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

[Deleted User]

Hello,
I'm afraid that wouldn't sound very good. The SurroundBar was designed to function best when placed horizontally not vertically. Also the impedance load "seen" by your receiver would be very low if the internal drivers were connected in parallel. I'm not sure how the SDA circuitry would react, in a series connection, but I don’t believe it would sound very good.
If you like the overall shape and style of the SB, look at the VM20 and VM30, these are more adaptable to your ideas and look and sound great.
Regards, Ken

aedgington

KS, thanks for the quick and honest response. I'll probably go with a pair of B&W FPM5's, unless Polk has something similar?

debussyj

I really need to pick all of your brains about the Surroundbar 50 and 360. I recently demoed the 360, liked it, but really have no use at all for the DVD player or AM/FM radio. I'm also skeptical about if there is in fact a 125 watt amp under the hood of this baby, especially since there's other stuff on board. So now I'm gravitating towards purchasing a modest small surround receiver, specifically the Cambridge Audio Azur 540R V2, which has a true 80 watts per each channel under the hood. I see that the Surroundbar 50 requires 150 watts. Although I do not play movies at ear piercing levels, I'm naturally concerned about this receiver being anemic. My questions: Is the Surroundbar 50 that power hungry? Please share any experiences you might have had. Finally, does anyone know about what's under the hood of the Surroundbar 360?

Thanks,
DebussyJ

dorokusai

The SurroundBar 50 is easy to drive and it's a digital amp in the SB360.

debussyj

Many thanks for your input. I decided to pass on the the Surroundbar 360. I'm going a different route with a Cambridge Audio receiver and the Surroundbar 50. I think that will make a nice combination. DebussyJ

debussyj

Well, I received my Surroundbar 50 today, which I matched up with the Cambridge Audio Azur 540R V2 receiver. Install was simple and I'm thrilled with the look of the speaker with my Pioneer Kuro display. Perfect! I also like the sound with both movies and music. I plan to disconnect my Earthquake sub from another system and try it out with this one. If I like, and I think I will, then I see an SVS sub in my immediate future! Thanks for the help!

Sherardp

Any suggestions on me using a surround bar as a bedroom setup. I used to have a pair of Rti4s in the bedroom but have since moved them in the living room, and my rig into the dedicated theater room. So now I need something for the bedroom and Im thinking surround bar mounted on the wall under a 40" Bravia 2 LCD. Any thoughts would be appreciated, I will power it with a Sony DG800 receiver and pair it with a Oppo 981. Thoughts please before I order it online.

brettw22

The surround effects are MONUMENTALLY improved with the SurroundBar 360 over the previous models.........

The 2 caveat's to your post are that you have a receiver and a cd/dvd player.....which aren't neede with the 360 that has all the DSP processing, amplification, and player in one box...........(and it sounds VERY good)...............

dorokusai

I like the Surround Bar 50 for that application Sherardp. It works very good.

debussyj

As usual, I have to agree with Doro. I'm really liking this Surroundbar 50 and I recently added my Earthquake Supernova sub. The result is seamless, sweet and the bottom end is commanding. I just wasn't thrilled with the 360, because I knew I could get more under the hood (watts per channel) for my money with a surround receiver and the DVD player was not a plus for me. Guess I just wanted to build it the old-fashioned way! D.:)

Sherardp

Hey thanks allot Doro, its not carried out here in Japan so Im buying it sight unseen or heard. I'll pull the trigger here next week hopefully.

dorokusai

The 360 does indeed sound awesome but If my investment was already in alot of other things, including BlueRay, the SB50 makes more sense to me.

Debussyj - Have you posted pics in the showcase?

debussyj

Doro- you are correct, I really need to post pics! Between my 2 channel setup and the modified surround, it's a pretty thing. I was honestly waiting to get my Krell Kid to finish off the room! Thanks for the suggestion! D.

dorokusai

Get on it man!

I installed one of these with a MicroPro3000 at my in-laws house and when they watched Iron Man, she let my wife know the next day that it was awesome. That's rare coming from her beings she isn't into that stuff at all. My Father in-law was ear to ear the whole time.

