Polk React Soundbar Review | Too good to be true?

[@littlerascal56]

Polk just sent me a new React soundbar via UPS. This one worked perfectly and has been going strong for the past week! Guess they do take care of customers!!!! I am impressed.

[@RealityCheck4515]

how has the Polk replacement soundbar performed? any problems?

[@littlerascal56]

@@RealityCheck4515 It has worked flawless since the day I installed it. We really like the sound.

[@ArtIrwin]

Glad it does music well! It seems oddly hard to find a soundbar that’s great for both movies and music at a decent price point.

[@alexanderulv3886]

B&O stage is very expensive, but oh god does music sound glorious, and the design is best in class imo.

[@littlerascal56]

Bought it, based on your reviews. Hooked it up on Saturday, and worked and sounded great. Got up Sunday, turned on the Samsung TV, and no audio out of the React. When I pulled the HDMI (ARC) cable off, the tv speakers took over. I reset the soundbar back to factory specs (hold button for 25 seconds) but still no audio, no Alexa, nothing. I even paired it with my phone bluetooth, and no music or anything out of the soundbar. Called POLK, but not getting much help as I purchased it "on line" and not thru a dealer. Very disappointed.

[@jarlathmcnee3833]

I sell Polk a lot, their Mini is great and I did prefer the signa 2 over the signa 3. I haven’t heard this new one yet, but price point I have walls of sound bars for customers and we point out that most of us start with the Polk til we can afford the higher priced models. I expect this will do well once we get it in store. Thanks for the review on a lesser known and appreciated soundbar

[@saintly_guy]

How is mini AX?

[@weybrew]

An avid senior viewer who would like your opinion on the Monoprice 5.1.2 systems, both the $250 and $400 ones. Primary use is home TV, no gaming.

[@rustyroquet9366]

Just picked up one for my dad, right now it's on sale at Best Buy for 199 👍

[@TKChillin]

I currently have a POLK sound bar in the bedroom. I am looking for a new system in the living room. I’ll have to check this out. Thanks for the review.

[@Lowkey_nxthxn]

Polk is definitely an amazing company been loyal to them for years now. And the soundbar looks amazing to!!

[@Exiled_Rouge]

I owned a couple of these soundbars from Polk with Alexa integration. They do indeed sound great. However, both units I owned have a problem in that if the wi-fi connection to the soundbar is not 100% stable the bar altogether stops working. Even if not using the Alexa feature, just normal TV sound output stops. Sometimes you need to physically unplug the unit to get it back to normal. I saw a few others have this same issue online as well. I think it's worth noting for those looking at the Polk soundbars; they can be finicky but do sound incredible.

[@datadude67]

I believe the issue is interference with other wireless devices (WiFi repeaters, Google Home... etc). Recently the sound has started to cut out occasionally. I found pressing pause and play brings the sound back. I may have to reboot my WiFi access point which is 3 feet away from the sound bar.

[@Exiled_Rouge]

@@datadude67 I tried everything. Nothing worked except unplugging the bar for a few minutes.

[@ashman0071]

Have Polk Ceiling speakers with a Triad in-wall subwoofer and a Yamaha A/V Receiver - sounds better than any of my friend's setups by a fair margin .

[@Giovanni-zc1lv]

We have the previous version and absolutely love it. We didn't get the surround remote speakers. Same thoughts with the center channel and dialog. Especially football games and specifically piped in manufactured crowd noise. Pre Covid even! The A word...😆 I think we paid 200 sounds like a 1000 sound bar and better. Cheers

[@seanofonthespot9742]

Looked at this one, but went with the LG SP9YA 5.1.2 w/atmos instead cause its not to expensive with the discount i got ($749) and i verified with LG they are making a specific rear set to make it 7.1.2 that will be out q4 or q1 '22- The Polk was ok, but when I herd the set up demo even in a crowded store of the LG one I just had to go with it, could have something to do with the LG G1 Evo OLED also arriving monday with the sound bar.... the ai sound pro is worth considering out there if you have a lg tv, trust me or go to a store and have a listen.

