Infinity 8" Subwoofer (PS 8) (PS-8)
By: Infinity Average Rating: 5.0 Total Reviews: 8
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 On: 2007-05-29
I purchased this to replace a passive sub woofer. I am very impressed with the power of this subwoofer considering its small size. My room is 15 by 20 and the subwoofer fills it with clean bass which can rattle the windows without making music or dvds sound muddy.
On: 2007-01-09
This sub is a nice buy for the money. It outperforms any 8" sub in its class for the money, and some 10" subs I have heard. The punch from the bass is tight and accurate, and can adequately compliment a surround system in any small to medium sized room. Its small size lets it blend into the decor, but without sacrificing sound.
On: 2006-12-25
I just purchsed this sub as part of the PRIMUSHCSCH Home Theater Pack of speakers. Look at (professional) reviews of the Infinity Primus speakers and youll see these speakers were created for musicality first, although home theater sounds great, too. I first and foremost want a system that sounds tight and clear playing at all registers. I love the timbre of an upright bass more than the shaking of the floor in a movie explosion, and this sub is phenomenal at both. This system delivers in all respects. It includes 4 Primus 140 bookshelf/sattelites and one center speaker as well as the sub. This package without the sub sells around $300, but look for the one with sub included and you will be blown away by the sound and the price.
 On: 2006-12-17
I first purchased a polk 10" 50 watt powerd sub. It sounded muddy. Returned it for the infinity 8" and i kept it. Got it on sale at circuit city for $160.00 .Very pleased, has a cleaner, defined sound even at lower volumes. Bass is very good.
On: 2006-10-06
I replaced a JBL subwoofer that was twice the size of the Infinity PS-8. I am a fan of JBL equipment, especially their bookshelf speakers. The JBL sub had dual 6.5" drivers that fired down. I put carpet coasters under the legs of the sub so the drivers would remain far enough above the carpet to move without bottoming-out on the carpet. I even put a board under the sub, but took it out soon after becasue it made no difference. The sound was always kind of muddy with the JBL. I never got that tight bass I like so much when listening to The Police and other bass-heavy music. The sub was great for movies that had a lot of wall-shaking bass. This sub could rattle the walls, but it lacked definition, which I refer to as "tight" bass sound.
I would have thought the JBLs 6.5" drivers would be better at the upper bass range than a larger driver, but it was not so. The amp went bad recently, and kept blowing fuses even with no input signal, and with the power swith in the off position and the volume dial turned all the way down. When I plugged it in, the sub just hummed loudly until the fuse blew. After looking for crossed wires in the electronics (I had to remove the amp plate), and blowing three fuses during tests, I finally gave up. The JBL gave me 8 years of service, but its time had come. Rare failure for JBL gear. I didnt know what I was missing, though.
This sub is used in my family room for music and home theater. Its a modest setup. 30" Zenith HDTV, JBL G200 2-way bookshelf speakers with 6.5" woofers. JBL center and surround satellites (with dual 3" drivers). I have a JVC 65-watt receiver (about 12 years old) that has Dolby Pro Logic I (5.1), but not Dolby digital, a dedicated subwoofer-out channel (RCA jack) but no LFE out. The JVC is next on my list to replace.
My family room is 14 x 23, in a single-family home with standard 8 ceilings. The sub sits in the front right corner of the room beside a wall and an oak cabinet built into a brick wall next to a fireplace.
The difference in quality after switching to the Infinity is remarkable. And the latest pricing makes it the best deal I have seen for under $300. The MTX and Sony subs in this price range cant compare. Polk is good, but at a much higher price for comparable quality. Velodyne starts at more than twice the price. The MSRP of $299 for the Infinity is now half of that on Amazon. I dont know if they are coming out with a new model, but when it comes to subwoofers, there are not a lot of breakthroughs from one year to the next. The new Infinity model, if there is one on the way, will not likely be better quality, but it will have the new model price tag, much closer to its MSRP.
Infinity is a very well respected brand, and if that name doesnt impress you, remember that Infinity is a Harman Kardon company. I have an HK AVR65 receiver with Carver HT speakers in my basement rec room. Awesome. But back to my family room.
