Customer Reviews

Polk Audio AM2555-A Hitmaster Stage Monitor Loudspeaker for Gaming

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Even with Polk Audio on the box, I wasn't sure what to make of this. It's called the "Hitmaster" and seems to be marketed in the same category as $200 wooden guitar add-ons for games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, so my initial impression was that it seemed a bit hokey.

It's not.

First off, it's a cinch to hook-up. Plug the power cord into the wall and with both an 1/8" auxiliary and RCA red/white inputs, you shouldn't have any problems getting your game system, television, iPod, Android phone, or your Hi Bebe fetal doppler (if you're so inclined) jacked in. It'll take whatever you give it and blast it out the 6.5" woofer with 80 watts of audio thrust from the on-board amp. Flipping the "on" switch gave my games an instantly richer, deeper sound and I was able to hear subtle sounds I had never noticed with the television speakers alone.

Though it seems to be marketed more toward the gaming community, my favorite use of the Hitmaster is for watching TV and movies. It's not meant to be a replacement for a surround system, but it does bring the images on the LCD to life in a way that the internal speakers cannot. After 20 minutes with the Hitmaster, the TV speakers sounded dull. And this thing is loud. I almost never run it past 50% and most of the time it's around 25-30%. Even then I sometimes find myself turning it down.

This would be great for a dorm-dwelling college student who wants some impressive audio punch with minimal fuss. An MP3 player, audio cable, and the Hitmaster would make a decent replacement for a full-on stereo system. And I have no doubt it would make a great addition to an existing home theater system.

The only drawback that comes to mind for me is that it's not something that's easily placed in a room. Like a stage monitor, it's built to sit in the floor looking up at you. That's great for Rock Band nights, but a bit visually cumbersome when it's splayed out in front of your entertainment center around the clock. But that's to be expected for what it is. It weighs in around 13 pounds and has an easily-grabbed strap, so moving it out of the way is no problem at all.

Overall, I'm impressed with both the quality and versatility. 5 stars.

Polk, a company that makes audio equipment for audiophiles, has jumped into the video gaming industry with the Hitmaster, a stereo sound loudspeaker that is specifically designed for gaming. The fact that the loudspeaker is designed for games really shows; the speaker is easy to setup, you just connect the audio cables (the red and white colored plugs) to the red and white receptacles in the Hitmaster and you are set to go. There are also red and white plugs for audio out, which allow the Hitmaster to be stringed together with other speakers, such as another Hitmaster, if one Hitmaster is not good enough for you. I think, however, that the Hitmaster should be loud enough for anyone: when I turned it up to its highest setting, 11 instead of ten!, it was simply too loud for comfort. Besides a loud volume, the speakers have a very deep bass and the high sounds have a pretty good richness to them. In addition to connecting the Hitmaster to my Nintendo Wii, I also have experimented with using it for my iPhone and also for a Casio piano that I have. In both cases I connected to the Hitmaster via the headphone outlets on my iPhone and electronic piano to the receptacle on the Hitmaster which accepts headphone cords (it is a 1/8 inch headphone jack). I was pleasantly surprised; in both cases, the sound of the loudspeaker was way better than the speakers included with my iPhone and electronic piano respectively. I think it is safe to say that the Hitmaster is not just useful for gaming but also is useful for any audio device that has standard audio cables outlets or a headphone jack. I really like the sound of the Hitmaster, if you are a serious gamer, you can't go wrong with this purchase. One think to note though, is that if you use the cable that came with your Wii (or other Playstation 3 Xbox360 etc.), which has the audio and video cables all in one cord, you might have trouble using the speaker if it not kept right near your TV. The reason is that the audio cables need to go to the loudspeaker, which you will probably want in front of your TV, while the video cable needs to connect straight to the TV, the receptacle for which is probably in back. There is a simple solution for this, just get a short video cable (the one with a yellow plug), to make up the distance to the back of your TV. Finally, I should note that the Hitmaster works on the Playstation 2 and 3 as well as the XBox and XBox360 not just with the Wii.

This is a very dynamic sounding speaker. It is a pleasure to hear a speaker with depth compared to the many that produce a compressed sound. The sound is warm with a very controlled base and a sweet high end from the horn tweeters. There is no apparent distorion even at full volume. I have used the speaker with may Ipod, Archos 101 tablet, and my Casio 130 piano. All sound great especially the piano. On the piano you can hear all the nuances of casio's great piano sample. The piano sounds much more expensive. Polk could reconfigure the components that make up this speaker for an Ipod docking station, keyboard amp etc. The construction is excellent.

This is a great piece of equipment at a great price. One can really crank up the volume on either a game or with an mp3. I have paid waaaaaay more than $100 for less effective mp3 systems...and this device really pays out! I can't even imagine what the actual performer's crowd will do with this...

