O W N E R ’ S
M A N U A L
PSW202 POWERED SUBWOOFER
t h e s p e a k e r s p e c i a l i s t s®
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS READ BEFORE OPERATING EQUIPMENT
These products were designed and manufactured to meet strict quality and safety standards. There are, however, some installation and operation precautions which you should be particularly aware of.
1.Read Instructions—All the safety and operating instructions should be read before the system is operated.
2.Retain Instructions—The safety and operating instructions should be retained for future reference.
3.Heed Warnings—All warnings on the appliances and in the operating instructions should be adhered to.
4.Follow Instructions—All operating and use instructions should
be followed.
5.Cleaning—Unplug the appliances from wall outlets before cleaning. Do not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for cleaning.
6.Attachments—Do not use attachments not recommended by the product manufacturer as they may cause hazards.
7.Water and Moisture—Do not use these appliances near water-for example, near a bath tub, wash bowl, kitchen sink, or laundry tub, in a wet basement, or near a swimming pool, and the like.
8.Accessories—Do not place these appliances on an unstable cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table. The audio/video products may fall, causing serious injury to a child or adult, and serious damage to the products. Use only with a cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table recommended by the manufacturer, or sold with the appliances. Any mounting of the appliances should follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and should use mounting accessories recommended by the manufacturer.
9.Ventilation—Slots and openings in the cabinet are provided for ventilation and to ensure reliable operation of the appliances and to protect them from overheating, and these openings must not be blocked or covered. The openings should never be blocked by placing the products on a bed, sofa, rug, or other similar surface. These products should never be placed near or over a radiator or heat register. These products should not be placed in
a built-in installation such as a bookcase or rack unless proper ventilation is provided or the manufacturer’s instructions have been adhered to.
10.Power Sources—These products should be operated only from the type of power source indicated on the marking labels. If you are not sure of the type of power supply to your home, consult your appliance dealer or local power company. For video products intended to operate from battery power, or other sources, refer to the operating instructions.
11.Grounding or Polarization—These products are equipped with polarized alternating-current line plugs (plugs having one blade wider than the other). This plug will fit into the power outlet only one way. This is a safety feature. If you are unable to insert the plug fully into the outlet, try reversing the
plug. If the plug should still fail to fit, contact your electrician to replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized plug.
12. Power-Cord Protection—Power-supply
cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against them, paying particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the appliances.
13.Lightning—For added protection for these audio/video products during a lightning storm, or when they are left un-attended and unused for long periods of time, unplug them from the wall outlet and disconnect the antenna or cable system. This will prevent damage to the products due
to lightning and power-line surges.
14.Servicing—Do not attempt to service these products yourself as opening or removing covers may expose you to dangerous voltage or other hazards. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.
15.Damage Requiring Service—Unplug these products from wall
outlets and refer servicing to qualified service personnel under the following conditions:
a.When the power-supply cord or plug is damaged.
b.If liquid has been spilled, or objects have fallen into the products
c.If the products have been exposed to rain or water.
d.If the products do not operate normally by following the operating instructions. Adjust only those controls that are covered by the operating instructions as an improper adjustment of other controls may result in damage and will often require extensive work by a qualified technician to restore the product to its normal operation.
e.If the product has been dropped or the cabinet has been damaged.
f.When the product exhibits a distinct change in performance-this indicates
aneed for service.
16. Replacement Parts—When replacement parts are required, be sure the service technician has used replacement parts specified by the manufacturer or have the same characteristics as the original part. Unauthorized substitutions may result in fire, electric shock or other hazards.
17. Safety Check—Upon completion of any service or repairs to these products, ask the service technician to perform safety checks to determine that the products are in proper operating condition.
2 Contact Polk Audio Customer Service 1-800-377-7655, polkcs@polkaudio.com
G E T T I N G S T A R T E D
Please inspect your loudspeaker carefully. Notify your Polk dealer if you notice any damage or missing items. Keep the carton and packing material. It will do the best job of protecting your speaker if it needs to be transported.
P L A C E M E N T ( F I G U R E S 1 , 2 & 3 )
Your PSW Series subwoofer offers many placement options—in an entertainment center, behind furniture, or next to a sofa or chair. It can be placed anywhere in the room, but you will get the best performance from it when it is on the same side of the room as the front satellites. Placing it near a wall or in a corner will increase bass loudness. Allow at least 6 inches (15cm) of space between any subwoofer driver and a wall or obstruction (Figure 1). The subwoofer should only be placed on its base (Figure 2). It may lie on its side, but NEVER LAY THE SUBWOOFER ON THE AMPLIFIER END—THIS WILL DAMAGE THE AMPLIFIER (Figure 3).
The PSW202 subwoofer is magnetically shielded for safe placement near your television set. If you notice video distortion or discoloration, immediately move the subwoofer away from the TV and call Polk Audio Customer Service 800-377-7655 (US & Can), 410-358-3600, 9am-6pm EST, Monday through Friday, or email: polkcs@polkaudio.com.
You’ll find an informative article on “Subwoofer Positioning and Adjustment” in the set up section at: http://www.polkaudio.com/home/faqad/
C O N N E C T I N G T H E S U B W O O F E R T O T H E S Y S T E M — G E N E R A L
If you elect to use the speaker level inputs, use two-conductor 16 gauge or thicker speaker wires. See your Polk dealer for wire recommendations.
Note that one of the speaker input terminals on the rear of the speaker is marked red (+) and the other black (-). Make certain that you connect the wire from the red (+) terminal of your amplifier to the red (+) terminal on your speaker, and the wire from the black
(-) terminal of the amplifier to the black (-) terminal on your speaker. Most wire has some indication (such as color coding, ribbing, or writing) on one of the two conductors to help maintain consistency. If your subwoofer doesn’t seem to produce much bass, it is most likely that one of the speaker wires is connected backwards. Double check all connections for correct polarity.