Not only is the Infinity PS-8 crisper, it is also louder and richer than my JBL. The JBL sub did not have a crossover dial, but the Infinity has one. I can set the sub to handle all the bass below the 55kHz low end on the bookshelf speakers. Actually, I set the sub to handle everything 100kHz and below, because I dont think the 6.5" drivers of the bookshelves can handle low bass as well as the 8" Infinity driver. Even at 150kHz and below, the sub easily handles all the frequencies. Its nice to have that flexibility. For movies, I set the sub lower than for music, so the sub is dedicated more to the wall-shaking frequencies than the high bass.
Bottom line. Buy it. Love it. Live it. No regrets.
On: 2006-09-26
At the right discount, this is THE subwoofer bargain of the year. Rich, deep, clean bass that doesnt battle the loudspeakers. Low profile, unobtrusive design, but cool behind the grill.
On: 2006-04-05
Im kind of an amateur audio nut, and one of my longest held fantasies was to have an audio workstation at my desk that would allow me to do just about anything I wanted to in terms of simple recording, copying, listening to music, etc.
So a few years ago, I decided to bite the bullet and talked my wife into letting me buy a few toys, including a pair of Infinity RS-1 bookshelf speakers, along with a rack-mount 100 watt stereo amp and matching 15 band stereo equalizer to drive them. Ive used and loved this setup for years now, and I thought (and still do) that the bass response of my little bookshelf speakers was remarkably good for their small size. I never really even thought about getting a separate subwoofer, until ...
My awakening came when I got one of those Altec Lansing powered speaker systems for my wife to use at work, for plugging in her MP3 player at her workstation. It came with two small speaker towers that are placed at either side of your computer screen, and a larger subwoofer cabinet that goes on the ground underneath your desk. When I plugged that thing in, and cranked a few of my favorite tunes, I was very impressed with the broad dynamic range of that little $50.00 system, particularly at the low end. I started hearing my little Infinitys in a different light, and I decided right then and there that I HAD to add a powered subwoofer to my little system.
Because Im so fond of my Infinity bookshelf speakers, the first place I looked for a powered subwoofer was Infinity, and I found the PS-8. The PS-8 is Infinitys "entry level" powered subwoofer, with an 8-inch bass driver, and a rated frequency response of 35Hz to 150Hz. I noted a few other products in the same price range claiming a broader frequency response at both the high and low ends, but first, you generally dont buy a subwoofer for reproducing sound in a frequency range above 120Hz, so it doesnt matter much whether the subwoofer can go there or not. Second, if you think youre going to get any more than a token signal response below 35Hz or so from any subwoofer with an 8-inch driver, youve probably got another think coming.
I opted for the PS-8, because I suspected that its narrower frequency rating meant a subwoofer that was more carefully engineered to produce the best quality lows possible within the ideal operating range of the driver. I was right.
When I pulled this thing out of the box, I was knocked out by its simple beauty. The black ash finish used on the speaker cabinet is a dead-on match for my bookshelf speakers, with the cool Infinity emblem appearing at the bases of both the removable face cover, and the cabinet face behind the cover, in case you want to leave the cover off. You might just want to do that, because behind the face cover is a custom-fitted metal mounting plate, the anchor for a matching polymer driver cone, centered in a soft, flexible neoprene seal. This cabinet/speaker combo is a little brick s**thouse ... truly a thing of beauty.
At the rear of the cabinet is a rock-solid steel face plate with a heat sink, AC power cord, power switch, level control, crossover control and phase switch, along with three different kinds of inputs: LFE, Line-level RCA, and High Level/Amplifier.
If your home theater/receiver/amplifier has an "LFE" output, it will send a specialized subwoofer signal to the PS-8s LFE port, and all youll have to adjust on the PS-8 is the volume level. Your system and the PS-8 will do the rest. If you have an RCA-style L/R subwoofer output on your system, the PS-8 will accommodate that too, but youll have to adjust the crossover to match up the PS-8 to your regular speakers, e.g., to set a high-frequency cutoff point for the PS-8.
