Customer Reviews

Polk Audio SurroundBar360° DVD Home Theater System (Black)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Observations
Pros: Built like a tank
Simple setup
Cool factor of 10

Cons:
Should have blue ray at this price point.
Frankly I think it needs a subwoofer, Tried it for a few days with a Polk subwoofer and without. Yes it sounds decent without a sub, but only decent, not great. I have yet to hear anything even close to 5.1 or any type of surround. Upon contacting Polk, I was advised that this bar was NOT (unlike the soundbar series) designed to be used above the tv only below with the optimal placement directly in the front of the tv. Frankly the soundbar sitting in front of a 56 inch tv looks horrible, under it it looks built in. Polk indicating that could affect the sound field. Well thats just cute, the whole POINT of this system was it was supposed to give you the 5.1 effect regardless of placement or your position in the room!

It is a nice system, could use a tad more volume, not amazing with the surround, even though the wide open setup I heard at best buy was nothing short of amazing, but in my 12 X 12 living room, far less than spectacular.

Finally save your money, at this price point the 360 is not ready for prime time. If you are looking for solid tight sound in a high end soundbar this is it. If you are expecting the results Polk claims you will be badly disappointed.

My old 5.1 theater in a box $300.00 system sounded a tad better frankly.

UPDATE:

After owning this a few months I must say it is a complete waste of money.

There simply is no separation in the soundfield regardless of the input signal.

I have tweaked this system to no end with lackluster results.

For a grand there is a endless amount of equipment that you could purchase that would put this system to shame.

Polk missed on this one, if your heart is set on one, wait a while as the price is certain to go down due to the LARGE amount of people disappointed in this system.

This is nothing more than a fancy expensive 2.1 system. Save your money.

The biggest issue I have with this unit that while it advertises HDMI connectivity it really doesn't have it. If you have a basic setup like me (1080p tv, set top box and a blu-ray player), you can only connect them by degrading picture quality or - as I have - use the optical audio tv output to connect to the dvd player's optical audio input and forego all other functionality of the dvd player. Not very impressive, given that owning a ps3 or a blu-ray player and therefore wanting to use full hdmi connectivity is not exactly the highest level of sophistication in late 2008.

Sound is not 360 degree (as much as we'd all want it to be), but it's a great replacement for the tv speakers. The system looks good, fits nicely in front of the tv and causes little clutter.

UPDATE: June 2011

After less than 3 years in service the Surroundbar decided to throw in the towel - it is now impossible to finish a dvd. During the first hour or so, the sound is fine (so no connectivity issues as far as I can tell), then increasing noise to the point of not being able to understand conversation. Turning the unit off, waiting, then turning back on will give 10 minutes of reasonable sound. Rinse and repeat up to 5 times to finish an average length feature.

Not impressed, not impressed at all. As an another reviewer correctly observed, Polk dropped the ball on this one.

This is a copy/paste of my review i posted over at CNET...

Pros:
- best surround sound reproduction i have heard to date
- no subwoofer needed, bass sounds true!
- easy to set up, easy to configure, easy to use
- excellent price compared to other high end virtual surround sound systems

Cons:
- could use a few more notches of volume
- lack of equalizer and presets (no fine tuning of sound)
- no HDMI inputs for audio or video passthrough

I had previously owned a Philips Soundbar and always seemed to want more from it - better 5.1 surround sound reproduction, more inputs, and better sound quality. I looked at the Yamaha's but the price and its lack of compatibility with my apartment layout (works best with square room, solid walls on all sides) kept me away. Along came the Polk SurroundBAR 360. It did everything my Philips Soundbar did, but better.

The sound from the system is fantastic. You obviously are not going to be tricked into thinking you have a set of rear speakers, but the processor in this system got the reproduction right. There is a near perfect balance of the various simulated speakers (center, front right and left, rear right and left and subwoofer). Other "soundbar" systems I have tested had problems with voice and center channel sounds, almost always being hollow and full of reverb and echo. Standard PCM or Stereo sources also provide a full, rich sound spectrum - something the Philips lacked. Another amazing thing about this system is the lack of a subwoofer. For an average sized apartment like mine, plenty of full bass is output through the single speaker unit. For those wanting to add a subwoofer, there is an input.

As well as the system reproduced sounds from all types of encodings (Dolby Digital, DTS, PCM) I still wish I had the ability to tweak a little more. Maybe this system is playing all of the audio tracks as the producers have intended it, but it's always in my nature to tweak.

The system is extremely easy to setup. The video quality from the DVD player is very good (not the best I have watched). The remote is simple (although I have a Harmony Universal Remote).

