Polk Audio SurroundBar (42", 50", 360 DVD Theater, SDA IHT) - Review/ Help Thread

[GeorgeM]

1. I talked a relative into ordering a SurroundBar from Crutchfield last Tuesday and it arrived Thursday (shipping free via UPS Ground) and the price was $799.00. I'm going to make the connections for her next week when the new Panasonic plasma and the Oppo DVD player arrrive.

2. After noticing the '4th of July' sale (thanks for posting that info!) I sent an email to Crutchfield asking if they'd make an adjustment to the sale price of $599.00. A prompt email reply revealed that they would with instructions to contact the sales department via phone. That's 'my kind of company': good customer service, fast replies, and the 'right' price :D . I have not purchased anything from Crutchfield before but they'll be on my list for future buys.

3. I'll post some comments on the SurroundBar after it's set up next week.

Have a good Fourth-of-July everyone!

-G

[GeorgeM]

1. I made all of the setup connections yesterday and the SurroundBar blends in exceptionally well. The room is 'acoustically challanged' with limited space so the S-Bar solved many problems so the user could enjoy a 5.1 system.

2. I'm going to be a self-appointed shill for Panasonic and Oppo: The display is just dazzling and yields twice the picture quality at half the cost when compared to my almost three-year-old Sampo (Gateway badge) 42" plasma.
I guess I did not expect to view that level of quality from $2200.00 plasma and a $200.00 (US) DVD player.

3. I have a question on the sub-connection; I guess I better post it in the sub forum...

Panasonic TH-42PX60U
Oppo OPDV971H (DVI-to-HDMI on Plasma/Optical to Recv'r)
Yamaha 5650 Recv'r (hand-me-down)
SA-8300HD DVR Box (HDMI-to-HDMI on Plasma)
and of course, the Surround Bar
sub: to follow Yamaha 215 (hand-me-down)

-G

[TigerDen]

GeorgeM,

I am also looking into getting the surround bar. I would apprecitate your impressions of the surround capablities compared to the tv speakers after you get the system dialed in. I bought a Panasonic 50px60u about 2 months ago along with the VIP 622 HD receiver. The picture quality is truely amazing but now need a good sound solution.

[GeorgeM]

T..D..

Yeah, I'll give you any more feedback that I can. I've got to go up and finish the connections and program the Harmony remote sometime this week. The set up is not close to me (about an hour's drive from here) so I'll not have the opportunity to frequently listen to it.

On the plasma, I was surprised that the audio was that good considering that it originated from a couple of small internal speakers. The default setting seemed as if was a mono sound but there was a setup option to change it to somewhat of a 'simulated surround' that was more pleasing to the ear; I suspect that the setup on your 50" is identical to the 42".

-G

[TigerDen]

GeorgeM,

I am suprised at how good the internal tv speakers are, really did not expect much. But with that being said, if the surround bar with a decent sub setup will make that big of a difference, I think I'll order one.

[GeorgeM]

T..D...,

A couple of things:

Yesterday I connected a sub (inexpensive Yamaha 215) and it worked well with the S-Bar. Probably something more upscale would certainly sound better but for $150.00 sub you get $150.00 (maybe more) worth of sound!!!

As others have mentioned in this and other threads, a sub is 'must' to accompany the S-Bar and I set the crossover to about 100 Hz (previously mentioned by someone else here) and that seemed to work out fine.

Yesterday I did not remember to take my DVD's containing a good surround demonstration but I did listen others and they sounded pretty good. I've never 'colored' speaker sound in the past by cranking in some base or treble via the receiver/amp but if I used the S-Bar without a sub, I think that I'd be tempted to do this; hence, the need for a sub.

I received a promo e-mail from Crutchfield on Monday and they continue to offer the Bar for $600.00. No risk here; they have good return policy if you don't like the product (I think that it's no-questions-asked if within 30 days).

-G

[dorokusai]

Tiger - The SBar is an excellent value and as George mentioned Crutchfield is a no risk opportunity to try one out. A subwoofer is a must and also recommended by Polk from the get go. I'm not sure what other promo they, Crutchfield, may be offering, but the PSW202 is sometimes part of that.

George - Excellent, keep playing, enjoy!

[Willow]

For those who have, how hard was it to calibrate the SB? and how did you go about doing it?

