Polk Audio - 2.1-Channel Soundbar System with Wireless Subwoofer - Black

I got the open-box Signa S1 for about $130. For the price I can't see how I could have done any better. I was pretty confused with all the reviews on this system and while I was awaiting delivery I was already planning to exchange it based on the number of negative reviews, but I am very glad I ordered the S1. The sound is AMAZING. Contrary to many reviews, the bass on my system is fantastic. The highs and mids from the soundbar are crystal clear and very dynamic and punchy. This system plain rocks. The reason I even ordered this unit over others was price, but also looks. I do think this soundbar unit and sub looks much more sleek and minimalist; I love the fabric look for the bedroom. I am using the 3.5mm mini jack as the connector to my TV. This way I can still use my Apple TV remote to control the volume. The optical connector outputs volume only at one level, and connecting via Bluetooth worked, but I didn't test it much as I could already hear the system power up and down depending on when it had signal (noticeable hum). I do have to power the unit on if I have not been watching TV for a while, but that is not as big a deal as others make it out to be. The volume on the system IS REMEMBERED when you turn it back on. I have set the bar to about 50% volume, and that allows me to adjust the volume on my TV to get the sound very quiet for night viewing, or very loud for family movie night. The night/voice/movie modes do exactly what they should, and do it very well. The blue and purple lights (blue for bluetooth, which I don't use anyway, and purple for special sound mode) are hard to see during the day, but I know which sound mode I just pressed the button for, so I don't really see it as a problem or a con. I am very pleased with the sound and sound options of this unit! Unless you get a defective unit, which I did not, you will very much be happy with this purchase!

Context: Have a Sonos Play1, Bose Mini Soundlink II, Klipsch Promedia 2.1 PC speaker set, ZVOX 450 for the bedroom TV - familiar with sound from different manufacturers. Pros: - Price point, purchased this as open box for ~40% off, making it the cheapest upgraded speakers so far. - included wireless subwoofer enables placement anywhere - excellent for the living room space approx 12' x 12' - mids and highs are good from the soundbar - Polk sounded a lot better than JBL and LG soundbars on display - bass is just enough. Not overbearing like Klipsch or Bose Cons: - Bluetooth connection is spotty after hours of play; best if device is within range and no wall interference - system takes a while to turn on - no volume or input type display on unit - Remote could use more sensitivity, range, and weight Conclusion: Great soundbar for the average person who isn't looking for ground-shaking bass and simply looking for an upgrade from the tinny TV speakers on most hdtv's today. Most other speakers sounded a bit too focused on the mids and highs. The only other comparable one I found was the JBL Cinema SB450, which is much more expensive. Audiophiles or those who enjoy Sonos or other premium components will find that these soundbar is lacking in clarity on the mids and overall balanced sound. When compared to Vizio or the LG/Samsung soundbars that Best Buy carries, this blows them out of the water.

This system is replacing a Sony HT-CT80 I bought on sale about 6 months ago....what a waste that was. The Sony sounded okay but had hardly any bass what so ever. I wanted something that was simple to use and sounded great, this Polk Audio 2.1 system fit the bill. It sounded better to me in the store compared to the similar priced Samsung, Sony and LG Sound bars. They all either had too much bass or the highs were unbalanced with the rest of the system. This Polk 2.1 system on the other hand sounded balanced which is what I like. After setting up this system which took less then 10 minutes I was blown away by how good it sounds! Everything you throw at this little system just comes alive! When you watch a movie you get amazing clarity and the bass is just wow!!!! I actually have to turn the sub down instead of leaving it on full like I had to do with the Sony. People complain about the remote and its true the remote isn't the best. But it works fine for me and gets the job done. Its small but has big buttons and is easy to use. Also not having HDMI ARC is also okay since I've yet to have ANYTHING actually work properly with it lol. There's always a catch with ARC. So if your in the market for a well made smaller sized system that delivers BIG sound then buy this one. I like the Polk 2.1 system almost as much as my JBL BAR 2.1 soundbar. Oh and as for the LED light system its very easy to understand. Not much to this soundbar other then great audio quality and build quality.

I’ve been using the Polk sound bar for about three months now. This is my second sound bar system, so I wanted to make sure I purchased one that would not only be high-quality but stand the test of time with it’s features. My original sound bar was a snap decision based on a sale from Panasonic, and it didn’t integrate well with the television. It was difficult to operate, and the sound was poor at best. This time I checked out Sony, LG, and some of the other electronics-branded sound bars. I didn’t think any of them came close to the sound quality of the Polk audio system. Bottom line is when you want a sound bar, you buy it from a speaker company not an electronics manufacturer. The Polk system integrated very well with my Sony 4K television, and the wireless woofer offers up some impressive, booming bass. The system also integrated well with my smart phone via Bluetooth. It was extremely simple and fast to connect to and the sound is fantastic. This system also beat out some of the most popular electronics-branded ones from a price perspective. One of the features I like best about this is the Voice Adjust modes. If there’s dialogue on TV that’s difficult to hear, you just choose one of three voice sound adjustments, and it transforms the dialogue into clear, crisp, easy to understand audio. I was so impressed with the capabilities of this feature. Overall, I’m extremely happy with the purchase.