Hopefully CNET can throw up a full review sometime soon. In the meantime, check the manufacturer's website for the full specs of this unit and explanations of the technology behind it. As somewhat of an video and audiophile who is limited by his living arrangements on what he can setup in a hometheater, I highly recommend this system.

This is a great product for people who can't have a true surround sound system with speakers behind them. I have hard wood floors so i couldn't hide the speaker wire and i didn't want to have to drill holes in my walls and run wire.
Also, since i had a HDTV and a blu ray player, i didn't want to pay for a system that included an additional blu ray player, i wanted most, if not all, the money i was going to spend to go towards sound quality. This is the closest thing i could find for that.
Very easy to hook up. All you need is digital optical cables (it comes with one). Ran one from the polk box to my blu ray player and another one from my cable box to the polk box. Plug it in and you are ready to rock.
Even though the 360 theater system says you don't need a subwoofer, i disagree. If you don't care about bass or don't like to watch action movies, just want nice and clear sound, then no subwoofer is needed. Me, i like action movies and wanted the true 'rumble' for the explosions. I went with a polk 8" psw111 speaker. Great addition. You can control the volume from the speaker so you can use it when you want, or turn it down when you don't want it. It's small and doesn't take up too much space. All you need is a speaker wire (the subwoofer does NOT come with ANY wire to hook up the sub. get a good RCA cable, the polk 360 has a "sub out" output, connect both and you are ready to go)

The sound quality is really amazing. I'm not sure if it gives you a true '360' feel since i have never owned a sound system with speakers all around, but i do know it's a HUGE improvement from your tv speakers.
This is a great product for people who don't want, or can't have, wires and speakers everywhere. A+ product.

The living room at my girlfriends place where this system is at & where I spend alotta time, has no back wall & plus has only hardwood floors. There really just isn't a non-ghetto way to have rear satellite speakers of a true surround sound system in this room. So, I had to decide between these three; so I went and listened to all three at Best Buy. In the store, the Bose sounded better than either the Polk soundbar, or the yamaha ysp. I found this counter-intuitive, so I waited to learn some more before deciding. I now attribute that to the fact that all three were in a big open room, which puts the sound bar designs at a disadvantage.

One of my workmates has the Bose at his house, so I made the special trip to go and hear his all set up correctly. Just not enough Bass, and not full enough range. Voices were loud enough and clear enough, but music & background sounds were just not full enough for my tastes. Plus, As i have my own Polk RMDS-1 System at home, I was just pretty disappointed with the Bose 121 GSX by comparison. While I do think Bose makes good stuff & I'm pretty impressed with my Bose sound dock portable; I still wouldn't want it to be my theater system.

Plus the Bose had to be eliminated for their screwy wiring. Every wire originates from the subwoofer bass module, then to the satellites & the receiver. The wires from the bass module to the two satellites aren't long enough out of the box... Even after, either buying more wire, or splicing them; they still would be a nightmare to hide. A "gotcha" design in my opinion..

So now I was down to the Yamaha & the Polk surroundbar. I like the fact that the yamaha has 3 hdmi inputs which gives far more future expandability. but, I found the controls and menus to be clunky like a car stereo & i didn't feel like my girlfriend would be able (or willing) to go through like I would and figure out what each of the countless menu items actually does. I never could get anybody at Best Buy or Queen City to give me any kind of decent demo on it; so I don't know that the Yamaha was fairly represented from a sound standpoint in my comparison. In the end, it wouldn't mount nicely above the 50 inch plasma (due to its weight & needing to be mounted to the wall) or to the top of the Plasma, and I didnt want it hanging off of the front of her Mantle where the TV is in order to mount the Yamaha ysp below her TV's screen.

I ordered the surroundbar from Amazon, & then I went to crutchfield and ordered the Polk Brackets for mounting it to the top of the TV, and now you can not see any wires to or from the Polk's receiver or the DishTV HD receiver. I'm surprised that even without a subwoofer, that it was able to give me a full range of sound, acceptable surround, and actually rattles this good sized room a bit. Now that i've since paired it with the wireless JBL 12" subwoofer, I've got to say that it has probably 90% of the sound of my full polk 5.1 system at my place; but without any of the wires or rear speakers.

I'm happy with my purchase & feel like I got my money's worth. If I had it to do again; I believe I would have looked at the Yamaha a bit harder, but feel like I still would have come to the same conclusion in the end.

