expected. I like running wide open and this unit I can not it just blows me away. Very good and powerful sub woofer , I have a lot of respect for it.
This sub doesnt overpower even if you are in apartment. Just use volume and frequency control knobs at back to tame this beast. I live in apartment and i have no issues with this sub.
Very powerful and estheically pleasing so fits nicely in your room Has a nice kick so no need to turn the volume high to get that nice deep bass.
This subwoofer doesn't have the defined bass of a higher end sub. It can rattle the house but the bass sounds muddy at low frequency.
Returning this item as amp runs extremely hot, you can feel the heat from the knobs on the amp when trying to adjust the volume or crossover frequency.

Polk Audio PSW125 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)

These units bring in the low-end frequencies nicely. The first unit is just now getting broken in, so it takes a little some using get their best sounds.
Run your speaker setup and set all of your other speakers to "small", and set the sub-woofer crossover frequency to 80hz, and prepare to be amazed.
Super clean low frequency. Fits my 7.1 channel Onkyo home theater. Like earthquake.
The 300W amplifier is apparently going out, which starts with a faint popping "heartbeat" sound which is almost inaudible.
Bought this speaker a little over 3 years ago. Recently developed a tapping (heartbeat) sound. Amplifier probably going bad.

Features

Box Design

Ported

Controls

Volume control, Bass adjustment, Phase switch

Volume control, Phase switch, Low Pass

App-Controlled

Indoor Or Outdoor Use

Indoor

Extras

Slot Load Venting improves bass response.

Laser based Klippel measurement technology, Dynamic Balance®, Downward Firing Ports, Klippel Optimized Woofer, Non-Resonant MDF Construction

App-Controlled

What customers say about "Features"

Polk Audio PSW505 Powered Subwoofer

My favorite feature of this polk audio sub is the auto on and off switch. I think that is the coolest thing, since it gets used daily, I can just leave it on auto and anytime I turn the stereo on and start playing music, the sub will turn itself on.
The PSW505 has all the power and features I wanted: Auto off and an unfiltered line input
I have engaged the auto on/off feature, which works fine. It pops on almost as soon as I power on my receiver and shuts off about minutes after I turn everything off.
The amount of controls and options for different wiring configurations is quite nice
Amp is cheaply made. All the controls on it are what you find on cheapo electronics. Sound is dull and you can't really crank it, distortions kick in.
Typical BOOMY subwoofer, terrible pitch control, slow response.

Polk Audio PSW125 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)

There are adjustments for both amplifier level and cross-over frequency, depending on how the unit is to be connected into your system.
Controls on the back can contour the sound to keep it from being overpowering. I'm now considering replacing my front main and center speakers with Polk.
I have great control of the output with the level knob set at less than half and phase set to 180 degrees.
The first time the amplifier went out and Polk sent me a new one under warranty. The second time the volume knob stopped working.
The volume control went crazy. The slightest touch and the sub would go POW!

Connectivity

Inputs

RCA in, Line in (LFE unfiltered/low frequencies filtered in)

Stereo RCA, 2x Speakers

Outputs

Low-frequency filtered stereo out for 2 external speakers

2x Speakers

What customers say about "Connectivity"

Polk Audio PSW505 Powered Subwoofer

Connectivity is versatile and works well with my receiver
You have the option to connect the HT receiver's subout to either the single LFE or the two non LFE connections. In my case, using a y connection into the two non LFE connection did not produce sufficient loudness.
As for the configuration, it was very simple to set up and get working. Connect your RCA cable, power, and flip the Auto or ON switch. This is honestly one of the BEST subs I have ever heard (or had the opportunity of owning) for an indoor stereo system.
Love the fact that I can hear what best connection to use via LTE cable, RCA Line In or good ol' raw speaker wire hook up.
I am not an audiophile but I think this product offers outstanding performance for the price. I used the 'direct' connection between the amp and the subwoofer so the hookup was very easy.

Polk Audio PSW125 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)

The speaker is connected to a receiver and it works great; I'm also using a Polk soundbar.
Its performance is astounding. Easy to connect, clear instructions, and it can connect to any amp.
Connectors show excellent connection with my receiver.
A month later, the subwoofer stopped working apparently something happened to the audio connectors.
The sound all the time came out with some kind of interference. It seems to me that the problem was in the connectors because after fixing them everything began to work well.

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

3 year(s)

Certifications

Other Information

Manufacturer

Link

MSRP

399.95 $

Manual

Download