This is a high-quality, resilient speaker that is good for a lot more than a game system. The sound quality is amazing. I have used this speaker in a variety of circumstances to very good end. Yes, it does work with music games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band but to only use it as a game system speaker is to miss most of its capabilities.

I have used this speaker in a variety of applications - in different rooms, for students, and even in the backyard. It has been useful in my office hooked up to an ipod, blasting gorgeous sound in a long narrow room that has defeated most speaker systems. It has also proven itself for Audio Books, in a variety of situations. In the classroom, using a boom box has always been problematic as only the few students seated most closely to the speaker are able to understand it, but this allowed the sound to fill the room in a pleasing way. No more kids hanging over the table to hear a book on tape! I have also been able to use this outdoors, setting it up on the deck while I did yard work (okay, puttered in the yard) and was able to hear it clearly. (Lucky for me, my neighbors are only here on weekends.)

I did actually set it up as a game speaker, too. The hookup of this speaker is self-explanatory, with pictures. My installation in our game system was not standard because we use a receiver between the game systems-dvd-vcr-tivo and television. To get the speaker in the mix, I interrupted the feed to the stereo system and sent the audio to the speaker instead of the home theatre system. The only problem this caused was limiting the placement of the speaker. It had to be right in front of the television, which I suppose was the point for Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The sound of all games was improved by the speaker. As Mario would say, "It's a go!"

The sound quality is amazing. Polk's experience in sound systems is readily apparent. It has one 6 and 1/2" mid-range speaker flanked by two 3x5 horn tweeters that produce clean treble. The cabinet functions as an acoustic sub-woofer, with two ports at the back of the cabinet. The sound is incredibly rich and has ample power without distorting sound.

For audio books, music, and game play, this unit has enough sound quality to overpower a large living room. For those who want high volume, you don't have to turn it up to the highest setting where distortion occurs.

This is a substantial speaker, much more than a game system speaker.

The unit arrived at work and several of us immediately plugged it into the Wii then fired up Guitar Hero II.

Pros:
- super easy to setup
- LOUD! Even at a 4 of 11 (not yet half way) on the volume settings, we had the office manager running in from down the hall wondering what we were up to.
- Full sound. It's not just a sub-woofer but a full speaker sound.
- It does make you feel like you are on a stage and want to rock out!
- Less than 15lbs = portable. Carry strap included
- If you have a big space you want to blast some music, get the necessary cable (not included) and plug in your MP3 player

Cons:
- Some Guitar Hero songs sounded as if they had too much treble. No way to adjust the bass.
- Some Guitar Hero songs sounded too much bass.
- It's a big unit. Hard to just "fit" this next to the console in some setups. You can't just slip it into the entertainment center for most folks I'd wager.
- a pouch or something on the side to carry the cables would make this more portable
- I'd plug the MP3 player into it, but the necessary cable is NOT provided. Not to mention most of us have small portable speakers for the MP3 player already. If that is what it is going to be used for, who needs a 12 pound monitor?!?

OVERALL:
This unit is for a specific use...to pump up the volume of console games when a surround sound speaker system isn't available to plug into. It's portable enough to take to a friend's house too. But without control over the bass/treble, loose cables to lug around and overkill for most other activities this unit may only appeal to a select few for the price.

It's a good deal for $60 but you have to turn up extremely loud to get the best sound out of this thing. However, it doesn't distort at high volumes.

Edit: I only payed $60 for this thing. It is not worth $150. Invest in a low-cost surround sound system if you are wanting to spend $150+

Great amp for the dorm room. Sounds good for movies and music. The speaker is quite loud even around level 5 out of 11 levels. This speaker is not a home theater surround sound system but is good for the price. The pros: sounds good, plenty of loud, rich bass, and is portable. The cons: you can only control the volume and nothing else, the back panel does get warm on mine (I have to watch it carefully because it does get hot), and it is heavier than I expected. Overall it is a good speaker/amp for college life (been using it for almost a year).

Very impressed. Great sound for music and movies. Best bang for the buck audio I've experienced.

Two small problems that are SUPER MINOR:

1) The "HitMatster" logo is tacky. Good news: it comes off VERY EASILY, when gently pryed (the trick is to go slow and the glue comes too).

2) The volume knob [on the back] sticks out, which creates something to be careful about when transporting. That's a shame--everything else is well constructed and durable. It would be ideal to be able to throw this thing around without having to worry about that one part. Polk: consider redesigning that knob.

My husband and I have a Gospel Group and we have sound equipment but I was crowned Ms Senior Cullman Co. in January and I needed something I could handle myself for appearances that I would be making by myself. So, I purchased this little monitor and was just amazed at the sound and the quality. I have two of them now and I can carry everything I have in a suitcase. Thank you Polk Audio for this awesome sounding little monitor. I Love It!!!!

I have a friend that heard them and she wants a system like mine, she is the former Ms Senior Cullman Co., so I'm going to help her order her's.