(Credit:
Polk Audio)
We first saw the Polk Audio SurroundBar 360 DVD Theater at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2008, where we chose it as one of only three home audio finalists for Best of CES. While it ultimately didn't take the crown, we were still looking forward to the final product. However, the product was pushed back from its April release date, and didn't end up arriving until the autumn of 2008. Looking at it now, more than a year after its coming out party, the built-in DVD seems a bit quaint--most of the home theater systems in the Polk's price range that we saw at CES 2009 had built-in Blu-ray.
That said, the SurroundBar 360 delivers on its three main goals: it's compact (just a single speaker bar and a small DVD/amplifier unit), it's easy to setup (as few as 3 cables--including the power cord--will do the job), and it sounds great (it even delivers enough bass to go subwoofer-free). Yes, we're hoping Polk Audio revisits the product, with either Blu-ray onboard, or with a host of HDMI inputs so you can add your own HD video player. In the meantime, those who don't mind sticking with DVD will find the SurroundBar 360 DVD Theater to be a superior and easy-to-use all-in-one single-speaker system.
Read the CNET review of the Polk Audio SurroundBar 360 DVD Theater.
(Credit:
Polk Audio)
The wireless craze is spreading fast and furious, with standalone subwoofers being the latest A/V product to join the fray.
The new Polk Audio PSWi225 (PDF) bucks the trend by featuring an external 2.4GHz radio frequency transmitter and integrated receiver to deliver a hassle-free bass boombox. To push the easy-to-set up proposition one step further, the PSWi225's transmitter has automatic input-sensing capability that seamlessly toggles between its analog stereo and sub (LFE) inputs.
The compact (about 12 inches by 13 inches by 12 inches), but powerful 100W PSWi225 is priced at $399.
(Source: Crave Asia via Widescreen Review)
As we mentioned in our CES 2009 home audio preview, the trend in home audio over the last few years has been toward simplicity, and sound bars have promised to deliver the full surround experience from a single speaker. In reality, it never quite sounds that good, but the Polk Audio SurroundBar systems are generally better than most. The newly announced SurroundBar SDA Instant Home Theater aims to improve on ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
On Sale Now: $499.00 - $499.99
View the latest prices for Polk Audio SurroundBar SDA
Matthew Polk (left) poses with The Audiophiliac.
(Credit: Adam Sohmer)Mr. Polk Audio himself, Matthew Polk, was in town last week at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan to demo his newest creation, the SurroundBar 360 DVD Theater ($1,200).
I reviewed Polk's SurroundBar 50 in June and liked it well enough, and while the SurroundBar 360 doesn't replace the older model it's more highly evolved. First off, it's a powered system so there's no need to buy an A/V receiver to use it. And as you might have judged by its name, the new one is a two-piece, speaker and console/DVD player system. Just add a display and you're good to go.
Oh, and one more thing--you won't have to add a subwoofer--the SurroundBar 360 makes a fair amount of bass on its own. When Polk played the system I assumed there was a sub somewhere in the hotel room, but in fact the skinny speaker produced a big, fat bass sound all by itself.
... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
Consider the i765 a pint-sized home theater system
(Credit: Cambridge SoundWorks)When we first saw the Polk Audio I-Sonic, we dubbed it a "home theater in a shoebox." But now the all-in-one I-Sonic finally looks to have some competition in the form of the Cambridge SoundWorks i765. At first glance, the product looks like a doppelganger of the company's Radio CD 745i, but adds DVD playback and a top-mounted iPod dock to the AM/FM radio, CD player, and dual-alarm system found on that earlier model. The price is a hefty $500, but that's $100 less than that of the I-Sonic, which lacks the iPod dock but includes digital HD Radio and support (with an add-on antenna dongle and monthly subscription) for XM satellite radio.
... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blogOn Sale Now: $314.99
View the latest prices for Cambridge SoundWorks i765
Polk Audio has taken the wraps off the I-Sonic Entertainment System 2, the follow-up to the company's impressive 2006 tabletop AV system. The new ES2 model gets the iPod dock that was missing from the original I-Sonic, but it loses the Swiss-Army-knife luster of that all-in-one model: gone are CD/DVD player and XM satellite radio support (though an auxiliary line-in port lets you connect any external device of your choosing). Video output (for the increasingly burgeoning number of video-capable iPods) remains, as does the dual alarm clock and HD Radio tuner. And it's the interaction between the HD Radio and the iPod where the new I-Sonic debuts a first-of-its-kind feature called iTunes Tagging.
... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog- prev
- 1
- next