My only con is that I wish the SurroundBar 360 system I purchased was avilable as Blue Ray and not just DVD only...

creekbankstroller@hotmail.com

Polk Audio SurroundBAR 360-Degree DVD Theater (Black)

I just purchased this unit last week and have been using it daily. I saw a demo unit at Best Buy that sounded great even in that big open space, so I figured the sound in my den (16'x14') would be as good if not better, and I've not been disappointed. The price at Best Buy with tax was about $150 more than the least expensive vendor at Amazon and they were unwilling to negotiate, so their loss is Amazon's gain. Yes, I paid a little extra to get it directly from Amazon rather than from the cheapest listed seller, but I wanted it the next day & am a Prime member so I still saved about $80 over Best Buy. I also liked the ability to return it directly to Amazon in case I wasn't happy with it.

First, let me say that the sound in general is fantastic on both HD Cable, Music stations/MP3s, and standard DVD with optical audio run directly from the units to the Polk Receiver. Music, in particular, sounds much fuller and richer than the Sony 7.1 surround sound system w/ Infinity speakers that it replaced in that room. When you're listening to a concert, it really sounds like you're there. As a previous review mentioned, it's not the loudest thing you've ever heard, but it has plenty of volume for the average listener -- Star Wars III & IV, Kung Fu Panda, The Rock, and Saving Private Ryan have all sounded great so far. You can crank the volume all the way to 50 and there is no distortion.

I will tell you, however, that anyone who says that you don't need an external subwoofer is insane (this means you, Polk marketing department), because this thing doesn't have a lot of bass as a standalone. I have a 60W Infinity subwoofer that I ran to it and it made a HUGE difference (for the better). I'm thinking about picking up a 100W unit to see if there is any noticeable improvement. Once you get the subwoofer on there, the explosions and engine rumble sound awesome.

I wouldn't say that the surround sound is 100% as true as you'll find on a 5.1 or 7.1 system, but it's pretty damn effective, no matter where you are in the room. One discovery I did make, though, is that if you're sitting/standing a few feet away from the rear wall(s), as opposed to right up against them, the surround effect is further enhanced (I have heard this is true of the Yamaha Surround Bar as well). But, even if you're sitting up against the walls, as I am, the sound is really good.

There are a few cons, however, so I'll list both the pros & cons below:

PROS:

* Sound is awesome when combined with an external subwoofer
* Unit is VERY simple to set up
* Remote is easy to use and program to control your other equipment (TV, DVD, Cable Box, etc.)
* Bass adjustment button on the remote itself is a nice feature
* Speaker fits & looks great
* Surround receiver with Dolby Digital & DTS decoding is included in the package
* No messy wires around your baseboards or holes in your walls/ceilings

CONS:

* NO HDMI INPUTS on the receiver (this is the #1 biggest negative I have with this unit)
* Remote doesn't light up & small buttons are kind of hard to see in the dark
* Audio not really customizable (no EQ or really any way to manipulate the sound other than Treble/Bass)
* DVD player on the receiver is only 1080i (wish it was 1080p so I could get rid of my other DVD player)
* Non-standard audio cable from the receiver to the speaker (means you can only use it with this receiver)


I wish Polk would have just included 3 DVI inputs on the receiver and made their DVD player 1080p, but all-in-all I am very happy with this purchase and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good surround solution without the hassle of wiring.

Before I list the pros and cons, I'd like to list the

What I have and what I want:
1. I live in Apt, so do not have enough room to place a real 5.1/7.1 system. And the live room is not square at all, so Polk SurroundBar seems like the only one fit my condition.
2. I have a Comcast Digital with HBO and Xbox 360, HDMI to TV, 1080P, Digital Dolby. I want the audio system able to decode the DD from HD programe and game.
3. I have a Wii, component cable to TV, 480P two-channel stereo. I want the reciever can upscale the poor picture to 1080i/p and decode stereo as Dolby prologic.

The first time, I saw a surroundbar 360 is at bestbuy at the end of 2008. The sound is impressive as well as the price, $990 (ON SALE). It is quite over priced, so I didn't look into the detail spec. Last week, I suddernly found its price already dropped to $400 all over the internet. After a few spec comments search. I brought one and get delivered yesterday.

Pros:
1. Decent SurroundBar with Bass. Well, if you used to listen to the poor speaker from the TV, the bass should be impressive enough with out subwoofer. This is a fancy 2.1. If I connect it to a DD 5.1 optical input, I could tell the surround sound from my left/right. But as others said, I want feel anything came behind me. So it is Sourround bar 180 actually, at least for me.

