Polk Audio Hitmaster Review

Serendipity

*Note: Continued on multiple posts*

In an era of monstrous flat-screen and high definition TVs, surround sound systems, ubiquitous “home theater in a box” packages available at your local Best Buy or Circuit City, and the proliferation of video on demand content (Movies on Demand, Pay-Per-View, iTunes downloads to your iPod, etc.), one must wonder what is the effect of all this technology on movie theaters and movie theater attendance. I wondered how does this affect the Home Entertainment industry.

I begin with my personal experiences regarding the movie theater vs. the home theater. In 2006 I began building my own home theater in the basement which incorporates a Sony CRT projector, Home Theater PC (HTPC), and sound system that will rival that of your local art-house Cineplex. At this time I also went to the movies less and less to the point where trips to the movie theater were reserved for top-notch, epic films, such as The Hulk and Spider-Man 3. I noticed that when I did go to the movies, they seemed to be incredibly empty in comparison to the attendance in past years. What was going on? I decided to examine this phenomenon and see what was drawing viewers away from the local cinema.

The answer? Video Games.

Serendipity

Recently, DVD sales have flattened and the introduction of Blu-Ray and HD DVD players have not been decisive, unlike the Betamax and the VCR battle, and the studios have not seen net gains in box-office receipts or DVD sales. Part of the problem is again the advent of animation and computer generated imagery technology. Often console games have more fantasy elements, thrills and sound effects, and interactivity than a conventional movie for a young adult of my generation. The games industry is one segment of the entertainment marketplace that has witnessed unprecedented growth in the past twenty years. As a result, young people of today are used to special effects, computer enhanced imagery, explosions and car chases, and ear piercing sound. Our attention span is shorter; we are smarter and more aware because of the Internet and growing up with television and PS2 and Xbox; and we tend to be more discriminating even though most of the young male teens are still into schlock and cartoon-like, console games violence.

(continued multi-post review)

Serendipity

Nowadays, movies are facing much competition from the video game industry. These games are one of the fastest rising media entertainment markets in the globe, i.e., witness the numerous game consoles available - from PlayStation (myriad versions), Microsoft Xbox, to Nintendo’s new Wii console. Billions of dollars are made on the hardware and billions more on the software. Each game costs approximately $59 per title, vastly profitable to the manufacturers and companies writing the software content. The movie theater industry is facing competition from the video game industry due to the fact that video games are interactive and this is what American children want.

Children like this type of interactive, virtual-reality entertainment, and this is something that movies cannot provide to kids of today. They are seeking new forms of technology to keep them entertained; in this day and age movies just do not seem to be as attractive as video games.

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Recently, both Apple and Verizon have launched movie download services to their portable devices, i.e. cell phone and iPod, and have been very successful in marketing these services. It seems as if almost every one of my friends wanted to get an iPhone or cellular phone with video capability to watch live concerts, listen to music videos, watch TV, see movies, go to YouTube and see funny clips, watch cartoons and play video games, etc. Technology has reached a point where convenience, ease of access, and relatively affordable pricing have made the consumer the ultimate arbiter of what he/she would want to experience in terms of entertainment.

The game console, whether Xbox, PlayStation, or Wii is the new form of family entertainment.

Serendipity

Movies have always been the marriage of art and commerce, with more emphasis on commerce than art. And Hollywood and the film exhibition industries have always somehow survived the unpredictable and whimsical consumption habits of the consumers seeking cheap and quick thrills. In the 1930s and 1940s, when the U.S, was in the grip of the Depression and just recovering from its debilitating economic effects, movie attendance had some 90 million people a week purchasing tickets at the box-office of their local movie theater, when the population of the U.S. was somewhere around only 180 million. Aside from radio and baseball, there was relatively little choice in what other forms of mass entertainment one could pursue or enjoy.