[GeorgeM]

Willow, I believe that the recommendation is that you do notcalibrate it. I think the reasoning is that the S-Bar is 5 speakers positioned in one location rather than 5 speakers situated in various positions throughout a room (true 5.1). If you did calibrate them, you'd most likely interfere with the Polk 'SDA Technology' thus defeating the intent and function of the S-Bar.

I have a Radio Shack SPL meter but did not use it; however, I think that the SPL would be useful for calibrating a sub that is used with the system. Maybe someone more technically qualified than me can offer some further adivce.

-G

[babalooo]

Before I make a new thread with my question, I'm hoping GeorgeM or someone else with practical experience can help this newbie in plain simple English. : )

I recently bought a brand new system:

TV - Panasonic 50px60u
Receiver - Onkyo TX-SR504S
Polk SurroundBar
Polk PSW10 Subwoofer

I was going to spend this weekend hooking it all up but got stumped on the subwoofer. The manual to the PSW10 is abysmal, and the manual to the SurroundBar includes a diagram of the PSW10 subwoofer but I am not understanding it. My receiver has a single subwoofer "out" but there's no single "in" on the sub. The diagram of the SurroundBar instructions shows the sub's left and right in....and I'm not sure from the black and red lines of the diagram if they are going directly to the SBar or to the receiver or if I'm supposed to double up speakers (and don't want to try this until I hear from someone that that's not a bad thing). Can someone PLEASE tell me step by step what to do to hook up my sub, SBar and receiver properly?

Thanks in advance!!
Barbara : )

[dorokusai]

Use the subwoofer output on your Onkyo AVR to either the Left or Right RCA input on the subwoofer.

You may also reference this "sticky" thread in Subwoofer Hookup & Bass Management forum... http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40723

[babalooo]

Hi Dorokusai,
Thanks for the input! That's all I have to do? So I don't have to deal with speaker wire coming out of the sub, huh? Great!

[dorokusai]

Correct.

[TroyD]

Neat, huh?

BDT

[sbpolk]

So I listened to the surroundbar a few weeks ago in a store, and the demo room had no back wall. It was paired with a horrible sub.... and sounded fantastic! I had the salesman turn the sub off, and just play the surroundbar. I was very impressed. I have a 50" Pioneer Plasma that I am wall mounting in my family room, and will be buying a surroundbar to go underneath it, on the wall. The room won't allow rear speakers, and because this speaker sounded so good, I won't have to listen to the tiny plasma speakers!

BTW, I recently had a CSi40, RTi70 set up in an old house, and now have a dedicated theater. I am ordering RTi8 fronts, CSi5 center, and RTi4 surrounds for my dedicated FP theater room. Polk has done well for me in the past, and I think neither of these setups will let me down!

[ND13]

Fry's has the Surroundbar on sale this week for only $599.

[hrdhtdvr]

I have read pretty much every post in this thread, and don't see anything concerning listening to music. Yes, this will be in use in the bedroom so I can watch the "Artistic" movies and regular TV as well. It will be put together with a HTIAB type set up. How does the SB sound when listening to music.

Thanks.

[OniShibata]

Okay, I finally got an in-house demo of the SurroundBar and I was disappointed. I was testing it with a Harman Kardon AVR340 receiver, no subwoofer, and analog audio cables. I know my room played a factor (30x18x12, LxWxH), but I thought it was supposed to work in any room. Oh yeah, the room is completely tiled with an open space in the back towards the kitchen.

The guy said the speaker will sound much better when I use digital optical/coaxial audio cables. I agree with that, because the audio sounded much better from satellite broadcast after I connected hdmi between my lcd and the top box. But should I use a different receiver? Audio is loud (lively/bright?), but I prefer clarity because its main use will be for home theater and rarely music listening. Any suggestions, opinions, advice will be greatly appreciated.

[jdhdiggs]

The tile floor and size are causing the brightness. That much space eats the bass and midbass up and the tiles reflect all the HF. Have you had success with other arrangements in that room?

["Polk" Paul DiComo]

Your dealer did you no favors by demonstrating SurroundBar without a subwoofer. SuroundBar simply has no bass of its own. Without that foundation it is going to sound thin and bright even if it were dead flat. Combine that with a somewhat bright room and I'm not surprised at your reaction. I wouldn't want to listen to that either. A subwoofer will make a 98% difference while digital cables will make a 2% difference. If the SuroundBar is still in your home ask if your dealer can bring in a sub.