Cons:
1. DVD, S-Video in/out put, composite in/out put (yes, composite not component). The DVD/Reciever looks like still live in 90s while the first 10 years of 21st have passed.
2. DVD not Blue ray. It's not a big deal for me, as I am think of buying a PS3 recently.
3. No HDMI input. That means I cannot use the DVD console as AV reciever. Source -> AV receiver -> TV. I still need connect the STB and Xbox360 directly to TV with HDMI. Then here comes the problem. How can I pass the audio to the Sourround bar 360? Most the TV optical audio output will NOT pass thru the HDMI with Digital Dobly 5.1. My TV is Sharp LC42D85U. It will decode the DD5.1 in HDMI (incorrectly, i guess) and then encode audio as PCM and pass to the optical audio. The 3 optical input are the only acceptable input in surround bar. So I have to go with the solution
Source -> receiver with optical audio and Source -> TV with HDMI for video. The comcast STB has the optical, is not a big problem. I just need to buy a new optical cable. But for Xbox360, i need buy another Audio adapter to output optical audio. Not to mention, it could cause the audio/video desynchronization with this wiring solution.
4. No component input. It has 3 S-Video in put which is useless in this century. It also has 1 composite input. I still give to try to upscale the poor WII to 1080i with composite input (480i), it is almost not working. The upscaled 1080i much worse than native wii 480p with component cable.

So in the same night, the surroundbar 360 delivered, I place few cable order.
1. One more HDMI cable, I realize I need a HDMI for that console to view the system menu only~~~
2. 2 optical cable for xbox360 and comcast HD box.
3. 1 audio adaptor for xbox360

Here is the final wiring picture.
1. Audio: Comcast STB -> optical audio -> surroundbar 360
Vidio: Comcast STB -> HMDI -> TV
2. Audio: Xbox360 -> Audio Adapter -> optical audio -> surroundbar 360
Vidio: Xbox360 -> HMDI -> TV
3. Audio: WII-> Component-> TV -> optical audio -> surroundbar 360
Vidio: WII-> Component-> TV
4. Audio: surroundbar 360 -> HMDI -> TV
Vidio: surroundbar 360 -> HMDI -> TV

And each time I need switch the source, I need switch the input on TV for video And 360 for audio. Thanks Harmony make the life a little easier.

Overall I still enjoyed the surround bar speaker part. It worth the money I paid 399. It is a fancy and decent surroundbar and horrible old fashion receiver.

Pardon my poor English.

I did a lot of research on this item. I also purchased a separate receiver and Polk RTI A3 speakers. Using both setups in the same area I am going to stick with the SurroundBar 360. The RTI A3's sound great, but the extra hassle of a separate center channel and a really complicated receiver setup became more than I wanted to deal with for this space.

The surround sound effects work well and the overall sound is very clean. I was very pleasantly surprised when I compared the SB360 directly to the RTI A3's and a Harman Kardon receiver.

If you're on the fence, don't worry about it. This is a good purchase. You'll be happy with the SB360.

I bought the Polk Audio Surroundbar 360 theater system to work with my 50" Panasonic 1080 Plasma. The bar by itself sounds good but doesn't have very good sounding bass so I also purchased a Polk PSW-111 powered subwoofer to go with the system to give it that rich deep bass it was lacking. Now I have an amazing system in a small package without a bunch of speakers mounted to the walls and cables running everywhere. The hookup took about 1/2 an hour including taking my time to mount my soundbar on the wall above the plasma tv and routing my cables.

Having read all the positive reviews here, I bought this system and was surprised by how vague and narrow the sound was (and was perplexed by the previous reviews). I suggest that you start by trying a DVD with rich Dolby sound (Lord of the Rings, Polar Express, in my case), and ask if you can hear a sound that comes from the left field or from the right. I couldn't. The system is simply not able to create stereo effects if you sit 6 ft away. Only when you leave the sofa and press your face close to the speaker, at 1 ft, can you distinguish the sounds coming from the left and the right. At this close range, it sounds as if the whole array of eight speakers was used as 4 left speakers and 4 right speakers. There is no option for the customer to dial up or down the left-center-right phase delay. This is something I thought it would do, and it's the whole idea of a soundbar. The technology must exist to adjust the phase differential so that at 6 ft distance you can perceive stereo. But I have no evidence that it's implemented here. When the front panel shows that it is processing Dolby signal from the DVD, you merely hear a center speaker with better-than-TV base, but it is not as crisp or as wide-angled as a 2.1 system, let alone 4.1 or 5.1. You can tell the change between a sharp point-source center (when the actor is talking) and a diffuse center (from the battle field, for instance), but all came from the front, not wider than the soundbar itself. When needed, the system would create a more diffused sound, and passes the vagueness, the sourcelessness as multi-source. But it's not the real thing. In a nutshell, my advice is to try it in a store or test it right out of the box (save the box!), see if you have the sensation of hearing different sources.