Movie going was the quintessential communal experience; people followed the movie production schedules of the studios; an upcoming feature release was an important social event as couples, families, and friends would go and see the movie together for the cost of a nickel per ticket; the gossip papers and tabloids offered glimpses and juicy tidbits into the dazzling and other worldly lives of glamorous stars; fan magazines reported on the secret love lives and sexual exploits of major stars; newsreels showed the backlots of movie studios, filled with excessively opulent movie sets, and unbelievably luxuriant live styles of make believe on-screen characters; and film was an important American export to the rest of the world, generating huge income to the studios and the tax rolls of the IRS. After the Second World War, along came the little television set that hypnotized movie goers to stay at home and watch the flickering black and white images, as the returning war veterans started families by raising children and moved to the suburbs in droves in their brand new automobiles. Film attendance spiraled downwards and brought the sea change that ended the days of the Hollywood studios.

Television programs such as I Love Lucy became household names and eagerly watched TV programs. The big, silver screen was usurped by the little screen, almost David versus Goliath like. Advertisers sponsored programs on TV and the weekly TV serials replaced the latest feature at the local theater with names like The Palladium or The Majestic. Andd in the 21st Century, entertainment has shifted from the silver screen to the home. Whether it be on a plasma TV, projection screen, or LCD display...

Serendipity

There is an increase in the proliferation of these consumer electronic devices, the changing consumer attitudes and habits of the post baby-boomer generation of generation Xers and Millennium babies, and speculated what other sweeping transformations in the home entertainment industry we could expect in the future.

The Polk Audio Hitmaster

In essence, this thing is awesome. It is loud, clear, and the perfect companion for your video game sound. However, it is not just a gaming loudspeaker. It is a multi-purpose speaker for all of your sound needs. I found that it was best as a DJ loudspeaker, when connected to a DJ mixer and CD player or iPod.

(to be continued)

Serendipity

The first thing I did when I received the Hitmaster was to look at the build quality: Some things I noticed:

• - Strong build quality
• - Solid enclosure
• - Strong handle
• - Rugged qualities
• - Plate amp was flush
• - Large Woofer
• - Excellent packaging

I then hooked it up to to the Xbox 360, PlayStation2, Wii, and SNES. I also have an HTPC that I did the demo with although I have the HTPC currently hooked up to the 2 Channel System. The sound quality was excellent in this configuration.

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The next thing I did was hook it up to the DJ rig. It is comprised of the following:

- Radio Shack SSM-1250 4 Channel Mixer
- Onkyo DV-CP500 CD Player
- 80GB iPod Classic *5th Generation*
- Aiwa NSX-MA545 *Tape Deck and 3CD Changer*

In my opinion, this is where the Hitmaster really shines. Not only did it sound like a DJ speaker (JBL Eon 15G2, Mackie SRM450, etc.) it sounded much better than most PA cabinets and was not as harsh. Most people who know me know that I hate bright speakers. The Hitmaster was easy to listen to in this configuration.

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I tried a variety of source material on the DJ rig, which included dance hits from Cascada, Groove Coverage, Eiffel 65, etc. I was blown away by the sound and it was loud and clear! After that, I connected it to my Lenovo notebook PC. I tried it in the following configurations:

1. I used a 3.5" mini headphone jack adapter to a left and right RCA cable, which was connected to the Hitmaster.
2. I connected the PC to the television and had the television's audio output to the Hitmaster, with left and right RCA cables.

The first song I tried was Cascada - Pyromania on the Hitmaster and it pounded out with ease. It really sounds like it's got more than 50 watts, as it's a VERY LOUD speaker. I had the volume turned up to 11 on the Hitmaster and the PC's volume control maxed out and the Hitmaster did not distort in any way.

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Game Performance

So next I brought it to the gaming room and hooked it up to the sources:
1. Xbox 360 Pro Console 20GB
2. Sony PlayStation 2
3. Nintendo Wii
4. Nintendo SNES
5. hp Digital Entertainment Center z560

I tried a variety of games such as the following:
- Gran Turismo
- Tekken
- Wii Sports
- Mario (various)
- Rock Band

The Hitmaster brought these games to life in this configuration. The rest of the system was the following: Projector: Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 UltraBlack, Screen: 100" Dalite Model C w/CSR (High Power). All sources were routed through a 4-source switcher and the audio was fed to the Hitmaster. The Hitmaster had NO PROBLEM filling up a large room with sound, and most of the demo was spent with the volume turned way up and it did not have any problems playing freaking LOUD all the time! THIS THING IS SO LOUD IT IS AWESOME!

