Polk surround bar- SDA ??? WTF??

madmax

OK,
I heard the Surround Bar today at polkfest and I take back any negative comments I may have made. I don't know if it was the superwide soundstage, the overall great sound, the feeling that it is a much larger system than it is or the constant threat of yet another beating from Polk Paul but I really enjoyed the surround bar. It actually sounded much better than many decent 5.1 speaker systems. Certainly better than anything I expected from any of the HT in a box systems I was thinking of. Pretty much an SDA speaker sitting on each side of the monitor. I will have one of these for my plasma at some point.

Sometimes you just have to admit you were wrong. There was so much coming from this system that I was in disbelief. It won't replace the best 5.1 multi-speaker/multi-dollar systems but damn, it was nice and I want one!

madmax

fireshoes

Glad to hear it, max!

Toxis

Good to hear it man. I'm impressed that you could come on here and completely stick your foot in your mouth. I respect that. If you're wrong, you're wrong. I can't wait to hear it now. How's the sub though? I'm not a huge fan of that sub (if it's the same on the RM6800 package).

fireshoes

I think it is sold BYOB™ (Bring Your Own Bass!).

Mike682

Good to hear that the Surround Bar sounds good

madmax

Toxis wrote:

I'm impressed that you could come on here and completely stick your foot in your mouth.

Thanks SO much for pointing that out.

madmax

F1nut

I was as equally impressed as MM with the Surround Bar. I'm not into HT at all and do not want speakers all over the place messing up the look and sound of my 2 channel rig, so something like this is the perfect answer. I'm buying one!

MacLeod

I too loved this thing. We listened to movies and music and this thing is awesome!

The movie was 'Hero' and not only was this thing crisp and clear but also cranked out some db's! The surround effects were extremely cool, especially considering there were no rear speakers. The arrows flying thru the air sounded awesome! 'Master and Commander' sounded great in the battle scenes. All the wood splinters flying around were very vivid.

5.1 music was very cool. Polk Paul played Blue Man Group and all those cool effects sounded crips and clear. The only slight critique I could come up with was there was a slight hint of sibilance but only a trivial amount.

Bottom line is I would buy this thing in a heartbeat! Its not meant to replace 5 speakers but for somebody that doesnt want 5 speakers this is perfect. That being said, I would use this over virtually all HTiaB systems out there.

The genius of this is that a lot of the people that will buy this are people that would normally listen to tv speakers and would never buy anything from Polk.

beardog03

The amount of loud , clear , impactful sound this thing produced was amazing..
although that model sub isn`t my choice of subs...it blended well and without being obtrusive and exspensive....it rocked rather well

for what the target audience is...it should do very well..

I`m sure I will own one eventually..

mated with a plasma screen tv, it is perfect...it will look like it should and sound better than one would think it possibly could..

I was impressed....

fireshoes

Keep the opinions rollin' guys! It is great to hear all these positive reviews so far. You can't beat glowing reviews like this coming from the Polk die-hards.

nadams

The sound that came out of the SoundBar was pretty damn impressive. Obviously, the need for a subwoofer is apparent, but that's what the designers at Polk intended. Very detailed, and can get very LOUD.

I'm not so sure on the whole SDA effect. While it did give a lot of sound, I wasn't really ever aware of that sound coming from around the sides or back. Perhaps it was just my seating position. However, it definately sounded better than the TV speakers it's meant to replace. I could see my Uncle buying one of these, except it's too damn long to fit into the TV hutch my aunt stuffs the TV into

TroyD

Ok, I need to make an official retraction. All of my concerns about the surround bar have been laid to rest. (Happy Paul?? )

This thing is NIFTY COOL. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

Does it replace a full blown 5.1 system? No.

Is it easy to use, look good and sound kick ****? You betcha.

Pair with a receiver (or separates) and a sub of your choice and for HT, you don't need anything else.

I love it.....you will too.

BDT

shack

TroyD wrote:

Ok, I need to make an official retraction. All of my concerns about the surround bar have been laid to rest. (Happy Paul?? )

This thing is NIFTY COOL. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

Does it replace a full blown 5.1 system? No.

Is it easy to use, look good and sound kick ****? You betcha.

Pair with a receiver (or separates) and a sub of your choice and for HT, you don't need anything else.

I love it.....you will too.

BDT

Somehow I THOUGHT this might be the case. Looks like a purchase in my future. Matt and the boys (and girls) come through again.

Gotta be a little disheartening for them though...Polk often doesn't get the respect they are due from the audio masses and now doubt among the fans. I am guilty of this too (the I-Sonic). I have yet to be disappointed by this company. Even when they have developed a sub-par product (PSW-202) the have done everything possible to make it right.