[@godscoldhands77]

obviously someone involved in the production of this video likes THE ARMED...:) ...incredible band.!!!

[@Michael19841]

Great review Caleb. I really like this new sound bar. A simple and effective set up.

[@irishRocker1]

How does this compare to the Polka signa S3? It is around the same price but the S3 comes with a subwoofer and has google assistant as well.

[@asieltrejo7926]

Hi! I’m between this bar and the Marshall Stan more III with the Alexa version, and the echo estudio. What would you recommend buying? I already have two echos and I’m willing to pair them to another main speaker (mentioned above). Thanks a lot! O maybe if you have any other recommendation I would appreciate it

[@paul8926]

Disappointed to know that the surrounds are too quiet, I had this same problem with the Samsung n950. Hopefully, a future software update will improve the Polk surrounds to be louder

[@TheStarsInHisHead]

My surrounds on my n950 go pretty loud. You need to change your settings.

[@paul8926]

@@TheStarsInHisHead I’ve done everything to change my settings and nothing worked. I even got “hiss” coming from my surrounds

[@TheStarsInHisHead]

@@paul8926 What are your current audio settings on the soundbar (and tv!). I found changing the surround sound option on both the bar and tv fixed the issue for me and now they sound great. So many people have the issue you're having now and it's an easy fix, once you know.

[@paul8926]

@@TheStarsInHisHead Thanks for your help, much appreciated ! 👍

[@datadude67]

I purchased this sound bar with sub and surround speakers. The surround is a bit quiet, but I easily remedied that by turning up the surround volume. Sometimes I will use the 'Movie' mode when playing music as it seems to increase the volume of the surround. With the surround turned up you can get a really immersive sound stage.

[@zuti071]

When can we see new Philips OLED 806 and LG A1 or B1 on this channel?

[@LCOF]

These are on offer in the UK at £99 for the soundbar and £149 for the soundbar and sub combo.

[@willjohnson2511]

Where. Have you got a link please?

[@1blackballed]

Good review and I almost got this myself.... though ended up going for the Harmon Kardon Multibeam 700 with the added sub and it's absolutely Unreal 😎

[@michaeldavis6550]

What is that soundbar you got. I haven't heard of the Harmon cardon 700. I just but the JBL Bar 5.1 but don't know what it's like yet but I do know Harmon Cardon owns JBL. I wanted the polk magnifi Max but the JBL Dropped it's price & The Polk Raised Theirs at the wrong time.

[@tonystefanetti2476]

$329 on Amazon today with the sub. Snagged it. Hoping it fills the room.

[@AmericanPatriots87]

I found them for $75 per like new condition. Figured I'd give them a shot for that price.

[@bvonsvideos]

Well done as always Mr Dennison.

[@Steve30x]

I have the full polk react surround system. First I got the soundbar on its own. It sounded great but it was missing bass and any form of surround effects. Then I got the subwoofer and rear speakers a few days later. I find the subwoofer can be overkill even at its lowest volume. Unless you're using night mode where the sun goes silent. The sub needs more volume notches. It's goes from +4 to -4. I think it needs to go to -6 or -8 because the bass is overkill. The rear speakers sound very very good. I couldn't get the rear left speaker to connect to the soundbar a few times but it eventually connected. What I find really weird with the soundbar itself is without the surround speakers it has no surround depth. But when you connect the surround speakers it gets a whole lot of surround depth. A few times I was watching something and I thought the sound was coming from the rear speakers but when I rewind that part of the video there was nothing coming out of the rear speakers at that moment. I have to disagree with his thoughts on the rear speakers. They have the same volume adjust of +4 to -4 as the subwoofer. 50% of the time I have them set to 0 that's the middle volume setting 50% of the time I have them set to -2 because they're too loud and I have them pointing forward away from me for now. Polk suggests you point the rear speakers towards the listening area. I'm just waiting for delivery of speaker stands. I have the rears mounted on the wall behind my sofa for now. The speaker stands will be delivered today. I also have a traditional 6.1 system in the same room. I have two rear speakers , a rear center channel , two front floor standing speakers and a front center speaker. I can tell there's no front left and right speakers most of the time with this soundbar. That's one of my problems with the soundbar along with the subwoofer being overkill but the soundbar alone lacks any form of bass. But it sounds much better than my 6.1 system on my SONY STR DN1020 AV receiver. I spent years getting my 6.1 system to sound as good as possible but this sounds better. It's just missing that front left and right speaker effect.

