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

DRC

I opted for the SB50 for the better surround effects. It's much wider than the 37" flat panel but is exactly as wide as the recessed equipment cabinet and the black is a nice compliment to the mahogany-stained stand.

The WAF compelled me to choose a single-surround source and the SB made more sense to me to work in our room than other choices. I was pleased but not overwhemed by its performance. Oddly enough, I seemed to hear more surround on the left than the right. Wife and daughter thought I was nuts, I thought they weren't listening hard enough. I checked the wires, receiver settings, everything and all was the way it should be. When I'd press my ear to each driver individually I didn't hear any obvious discrepancy. RS SPL confirmed all okay.

I diagnosed the problem one morning when I woke up and couldn't hear out of my right ear. A few minutes with an old water pick solved fixed things quickly. Now I really hear the surround. I am very impressed. I caught myself looking over my shoulder a couple of times. I get a big grin on my face as I hear/feel myself being surrounded.

I played with a 6th rear speaker 3 ft behind the couch for a few days. It made the room sound more full but didn't add to the surround effects. My wife liked the sound until she realized it meant a permanent speaker in the back of the room and that was the end of that. The PSW 505 has 10 times the benefit of improving the overall experience compared to a rear speaker. The sub kind of blends in with the furniture and my wife decorated it by placing a pretty pillow on top.


Dan in Reno

richmak

I have a quick question. I have just started my home theatre setup and I have a Sony 46" LCD and a Sony G710 receiver. I bought a pair of Polk audio RTi10 floor speakers during the boxing week.

I am quite happy with the setup so far, but I know I'd need to get the surround done. I am not really a perfectionist and I think I would be happy with the audio quality of the surroundbar. I am really tempted to buy it as I see a recent sale of the SurroundBar at CAN$400.

Anyway, my simple question is, would the SurroundBar still work if I am re-using the existing pair of RTi10 speakers as the front? My plan is not to use the FL and FR speaker ports on the Surroundbar but I'm not sure if it is going to screw up the performance.

Advice and feedback is greatly appreciated.

Richard in Toronto

richmak

Thanks. That's what I guess. Well, it's a pity to skip such a great product with good discounts.

What rear speakers would you recommend to do the 5.1? My room is not really impossible to do the wiring. I am just lazy ...

Thanks again.

Richard

anonymouse wrote: »

The SDA effect will be seriously messed up, and the RTi10's will overpower the bar. You would be better off just getting a CSi5 to match the 10s, or return the 10s and get the bar.

fireshoes

FXi3's or 5's would be perfect.

zengel442

If I purchased a SoundBar50 and installed it on the wall, in a 15' x 15' room with one side (R) of the 15' open to another room, could I, to any benefit, add cube type ceiling speakers in the rear and front?
I prewired for the ceiling cubes but now am thinking of the SurroundBar50.
Can you come off of the SB50 and go to the ceiling cubes? and which ones would you recommend?

DRC

I can't imagine how a 9.1 system would work. The SB focuses the sound to your seating area so you just need a sub to fill up the space. My SB50 is left of center of a 20' x 40' great room and the surround effect is quite satisfying. You could set up rear speakers for a 7.1 system. I tried 6.1 without much improvement over 5.1 but I probably didn't have great rear speaker placement.

zengel442

I was thinking that you could somehow use the simulated rears on the SB50 in conjunction with the actual rears in the room.. ??
It's just that I have these 4 wires danglin from the ceiling and just hate not using them..
I like the looks of the SB50 but I guess I could also mount an inwall center, two inwall front L & R speakers (I have room for them on the TV wall) and use the 4 ceiling speakers with some small cube hanging from the ceiling???

zengel442

I was thinking that you could somehow use the simulated rears on the SB50 in conjunction with the actual rears in the room.. ??
It's just that I have these 4 wires danglin from the ceiling and just hate not using them..
I like the looks of the SB50 but I guess I could also mount an inwall center, two inwall front L & R speakers (I have room for them on the TV wall) and use the 4 ceiling speakers with some small cube hanging from the ceiling???
Sorry for double post - can't figure out how to delete it

DRC

Polk recommends 2 options with 'real' surround speakers in conjunction with SB. First is to wire the SB and discrete surround speakers from the same L & R source from the receiver. Second option is to wire the SB with all 5 channels and connect the discrete surround speakers from the 6th and 7th channels on your receiver.

