Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I purchased the Polk Surroundbar with some trepidation, as it is an expensive leap of faith purchase due to the fact that I was unable to find a local Polk dealer with a showroom model to test. I thought the unit would be ideal in my TV room due to the fact that I refuse to drill holes in my hardwood floors to accomodate traditional 5.1 rear speakers.
Fit and Finish -
The Surroundbar arrived and I was immediately impressed with the integrity of the product packaging. The fit and finish of the bar itself is very impressive. The product is very heavy and solid, encased with a real metal finish, giving it a very hi-tech and sturdy appearance. In addition, the accessories included in the box (stand, mounts, cables) are of the highest quality and complement the surround bar nicely.
Performance -
When the system was initially set up, I thought it sounded ok. Then I further studied the set-up guide and found that the way my subwoofer was connected and some of the necessary settings on my receiver were incorrect. Instead of the standard RCA type sub connection, I rewired the sub to be in line via speaker wire to the 2 front connections as reccommended by Polk. Also, the speaker size needed to be set to large for all channels. (I've learned to ALWAYS follow the manufacturer's specifications!)
Once the adjustments were made, the sound was incredible. The first thing you notice is the overall power of the unit. The sound is huge and imposing. The surround effect is absolutely incredible both with DVDs and Xbox games. I now have almost a full 360 degree sound experience with distinct separation between all channels. Movies with DTS-ES 6.1 sound are a wonder to listen to. This system replaced a 3.1 full-size Onkyo speaker setup and sounds cleaner, more powerful and much better overall than the other full-size speakers ever did!
Conclusion -
I am completely satisfied with my purchase. I'm getting my demo material picked out so that I can invite my neighbors and buddies to come over and marvel at my new toy. It's expensive, but you get what you pay for with this product - no wires, no drilling holes in the floor, easy setup and excellent performance. Even my wife thinks it's cool!
MY HIGHEST RECOMENDATION.
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Polk Audio SurroundBar Speaker System (Single Speaker) - TitaniumA perfect sonic and stylistic match for flat-panel and shallow-case TVs, the Polk Audio SurroundBar is designed to offer elegant, high-resolution, single-source surround sound. It comes with everything you need to mount it above, below, or even on your television, and it works with any surround sound receiver. It's an ideal listening system for anyone seeking rich, enveloping surround sound without the space commitment or hookup hassles of a multispeaker system.Polk Audio's patented SDA Surround technology means there's no need to install rear speakers. SDA Surround technology is founded on extensive research into the way human ears process sound and perceive directionality of sound. Unlike speakers or surround algorithms that merely simulate surround effects, the SurroundBar reproduces discrete, multichannel surround sound using a patented combination of signal processing and acoustical geometry called Acoustic Wave Front Reconstruction (AWFR). Since the SurroundBar works directly upon your ears and requires no special room characteristics, it can deliver room-filling surround sound nearly anywhere.As with conventional 5.1-channel systems, you'll hear the best surround effects when you're centered directly in front of the SurroundBar. However--unlike conventional 5.1 systems--the SurroundBar delivers surround sound regardless of how close or how far away you sit.While it's technically a single speaker, the SurroundBar contains seven active drive units, three tweeters, and inputs for all five primary surround channels: front left/center/right and rear left/right. Multiple drive units spaced roughly the same distance apart as your ears allow the speaker to keep you from discerning the actual sound sources. Instead, it will seem as though sound is coming from all around and behind you.The SurroundBar's circuitry maintains proper isolation of all amplifier channels and will function correctly with any amplifier or receiver capable of driving a 4 ohm load (that is, capable of powering 4-ohm speakers). Many receivers are rated for maximum power into 8 ohms but function perfectly well--functioning with about half their rated power--into 4 ohms, too. Wiring a stand-alone powered subwoofer in line with the speaker (a procedure illustrated in the product manual) will heighten the sense of realism and visceral power of the SurroundBar.For even more spacious sound, you can use the SurroundBar with your existing surround speakers, too. In such an arrangement you can wire the surround outputs from your receiver to your separate surround speakers instead of to the SurroundBar's rear-speaker terminals, using the SurroundBar for the front left, center, and right channels only.Better still, if you have a 6.1- or 7.1-channel receiver, use one of your surround speakers as the rear-center speaker in a 6.1 system, or both surround speakers as 2 of the 4 speakers in a 7.1 system (with the SurroundBar's 2 surround channels in filling in the sound for the other 2).The SurroundBar must be mounted horizontally to function properly. Placement directly above or below your TV screen pointed in the same direction as the screen will give the best coordination between your surround sound and the on screen images. Wall mounting, shelf mounting, table mounting, or stand mounting all work equally well. However, walls or other large obstacles within 3 feet of the sides of the SurroundBar will reduce the effectiveness of its surround delivery. Cross-corner locations will work just fine.The supplied 25-foot, 10-conductor cable is color-coded and clearly marked for easy hookup.What's in the Box SurroundBar speaker, 2-piece wall bracket, a center-channel base, mounting screws, 25-foot wire bundle, and a quick-start guide.
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