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Polk Audio SurroundBar Speaker System Single Speaker – Black
Product: Polk Audio SurroundBar Speaker System Single Speaker – Black-Retail $949.95! Sale Only $512.98!
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The Polk Audio SurroundBar is designed to complete your High Definition TV experience. It’s the perfect match for flat-panel and shallow screen TVs. And it works with any surround sound receiver. Polk’s patented SDA Surround technology means there’s no need to install rear speakers. SDA Surround creates a completely immersive experience, as if there were dozens of speakers all around you. This technology is based on fundamental research into the way our ears process sound and perceive the direction of sounds.The SurroundBar works in any room, SDA Surround is not dependent on your room’s walls to produce the surround effect. It uses a patented combination of signal processing and acoustical geometry that complements the spacing between your ears to produce surround sound without the need for rear mounted speakers. Since the SurroundBar works directly with the hearing mechanism and requires no special room characteristics, it can deliver a room-filling surround experience in nearly any location in almost any type of room.Installation versatility is designed in. You can wall mount the SurroundBar right below your flat-panel TV. Or use the included cradle on a TV stand, a shelf or for set-top placement. The Polk Audio SurroundBar is a welcome addition for anyone who wants all the thrills of surround sound… but none of the hassles. The SurroundBar is simple to set up. The conductor cable is color-coded and clearly marked for easy hookup, even your kids can do it.
- Amazon Sales Rank: #19798 in Consumer Electronics
- Color: Black
- Brand: Polk Audio
- Model: AM4055-A
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 4.25″ h x 44.50″ w x 5.00″ l, 22.00 pounds
Features
- Single magnetically shielded surround bar speaker with neodymium motor structures for safe placement on or near TVs
- Equipped with seven 3.5-inch composite cone drivers
- Patented combination of signal processing and acoustical geometry produces room-filling effects
- Equipped with three 0.75-inch silk/polymer composite dome tweeters
- Polk Audio’s patented SDS Surround Technology delivers a vivid sound field from a single 42-inch cabinet
Polk SurroundBar vs Yamaha YSP-1000
My Home Theatre was a reasonable system by any measure and better than most. However, my wife re-arranged the living room furniture and in one stroke my cherished system was made redundant. My two rear wall mounted speakers were now on my left and with no possibility to be mounted somewhere else.
It was time to look at the Polk & Yamaha products.
Being unable to audition a Polk SurroundBar and Yamaha YSP-1000 in an A/B comparison, I consequently decided to purchase both, with the idea that I would eventually keep one and sell the other.
I have now had both units for about 10 weeks and when doing my A/B comparisons, both systems are set up so that one speaker is sitting just above the other, playing the same material and with instant A/B switching via remote control.
Note – It takes quite a few readings of instruction manuals to eventually understand how to set them both up properly.
After comparing Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, Pink Floyd Pulse and a variety of CDs and music videos, my assessment is :
1/. Both products do produce a satisfying sound field effective for watching movies (albeit in very different ways).
2/. In my living room ( which is pretty “live”) and my equipment with the Polk, they both sound remarkably similar. This was a big surprise to me.
On CDs and some music videos, most noticeable differences in sound is mostly due to subwoofer performance.
3/. Does either system produce effects equal to a 5 channel system with discrete rear speakers ? Of course the answer is “no”. Neither of these systems can produce rear surround effects as distinct as those generated by rear surround speakers.
But in so many ways this question misses the real point as to the issues these products successfully address :
4/. Let me rephrase the question :
Do both systems produce a big sound field that envelopes you, similar to what one might experience at a real cinema? The answer is “YES”
Do you hear convincing surround sound effects as intended by the movie producers, immerse you into the movie and thus enhance your enjoyment ? Once again the answer is “YES”.
5/. If you want decent home theatre sound but cannot install a multi-speaker surround system or you simply don’t want to, then these products are a solution that do work.
6/. After reading forums on the net, I had the idea that the Polk was going to sound better than the YSP when it came to music. Actually for CDs etc, they both sound about the same, have a similar tone, both produce a big sound, go as loud as each other (and that can be very loud indeed). Nothing to distinguish one as being really better than the other, assuming that the Polk is coupled to a quality surround amp and sub. The surprise here was that the Yamaha with it’s myriad of “tiny” 2 watt amplifiers is comfortable at really loud sound levels.
7/. Which is better?
Both have plus and minus points so it isn’t that clear cut.
Yamaha YSP-1000 with matching YST-SW225B 150W subwoofer :-
PLUS points :-
+ Guaranteed a great sounding Home Theatre system. Yamaha engineers have made sure of that.