What sub are you or will you be using?

dorokusai

I concur with DRC's second suggestion for adding surround channels in 7.1. It simply sounds better.

zengel442

Ahhhhh.. There is a sale on the SVS PB12-Plus/2 right now for $1099. I have one and love it. Other contenders are the SVS 25-31PC-Plus, the DSW Pro500 and the CSW15S.. The SVS cylinder and the CSW15S because it would be nice to have the extra real estate in the room.
Would the CWS15S do the job?

DRC

Those are sweet choices for a sub. I haven't heard any of those in a bigger room but I'm sure any would provide suffient base in your room. I went cheap with a PSW505 and it provides plenty of low frequency pressure to complement the SB50; 12' from the seating area of a 20'x40' 'great room'.

triguy3

hello all. Just joined your group, so excuse my ignorance if i FU.

I bought a new SB here in toronto for 460! (CDN) from Futureshop. I think there are a couple left. great deal. I just ordered the TV top bracket. Anyone out there have experience with the bracket?

zengel442

Welcome Don...
I'm still searching for my SB50... Haven't made the plunge yet.. Good luck with yours..

triguy3

zengel442 wrote: »

Welcome Don...
I'm still searching for my SB50... Haven't made the plunge yet.. Good luck with yours..

Can't imagine it will get cheaper. SB is rather an expensive toy unless the gfaf (girl friend approval factor) > need for the best surround sound

Jstas

triguy3 wrote: »

hello all. Just joined your group, so excuse my ignorance if i FU.

I bought a new SB here in toronto for 460! (CDN) from Futureshop. I think there are a couple left. great deal. I just ordered the TV top bracket. Anyone out there have experience with the bracket?

The bracket is awesome! Very well engineered and should hold up your SurroundBar without a problem. It was easy to use with the directions and shouldn't take you long to set it up either unless you end up running the speaker wires through the wall. Then you'll have to fish it through. No worries though, dude! It's a cinch to work with!

triguy3

Jstas wrote: »

The bracket is awesome! Very well engineered and should hold up your SurroundBar without a problem. It was easy to use with the directions and shouldn't take you long to set it up either unless you end up running the speaker wires through the wall. Then you'll have to fish it through. No worries though, dude! It's a cinch to work with!

what tv are using it with?

Jstas

triguy3 wrote: »

what tv are using it with?

I only had a demo model for a short while so I'm not really using it with a TV. I set it up at my parent's house on a shelf above their Panasonic CRT. I was messing around with the bracket separately. I did mount the bracket to an open wall in the garage just to see how it would match up to the standard 16" on center stud spacing and such. It's very well designed and more than stout enough to mount the speaker on and leave it there for a very long time. Should provide a pretty stable, vibration proof mount point.

triguy3

Jstas wrote: »

I only had a demo model for a short while so I'm not really using it with a TV. I set it up at my parent's house on a shelf above their Panasonic CRT. I was messing around with the bracket separately. I did mount the bracket to an open wall in the garage just to see how it would match up to the standard 16" on center stud spacing and such. It's very well designed and more than stout enough to mount the speaker on and leave it there for a very long time. Should provide a pretty stable, vibration proof mount point.

the tv bracket i am referring to is the accesory piece that is sold separately. it sits on a tv. Surround Bar Bracket (Black)
SKU : BC00ABAB4055

triguy3

ScottCim wrote: »

Hey Guys,
I've been lurking around for the past several weeks, trying to make the decision on how to slim down my current setup. Having a baby last year made me realize that my house is small, and it's time to maximize the space I have. I saw the SouroundBar on Amazon, and it really looks promising. I've looked at the reviews on here, and everyone seems very positive about it What i'm wondering though, is how the quality of sound would be compared with my current setup.