If your existing system has neither LFE nor RCA subwoofer outs, fear not. The PS-8 will also take a direct feed from your amplifier. That is, you mate the subwoofer leads to your speaker leads, put them together into the same connectors as your speakers, and the PS-8 automatically detects and plays only the subwoofer portion of the signal coming from that source, with no effect whatsoever on the volume level or performance of your regular speakers.
All the switches, inputs and connectors on the PS-8 are solid, pro-audio quality, and the proprietary "MMD" crossover technology developed by Infinity to segregate the subwoofer frequencies and drive the bass speaker is also top-notch stuff.
The PS-8 is designed to set up once, and then pretty much forget it. Once the power switch is turned on, the unit automatically turns itself on when a subwoofer signal is detected, and turns itself off about 10 minutes after the signal is gone. When your system is off, so is the PS-8.
But now, lets talk about the SOUND. I plugged this thing in, set the crossover at about 100Hz (the bottom end of my bookshelf speakers is somewhere around 60Hz), and set the volume level at 50%. I then played some of my favorite tunes, and kiddies, I was totally BLOWN AWAY. I was stunned to realize how much of this music I had been missing with just my bookshelf speakers. It was like comparing AM radio with FM stereo. When the bass drum thumped, I FELT it thump. Bass notes that were nothing more than a blip before, lingered and vibrated through the room and my body, rich and full, as if I were watching the band live. NO distortion. NO "sloppiness." Firm, tight and round bass, seamlessly filling out the crisp mids and highs generated by my bookshelf speakers.
My test DVD was Gladiator, and the soundtrack ROCKED. It was like I was in the theater ... no ... even BETTER than that, because there was no one crawling over me to get to their seat. All the warm, lush bass present in the classical score, rolling over me like waves in the ocean. Awesome.
When I turned the volume level on the PS-8 up beyond 50%, the bass went from warm and full to thunderous, with absolutely NO degradation in quality. If you like heavier bass, its all there for you in the volume knob of this little gem. I would tend to agree that this subwoofer probably wouldnt satisfy the bass appetites of hardcore rappers and the like, but it wasnt designed for that kind of use. It was designed to flesh out typical music and home theater applications, and it does that job BRILLIANTLY.
The PS-8 is a little pricey at the $250 range, but it is truly worth every penny of that. You could easily spend a lot more for a powered subwoofer that does a lot less than the PS-8. If you want the bass, go for it. You wont regret it.
On: 2006-04-04
Im kind of an amateur audio nut, and one of my longest held fantasies was to have an audio workstation at my desk that would allow me to do just about anything I wanted to in terms of simple recording, copying, listening to music, etc.
So a few years ago, I decided to bite the bullet and talked my wife into letting me buy a few toys, including a pair of Infinity RS-1 bookshelf speakers, along with a rack-mount 100 watt stereo amp and matching 15 band stereo equalizer to drive them. Ive used and loved this setup for years now, and I thought (and still do) that the bass response of my little bookshelf speakers was remarkably good for their small size. I never really even thought about getting a separate subwoofer, until ...
My awakening came when I got one of those Altec Lansing powered speaker systems for my wife to use at work, for plugging in her MP3 player at her workstation. It came with two small speaker towers that are placed at either side of your computer screen, and a larger subwoofer cabinet that goes on the ground underneath your desk. When I plugged that thing in, and cranked a few of my favorite tunes, I was very impressed with the broad dynamic range of that little $50.00 system, particularly at the low end. I started hearing my little Infinitys in a different light, and I decided right then and there that I HAD to add a powered subwoofer to my little system.
Because Im so fond of my Infinity bookshelf speakers, the first place I looked for a powered subwoofer was Infinity, and I found the PS-8. The PS-8 is Infinitys "entry level" powered subwoofer, with an 8-inch bass driver, and a rated frequency response of 35Hz to 150Hz. I noted a few other products in the same price range claiming a broader frequency response at both the high and low ends, but first, you generally dont buy a subwoofer for reproducing sound in a frequency range above 120Hz, so it doesnt matter much whether the subwoofer can go there or not. Second, if you think youre going to get any more than a token signal response below 35Hz or so from any subwoofer with an 8-inch driver, youve probably got another think coming.
I opted for the PS-8, because I suspected that its narrower frequency rating meant a subwoofer that was more carefully engineered to produce the best quality lows possible within the ideal operating range of the driver. I was right.