Everything was present in the box that was supposed to be there. I plugged in all the wires and after few a days got it working. (They explain how long to push one of the buttons down but not when and how long to push the other one. They needed to give the instructions to one of the English major marketing types to check them, not an to engineer who worked on the project). So anyway, I confirmed it was not defective. Step two, getting it mounted has been more nettlesome. If you want the cleanest installation you use the supplied keyhole mounting slots. That was clearly the intent. Why else supply the keyhole slots? But that will not work! The power cord will not fit between the speaker and the wall.The recess for the cord points the wrong way! To even make it back towards the center requires a too sharp turn stressing the wire. How dumb! So if I want to keep it I will have to install a shelf. That requires more work and more expense. Think I have to go back to the store, find a more expensive but easier to mount speaker that doesn't require buying and installing a shelf.

One of my worst experiences in Best Buy. I picked up this sound bar in-store ignoring some of the bad reviews because a lot of people claimed that the audio quality is really good. Even websites like CNet and PCMag left good reviews for the Signa S1. So I un-boxed it and turned it on only to be disappointed. Sound quality is really poor. Balance of lows, mids and highs is missing. Bass is extremely weak. I tried all settings and combinations. Had to literally touch the sub woofer every time to check if it was even working. The remote has to be used in line of sight, otherwise doesn't work. Really bad offering from Polk Audio. I was expecting it to be a lot better. I was looking at replacing an Altec Lansing speaker system which is 9 years old and it still sounds much better! I turned on my Sony HTCT260 sound bar which is over 5 years old and it blows this Signa S1 out of the water. So I carefully packed it up and took it back to the store in less than an hour and a half. With this Retail Equation nonsense that Best Buy has subscribed to, they will not accept my return. And I'm an Elite Plus member! So much for being loyal. So I was ping ponged around from store rep. to Retail Equation to store return dept. manager to corporate office to store manager (who is on vacation till next Thursday) Retail Equation says they are third party and cannot do anything. Store dept. manager says the system will not allow her to over ride and accept the return. Corp. office rep. says nothing she can do, speak to the main store mgr. to see if he/she will make and exception. Now I am stuck with this terrible piece of junk! What a nightmare!

I bought one of these last week for my bedroon TV (Samsung), and I'm a little disappointed with a couple of things. The subwoofer doesn't have enough volume and the bass control adjustment is very limited. Only a couple of dB and it really doesn't add much richness. The system will not work with your existing remote control, hence it doesn't come on with the TV and the volume can only be changed with the Polk remote. The voice boost is nothing more than a midrange/high end boost and detracts from the already weakish sound from the sub. You can't get into it via any means to do custom settings, and your TV settings for audio will have no impact. It sounds better than the tiny speaker in the TV itself, but it could be richer and fuller than it is. There's no way to preamplify the sub without getting into some serious electronic modifications that would involve disassembling the woofer box and adding a preamp and power supply. Now for $200 it's not awful, but I have a Klipsch 5.1 system on my Home Theater and the comparison is night and day. So is the cost. I also have an LG Soundbar/Subwoofer system on my den TV (Samsung) that originally cost less and far exceeds the performance of the Polk Signa S1. These have been discontinued and are no longer available. It learned the on/off command with my TV remote without programming, and the TV remote also adjusts the volume, which eliminates the need for two remotes as is the case with the Signa. I'll keep the Signa as it is OK and far less expensive than moving to a higher end product, but I expected a company like Polk to do a better job.

Been using this soundbar for about a week and tried to install it on a soundbar bracket that mounts to the back of the TV and TV mount. Well that didn't work because the mount was too small. That's my problem, not with the soundbar. However, in the process, the soundbar stopped working correctly; it wouldn't shut off, it wouldn't sync with the subwoofer, and the volume randomly went full blast. Searched online and there really isn't a manual reset. All the Polk Audio website said was to unplug it, wait an hour, and plug it back in. That's their version of a factory reset (SMH). Found a Polk Audio forum and found this issue was happening to a lot of people, who ended up having to return the soundbar to either Best Buy or Polk. I was getting frustrated beyond all belief at this point. So I dug some more and found a fix that was deep within a comment string of a separate issue in the forum. TO FIX THIS: You have to press the Volume up button and the Source button simultaniously for 10 seconds. I think this person called it "Taking It Out Of Demo Mode. This fixed the issue and everything worked as it should. Very happy now, but frustrated that Polk Audio doesn't list this as a problem or a fix on their website.