Current Setup
Fronts/Surrounds: R30's
Center: CS1
Sub: Sony (Not sure of the model)
Receiver: Technics SA-DA10
TV: 37" Olevia LCD 537H

Thanks!
Scott

hi scott

I just bought the original sb to replace a 3.1 set up. IMHO the soundbar is really for people who really, really cannot set up traditional rears. Your current set up will sound better, BUT if that is no longer an option, or if esthetics (read G/F approval factor) are really important, then you will find this to be attractive enough to compensate. In my case i was running 3.1 because of the GFAF and using the built in speaker for the center. When I powered up the SB, i was impressed becasue i was upgrading the center, getting rid of two side channel speakers AND getting an improved (wider) sound stage.

mellowman

I've had a surroundbar for over a year now. Sounds much wider and better than my LRC NHT center/ones setup I had before. Recently upgraded the speaker wire to 10awg belden 5T00UP as suggest by Anonymous on page 7 and it did make a noticeable difference. Much more detail and clearer sound which I guess translates to "opening up" the speakers in industry jive. The 18awg ribbon cable supplied sucks. A benchmark for me is the opening battle scene in RotS, while not completely 360 surround some improvement was noticeable. Cleaner sound was noticeable in the elevator scene with Obiwan and Anakin when the elevator stops and Anakin says something and Obiwan says "Did I say something"..."I didn't say anything". Before I coudn't make out what Anakin says but with the 10awg cable it's clear he says "No lose wire jokes".

Anyway, the surround sound is a mix. Sometimes it seems to work well, most times not much. My receiver is a Panasonic XR-55, PSW10 sub. Since I got the surroundbar I have since gotten a digital projector and run cable across the ceiling and a power cord down the wall so adding a pair of speaker wires won't add much than what is already there.

So the question is: What would be a better surround sound setup? My surroundbar with a pair of RM101's as the surrounds and perhaps setting the surroundbar surrounds to be surround rears (7.1). Or upgrade to a surroundbar50.

Room setup: 12'x23' but the viewing/listen area is the right side of that so only about 12'x13'. Speakers about 11' away. I do notice more of the surround effect on the right side than the left which is open. The RM101s would be about 4' away and at about seated head height. Though I could go much higher (12') or match the height of the surroundbar at 8'.

Thanks in advance.

edit: BTW, the best 360 experience I've had was the THX spoof at the beginning of Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny. Freaked me out.

dorokusai

Thanks Mellowman! Great comments.

mellowman

looks like this thread is dead.

Has anyone hooked up a surroundbar 42" with separate L/R surrounds? How did it sound?

I'm still curious which way to go as an upgrade, surroundbar50 or RM101's as L/R surrounds.

dorokusai

The SB50 is much better than the original. The SDA effect is very prominant in the front stage.

bluzrip

For what it's worth, Home Theater mag recently rated the Polk at the top of a review of "similar" products. They also candidly inferred that it was the only one of the group they might actually buy. I may get one for my folks who will not even consider more "wires".

DRC

I just had to try 7.1 with the SB50. I already had Boston CR65's and the handyman was crawling around with lighting work so he ran a couple of speaker lines for me. The rear speakers are about 8' off the floor (10' ceiling), 10-12' to the left and right and 1-3' behind the sweet spot. The tonal quality of the Bostons are distinctly different than the SB when I was setting the balance with pink noise. I don't notice this watching a movie. Using Dolby PLxII movie setting on the receiver the movement of sound from front to side to rear is more distinct yet very smooth. By this I mean the sound movement is continuous and not jumping from speaker to speaker. Sounds that are supposed to be behind me are better placed with the 7.1 setup. Overall I find this a pleasing upgrade. If the rear speakers did not work cosmetically I'd be quite content without them.

dorokusai

DRC - Thanks for posting your comments. If you have some time, post them over in the product pages as well.

If you have any pictures of your setup....post them here and let us take a look

dorokusai

The original thread has been completely updated with new information, pics and links to support the growing SDA Surround product line.

If you own or have one of these products, please post your opinion here or in the product pages.

FEEDBACK! This is so important so the industry as a whole, not just here. Your opinion really matters in this place.

bensontm

I have just purchase a 7.1 Yamaha with 95 watts per channel. I had four Infinity Entra 3 floor speakers which I am using as my SL/SR and SBR SBL and I just added two Polk TS400 floor speakers I am using as the L/R fronts to go with my CS400 Polk center speaker. The 12 inch Velodyne subwoofer gives my some time to look after my 120 gallon reef aquarium.

aedgington

I'm probably going to be blasted for asking this, but...

Could I hang two of these vertically on each side of my room and wire the L/C/R in a series for surrounds? So that each bar acted like a single surround w/ 3 drivers? I like the footprint of these, and they seem to put out pretty decent sound.