[@lightee1019]

It is a great device. Setup is super easy and it sounds better than some way more expensive Bose Soundbars.... Unfortunately it does not work with YT Music... Only Spotify and Amzn Music can be played over Wifi / voice controlled

[@shaazsphotohub]

Does it sound better than Roku Stream bar?

[@alexanderulv3886]

Pretty neat, and with Voldemort aka you know who built in, I might pick this up 👍🏻😁

[@Lowkey_nxthxn]

Love Polk audio 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@matthewvaladez8209]

This soundbar or the Yamaha SR b20a? For overall sound and quality.

[@markux1983]

@Digital Trends I own the Magnifi Max SR and was wondering if the React one is higher in quality, or the other way around. Thanks!

[@michaeldavis6550]

I want the one you have but they raised the price when I went to buy it yesterday & dropped the price of the JBL Bar 5.1 to $399 so I bought it & I've heard it's better & more powerful but I like the look & the sound of the polk & hope I'm not gonna be extremely dissatisfied. Wanna trade lol.

[@markux1983]

@@michaeldavis6550 Lol! I think you can't compare the JBL 5.1 with the Polk bar mainly because the former does not have physical surround speakers, and this is where the big difference lies on in my view. I have tested a few virtual soundbars and didn't like any of them. FYI, I also tested the JBL 9.1 but couldn't find it better than the Polk soundbar, considering specially that it costs around $400 more... I hope this helps! ;-)

[@Cootsy69]

Hi that looks s decent soundbar do you know how many watts it's got please

[@digitaltrends]

The soundbar's RMS power is 50 watts and it's peak handling power is 100 watts.

[@Cootsy69]

@@digitaltrends thankyou

[@jl.4563]

Had a question about it. Bestbuy advertised it had Dolby Atmos, but the description only mentions DTS 3d Audio? Was going to pick it up if it's going to be compatible with my LG C1 and Xbox Series X.

[@Core610]

Does this sound bar have Dolby Atmos?

[@mikeingman4841]

Great review want to poke audio sound bar system thanks for all the info

[@braveskunk]

Can I use it without Alexa at all? I mean I don't have anything with Amazon, but would like to hook it up to TV, phone with Spotify etc?

[@CrypticHack3r]

Is the video pass through or hdmi 2.0 or 2.1

[@paolonepomuceno3571]

Hey Caleb! Do soundbars in these price range better sounding than the acoustic audio + of the sony a9g? Or should I increase my budget?

[@Batman-eh9ww]

Definitely do sound better in this price range . I have the a90j and bought a 299 Vizio 5.1.4 and it sounds way better then the TV speakers

[@paolonepomuceno3571]

@@Batman-eh9ww thanks for the feedback!

[@MaZEEZaM]

I like the sound bar but given I’m going to be mounting it to a bracket that brings the tv away from the wall, it doesn’t look suitable to my situation.

[@geilebande]

how is it compared to the echo studio?

[@chrisedwards5447]

Can you use this soundbar in the "home theater setup" in the alexa app?

[@chee6060]

So it's over $650 Dollars if you put it all together. You can keep it. I have a Vizio 5.1.2 Channel Sound Bar with Dolby Atmos. Got it on Sale For under $300. It sounds Great. Sounds like I'm in a Movie Theater When I put a 4k UHD HDR movie in. I'll keep what I have.

