PolkAudio Wireless Surround F/X
Comments
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danfromvan wrote: »Will the wireless Surround F/X complement the SurroundBar 50 (I don't have a subwoofer yet) or is it better to purchase a wireless sub? If not, any recommended wireless subs?
Thanks
As far as I am aware the wireless surround should pair well with the sound bar, provided you don't have any interference problems, and I think I will be looking to pair both of them together.
In terms of wireless subs the Polk PSWi225 is probably going to be your best bet.
Determining whether to get the wireless surround or the wireless sub is really a decision that should be independent of each as the two speakers perform two different functions. The sub's job is only to give you the deep bass while the surround f/x is going to give you sound effects from the rear (sorta like when you can hear a helicopter fly overhead in a movie and the sound originates in front of you and dissipates behind you).
Personally I don't mind having a wired sub, as it will definitely outperform a wireless one and I do prefer my deep bass. Meanwhile, I would rather compromise on the rear and front speakers and go with the SurroundBar 50 and the Surround F/X. For subs I'm actually considering the Definitive Technology SuperCube III but I don't know if I want to spend as much for it and so am looking for a less expensive alternative.
In any event, good luck with whatever you choose. -
Thanks spgift, I understood that the F/X contains a subwoofer, although it may well have sub-optimal base performance compared to the PSWi225 wireless or other wired subs.
I prefer wireless for the room I have, so I may take a chance but I won't buy it unless I can bring it back should there be wireless interference or the low voltage dropout problem. -
I see that it's been quite a while since anyone posted about the F/X Wireless surround speaker, so I thought I'd post my initial impression of it after setting it up this evening.
I currently have a Polk SurroundBar 42 and a Polk PSW10 sub. I've had this setup for 3 years now and it's been very good! Recently, I picked up a new Yamaha RX-V671 7.1 AVR and I got looking into the Polk F/X surround speaker to complement my system. So I purchased the F/X speaker and set it up this evening. My initial reaction was all good!
I used speaker wire connections (my Yamaha does not have RCA connectors) and connected the Surround and Surround Back chanenels per the manual. When everything was all set, I turned on my system and had Thor in Blu-Ray playing. Immediately, the F/X came alive! It was truly impressive sound! If anything, it was a little on the loud side where it was drowning out the dialogue from the SurroundBar. I then adjusted the individual speaker levels, and the overall sound was much better.
But the biggest thing was that I DID NOT experience any of the cracking, or popping, or chirping noises that I have read about in reviews (including this thread). I was literally expecting to experience these strange noises and have to end up returning the speaker, but everything was good! I then switched to regular TV through Dish and put on the Golf Channel where they were playing an LPGA event. Since the F/X did not immediately detect any surround information, it just simply stopped producing sound. About a minute or so later, it detected surround information, and instead of chirping, or popping, or weird sounds, I heard birds chirping from the golf course! It was pretty cool!
I still have not completely finished with the setup yet, such as the speaker distance levels based on where I'm sitting, but so far I am very impressed with this speaker. I have it set to "Shelf" as it is sitting on top of a hall tree cabinet about 3 feet above my head, and about 4 feet behind me.
So my initial overall impressions of this speaker are very positive! -
I received my F/X Wireless Surround unit today via UPS, and hooked it up via speaker wires (Onkyo TS-DS676, SurroundBar 50, Infinity BU-1 sub-woofer.) After the very simple install, I was immediately impressed with the sound it provided as I tested it using an action movie. My old home had a square closed in living area and the SurroundBar worked well, but I now have a modern open and vaulted room and the SurroundBar didn't provide the quality sound as it had in my previous living room so for the new living room I was excited to upgrade the system with this unit. Once installed, I tweaked the channel levels on my receiver and it worked great for movies, but like many on this board, when I watched tv programming where the surround broadcast was absent or low, I experienced the same popping when the F/X turned back on or picked up the feed. I was disappointed to say the least, because of the quality I experienced at first. After reading the posts on this thread, I decided to rewire the transmitter using the RCA connections. I have the Surround Bar hooked up to the speaker wire outputs and the sub and F/X hooked up using the the pre-out RCA. I then tweaked the channel level settings to my liking and it has exceeded my expectations. No more popping and the sound is actually better than the initial install tests. Hope this helps anyone with similar issues.
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Can anyone else who has purchased this speaker, please provide a review. Are you happy with it? I have also heard of the Soundcast. What do you think is a better solution coming from 3.1? I really want a rear surround but its immpossible to add with wires from my receiver.
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As a follow-up, I pulled the trigger on the f/x rear surround. I bought it from a reputable online retailer. I had my a/v guy help me set it up. I experienced the issues others have reported in other threads on this forum and in other forums about the speaker-strange popping noise, loud white noise, sometimes the sound in old movies of someone turning the dial on a radio transmitter, etc, the speaker turning off very fast when there was no rear surround from the source, and a noticeable delay of sound when there was an effect in a scene.
However, after reading on this and other forums like amazon that Polk redesigned the transmitter, that these issues were resolved in the new transmitter and that Polk would send a replacement brand new redesigned transmitter if I contacted them, I called Polk custmer service, technical support and customer service.
Guess what? Polk sent me out a replacement redesigned transmitter immediately without requiring a swap. It seems that my transmitter was manufacutured before the change in design. So far, after several days of use, bluray player movies, sporting events, regular cable movies and shows broadcast in 5.1, I am not having any of the issues with the replacement transmitter. It works great and the speaker seems to come to life immediately. Even if there are a more than a few minutes without effects, it stays on. When i first play a movie or start a cable show, the rear comes on immediately. Does it sound as good as wired rear surrounds with seperate speakers? Probably not. However, it makes a noticeable, tremendous difference in the sound compared to what I had before I added the speaker. -
Is their anyway to ensure you get a fixed transmitter? I got a replacement transmitter that has the exact same issues as the first transmitter. I'm worried now that they sent out another transmitter I'm stuck with it.
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My transmitter quit working and I have contacted Polk Customer Service and have gotten two different prices for a new transmitter and have been told they are out of stock, in stock, and discontinued. The price was too high so I did not buy a new one. I love the speaker and would love for it to work again. Someone on this forum said to, if you know what you are doing, hook up a 5 volt DC and a 12 volt DC power source somehow to get it working again and that the issue is not the transmitter itself, but a problem with the power supply to the transmitter. They go on to say it is made from an S-video type plug. This is exciting news - maybe. I plan to hook up an S-video cable from my receiver to the transmitter just to see if it does anything. I’m hoping to find the post and see if there has been a reply showing photos of the repaired power supply. Looking forward to any comments and will call Polk Customer Service again and see if there is a power cord they can send me or if there is any other solution to my transmitter problem.