Loved the comments....and was happy nothing fell off the wall since I installed it.

The SB50 is what they should have introduced from the get-go.

rayslifecycle

I recently heard the soundbar 360 at Polkfest......and it does an amazing job of creating a theater quality sound with 2 components (+ sub) and is so simple to hook up.

Designing museum exhibits for a living - I will start implementing this product into my museum's mini-theaters instead of the traditional stereo or 5.1 systems currently being employed.

Also - if you are in the market for an entirely new livingroom setup - and are looking at products similar - there is no comparison as Polk uses sound science (no pun intended) in creating a "surroundsound" effect you will thoroghly enjoy - a better quality experience then their competition can deliver.....

It is a "Slap in your face different" product that
should be on everyone's "need to check that out" list.......

araquen

My apologies if this topic has been discussed previously. Sneaking in the question at work . . .

My husband and I are considering the Sound Bar 360. The structural layout of our living room makes positioning a speaker-based surround-sound system very problematic and the Soundbar seems to be an excellent and elegant solution.

However, our television is one of the older, rear-projection Mitsubishi 65" televisions--designed as an all-in-one "monolith." There is simply no place to put the Sound Bar at head level, unless we mounted it on the wall behind the tv (which seems odd to have this big hulking mass of tv obstructing the speaker system).

Is it possible to still obtain surround sound with the bar mounted on the top of the TV?

The dimensions of the room are are approx 12'x15' with the tv set against one corner and our seating diagonally across the room. Ceiling is normal height. The height of the TV is probably about 6'-6'6".)

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

jello212

Are there any plans for a new Soundbar 360 with a blu-ray instead of a dvd player?

SCompRacer

araquen wrote: »

Is it possible to still obtain surround sound with the bar mounted on the top of the TV?

Welcome to Club Polk!

Yes, the SB360 works fine on top of a TV, provided there is enough width and the surface is somewhat level for the support cradles. Here is a pic taken of the SurroundBar 360 at a recent get together of the Rockford Audio Society. Just place the support cradles on the TV and set the surround bar on the cradles. Low and high cradles are included with the SB360. The 'high' cradles are used here. The cradles have a non-slip surface on the top and bottom to keep them and the SB in place.

lordmehy

hi everyone!

i came here after hearing about this forum on AVS. i'm a tech newbie and really don't know/understand the gazillions of settings options you can use on a powerful receiver to fully optimize the audio from your speakers. in any case, i was in charge of upgrading my parents HT setup, and this is what i got for them:

TV: Pioneer Kuro pdp-6020fd
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR606
Speakers: Polk SurroundBar 50
DVD: Panasonic DMP-BD35K
Remote: Logitech Harmony One

Existing equipment:
Dish network HD-DVR
Bose accoustimass speakers purchased in the mid-90's for the outgoing HT currently in place. (i.e., these are 5 pairs of those small cube speakers)

Now the questions i have regarding setup of this system are as follows:

1) Should i scrap the wires the polk surroundbar comes w/ and get 12awg instead? Will the surroundbar accept banana plugs?

2) What are the settings i should use when setting up the speaker to the receiver? i had read on an earlier page in this thread to set the speakers to small because the surroundbar already had a filter (i don't know if this was specific to the 360 or to the 50).

3) Can i poach 2 pairs of the old Bose speakers i have and use those as surround speakers? Would you recommend this?

4) The Bose system also came w/ a Subwoofer. I plan on poaching this too, unless it doesn't hit nearly as well as i'd like it to. i have the PSW-505 on standby in my amazon cart if need-be.

5) Is there any way you (much more tech and audio savvy people than me) direct me to get optimum performance out of this setup?