[@nobodysunderdog]

I also have that same Vizio soundbar M51. It is quite amazing for its price.

[@benediktruthemann6710]

You can keep your soundbar. Even some cheap generic bookshelf speakers sound better than almost all soundbars.

[@Batman-eh9ww]

I also have the Vizio 5.1.4 for 299 sounds great!

[@jalenwhite5976]

You all can keep your systems i gotta Sonos Arc, sonos subwoofer gen 3, and a pair of sonos ones for rear speakers and sounds alot better than most of soundbars out there

[@ernestohernandez9370]

@@jalenwhite5976 I have the same setup and it is amazing the music and movies sound so good and so do video games. it's quite expensive but the quality is great.

[@vector006]

I like the media console, where's it from?

[@RealityCheck4515]

if days later, after my initial setup of the Polk React soundbar with subwoofer and 2 surround speakers, i decide to add 2 more surround speakers would that be a problem? Can i do that?

[@jamesmccarte1609]

I bought a Polk wireless surround sound system, and it was garbage. The subwoofer produced NO sound, and the lights to indicate the input source were a pita

[@chrishalle1982]

Did you get the speakers with the saundbar?

[@kcimages5157]

Better than the Vizeo m512 ah6 ??

[@mrsportschampion5796]

The question is this or signa4?

[@ChrisAzure]

Would like to see a video recomending sound systems for bass heads like me which lives in a 4th floor and when I put some music you can hear the windows shaking from the outside on my apt. and the 3rd & 2nd floor. I call it "The Puerto Rico advantage" 😅

[@TheLWebb100]

I bet your neighbors downstairs hate you.

[@ChrisAzure]

@@TheLWebb100 hahah not really, people here enjoy music just like I do when they listen to their music and im this kind of person that if you come to my door you ask me to turn the volume down a without any attitude I'll do it. I don't know how projects on US (or other countries) are but at least where I live, everyone is chill.

[@RichardLaurence]

Listening to you talk about disappointing electronics’ brands reminded me of The Simpsons episode where Homer is looking at knock-off brands called Panaphonics and Sorny!

[@SPDRaid3R]

How would this compare to the Vizio M51a-H6? Pretty comparable in price, but more so curious about fidelity between the two.

[@nobodysunderdog]

I own the M51 soundbar and for the price($299), I feel it is unparalleled. The Sony HTG700 has better fidelity but for twice the cost.

[@Kai_RC]

Still would really appreciate an A80J review, please.

[@zperrott]

I bought Outdoor Tech's Mini Rhino headphones. They were supposed to be rugged, waterproof over the ear. Almost immediately one ear stopped working for about 3 months. Then I dropped them about 1.5 feet and the track for one ear shattered. Super disappointing

[@davidlisk2]

@DigitalTrends Can you do a review on the MagniFi Max AX SR does offer 7.1.2 DOLBY ATMOS / DTS:X SOUND BAR would definitely like to hear your thoughts on this sound bar.

[@cybergornstartrooper2157]

What is the TV cabinet?

[@digitaltrends]

Our TV cabinet is a BDI Corridor Media Console: bit.ly/2u1IMrs amzn.to/2JtnA8v

[@mev3340]

Can you make all in one budget tv series video

[@jamesmccarte1609]

I have a vizio soundbar connected to my Sony tv through eArc, and it regularly switches to the TV speakers. Anyone have any idea if this is a TV issue or a soundbar issue?

[@eagles725]

Can you get rid of the yellow dot in center of sound bar when sound bar is on?

[@digitaltrends]

We don't believe so. That light is the power indicator.

[@ron-manke]

Your review isn't clear if you're reviewing it with or without the separate bass speaker. Are the bass comments based on the built in features or with the sub?

[@Olzay]

vs something like a Beam?