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Music Performance

After trying this out in the game room I decided to check out it's music performance. I tried everything from Madonna to Lady Gaga and Cascada. I found out that the Hitmaster was best suited to dance songs, as it had a lot of bass and crisp highs. Madonna's La Isla Bonita wasn't as fun as Cascada - Miracle simply because the dance songs were more engaging.

The following sources were used with the Hitmaster in the music configuration:
1. Dell Inspiron 530 Slim with onboard audio
2. iPod Classic 80GB with 3.5mm to RCA cable
3. Toshiba HD-XA1 as a CDP

Again, the Hitmaster sounded more like a PA speaker than anything else. It wasn't as bright sounding as PA speakers from EAW, Mackie, and JBL, which was a huge plus. The Hitmaster has a great amount of intelligibility and the sound carries very far. Compared to the Definitive Tech BP10B, the Hitmaster was like a party speaker vs. a HiFi speaker for the DefTechs.

Last, the Hitmaster could be daisy chained from one speaker to another (I only had one to try) so a pair of these would be great for a portable audio setup somewhere when going camping. I would think they could run off a generator or car battery's inverter, but I'm not sure...

TECHNOKID

great review Serendipity! I agree with your findings and experiences. The only area I would be perplex, since the HM is unbalanced I would suspect a generator would create some noize in the HM system output. However, a powerfull enough car inverter might do the trick. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Cheers!
TK

Serendipity

TECHNOKID wrote: »

great review Serendipity! I agree with your findings and experiences. The only area I would be perplex, since the HM is unbalanced I would suspect a generator would create some noize in the HM system output. However, a powerfull enough car inverter might do the trick. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Cheers!
TK

Thanks, I'm actually just getting started

I would like to try the Hitmaster as a portable speaker for camping, etc. but I'm sure this was far from the intended idea. Anyways, it is a great speaker for multiple uses; I am enjoying it and stay tuned for the rest of this review!

Serendipity

TV Performance

So tonight I hooked up the Hitmaster to the Living Room Rig. It is mostly used for TV and watching news, but also gets used for listening to concert DVD's and music DVD's or concerts on cable. It is comprised of the following:

TV: Sony KD-34XBR960
Mains: Onkyo Bookshelves
VCR: JVC HR-S7000U
DVR: Panasonic DMR-E95HS

I hooked up the Hitmaster to listen to some concerts and they sounded great. Also used it to watch the news but I did not prefer it for watching news. It was simply too loud; you could hear it from every room when watching the news. So I turned it down and went back to the TV's speakers.

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Standalone Speaker Performance

Today the Hitmaster was used as a standalone speaker without any other electronics in the signal path. A variety of music was used, from DJ Encore to The Wallflowers. I basically wanted to see how the Hitmaster performed with only an audio input device and nothing else in the chain.

The setup was the following:
- iPod, Mustek Portable Media Center --> Polk Audio Hitmaster
- The Hitmaster was plugged into a 20A dedicated circuit
- The iPod and Portable Media Center were not charging.

Initially, I noticed that the gain on the Hitmaster was very sensitive and you could have too much signal going into the unit. If your iPod volume is more than 50%, the maximum output of the Hitmaster could be exceeded. As a result, I would suggest the following:

1. A Mic/Line switch such as found on portable PA speakers
2. A sensitivity option to change from CD Player to iPod

With the Mustek Portable Media Center, the volume had to be at 100% for the Hitmaster to receive a solid signal. However, the iPod could be too loud at times and I wish there was a sensitivity switch to correct this.

Therefore, the gains could be set optimally and both the iPod's output power and the internal gain of the Hitmaster could be maximized. This would allow the Hitmaster to be much more versatile in matching different sources.

