 So simple. So happy. |
| Review Date: March 1, 2010 |
| Reviewer: G&J, Portland, OR United States |
Thrilled. We had a 5.1 setup with wires and speakers all over the place. Sounded great, looked atrocious. Also had a big, feature-rich receiver in the media cabinet taking up space and getting hot. Now: One speaker, a hidden sub, and no receiver. Beautiful. Remote pairing was dead simple (using a Harmony One).
I've been a Polk Audio fan for a long time, and this system didn't change that. No, it's not the fanciest. But the aural quality is tremendous, and I haven't missed the features I gave up one bit. These people know how to make a speaker. |
Just what I needed!
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| Review Date: February 8, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Daniel, Racine, WI |
First I bought the Sony Bravia KDL-46S1500 TV. Then I began to wonder how to get better sound out of it. Tried my audio system and it didn't do much (it's old). Considered a 5 or 7 speaker surround system, but didn't want all the wires running through my family room. I read all of the reviews on Amazon and everywhere else I could find them. Considered the Sony bar system, but my local dealer, who had both the Polk and Sony sound bar systems set up, suggested that the Polk was much better. I listened to both and concluded that he was correct.
Bought the Polk bar system and easily set it up. Great sound! The wireless subwoofer adds a lot. I highly recommend this system. Is it the most intricate system out there? No. But it is a nice looking, great sounding, simple to install system. It fills the room nicely. Highly recommended. |
Little Sound Bar + Sub-Woofer Packs a BIG PUNCH!
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| Review Date: February 8, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Leland E. Bixby, Boston, MA |
I researched a number of sound/surroundbars for over a month and after reading reviews, listening to soundbars in Best Buy and considering convenience and how I already have so many wires behind my TV already, I decided on the Polk SDA Instant Home Theater. I must say I am extremely happy with my decision!
This sleek, user-friendly surroundbar, plus wireless sub-woofer (it doesn't get much cooler than that) is awesome! It took less than 10 minutes to remove from the box and set up. It also learned my cable and television remotes instantaneously. I have the soundbar resting securely on the pedestal of my Samsung 52" and it doesn't block the screen at all. The ONLY negative thing I have to say about the combination of my TV and soundbar is that it blocks the TV remote sensor. For this reason I plan on wall mounting the sound bar above the TV when I move into my new apartment.
Let's get to the sound quality of this little bad boy. The thing is awesome! I immediately popped in a couple blu-rays to really test out the quality of sound, and "I Am Legend" (the opening scene when Will Smith is driving his Mustang around the city, hunting deer) sounds AMAZING! I could hear every purr of the engine, the pitter, patter of the deer running, etc. I could dissect every track of sound and hear every sound effect individually. I then put my TV speakers back on to hear the difference and every sound blended together and sounded muffled (who wants that!?) Video games also sound superb and again every track of sound is so crisp!
The other thing that is GREAT about this system is that it actually balances the sound levels of dialogue and music when watching dvds and blu-rays! I'm sure most people have noticed that when they watch movies the dialogue is always very low and hard to hear, and the sound track is extremely loud. Most of the time I even have to turn down the volume on the TV when music begins to play, and then back up again when dialogue resumes. I have always found this to be really ANNOYING! That is no longer a problem with this system. The dialogue stays nice and loud and clear, and the music stays right at the volume level it should.
The sub woofer really adds an extra punch and delivers crystal clear bass! Unfortunately I have downstairs neighbors so I have not been able to fully test how much bang I can get from the sub, but I cranked it up for a minute or two just to see what it can do and wow!
All in all I am extremely pleased with this purchase, especially since I got it at the Amazon Warehouse open box price and saved over $100! I do agree with some reviewers that it does not deliver TRUE surround sound, but at times it does sound like certain effects are coming from either the left or right of me and not from the sound bar itself. It is pretty cool, but I've noticed this mostly on blu-rays. Regardless the sound that comes from this single speaker system and sub-woofer is crystal clear, and loud! It adds the much needed umph that my TV speakers fail to deliver and I would recommend this system to EVERYONE looking for GREAT sound minus the headache of a timely hookup and unattractive wires all over the place. Oh, and I don't know why so many people complain about it only having analog inputs. I am almost certain that the sound can not get much better and most people would not be able to tell a difference if it offered an optical audio input. Stop complaining about the little things and enjoy the movie theater quality sound! That's it I'm done :) |
A good compromise.
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| Review Date: February 5, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Carl D. Peterson, Chicago |
| If you're looking for a good-performing, easy to set-up soundbar, this is the one. Because of space constraints I mounted it on top of my Blu-Ray player, which in turn sits on top of the entertainment center. What few wires there are I bundled with cable-ties and got a very sleek look. The wireless subwoofer didn't pick up the signal unless it was line-of-sight to the soundbar, so my original side corner location didn't work. I settled for putting the subwoofer under a side table in front of the entertainment center and next to my chair. Works great. Audio quality is good at medium-and-above volume levels, particularly when playing movies. The only issue I've had is that volume levels on the sounbar sometimes need readjusting when I change television channels or switch beteen media in order to keep it synchronized with the volume level of the television set. I've been pleased with Polk Audio products before and this one hasn't disappointed. P.S. Make sure you buy the recommended HDMI cable because it isn't included with the product. |
Good product but...
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| Review Date: January 30, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Matt Keene, |
| I really like the sound quality of this product but the wireless signal interferes with my wireless internet signal no matter what channel I switch to. |
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