The Polk HTS 10 ported subwoofer that is highly affordable, attractive, well-built, and promises to deliver deep tight bass with low distortion. Let’s review if that’s the case.
Retailing for $349.95 (but you can also find it cheaper during promotional periods or refurbished version for around $220), the HTS 10 subwoofer is part of Polk Audio’s Signature Series and is available in washed black walnut or classic brown walnut colors. The 100 watts RMS class-D amplifier (200 watts peak) pushing a 10″ polypropylene cone driver woofer is a huge step up from your low-end subwoofers. While not considered high-end, the front firing driver with down firing port does more than enough for an average home theater fan at a very reasonable price. Remember, specs aren’t everything.
Theoretically, you don’t have to timbre-match your subwoofer with your speaker system, but the Polk HTS series subwoofer, 10″ or 12″ version, matches perfectly with the Signature Series fronts sonically and aesthetically. Speaking of looks, The finish on the cabinet looks really nice and can easily blend in with any room decor. However, this thing is massive. Just make sure you have room.
This sub offers controls for volume, low-pass frequency (40 Hz to 160 Hz), and phase adjustment. For inputs, you get an unfiltered LFE connection in addition to stereo RCA connections with the low-pass function. There’s also a power auto on/off switch and a 12-volt trigger.
The before mentioned auto on/off control is a nice power-saving feature. By default, the auto on/off allows the subwoofer to be automatically on when it senses audio signal from your receiver or amplifier. Keep in mind you don’t have the option to always have it stay on. In our testing, this worked pretty good. Some people have reported that the subwoofer does not turn on when an older receiver is powered. We think this is only an issue with older receivers that desperately need an upgrade.
So how does it sound? People have reported this subwoofer producing wall shaking bass and we can confirm that’s definitely the case, especially if you have it turned up. Even at earth-shattering volumes, the thumps and thuds are clean and tight. You will notice the audio coming out of your speaker system is cleaner. You want the sub to disappear into the background, so that you don’t even realize it’s there. That’s a sign of a really good subwoofer and this sub really delivers on that promise. It sounds great for movies, music and games.
Product description
• Deep Bass for Home Theater and Music
• Front-firing long-throw 10” Polypropylene Dynamic Balance and Klippel optimized driver
• Floor-firing patented Power Port Technology for deeper bass response and reduced port noise
• Complete Control – built-in controls for variable volume, low pass filter and phase (0/180°) for optimum bass levels.
Specs
Height: 16.614″ (42.2 cm)
Width: 15.118″ (38.4 cm)
Depth: 16.1″ (40.89 cm)
Weight: 37.75 lbs (17.12 kg)
Subwoofer Array Driver Enclosure Type: Power Port Bass Vented
Subwoofer Array Driver Complement: (1) 10″ (25.4 cm) d (Round) Polypropylene Dynamic Balance and Klippel optimized driver – Subwoofer
Peak Power: 200 Watts
Continuous Power: 100 Watts
Amplifier Class: Class D
Total Frequency Response: 25 Hz → .180 Hz
Nominal Impedance: 8 ohms
Lower and Upper -3dB Limits: 30 Hz → .120 Hz
Audio Inputs: LFE (Unfiltered), Stereo Line Level – (2) RCA
IO Button Location: Back Panel
Adjusts: Volume +/-, Low Pass Filter (30Hz-120Hz), Phase (0/180°), Power: Auto on/off, DC control (12V trigger)
US Power Cycle: Energy Star Compliant with Auto Standby (.5W)
Electronics Warranty: 3 years
Drivers Warranty: 5 years
Polk official videos