On the other hand...maybe...just maybe...the questioning by loyal fans and Polk's misson to prove themselves has made them a better company. A lot of businesses out there could take a few lessons from Polk. Good job guys

ohskigod

put me in the impressd column as well. Honestly, would I trade my theater system for it?, well no. but If I had an application where I needed room to spare, but still wanted quality sound, here it is. Makes the acoustimass and 321 system downright dinky! Even decent quality HTib's pale in comparrison.

Polk65

I don't really like to comment based on conjecture, so this is my first post in this thread. I'm happy to say that my guess of it's potential was not disappointing. We listened to it at Polkfest while switching to different sitting positions.

IMHO this baby is going to sell. The sound is both excellent and large. The convenience factor is big. Wire management is not an issue and the wires are color coded going to just one speaker cabinet. This will give potential HTIB buyers something to pause and think about after they hear it from half way across the store. For people that move often, this will be very attractive. WAF will also be satisifed with the low profile and silver/black colors matching current tv's.

Commercial applications that come to mind are corporate presentations and real estate contractors that are hired to "dress up" houses for sale. It will be quicker for them to set one of these up than wiring a full 5.1 system.

Toxis

ok, so it doesn't come with a sub and still costs $1000? Hmmmm. If it had a sub (like the picture I saw posted earlier on here) I'd think it'd be more worth it, but just knowing the market I work in... it won't fly for that price unless it had a sub to assist it.

Toxis

MacLeod wrote:

'Hero' 'Master and Commander' Blue Man Group

Hmmm... someone was using the DTS 9 demo disc I see...

ohskigod

Toxis wrote:

ok, so it doesn't come with a sub and still costs $1000? Hmmmm. If it had a sub (like the picture I saw posted earlier on here) I'd think it'd be more worth it, but just knowing the market I work in... it won't fly for that price unless it had a sub to assist it.

the retailers will probably put a package together, and cmon dude, if people pay 4000 for accoustimass, I think someone can sell this thing for a grand.

Polk65

MSRP: $949.95. Being that it is a soon to be released product and this is a public internet forum, let me just say that the retail price we heard will be in the ballpark for some potential mid to high priced HTIB buyers and also to those looking for convenience. Don't underestimate the value of WAF points. :rolleyes:

shack

ohskigod wrote:

the retailers will probably put a package together, and cmon dude, if people pay 4000 for accoustimass, I think someone can sell this thing for a grand.

And some one that plunks down $3,000 to $10,000 for a wall mounted plasma because it looks "sleek" won't think twice about $1,000 for the Surround Bar if it looks and sounds as good as advertised. Plus, just the pictures of the Surroundbar look better than the "cubes". WAF could be HUGE here.

amulford

It rocks. The Guys will like that. It's small and unobtrusive. The gals will like that. I went in with an open mind, and was VERY impressed. I heard sounds coming from 15 degrees behind me. It does it's job very well, believe me..

Toxis

shack wrote:

And some one that plunks down $3,000 to $10,000 for a wall mounted plasma because it looks "sleek" won't think twice about $1,000 for the Surround Bar if it looks and sounds as good as advertised. Plus, just the pictures of the Surroundbar look better than the "cubes". WAF could be HUGE here.

come on shack, you don't really believe this do you? People wont' think twice about spending that much on a plasma but they will think twice and get a lot of dirty looks when they want to spend $300 on an HTiB. That's definitely how it is in my market, wouldn't you agree PolkThug?

shack

Toxis wrote:

come on shack, you don't really believe this do you?

Not only do I believe it, I see it quite often. We obviously deal with different market segments.

Mike682

Onecall is now taking orders for the Surroundbar and the price listed is $799

http://ww1.onecall.com/PID_29485.htm

madmax

I can't imagine anyone unwilling to spend the money after they hear it. I went to the demo with a negative attitude but after about 30 seconds it was apparent this was no average tv speaker. I was sold at that point.
madmax

danger boy

Mike682 wrote:

Onecall is now taking orders for the Surroundbar and the price listed is $799

http://ww1.onecall.com/PID_29485.htm

Nice, i'm going to head over there today to give it another listen then. bye

madmax

I didn't see anywhere in that ad where they mention you need a subwoofer. That could be a problem.
madmax

hoosier21

madmax wrote:

I didn't see anywhere in that ad where they mention you need a subwoofer. That could be a problem.
madmax

Frequency Response: 100Hz-20kHz should be a clue it will need some help for some, others will knot know or care.

I wonder how low my TV speakers go.


Cool those heels DB, it's not in stock, they are taking orders for it.

danger boy

Hmmmm? you're right about the sub. people who demo it or purchase it will def need a sub of some kind.

MacLeod

Well if youre one of those people that mainly listen to TV speakers and just want an upgrade, youll never miss the sub.