[hoosier21]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Who is this guy?

["Polk" Paul DiComo]

I am like the wind...hot air moving in and out unpredictably. Always there but never seen (except at Polkfest from time to time)...

[OniShibata]

Some other setups I demo were Klipsch RVX42s and Paradigm Monitor 5s. Both were powered by a Denon receiver (forgot the model) and again no subwoofer. (I don't know why these 'authorized' dealers/installers refuses to bring a sub when they're trying to sell me something). Both setups sounded exactly like the SurroundBar...LOUD. However, the Paradigms had the most clarity in my opinion.

Still, I'm leaning towards the SurroundBar because before I had the in-house demo I listen to them at Circuit City and it sounded awesome. And it was displayed in the TV area, so it was more opened space than my room. Well, now I'm looking for a sub. Any suggestions for a sub to go along with the Bar?

[dorokusai]

They may have the Free PSW10 promotion going on at Crutchfield or CC....check around.

[OniShibata]

Man, just when I finally made up my decision to buy the SurroundBar, it went off the generous sale. Anyone here know when it might go back on sale? How 'bout you people at Polk staff? Or is that too much 'inside' information?

[dorokusai]

I would call Crutchfield, for example, and ask...they usually run the same promotion every other month.

[OniShibata]

Alright, I finally got the SurroundBar! I got it hooked up with the PSW505 and powered by the HK AVR340. Everything is sounding good so far. The installer told me I still need to buy a 'real' subwoofer cable and a Y cable. The cables he used to connect the sub to the receiver is not really subwoofer cables (what does he mean?). And since I've never used Y cables before what are they?

I haven't really messed around with it, but I watched a movie and the sound from the speakers are loud and has clarity. The subwoofer did not disappoint either. I was worried it might not be able to fill my large room but it's more than enough. But I notice if I turned the sub volume up it sounded as if it was gonna blow. Any ideas why? Maybe the cables were really not real subwoofer cables. All suggestions and advice will be appreciated. Thanks!

[kjahadi]

Hi folks,

I will be purchasing a new HT system soon. Space is a preimum by the TV, and i have the WAF to keep in mind. For that reason, I can't have large bookshelf or tower speakers next to the tv. I do have some rear speakers that I can use in the back corner of the room, with no problem however. I was thinking about the Bose Acoustimass, but everyone says they are overpriced crap (although the few times i've had a chance to hear them in various homes, they sounded awesome).

Then I saw the SoundBar. Since I already have rear speakers that I can use, I thought this would look really good on top of or in front of my new DLP tv, and I would just wire it with the rear speakers as a 7.1 set up (I have a 7.1 onkyo receiver). Has anyone else done this, and how does it sound? I've read good things about the SoundBar, but almost everyone says that it is really good for its "intended use", implying that it is not as good as having seperate speakers for the rear channels. So, I thought that if I used the SoundBar with my existing rear speakers, it would sound as good as, if not better than a 5.1 system with seperates, and the SoundBar would look really cool in front of my TV. By the way, I already have a Polk Sub.

Anyway... its either that or go with the Bose Acoustimass. I realize that this is a Polk forum and I expect much bashing of Bose on here, but any objective input would be helpful to me.

Thanks

["Polk" Paul DiComo]

Hi Newbie,
Welcome to the Pok Forum. I am a Polk employee so right off the bat you know I am even less objective than the Forum regulars who will undoubtedly chime in later. So I'll not comment about how Polk stacks up against Bose. I am one of the few people on earth who has actually heard a system like what you are proposing. The SurroundBar does an excellent job of projecting a solid sound field of about 180 degrees. After that images become less solid, although that varies with program material, system/room geometry, etc. In fact the SurroundBar's side imaging is superior to many discreet 5.1 systems I've heard. By adding surround back speakers to the SurroundBar you will fill in that last 180 degrees of sound field and end up with a 360 degree "bubble" of very solid and palpable sonic images.

[F1nut]

I'll try to be fair about this and the final choice is yours, of course. Before you commit to a system like the Bose Acoustimass you should take a look at what is inside vs what is inside other speakers. I think you'll be amazed at what isn't in the Bose products, especially for the price.