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Polk Audio SurroundBar Speaker System (Single Speaker) - Titanium | 
 enlarge | Brand: Polk Audio
Category: CE
List Price: $949.95
Buy New: $395.72
You Save: $554.23 (58%)
New (5) from $366.51
Avg. Customer Rating:  27 reviews
Media: Electronics
Shipping Weight (lbs): 16
Dimensions (in): 45.6 x 8.6 x 8.3
MPN: AM4057-A
Model: AM4057-A
UPC: 747192112011
EAN: 0747192112011
Availability: Usually ships in 3 to 6 weeks
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| Features:
| • | Single magnetically shielded surround bar speaker with neodymium motor structures for safe placement on or near TVs | | • | Equipped with seven 3.5-inch composite cone drivers | | • | Patented combination of signal processing and acoustical geometry produces room-filling effects | | • | Equipped with three 0.75-inch silk/polymer composite dome tweeters | | • | Polk Audio's patented SDS Surround Technology delivers a vivid sound field from a single 42-inch cabinet |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The Polk Audio SurroundBar is designed to complete your High Definition TV experience. It's the perfect match for flat-panel and shallow screen TVs. And it works with any surround sound receiver. Polk's patented SDA Surround technology means there's no need to install rear speakers. SDA Surround creates a completely immersive experience, as if there were dozens of speakers all around you. This technology is based on fundamental research into the way our ears process sound and perceive the direction of sounds.The SurroundBar works in any room, SDA Surround is not dependent on your room's walls to produce the surround effect. It uses a patented combination of signal processing and acoustical geometry that complements the spacing between your ears to produce surround sound without the need for rear mounted speakers. Since the SurroundBar works directly with the hearing mechanism and requires no special room characteristics, it can deliver a room-filling surround experience in nearly any location in almost any type of room.Installation versatility is designed in. You can wall mount the SurroundBar right below your flat-panel TV. Or use the included cradle on a TV stand, a shelf or for set-top placement. The Polk Audio SurroundBar is a welcome addition for anyone who wants all the thrills of surround sound... but none of the hassles. The SurroundBar is simple to set up. The conductor cable is color-coded and clearly marked for easy hookup, even your kids can do it.
Amazon.com Product Description
A perfect sonic and stylistic match for flat-panel and shallow-case TVs, the Polk Audio SurroundBar is designed to offer elegant, high-resolution, single-source surround sound. It comes with everything you need to mount it above, below, or even on your television, and it works with any surround sound receiver. It's an ideal listening system for anyone seeking rich, enveloping surround sound without the space commitment or hookup hassles of a multispeaker system. 
The SurroundBar is designed to complete your high-definition TV experience and is a perfect match for flat-panel TVs. | 
SDA technology projects sound to both sides and behind you. | Polk Audio's patented SDA Surround technology means there's no need to install rear speakers. SDA Surround technology is founded on extensive research into the way human ears process sound and perceive directionality of sound. Unlike speakers or surround algorithms that merely simulate surround effects, the SurroundBar reproduces discrete, multichannel surround sound using a patented combination of signal processing and acoustical geometry called Acoustic Wave Front Reconstruction (AWFR). Since the SurroundBar works directly upon your ears and requires no special room characteristics, it can deliver room-filling surround sound nearly anywhere. As with conventional 5.1-channel systems, you'll hear the best surround effects when you're centered directly in front of the SurroundBar. However--unlike conventional 5.1 systems--the SurroundBar delivers surround sound regardless of how close or how far away you sit. While it's technically a single speaker, the SurroundBar contains seven active drive units, three tweeters, and inputs for all five primary surround channels: front left/center/right and rear left/right. Multiple drive units spaced roughly the same distance apart as your ears allow the speaker to keep you from discerning the actual sound sources. Instead, it will seem as though sound is coming from all around and behind you. 
