I basically bought this for watching BBC nature documentaries since my TV's inbuilt speaker had hard time delivering clear dialogues but I think this Signa S2 is overkill for that purpose. I should have gone for Signa Solo which was selling for 8k during sale (including bank discounts). Now coming to it's capabilities.
FORMAT IT PLAYED :
Dolby digital, Dolby digital plus, DTS, DTS-HD (Master Audio) and many other formats except Dolby TrueHD & Atmos where TV displayed something like "audio not supported in this video".
My biggest concern was if it can play DTS files and it plays them brilliantly. I felt DTS sounded better than Dolby but it may be due to higher bitrate of dts files.
VOCALS are amazing. Super clear. Actually whole sound speactrum is too clear with great instrument separation that you will be able to distinguish between different sounds/instruments being played. High notes tone (Tweeters) are just pleasant to listen to.
Polk's Voice adjust feature is extremely beneficial and works as advertised. But since soundbar produces such crisp and clear sound I never felt to use that feature but I tried just to test it out and it worked great.
It easily fills 15x20 room with just 50% volume that you would feel like sitting in a theater.
Now coming to BASS:
It's the most controversial part with Signa series soundbar.
When playing dolby movies (I played Batla House and Justice league) the rumble was so huge even at low base level setting that it literally felt like being in the scene of the movie. The rumble penetrated 3-4 walls in my house and could be felt beyond 30 feet. When Polk says "Deep Bass Technology" they are truly honest with their claim. Bass felt like Sub-bass most of the time than normal Bass. Bass is what you can hear, Sub-bass is what you feel in your whole body.
I also noticed there was no down firing driver in the sub. When you place your hand near sub you will barely feel anything even while producing THAT deep Bass rumble in action scene. Bass effect is more like 3D and feels like PVR cinema at home.
These guys (Polk Engineers & Scientists) know the science of sound and are Master of acoustics so they have done something there in the Bass department.
Now the controversial part of NO BASS. It occured mostly during streaming music via Bluetooth or even while playing directly from TV. Bass was so loose & non existent (70% of the time) that one would easily get disappointed. Only thing about the bass present during music is some "air pressure type" loose Bass ,which you can only hear, without having any body,depth, weight or punch.
But when you watch dolby/DTS movies Bass will just shock you in many ways that you won't be able to believe yourself. One can easily feel that Super deep Punch and weight with 3D effect.
So there's definitely some improvement to do in that Bass department but it won't affect your experience during watching any movie.
For music lovers I would suggest to go for Magnify Mini rather than Signa S1/S2.
It was very easy to install and I used HDMI Arc to connect to my TV. Using Polk's remote I can turn on Bluetooth ,connect with my OnePlus 7 and stream. I actually enjoyed listening to music since I rarely listen to Bass heavy songs ,so Bass issue never bothers me.
I got it for around 14k so it's Value for Money for me and actually delivers more than what I paid for.
I received 4 power cables (2 two-pin & 2 three-pin).
Received all other accessories like optical cable,HDMI cable, remote, batteries.
Thanks for reading my review.
Cheers ;)
| Brand | Polk Audio |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Polk Audio |
| Model | AM6214-A |
| Model Name | Signa S2 |
| Product Dimensions | 8.18 x 89.99 x 5.46 cm; 1.77 Kilograms |
| Item model number | AM6214-A |
| Special Features | Subwoofer |
| Number Of Items | 1 |
| Audio Output Mode | Surround |
| Speaker Surround Sound Channel Configuration | 2.1 |
| Speakers Maximum Output Power | 25 Watts |
| Speaker Connectivity | HDMI |
| Wattage | 100 Watts |
| Power Source | AC |
| Batteries Included | Yes |
| Batteries Required | No |
| Connector Type | Bluetooth, Auxiliary, USB, HDMI, wireless |
| Mounting Type | Wall Mount |
| Includes Rechargable Battery | No |
| Manufacturer | Polk Audio |
| Country of Origin | USA |
| Item Weight | 1 kg 770 g |
