My new SurroundBar sounds nice, but...

pendragon128

it doesn't really seem to project an effective "sound field" - that is to say, I'm not getting a particularly noticeable "surround effect". It rather sounds as though audio is coming directly from five speakers mounted atop my television (which, admittedly, is the case). Other than this, it sounds *very* good (clean, accurate, etc.), but the lack of "surround mojo" is rather dissapointing. I have the SurroundBar paired with a Polk PSW303 sub, which I've owned for a couple of years, and driven by an Onkyo TX-SR504 receiver.

I've made great effort to setup everything correctly, but I'm hoping there's something I've overlooked or perhaps a "tweak" someone can offer. I am something of a technophile but HT electronics are not my strong point. I have the sub wired in parallel with the two front channels, and I have all 5 channels set to "large" speaker in the recevier configuration as the documentation instructs. Running the receiver's test tone does indeed give me output on the correct channels, and I do hear all five - they just all sound like they're coming from directly in front of me. Playing a DVD in Dolby 5.1 yields similar results.

My room layout is less than optimal for surround (which is why I went with the SurroundBar to begin with). It's a rectangular room - approximatly 13X20 feet with a cathedral ceiling - but because of partially open walls on two sides the television and SurroundBar are placed in the corner. The couch where I sit to watch movies is placed directly in front of the television, but is not 'parallel' to the TV screen, if that makes any sense; it is flush against the wall, but 'on a diagonal' because the TV must sit in the corner. Could it be my placement/room acoustics are just countering much of the surround effect? Can anyone offer any tips or things to look at? I do understand that there are limitations to the SurroundBar and I'm not expecting to duplicate a true five-speaker experience, but I've read an awful lot where folks say the SurroundBar *does* produce something near a 180-degree sound field easily, and I'm not getting an effect even close to that. I am a very satisfied long-term Polk owner though, so I know the product is good.

Any input at all would be much appreciated! Thanks!

CD

danger boy

is it placed at about ear level? is it aimed towards you... both of these can have an affect on sound.. can you raise the level of the rear surrounds? but yes placement and room acoustics would have an affect on the sound.

madmax

Are you playing surround sources or just two channel? For two channel it sounds like a couple of very small speakers.
madmax

pendragon128

The SurroundBar is mounted probably six to nine inches above ear level, though I do have it angled down ever-so-slightly, so yes, it is "aimed" directly at the primary viewing position.

Yes, I am playing a five-channel source. I do hear all the channels, they just all sound like they're in front of me. There's very little "sound projection" going on, if any.

I will try raising the volume of the rear channels and see if that helps.

Another question that perhaps might be relevant. There is a config setting in the receiver where you indicate the distances of each of the speakers from the listener. The SoundBar is approximately 13 feet from the seated listener. Should I set all five speaker distances to 13 feet? Should the Left Surround and Right Surround be set to less or more? There is a separate config to set different volume levels for each channel, so I don't really know what the speaker distance means to the receiver (i.e. if it alters the phase of each signal?).

Thanks for any and all input!

CD

bbeacham

I have never heard the SurroundBar so everything I say is speculation. I still have Polk SDA speakers in the living room and it is amazing how that technology can open up the front sound field. However, I cannot imagine any technology that can fool the ear into thinking that sound in the front is actually behind the listener.

In this month's Scientific American there is an article on very directional speaker technology that can only be heard if you are in the very narrow sound path. Otherwise, they are inaudible. I suppose it is possible to have speakers like this in the front that beams the sound to the back, and in the back have some type of scattering device to reflect and spread out the sound. Then it might be possible to get surround sound from only front speakers.

VXR8

Hi CD and welcome,

I too have the SurroundBar. What I have done with mine is raised the db level to + 10 on my AVR for the rear surrounds to try and compensate. What I have found by having the rears at + 10db and the fronts and centre at a lower setting is that it gives the illusion that the sound is coming from beside you - not necessarily from behind you.

I have noticed this more when I was sitting about 3-4 feet away and it was less noticeable the further I sit back (usual position is about 12 feet away from the SurroundBar).

Anyway, it is a bit of trial and error and you have hooked it up as per Polk HQ directions, so just keep tweaking until you are satisfied with the outcome.

dorokusai

Pendragon - Can you snap a pic of your room and post it? I would second the suggestion of checking and setting @ reference level or boosting your levels for the rear surrounds. I always run my surround channels a little hot, as its my personal preference.