When I pulled this thing out of the box, I was knocked out by its simple beauty. The black ash finish used on the speaker cabinet is a dead-on match for my bookshelf speakers, with the cool Infinity emblem appearing at the bases of both the removable face cover, and the cabinet face behind the cover, in case you want to leave the cover off. You might just want to do that, because behind the face cover is a custom-fitted metal mounting plate, the anchor for a matching polymer driver cone, centered in a soft, flexible neoprene seal. This cabinet/speaker combo is a little brick s**thouse ... truly a thing of beauty.
At the rear of the cabinet is a rock-solid steel face plate with a heat sink, AC power cord, power switch, level control, crossover control and phase switch, along with three different kinds of inputs: LFE, Line-level RCA, and High Level/Amplifier.
If your home theater/receiver/amplifier has an "LFE" output, it will send a specialized subwoofer signal to the PS-8s LFE port, and all youll have to adjust on the PS-8 is the volume level. Your system and the PS-8 will do the rest. If you have an RCA-style L/R subwoofer output on your system, the PS-8 will accommodate that too, but youll have to adjust the crossover to match up the PS-8 to your regular speakers, e.g., to set a high-frequency cutoff point for the PS-8.
If your existing system has neither LFE nor RCA subwoofer outs, fear not. The PS-8 will also take a direct feed from your amplifier. That is, you mate the subwoofer leads to your speaker leads, put them together into the same connectors as your speakers, and the PS-8 automatically detects and plays only the subwoofer portion of the signal coming from that source, with no effect whatsoever on the volume level or performance of your regular speakers.
All the switches, inputs and connectors on the PS-8 are solid, pro-audio quality, and the proprietary "MMD" crossover technology developed by Infinity to segregate the subwoofer frequencies and drive the bass speaker is also top-notch stuff.
The PS-8 is designed to set up once, and then pretty much forget it. Once the power switch is turned on, the unit automatically turns itself on when a subwoofer signal is detected, and turns itself off about 10 minutes after the signal is gone. When your system is off, so is the PS-8.
But now, lets talk about the SOUND. I plugged this thing in, set the crossover at about 100Hz (the bottom end of my bookshelf speakers is somewhere around 60Hz), and set the volume level at 50%. I then played some of my favorite tunes, and kiddies, I was totally BLOWN AWAY. I was stunned to realize how much of this music I had been missing with just my bookshelf speakers. It was like comparing AM radio with FM stereo. When the bass drum thumped, I FELT it thump. Bass notes that were nothing more than a blip before, lingered and vibrated through the room and my body, rich and full, as if I were watching the band live. NO distortion. NO "sloppiness." Firm, tight and round bass, seamlessly filling out the crisp mids and highs generated by my bookshelf speakers.
My test DVD was Gladiator, and the soundtrack ROCKED. It was like I was in the theater ... no ... even BETTER than that, because there was no one crawling over me to get to their seat. All the warm, lush bass present in the classical score, rolling over me like waves in the ocean. Awesome.
When I turned the volume level on the PS-8 up beyond 50%, the bass went from warm and full to thunderous, with absolutely NO degradation in quality. If you like heavier bass, its all there for you in the volume knob of this little gem. I would tend to agree that this subwoofer probably wouldnt satisfy the bass appetites of hardcore rappers and the like, but it wasnt designed for that kind of use. It was designed to flesh out typical music and home theater applications, and it does that job BRILLIANTLY.
The PS-8 is a little pricey at the $250 range, but it is truly worth every penny of that. You could easily spend a lot more for a powered subwoofer that does a lot less than the PS-8. If you want the bass, go for it. You wont regret it.
On: 2006-01-23
i recently purchased the bose acoustimass 3, but i was dissapointed with the bass output, too much high end, not enough low end, so i returned it, and started looking for powere sub, i first tried JBL, the bass was not to impressive, tried MTX same sounds, tried POLK same, the i walked away and heard a good bass sound it was the 8 inch Infinity PS8, awesome bass for an 8" sub, a lil pricy, but get what you pay for, its still under $300, which is pretty good....great great great sub
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