TECHNOKID

Initially, I noticed that the gain on the Hitmaster was very sensitive and you could have too much signal going into the unit. If your iPod volume is more than 50%, the maximum output of the Hitmaster could be exceeded. As a result, I would suggest the following:

1. A Mic/Line switch such as found on portable PA speakers
2. A sensitivity option to change from CD Player to iPod

I agree with you as I did similar testing and experienced with basically the same results. We have to realize that to work optimally we must keep any devices at no higher than 50% of their available volume and this also applies to iPods. Unless you have proven your iPod to be distortion free when maxed we could expect the distortion to be coming from any or both iPod output or HM input
(remember; garbage in = garbage out).

1. A Mic/Line switch such as found on portable PA speakers
2. A sensitivity option to change from CD Player to iPod

I agree with you that a selctable input level on the HM would be benificial but mic level is definitely not what is required for either CD, DVD, TV and-or iPod signals.

I wonder if some form of AGC at the HM input circuitry could be used without adding too much to Polk's cost? A selectable switch with ducking ability (provide higher or lower db input) could also do the trick.

Cheers!
TK

Serendipity

TECHNOKID wrote: »

I agree with you as I did similar testing and experienced with basically the same results. We have to realize that to work optimally we must keep any devices at no higher than 50% of their available volume and this also applies to iPods. Unless you have proven your iPod to be distortion free when maxed we could expect the distortion to be coming from any or both iPod output or HM input
(remember; garbage in = garbage out).

I agree with you that a selctable input level on the HM would be benificial but mic level is definitely not what is required for either CD, DVD, TV and-or iPod signals.

I wonder if some form of AGC at the HM input circuitry could be used without adding too much to Polk's cost? A selectable switch with ducking ability (provide higher or lower db input) could also do the trick.

Cheers!
TK

It really depends on the iPod and source material. For example, if the songs on the iPod are classical and recorded at a lower level, it is possible to turn the iPod's volume level up to 100% without any distortion on the Hitmaster's output.

The reason why I said a "Mic/Line" switch is that most PA speakers have such a switch to adjust the sensitivity. If there were an XLR input on the Hitmaster, such a switch would be necessary. The reason I suggested this is to use the Hitmaster as a portable PA system; otherwise there is no need for a Mic/Line switch.

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Hitmaster Speaker Placement

Interestingly enough, the positioning of the speaker can make a HUGE difference on the sound. I have experimented on positioning it in the following ways:

1. Angled as a floor monitor
2. On its side like a center channel speaker
3. Vertically like a bookshelf speaker.

I preferred the vertical orientation best as the sound of the Hitmaster was smooth in this configuration. Similar to PA speakers at a dance club, a forward-firing Hitmaster placed on a table provided the best results.

This time I used the following sources:
1. iPod Classic 80GB
2. Xbox 360 Pro
3. Sony PlayStation 2

The Wii and SNES were not used due to the fact that all the games I have for the aforementioned consoles were "kid" games and nothing with lots of music or bass. I found that the floor orientation was too concentrated and the horizontal was too unstable, so I settled on the Vertical orientation.

Serendipity

Ergonomics and Performance

I've been away for the day visiting another Polkie so this is the first chance I got to add to this review. The Hitmaster is great with regards to ergonomics, but I'd like to throw out a few ideas to Polk Audio. I was wondering if the following could be implemented:

1. An auto-sensing power switch to turn it off when not in use
2. Additional handles on the left and right
3. Some sort of stands/rubber/feet so that the Hitmaster can be used horizontally
4. Some way to secure the Hitmaster vertically (like on a stand).

In addition, the included cable was a little short but a longer one would work wonders.

TECHNOKID

Serendipity wrote: »

Ergonomics and Performance

I've been away for the day visiting another Polkie so this is the first chance I got to add to this review. The Hitmaster is great with regards to ergonomics, but I'd like to throw out a few ideas to Polk Audio. I was wondering if the following could be implemented:

1. An auto-sensing power switch to turn it off when not in use
2. Additional handles on the left and right
3. Some sort of stands/rubber/feet so that the Hitmaster can be used horizontally
4. Some way to secure the Hitmaster vertically (like on a stand).

In addition, the included cable was a little short but a longer one would work wonders.

Don't forget the goal was to keep the price point below 100$ too many extras will definitely bring the price point above 100$.