Mount the SurroundBar below your flat-panel TV, or use the included cradle for a shelf or set-top placement. | The SurroundBar's circuitry maintains proper isolation of all amplifier channels and will function correctly with any amplifier or receiver capable of driving a 4 ohm load (that is, capable of powering 4-ohm speakers). Many receivers are rated for maximum power into 8 ohms but function perfectly well--functioning with about half their rated power--into 4 ohms, too. Wiring a stand-alone powered subwoofer in line with the speaker (a procedure illustrated in the product manual) will heighten the sense of realism and visceral power of the SurroundBar. For even more spacious sound, you can use the SurroundBar with your existing surround speakers, too. In such an arrangement you can wire the surround outputs from your receiver to your separate surround speakers instead of to the SurroundBar's rear-speaker terminals, using the SurroundBar for the front left, center, and right channels only. 
Simplified color-coded hookup with five channels directly from the home theater receiver. | Better still, if you have a 6.1- or 7.1-channel receiver, use one of your surround speakers as the rear-center speaker in a 6.1 system, or both surround speakers as 2 of the 4 speakers in a 7.1 system (with the SurroundBar's 2 surround channels in filling in the sound for the other 2). The SurroundBar must be mounted horizontally to function properly. Placement directly above or below your TV screen pointed in the same direction as the screen will give the best coordination between your surround sound and the on screen images. Wall mounting, shelf mounting, table mounting, or stand mounting all work equally well. However, walls or other large obstacles within 3 feet of the sides of the SurroundBar will reduce the effectiveness of its surround delivery. Cross-corner locations will work just fine. The supplied 25-foot, 10-conductor cable is color-coded and clearly marked for easy hookup. What's in the Box
SurroundBar speaker, 2-piece wall bracket, a center-channel base, mounting screws, 25-foot wire bundle, and a quick-start guide.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 Polk SurroundBar vs Yamaha YSP-1000 September 10, 2006
314 out of 319 found this review helpful
My Home Theatre was a reasonable system by any measure and better than most. However, my wife re-arranged the living room furniture and in one stroke my cherished system was made redundant. My two rear wall mounted speakers were now on my left and with no possibility to be mounted somewhere else.
It was time to look at the Polk & Yamaha products.
Being unable to audition a Polk SurroundBar and Yamaha YSP-1000 in an A/B comparison, I consequently decided to purchase both, with the idea that I would eventually keep one and sell the other.
I have now had both units for about 10 weeks and when doing my A/B comparisons, both systems are set up so that one speaker is sitting just above the other, playing the same material and with instant A/B switching via remote control.
Note - It takes quite a few readings of instruction manuals to eventually understand how to set them both up properly.
After comparing Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, Pink Floyd Pulse and a variety of CDs and music videos, my assessment is :
1/. Both products do produce a satisfying sound field effective for watching movies (albeit in very different ways).
2/. In my living room ( which is pretty "live") and my equipment with the Polk, they both sound remarkably similar. This was a big surprise to me.
On CDs and some music videos, most noticeable differences in sound is mostly due to subwoofer performance.
3/. Does either system produce effects equal to a 5 channel system with discrete rear speakers ? Of course the answer is "no". Neither of these systems can produce rear surround effects as distinct as those generated by rear surround speakers.
But in so many ways this question misses the real point as to the issues these products successfully address :
4/. Let me rephrase the question :
Do both systems produce a big sound field that envelopes you, similar to what one might experience at a real cinema? The answer is "YES"
Do you hear convincing surround sound effects as intended by the movie producers, immerse you into the movie and thus enhance your enjoyment ? Once again the answer is "YES".
5/. If you want decent home theatre sound but cannot install a multi-speaker surround system or you simply don't want to, then these products are a solution that do work.
6/. After reading forums on the net, I had the idea that the Polk was going to sound better than the YSP when it came to music. Actually for CDs etc, they both sound about the same, have a similar tone, both produce a big sound, go as loud as each other (and that can be very loud indeed). Nothing to distinguish one as being really better than the other, assuming that the Polk is coupled to a quality surround amp and sub. The surprise here was that the Yamaha with it's myriad of "tiny" 2 watt amplifiers is comfortable at really loud sound levels.
7/. Which is better?
Both have plus and minus points so it isn't that clear cut.
Yamaha YSP-1000 with matching YST-SW225B 150W subwoofer :-
PLUS points :-
+ Guaranteed a great sounding Home Theatre system. Yamaha engineers have made sure of that.