Thank you

harborbreeze

I have the 360 system.
I have it hooked up to a blue ray player via optical cable.
The volume is barely adequate at max level, this occurs when using the blu ray or the built in dvd player on the 360.
Yet when used on the cable/ sat input the sound is Loud, can't turn it up anywhere near max.
Am I doing something wrong???

dorokusai

lordmehy wrote: »

hi everyone!

i came here after hearing about this forum on AVS. i'm a tech newbie and really don't know/understand the gazillions of settings options you can use on a powerful receiver to fully optimize the audio from your speakers. in any case, i was in charge of upgrading my parents HT setup, and this is what i got for them:

TV: Pioneer Kuro pdp-6020fd
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR606
Speakers: Polk SurroundBar 50
DVD: Panasonic DMP-BD35K
Remote: Logitech Harmony One

Existing equipment:
Dish network HD-DVR
Bose accoustimass speakers purchased in the mid-90's for the outgoing HT currently in place. (i.e., these are 5 pairs of those small cube speakers)

Now the questions i have regarding setup of this system are as follows:

1) Should i scrap the wires the polk surroundbar comes w/ and get 12awg instead? Will the surroundbar accept banana plugs?

2) What are the settings i should use when setting up the speaker to the receiver? i had read on an earlier page in this thread to set the speakers to small because the surroundbar already had a filter (i don't know if this was specific to the 360 or to the 50).

3) Can i poach 2 pairs of the old Bose speakers i have and use those as surround speakers? Would you recommend this?

4) The Bose system also came w/ a Subwoofer. I plan on poaching this too, unless it doesn't hit nearly as well as i'd like it to. i have the PSW-505 on standby in my amazon cart if need-be.

5) Is there any way you (much more tech and audio savvy people than me) direct me to get optimum performance out of this setup?

Thank you

1) You can certainly upgrade the wires if you want but I'd stick with the stock harness until you get it setup.

2) Refer to the owners manual. The settings may depend on your AVR's capabilities.

3) Yes, for 6.1 or 7.1 they would work fine. I'm not sure of the impedence of the cubes but it shouldn't be a problem either way.

4) The PSW505 is a better choice than the Bose subwoofer. Better yet, check out Polks' new DSW subwoofer series.

5) You're doing fine. Good luck!

dorokusai

harborbreeze wrote: »

I have the 360 system.
I have it hooked up to a blue ray player via optical cable.
The volume is barely adequate at max level, this occurs when using the blu ray or the built in dvd player on the 360.
Yet when used on the cable/ sat input the sound is Loud, can't turn it up anywhere near max.
Am I doing something wrong???

Have you tried another input? There are 3 choices on the rear of the S360.

Caveman1

I am interested in purchasing the Surroundbar Titanium for 42" plasma that is mounted to a Sanus Full motion mount (VMDD26). I need to know if the Surroundbar will mount to the Sanus Universal Center-channel speaker mount (VMCC1) that attaches to the full motion mount. Does anyone know the answer? Thanks.

BAlGaInTl

So, I've been thinking about getting the SoundBar 50 for a bit now... I ran across the titanium version for only $399 and couldn't pass it up.

It will go fine with my TV for now.... but if I upgrade to a black tv in the future, can you change out the speaker cover for a black one? I don't see any way to order it as a "part" from the site.

I'm quite excited about it....

Now I just need to get a better sub to go with it. It should beat my RCA 2.1 that I have going now....

CaligulaPolk

I see that SB360 DVD player have subtitle feature but will Closed captioned [CC] work? I will have to hook up via compoent not HDMI to get CC to work. DVD does have cc, as for Blu-ray it will be subtitles. I would rather to have a player that enable CC via component.

How does this work with PS3? Will i need the dvd player if I hook it up to PS3?

dorokusai

BAlGaInTl wrote: »

It will go fine with my TV for now.... but if I upgrade to a black tv in the future, can you change out the speaker cover for a black one?

Great post and experience but no, you cannot change the "cover". It's extruded Aluminum and not designed to be changed.

BAlGaInTl

dorokusai wrote: »

Great post and experience but no, you cannot change the "cover". It's extruded Aluminum and not designed to be changed.

It looked like the front grille was removable from the technical documentation. Or is that just for illustration purposes?

I still feel like I stole it at $399. Has the Titanium version been discontinued or something?

dorokusai

I thought you meant the housing....yes, you can remove and change the cover if you wish.

BAlGaInTl

dorokusai wrote: »

I thought you meant the housing....yes, you can remove and change the cover if you wish.

Very cool...

I was hoping so.

Any idea on where somebody could find one?

MikeC78

Just email of call Polk CS, they'll send you one.