Verdict
A capable and competitively - price Atmos soundbar that render cryptical bass and immersive audio using an easy - to - setup organisation . The soundstage is clearly front - backbreaking , but the delivery is precise and detailed , piss the Polk Signa S4 a great all - rounder for movies , music and games .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Signa S4 is a soundbar from the US manufacturing business Polk , and builds on the success of the earlier Signa S2 and Signa S3 .
This novel model hold back the same basic ‘ stripe and Italian sandwich combo , but uses a redesigned wireless subwoofer and 3.1.2 - groove speaker layout to deliverDolby Atmosobject - based immersive audio . There ’s also anHDMIconnection that supportseARC , Polk ’s patented VoiceAdjust technology , and a choice of unlike sound modality .
Design
The Polk Signa S4 uses a similar design to the company ’s other soundbars , with a dewy-eyed rectangular locker wrap in black fabric . The look is unassuming , but that ’s the point , allowing the Signa S4 to sit under your video without drawing attention to itself . The subwoofer is also finish in mat Black person , and sits on large feet to accommodate the downwards - firing driver .
The soundbar is intended for medium - sized screen up to 55 in , and measure 1046 x 60 x 95 mm ( WxHxD ) . It offers a pick of outdoor stage or bulwark mount , and include a templet and spacers for the latter . The subwoofer automatically connect wirelessly with the main unit , and measures 200 x 280 x 328 mm ( WxHxD ) .
There ’s no proper show on the soundbar itself , just a series of five multicoloured lights in various configurations that you ’re unlikely to remember . There is a recessed orbit around the back for connections , and some basic clitoris on the centre of the top surface . These controls cover power on / off , source select , Bluetooth pairing , and mass level up / down .
Polk include a well - designed remote control condition that , while a little small , is well-fixed to use and offers all the necessary buttons in an visceral layout . There are controls for superpower on / off , dumb , input selection ( television – Optical / Aux – 3.5mm / Bluetooth ) , volume grade up / down , bass level up / down , sound mood ( Movie / Music / Night ) , and VoiceAdjust ( 1/2/3 ) .
Features
The Polk Signa S4 use a 3.1.2 - groove scheme to give up Dolby Atmos , but also supports other Dolby format such as Dolby Digital , Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD . In addition the soundbar can decode PCM , but there is no support for any DTS format . The latter omission is unusual given the , admittedly more expensive , Polk Magnify Mini AX does decode up toDTS : X.
The speakers are based around left and right ahead - sacking channels , each composed of a 25 millimeter tweeter and 120 x 40 millimetre racetrack midrange equipment driver . There ’s a full - range center speaker , and a pair of upward - firing 66 millimetre drivers that spring sounds off the roof to create the overhead channels . The subwoofer practice a 5.9 - in downwardly - firing machine driver to generate infrasonic frequency .
The connectivity is establish around a single HDMI larboard that sustain eARC ( enhance audio take TV channel ) , which admit lossless audio to be sent back from supporting telly . If the television set ’s HDMI is limit toARC , the sound recording will be lossy instead . There ’s also an optical digital input for telecasting ’s without eARC / ARC , and a 3.5 millimetre analogue adjuvant input . last , there is financial support for a wirelessBluetoothconnection .
In terms of other characteristic , the Signa S4 includes Polk ’s VoiceAdjust feature article , which use patented engineering to ensure the dedicated centre television channel is clear and precise , so you’re able to hear every word of duologue . There are three different configurations to raise the volume of voices , while leaving the rest of the soundtrack untouched .
Finally , there are three sound mode – Movies , Music and Night . The Movie mode emphasises the effects and basso to give photographic film soundtracks more impingement , the Music mode is contrive to deliver a more balanced soundstage with stereophonic recording , and the Night mode reduces the basso while increasing the intelligibility of the dialogue , allow you to see depicted object at Nox without want to raise the mass .
Sound Quality
The Polk Signa S4 is good all - round performer that bring forth a decent front soundstage with a solid foundation of bass . The overall bringing is quiet , with a clean treble and well - defined midrange . The size of it of the soundbar gives the audio some width that helps with stereo imaging , and the consecrated centre speaker provides clear and focused negotiation .
The upwards - ignition speakers are also effective at generating the front overhead channels , although how effectual will count on your ceiling . The lower , flatter and more broody , the better . The want of rear environs speakers or rear height channels mean the soundstage tends to fill the first third of the way , but the well - integrated subwoofer add together plenty of low - frequency impact to proceedings .
The result is a soundstage that has a real mother wit of scale , giving the sand violent storm in Dune far slap-up shock as you feel immerse in hurricane - force flatus and dust . Despite the complex nature of the admixture , the individual sounds of rocks scraping the canopy are well define , and the dialog remains clear and focus to the characters on screenland .
The Stuka diving bombers attacking the beach in Dunkirk are another good example of this soundbar ’s capabilities , with richly - pitched shrieking that are free of sibilance , and deep bass rumbles that companion the explosions . While Polk does n’t let out the amount of work up - in big businessman , it ’s certainly sufficient to give this sequence the necessary dynamic ambit without distorting .
The toe - tapping tunes in The Greatest Showman benefit from the Signa S4 ’s inbuilt musicality , and the add-on of the sub gives the curtain raising racecourse ‘ The Greatest Show ’ a courteous low - end hit . This is a solid soundbar for mind to medicine , and pretty with game as well . The upshot are steered precisely around the front of the elbow room when playing Call of Duty , although the deficiency of rears means you ’re never quite sure what ’s behind you .
When portion out with non - Atmos soundtrack the Movie sound mode gives films a bang-up signified of presence , with width and height added to the mixture , while the basso is more pronounced . The Music option is more balanced , resulting in a smoother overall speech , while the Night mode suppresses the bass and dynamical range , allowing for all - night bingeing session . Finally , VoiceAdjust can be ready to hand for anyone who struggles to understand dialogue when it ’s interracial too humbled in a soundtrack .
The Signa S4 is n’t perfect , but you certainly wo n’t find a better performer at this price . The want of any DTS documentation is unsatisfying and increasingly vulgar these days , making this soundbar useless for anyone with a large collection of Blu - beam discs , and it ’s a ignominy you ca n’t add rear speaker system to flesh out the soundstage , but otherwise this is a cracking all - rounder .
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Should you buy it?
The Signa S4 sound great with movies , medicine and games , fix it an affordable and very capable ‘ bar and bass voice combo .
The Signa S4 does n’t support any form of DTS , so if you have a adult Blu - shaft of light magnetic disk collection , this is n’t the soundbar for you .
Final Thoughts
The Polk Signa S4 is a up to soundbar that delivers a decent 3.1.2 - channel immersive audio experience in an wanton - to - setup and very affordable package . There ’s plenty of width to the soundstage , the centre channel keeps dialogue intelligible , and the upfiring speakers generate effective overhead channels . The wireless subwoofer produces a self-coloured foundation of bass , and the soundbar has sufficient amplification to produce a sense of ordered series .
The soundstage with Dolby Atmos is plain front - heavy in the absence of any surround or rearward height channels , and sadly there ’s no DTS support , but otherwise the performance will please movie fans . television shows also fathom large , as do games , and there ’s some squeamish stereo detachment for music . Overall this is a cracking all - debauchee that ’s sure to please , and you surely wo n’t recover better at this price , so the Signa S4 comes recommend .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every soundbar we review thoroughly over an prolonged time period of time . We apply industry received test to compare features properly . We ’ll always tell apart you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to review a production .
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FAQs
The Signa S4 does n’t boast any native support for DTS .
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Sustainability
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