+ In-built power amplification ( this is termed an 'active' speaker and is generally a desirable configuration)
+ Decent pre-amplifier functionality eg volume control (with dB level displayed), bass & treble control, audio & video input selection ( selectable 4 sources ), auto-room equalisation, plenty of surround sound modes, IR signal pass-through, a remote control capable of macros etc. In fact the YSP-1000 has a remarkable amount of technology literally stuffed into it.
+ More effective in producing distinct surround sound effects than the Polk, especially when set up in it's "ideal" configuration. ie centred against a wall in a square room.
+ YSP can effectively compensate for being in a corner position (contrary to the notion that the YSP works well only when in an ideal environment)
+ Remote can control other manufacturers products.
+ All you need extra is a DVD player and a TV.
MINUS points :
- Requires side and rear walls.
- Looks bulky and industrial, in my opinion not an attractive addition to any living room.
- The Titanium colour ( more like dark grey ) is not a good match with most silver big screen TVs.
- The remote is a bit frustrating at times, too easy to be in the wrong control mode, eg you find yourself changing TV channels when you may intended to change surround mode.
- No HDMI input/output
- Cannot transcode between Composite & Component video signals. You are committed to an all Composite or all Component input / output video signal pathway. ( Not really a problem if every device you connect to the YSP's video inputs has Composite Video out.)
- On-screen menues only available with Composite video. So if you decide to go all Component Video pathway for best picture quality, you then lose your YSP's On-Screen menues.
- No S-Video inputs
- Probably impossible for an owner to tell if any of the 40 speakers/amplifiers inside the cabinet have failed and need replacing.
- Should have a DVD player in built.
POLK SurroundBar :-
PLUS points :
+ Looks great, visually complementing most big screen TV sets very nicely.
+ Does not require side and rear walls to your listening room.
+ Similar to the Yamaha with respect to it's capability to produce a big, convincing sound field.
+ Would make an excellent choice for an "all-in-one" Right/Centre/Left front speaker in a conventional surround system.
MINUS points :-
- Requires investment in a 5 channel home theatre Amplifier plus a Subwoofer
- Not guaranteed a great sounding Home Theatre system. The Polk's full potential could be easily compromised by a `weak link" resulting from a poor choice of ancillary equipment.
- Surround effects are never really localised, rather you hear them as originating from a hazy, general area, as comapared to the Yamaha which creates a more convincing localisation of the effect.
8/. Conclusion :
For good looks - POLK SurroudBar
For rooms without side or rear walls - POLK SurroundBar
For square or rectangular rooms, even with the YSP in a corner - YAMAHA YSP
For "most bang for your dollar" - YAMAHA.YSP
Both sound good ( remarkably similar ) and will probably end up costing about the same to set up once you add the necessary ancilliary equipment to the Polk.
In my particular situation I am trying to rid my living room of as many boxes as possible. Consequently, if Polk had managed to squeeze in a pre-amp and power amp into their SurroundBar and charged accordingly, then the Polk would be my first choice. It just looks that much better than the YSP unit does.
Unfortunately they haven't, so Yamaha stays and I'm now selling off the Polk along with my existing Denon amp, B&W sub & Anthony Gallo speakers.
 Unreal - you must hear it to believe it! January 23, 2006
93 out of 94 found this review helpful
I purchased the Polk Surroundbar with some trepidation, as it is an expensive leap of faith purchase due to the fact that I was unable to find a local Polk dealer with a showroom model to test. I thought the unit would be ideal in my TV room due to the fact that I refuse to drill holes in my hardwood floors to accomodate traditional 5.1 rear speakers.
Fit and Finish -
The Surroundbar arrived and I was immediately impressed with the integrity of the product packaging. The fit and finish of the bar itself is very impressive. The product is very heavy and solid, encased with a real metal finish, giving it a very hi-tech and sturdy appearance. In addition, the accessories included in the box (stand, mounts, cables) are of the highest quality and complement the surround bar nicely.
Performance -
When the system was initially set up, I thought it sounded ok. Then I further studied the set-up guide and found that the way my subwoofer was connected and some of the necessary settings on my receiver were incorrect. Instead of the standard RCA type sub connection, I rewired the sub to be in line via speaker wire to the 2 front connections as reccommended by Polk. Also, the speaker size needed to be set to large for all channels. (I've learned to ALWAYS follow the manufacturer's specifications!)
