WHEN IT COMES to hi-fi and home theater, I'm a space hog. Some folks zero in on tight, room-shaking bass, others seek immaculate midrange accuracy or high-frequency extension with gobs of etched detail. For me, it's always been about imaging and soundstage first. I can forgive a lot of sins if a system conveys the sense of a three-dimensional instrument, voice, or sound object in the listening room. This is what makes things real for me.
Therefore, I was intrigued at the prospect of reviewing Polk's new Signa S4 soundbar. I'm a big Atmos fan for the format's convincing staging, and at $399, the S4 is among the least expensive certified Atmos bars you can get.
Not surprisingly at that price, the Signa S4 is pretty basic beyond the two height drivers and compact wireless sub that earn its 3.1.2channel designation. There are no rear surround speakers or any way to add them, nor any network connection for streaming music straight to the bar. For online music you can use your TV's smart platform or an attached streamer to tap your favorite service, or else use your phone to make a Bluetooth connection. But as you'll see, the S4 serves its primary function-TV and movie viewing-very well and provides great value at its price.
The Signa S4 is a lean, black column made from formed ABS with black grille cloth across the entire front. It has nice build quality for a budget system. The low-profile bar runs 41.2 inches wide a good fit under a 55-inch TV-and you can easily hang the 6.4-pound bar on the wall from keyholes on the back.
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Denne historien er fra June - July 2022-utgaven av Sound & Vision.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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The Big Clean
Chances are you probably do not think about the state of your electronic devices too often. Oh, you might think about all the upgrades you would like to make; where you would put those new tower speakers, or how a second or third subwoofer would really tame those bass modes in your room, or how much more cinematic a larger screen would be. Sure, you think about that part of your system. But how often do you think about the well-being of your system?
Planar-Magnetic Attraction
THE DIPTYQUE DP 115 speakers are a new model 2-way, ribbon, and planar magnetic driver dipole \"isodynamic\" speaker system designed and built in France.
Full-Featured 4K
THE QN95D is one of two televisions we went hands-on with on a recent trip to Samsung's New Jersey QA Lab, the other being the S95D quantum-dot OLED.
Party Animal
FOR ANY party, the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus Outdoor Bass Bluetooth Speaker is an essential invite.
It's the End of the World. How About Popcorn and a Movie?
Attention all preppers! Today's column is right up your alley-or, more precisely-your tunnel to your underground bunker.
Bridging the Analog-Digital Gap on a Recliner
When I shopped for a motorized recliner, I rejected models with their own Internet Protocol address and built-in speakers. No need. I had already placed a smart speaker on an étagère beside the space where I had planned to put the chair. I'd have a smartphone in my hand and the room would be bathed in Wi-Fi.
BACK TO THE GARDEN
AN AQUARIAN EXPOSITION in WHITE LAKE, N.Y.
Big Sound, Small Price
DOLBY ATMOS, once a costly premium, is enjoying a surge of popularity across a range of new audio gear.
Classic Sound with Streaming Smarts
THE TWENTIETH century had its Roaring Twenties; welcome to the twenty-first's Streaming Twenties.
Stand and Deliver
IT DOESN'T seem all that long ago that SVS first entered the audio scene.
