Home > Consumer Reviews > Polk Audio AM1805-A SurroundBar SDA Instant Home Theater (Black)

It gives a good bang for the buck but there were a couple of issues that I had with it. Firstly, it is very easy to setup and install which is a plus. The wireless sub fits conveniently anywhere in a room and provides a nice bass. Where is the remote? Where are the directions? These things were not in the box. I am guessing the remote wasn't supposed to be there. It took me a few days to figure out that when you turn the tv off and on the sound bar will automatically sense input from the TV and then turn itself on without having to manually press the power button which is nice. But I would have liked to have read that in a manually and not figure it out for myself. Overall I love the simplicity that this system provides and combined with good performance I would recommend it to someone who doesn't want to hassle with a big surround system but wants something a little extra in the sound department.

I purchased one of these because my husband is an old rocker and his hearing isn't as good as it used to be. He'd given up watching TV on our 46" Samsung LCD because of muddy sound. I don't know whether we blew a speaker (which we've done on every other stereo and car we've owned) or whether it was just the tiny, tinny speakers in the TV. (Time out for pet peeve: We paid a LOT of money for this TV 2 years ago; you'd think they could put decent speakers in it. OK, back in) He was always asking me what people had said. I wasn't sure one of these would 'fix' it, but it did. We pulled it out of the box and plugged one cable into the wall for power and one into the TV for audio (actually 2 together, you know how they do left and right, red and yellow). We turned the TV speakers off and started enjoying TV immediately. Then my son insisted that we had to use the subwoofer. I thought extra noise was part of our problem and didn't want to add anything more. We plugged it into power and placed it behind my husband's chair. Wonderful. You don't actually hear stuff from this, more like you feel the sound. And this woofer is wireless, so other than needing power, you can put it ANYWHERE in the room. Apparently it's not like the 3.1/5.1/7.1 speakers where placement is so critical (at least according to those audiophiles). And it only took a few seconds to train our remote to drive it. You hold down a button and count the blinks. When it reaches 3 or something it's programmed.

So, easy setup of soundbar, able to use existing remote, and decent looking design. What's not to love.

I bought a 40 inch Samsung LED TV. Purchased a Samsung soundbar first, but returned it because it had poor sound reproduction. Tried a Sony soundbar but returned it because it had low volume. Next tried a Boston Acoustic soundbar, but found out that it only was a TV enhancer.

Finally came across the Polk HIC soundbar at Best Buy. A little pricey, but the sound quality is GREAT! Had everything that I wanted, a wireless subwoofer, learns your current remote and has great surround sound, and simple to install. You cannot do better than a Polk (top of the line)sound equipment.

Don't fool with the rest, just buy the best. Also, available online at
Amazon.com, and other websites.

Polk Audio AM1805-A SurroundBar SDA Instant Home Theater (Black) Easy to install and sounds great. More than I hoped for. Hooked up to a 58" Samsung with a Samsung BluyRay , feel like I'm in the Movie Theater. I would recommend this to a family member or friend. Thank You, Paul F. Smith

I'll start with my current set up and what my expectations were. I have a 47" Philips LCD TV, all the major gaming systems, and I also use my LCD TV as a computer monitor. I was looking for a speaker system with a subwoofer for around $400. I didn't want to buy a receiver if I didn't have to for my set up. I had researched and heard several soundbar systems before deciding on this one. All of my gaming systems and my laptop connect directly into the TV through HDMI cables. The speakers are connected to the TV through the "TV Out" connection. Overall, I am very, very happy with it.

The soundbar itself is smaller than expected. The mid and high rannge sounds are great. One concern that I had with soundbar systems was the ability to hear dialogue. Many soundbar systems I listened to had muffled dialogue that was difficult to hear at times. This soundbar does not suffer from any of those qualities. Dialogue is easy to hear from all sources.

The subwoofer has very good bass output. One of the nicest things about this system is the fact that the subwoofer is wireless. I have a smaller living room, and 8 foot ceilings, so for my space this subwoofer is more than adequate. As other reviewers have noted, a seperate 5.1 or 7.1 system and seperate receiver have the potential of creating more robust sound. You have to consider the space you are working with and of course, your budget. The Polk soundbar is by far better than any speakers that an LCD TV can offer.

The best part about this system was the ease of set up. It took literally less than ten minutes to take everything out of the box and connect it to my TV. My universal remote control is used to adjust the volume. This system is great deal for the price, and the best part about the system was the ease of set up. It sounds fantastic, and provides a very full and pleasing bass. I am completely happy with this purchase, and I would buy it again in an instant.