Polk Audio SurroundBar Speaker System (Single Speaker) - Black Review

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(More customer reviews)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.

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A 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 three 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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