Once the adjustments were made, the sound was incredible. The first thing you notice is the overall power of the unit. The sound is huge and imposing. The surround effect is absolutely incredible both with DVDs and Xbox games. I now have almost a full 360 degree sound experience with distinct separation between all channels. Movies with DTS-ES 6.1 sound are a wonder to listen to. This system replaced a 3.1 full-size Onkyo speaker setup and sounds cleaner, more powerful and much better overall than the other full-size speakers ever did!
Conclusion -
I am completely satisfied with my purchase. I'm getting my demo material picked out so that I can invite my neighbors and buddies to come over and marvel at my new toy. It's expensive, but you get what you pay for with this product - no wires, no drilling holes in the floor, easy setup and excellent performance. Even my wife thinks it's cool!
MY HIGHEST RECOMENDATION.
Great sound March 12, 2006
36 out of 52 found this review helpful
Purchased the surround bar about 3 weeks ago. Very nice sounds.. I'm happy with it - with one reservation.
The advertising leads one to believe that the surround bar can be utilized on the wall, or on a stand. The choice I made was to put it on a stand and I purchased a stand for that purpose. The surround bar is about 4" in height, and with the accompanying cradle that it sits on when stand-mounted, it is about 5 inches in height. This is a problem - as the Panasonic plasma that I own, on it's stand, is only about 3" above the shelf on which it sits - thus the surrond bar blocks the view of the lower two inches of the TV screen. With the weight, height, and high center of gravity of a plasma set, it is not feasible to think it can sit high enough on a stand (6 inches over the shelf) to accomodate this surroundbar.
As I explained it all to my wife, she cheerily said, "We can watch TV standing up and see over the speaker bar". I had to laugh. All my plans for a clean, installation up in smoke. Oh well, live and learn..
Temporarily, I have mounted it on the 2nd shelf. It looks quite good there, but there is some impediment on each end of the bar, as the stand-supports are partially blocking the left and right speaker. The stand I bought fits the surroundbar perfectly on the top shelf at 43", but the shelf below only measures 40". I am presently contemplating mounting it on the wall above the tv and stand with the accompanying mounting rack but that will be at odds with my goal of a home theater - with no visible wiring. Oh well...
It's probably my own fault for not knowing how high my plasma mounted and that it would be partially blocked... but the pictures that exist of the surround bar mounted on a stand, show no such problem.
The sound is excellent. The surround sound is fabulous. And yes, you need to buy a subwoofer for full effect. I use the exceptional Mirage Omni S8.
If not for the problem with my planning and the surroundbar height, I'd have given it 5 stars..
 Room Dependent December 22, 2006
12 out of 16 found this review helpful
Based on what friends have said, I think that this is probably a good product depending on your room size and shape. For me, it didn't work. I connected it to my tuner (Sony STR-DE925) and I didn't hear anything close to surround sound. This was at 10 feet away since I have a 62 inch tv. When I sit on the coffee table 3 feet away, I can hear the surround.
I had a friend come over and make adjustments to my tuner and he said he could hear the surround occasionally, but it was very subtle. For $800, I want something that's better than subtle.
I believe this product will work, but check it out in a store before you buy it. Then be ready to return it if it doesn't work for your room.
PS - I gave it a 3, only because I had to give it something and 3 is dead center... :)
Solid speakers - great alternative to real surround setup January 5, 2007
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
For what it is designed, the speakers are top notch.
Pros:
The pros are fairly obvious: space saving, great look, no cumbersome wiring, the surround effect is clearly separated, AND it is NOT dependent on room configuration.
Additional pro is the sound quality: Mid range is wonderful, jazz and vocal sounds have the fullness you'd expect from Polk Audio. Treble is crisp without breaking. All-in-all, the sound is sufficiently top-notch even for someone who appreciates good sound systems (except for some of you serious audiophiles).
Another pro is the speakers are strong enough to handle enough power for a sizable room, say a 20x20 room.
Cons:
The cons is pretty obvious too. It is not real surround, so it does NOT give 360-degree feel to the sound field, but rather gives about 180-degree feel.
Note that you will need to add your own subwoofer that has sufficient power for your room size.
Bottom line, I am very happy with this purchase.
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