+ In-built power amplification ( this is termed an ‘active’ speaker and is generally a desirable configuration)
+ Decent pre-amplifier functionality eg volume control (with dB level displayed), bass & treble control, audio & video input selection ( selectable 4 sources ), auto-room equalisation, plenty of surround sound modes, IR signal pass-through, a remote control capable of macros etc. In fact the YSP-1000 has a remarkable amount of technology literally stuffed into it.
+ More effective in producing distinct surround sound effects than the Polk, especially when set up in it’s “ideal” configuration. ie centred against a wall in a square room.
+ YSP can effectively compensate for being in a corner position (contrary to the notion that the YSP works well only when in an ideal environment)
+ Remote can control other manufacturers products.
+ All you need extra is a DVD player and a TV.
MINUS points :
- Requires side and rear walls.
- Looks bulky and industrial, in my opinion not an attractive addition to any living room.
- The Titanium colour ( more like dark grey ) is not a good match with most silver big screen TVs.
- The remote is a bit frustrating at times, too easy to be in the wrong control mode, eg you find yourself changing TV channels when you may intended to change surround mode.
- No HDMI input/output
- Cannot transcode between Composite & Component video signals. You are committed to an all Composite or all Component input / output video signal pathway. ( Not really a problem if every device you connect to the YSP’s video inputs has Composite Video out.)
- On-screen menues only available with Composite video. So if you decide to go all Component Video pathway for best picture quality, you then lose your YSP’s On-Screen menues.
- No S-Video inputs
- Probably impossible for an owner to tell if any of the 40 speakers/amplifiers inside the cabinet have failed and need replacing.
- Should have a DVD player in built.
POLK SurroundBar :-
PLUS points :
+ Looks great, visually complementing most big screen TV sets very nicely.
+ Does not require side and rear walls to your listening room.
+ Similar to the Yamaha with respect to it’s capability to produce a big, convincing sound field.
+ Would make an excellent choice for an “all-in-one” Right/Centre/Left front speaker in a conventional surround system.
MINUS points :-
- Requires investment in a 5 channel home theatre Amplifier plus a Subwoofer
- Not guaranteed a great sounding Home Theatre system. The Polk’s full potential could be easily compromised by a `weak link” resulting from a poor choice of ancillary equipment.
- Surround effects are never really localised, rather you hear them as originating from a hazy, general area, as comapared to the Yamaha which creates a more convincing localisation of the effect.
8/. Conclusion :
For good looks – POLK SurroudBar
For rooms without side or rear walls – POLK SurroundBar
For square or rectangular rooms, even with the YSP in a corner – YAMAHA YSP
For “most bang for your dollar” – YAMAHA.YSP
Both sound good ( remarkably similar ) and will probably end up costing about the same to set up once you add the necessary ancilliary equipment to the Polk.
In my particular situation I am trying to rid my living room of as many boxes as possible. Consequently, if Polk had managed to squeeze in a pre-amp and power amp into their SurroundBar and charged accordingly, then the Polk would be my first choice. It just looks that much better than the YSP unit does.
Unfortunately they haven’t, so Yamaha stays and I’m now selling off the Polk along with my existing Denon amp, B&W sub & Anthony Gallo speakers.
Room Dependent
Based on what friends have said, I think that this is probably a good product depending on your room size and shape. For me, it didn’t work. I connected it to my tuner (Sony STR-DE925) and I didn’t hear anything close to surround sound. This was at 10 feet away since I have a 62 inch tv. When I sit on the coffee table 3 feet away, I can hear the surround.
I had a friend come over and make adjustments to my tuner and he said he could hear the surround occasionally, but it was very subtle. For $800, I want something that’s better than subtle.
I believe this product will work, but check it out in a store before you buy it. Then be ready to return it if it doesn’t work for your room.
PS – I gave it a 3, only because I had to give it something and 3 is dead center… 
Going to agree with an earlier review: Decent
Since I have a toddler now, I decided to go ahead and sell my Paradigm speakers and move to a smaller, more compact system. The highlights of my old system include Paradigm Monitor 7s, the CC370 Center, and Paradigm’s 12″ powered sub. Needless to say, pushed with my old Pioneer Elite receiver, the results were great. After some listening now, I have to say that the Polk set up is just OK. If you’ve been using your TV speakers for years, you’re going to like this, especially in a smaller room. It is most definitely a step up from the speakers in my Samsung LN52a650. However, even pared with a Polk sub (I’m using the powered 10″), it lacks a lot of the mid range and punchy base that I’ve been used to. I’m sure over time, as I tweak my Yamaha receiver, I’ll learn to like it enough to get me through the toddler/young kid years and back into a real surround set up. It does beat the tv speakers. But it’s not a real life substitute for the real surround, especially if you’re used to a large set up and are in a larger room. In a nutshell, it’s a glorified center channel speaker with aspirations of surround sound. It just falls a bit short.