Strip 1/2" of insulation from each of the two conductors on both ends to expose the bare wire. Twist the exposed wire of each conductor to form two un-frayed strands. Connect two conductors to the receiver or amp (refer to the owner’s manual supplied with your electronics for assistance with proper hookup). Connect the two conductors on the other end of the wire to the speaker terminals. Repeat for the other channel.
U S I N G P U S H - T A B ( F I G U R E 4 )
Push the plastic tab of one connector to open up the hole. Insert the bare wire into the hole, and release the plastic tab. Repeat this step for the other terminal (Figure 4).
Make sure that the two bare wire ends do not touch each other. Such contact could result in an electrical short and cause your receiver or amplifier to turn off or malfunction.
R E C O M M E N D E D H O O K - U P M E T H O D F O R “ S A T E L L I T E ” S Y S T E M S ( F I G U R E S 5 & 6 )
Connect the left and right front speaker outputs of your receiver or amplifier to the speaker level inputs of the powered subwoofer with speaker wire.
Then, connect the left and right front satellite speakers with speaker wire from the speaker level outputs from the powered subwoofer.
If it is more convenient, parallel wire the subwoofer and front satellites from your receiver (Figure 6).
Connect the Center Channel Speaker directly to the center channel output from your receiver.
Connect the Rear Surround Satellites directly to the rear or surround channel outputs from your receiver.
For accessories and information visit www.polkaudio.com 3
R E C E I V E R S E T - U P / B A S S M A N A G E M E N T
All surround receivers allow you to “customize” their performance depending on the size of your speakers. Refer to the owner's manual of your receiver or surround processor to learn how this is done. To get the best performance from small “satellite/subwoofer” type systems, use the following settings with the above hook-up method:
Front speakers -- set to “large”
Center speaker -- set to “normal” or “small”
Surround speakers -- set to “small”
Subwoofer -- set to “OFF” or “none.” (We know. Doesn’t make sense, right? Your system obviously has a subwoofer. But really truly, this is the correct setting for the recommended hook-up method. By setting the front left and right speakers to “Large” and routing them through the subwoofer as instructed above, you deliver a full range signal to the subwoofer’s low pass filter. The low pass filter takes the low frequencies and passes the rest on to the front speakers, for perfect sub/sat blending.)
H O O K - U P M E T H O D # 2 ( F I G U R E 7 )
This method can be used with electronics that include a “SUB OUT” feature (Figure 7). It is not recommended for use with RM Series “Sub/Sat” Systems.
Connect a single RCA cable from the “SUB OUT” of your electronics to the left and right. Use a “Y” cable to connect the single subwoofer output jack to the two Line Level Inputs of the subwoofer. This input bypasses the subwoofer’s variable low pass filter and relies on the filter built into your electronics. If your “SUB OUT” is an unfiltered signal (check your owner’s manual), use either
left or right “Line Level Input,” to use the low pass crossover in the subwoofer.
When using method #2, it is necessary to adjust the settings of your electronics as follows: Front speakers = large or small depending on their output capabiliteis; Subwoofer = “ON”.
H O O K - U P M E T H O D # 3 ( F I G U R E 8 )
This method is for use with electronics featuring “PRE OUT” jacks. Connect the front left and right preamp outputs from your electronics to the left and right LINE LEVEL input of the subwoofer. This may require use of RCA “Y” cables (not supplied) to hookup both the subwoofer and your electronics. When using this option, it is necessary to adjust the settings on your electronics as follows: Front speakers = “LARGE,” Subwoofer = “OFF” or “NO.”
S U B W O O F E R A D J U S T M E N T S ( F I G U R E 9 )
The PSW202 Powered Subwoofer offers a range of setting options. We recommend the following settings as starting points, but the settings that are best for you depend upon your speaker placement, electronics and personal taste. After you’ve become familiar with what the settings do, experiment with alternate options to find the method that works best for your system setup. You’ll find an informative article on “Subwoofer Positioning and Adjustment” in the set up section at: HTTP://WWW.POLKAUDIO.COM/HOME/FAQAD/
A C P O W E R ( F I G U R E 9 )
The PSW202 Powered Subwoofer has a built-in power amplifier and must be plugged into a standard household AC power source in order to operate. The power switch has three positions: “On,” “Off” and “Auto.” When the Powered Subwoofer is plugged in (even with the power switch in the “off” position) the power light will glow RED. In the “Auto” position, the amplifier will automatically turn on as soon as the speaker senses a signal coming from your electronics. The power light will change from RED to GREEN upon sensing a signal. The subwoofer will turn off approximately 15 minutes after input signal ceases, and the power light will return to RED.
In the “On” position, the power amplifier will operate and the power light will glow GREEN until the switch is set to the “Off” position or the AC cord is disconnected from a power source. We recommend using the “Auto” position. Turn it to “Off” if the system will not be used for extended periods of time, such as during vacations.
S U B W O O F E R L E V E L C O N T R O L — V O L U M E ( F I G U R E 9 )
Subwoofer level (volume) is adjusted via the knob on the rear amplifier plate. To set Subwoofer Level, play a piece of music that has an average amount of bass content. Start with the knob set to 12 o’clock and the Phase Switch set to 0. Adjust by ear using a wide variety of CDs and video sources. Adjust for deep, powerful bass without “boominess.”
4 Contact Polk Audio Customer Service 1-800-377-7655, polkcs@polkaudio.com
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