Serendipity

TECHNOKID wrote: »

Don't forget the goal was to keep the price point below 100$ too many extras will definitely bring the price point above 100$.

I could understand that. At the $100 price point, though, I don't think a longer power cord and audio cable would make a significant difference. In fact, the only thing I really needed was a longer power cord, since I used the Hitmaster outdoors.

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Hitmaster Outdoor Performance

So - while doing yard work I decided to bring the Hitmaster outside and see how well it performed in the great outdoors. I only used it with an iPod, but the sound quality was decent outside and could be heard for a great distance.

The setup was the follows:
- iPod to Hitmaster
- Hitmaster was placed outside in patio area
- Volume set approximately 50% (plenty loud)
- Needed an extension cord as most outlets were out of reach

Sound quality was very good even outdoors. The bass response was there, and the horn loaded tweeters carried the sound very far. I feel this could definitely be used for backyard BBQ parties, etc. as a single speaker or accompanied by a projector for a Drive-In Theater!

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Thoughts and Suggestions

Today I brought this back into the living room and I found that in a small(er) room, this speaker is really that good!

1. For the price of around $100 it is hard to beat!
2. I would be interested in hearing how a pair of them sounded.
3. Any chance of being able to use this as a Karaoke speaker without a game console? This would be interesting...
3. Definitely would like to use two of these as DJ speakers in the future for smaller rooms and birthday parties, etc.
4. Overall, great job Polk Audio on an excellent product and I hope they bring more new products to us in the future!

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Thoughts and Suggestions, continued...

5. Sensitivity with an iPod is an issue as due to the level of the signal, the iPod's volume if cranked over 50% will create distortion in the Hitmaster's output.
6. I noticed that the midway point was "6" but the max was "11." Why not label the midway point to "5" since the "6" implies max gain will be "12"? Just nitpicking...
7. Any chance a portable version will be manufactured?
8. Again, excellent speaker and EXCELLENT sound for the price!

I really enjoyed listening to the Hitmaster for the past week and it was really a lot of fun!

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Dorokusai,

I'm waiting to send this on. Is there anything else I need to do like take pictures of the setup or anything?

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Doro,

Shipped as of today. Thanks!

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Conclusion

In essence, the Polk Audio Hitmaster is an excellent speaker for the price of just $100 and it can't be beat. Polk Audio makes excellent products and they sound very impressive! It is loud, clear, and the perfect companion for your video game sound. It is also the BEST portable speaker I have ever heard for your iPod or laptop PC. It makes your games come to life and any music you play sound like it is live. Great Job!

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Final Thoughts

Overall I enjoyed demoing the Polk Audio Hitmaster for the last week and I look forward to hearing more Polk products in the future. I am impressed with the Polk bookshelf speakers (R15's) that I currently have, and the Hitmaster was even better. I am also interested in Polk's outdoor speaker offerings since summer is around the corner and I am sure they will be enjoyable to listen to. Polk ROCKS!!

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bump...

TECHNOKID

xcapri79 wrote: »

For a great sounding inexpensive system, I really like that Hitmaster. I have it set up in my two channel room with an ADCOM GTP-400 tuner/preamp, Magnavox DVD/CD player, and a Polk Audio PSW10 subwoofer.

The Best of Bowie is one of my favorite demo CD's and it rocks on that setup. The PSW10 complements the Hitmaster nicely. This set up would work nicely with several different applications around the home.

with the bass capability of the HM, I didn't care about adding a sub. In my case I use it for portable rig and it rocks :cool: In may, I had it over my sister place, both my sons and their ladies were also there and everyone enjoyed the movie (2012). I'll be looking to modify it to test in car use

dorokusai

xcapri79 wrote: »

For a great sounding inexpensive system, I really like that Hitmaster. I have it set up in my two channel room with an ADCOM GTP-400 tuner/preamp, Magnavox DVD/CD player, and a Polk Audio PSW10 subwoofer.

The Best of Bowie is one of my favorite demo CD's and it rocks on that setup. The PSW10 complements the Hitmaster nicely. This set up would work nicely with several different applications around the home.

Excellent.