[@christiancrow]

It would have to be this LG tv of 2020 it has no audio cables out like optical and no buttons on tv except for power which has already broke now

[@majadito1985]

Have you ever reviewed any of the klipsch sound bars?

[@digitaltrends]

We have! We most recently reviewed the Klipsch Bar 40 soundbar: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gF6mZXqnbpKcmrs

[@DavidPScherer]

Thank you for not saying the name of "She Who Must Be Obeyed". My Echo is right next to my computer and I hate when a video wakes her up for no reason...😄

[@shield400]

Anything with Alexa 'built in' is a deal breaker for me. Works with is a different story.

[@florianps5]

got one myself

[@NicolasWilson1986]

What band is in the sound quality portion 4:09 of the video?

[@digitaltrends]

The video being played on the TV during that portion of the video is The Armed - ALL FUTURES (Live): kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJPSY2SXjKuVnrM

[@PaulHo]

1:13 What song is that?

[@twell609]

How many channels

[@diazdiomedes9102]

Bro you're so good with adjectives 😂 nice review 👌

[@nhonnguyen7841]

Dont touch this with a 10 foot pole. Bought the entire set for 650 and it’s a bug disappointment. No oomph from sub and cant hear anything from surround speakers.

[@darranmarshall5524]

While your down there...

[@fedmed1462]

How come there is never a review for a Philips Tv? Are they not worth it?

[@jcZo23]

They available in America? Or maybe haven't released yet?

[@fedmed1462]

@@jcZo23 yes, they have them in Wal-Mart and other places

[@jcZo23]

@@fedmed1462 yeah than not sure why, I've seen people comment about it being a good TV but haven't seen any actual reviews for it on utube

[@jcZo23]

@@fedmed1462 I don't know man I've looked & I don't believe they've released in America yet, saw some UK listings but I think they werw from 2020.. Walmart has some Phillips TV's but they aren't thew OLED'S & Mini Led's..

[@fedmed1462]

@@jcZo23 I dont see any high end Philips only the cheap ones. Oh well thats a shame

[@gilmo5994]

If this isn't connected to the internet is it annoying? I don't need Alexa.

[@xaviermace687]

The appearance of the Alexa controls that are built in really do look kind of cheap and poorly executed. It looks like they just cut a hole in the sound bar and dropped an echo dot into the sound bar. You have to feel as though they could've done better than that for design.

[@drowinmusic27]

It was done purposefully. When you look this sound bar, there's 0 question about whether or not it has smart capabilities. Polk Audio was actually the first manufacturer to partner with Amazon to make a sound bar, and that design philosophy wasn't abandoned for this new gen. Some people like it, others don't. Subjectivity, my friend.

[@mpex1980]

Can I pass thru my PLAYSTATION 5 through this?

[@AaaAaa-ly3on]

And your name is?.. -Audio. Polk Audio. ;)

[@rajeshy84]

It support dolby atomos

[@solarr2]

👍👍👍

[@luisarturorodriguez3013]

Lo

[@LingLing-ou6nt]

Alexa…?

[@pavanrajashetty]

Soundcore sound bar , totally disappointed when it comes to Atmos :-(

[@mosesose6426]

Cool

[@morrismsmith7997]

🙏

[@canoeshoe]

Why do these have so many bad reviews?

[@sunnymondays6106]

Someone has stolen and re-uploaded this vid. Curiously only 6 minutes of it but you might want to report it to the powers that be

[@quintonthorpe7190]

First one here 😊

[@Sam-Fisher]

Hi

[@digitaltrends]

Hello

[@ak101farhan]

Apples 🍎🍏

[@charlesward1706]

First lg tv i purchased was a nano85 what complete garbage such piss poor quality control

[@danielwatts9803]

I'd say it's about $200 overpriced. I would pay any more than $400 usd for this...

[@theslk28]

Inflation your gonna have to get with the times

[@danielwatts9803]

@@theslk28 inflation has nothing to do with it. Just get way better speakers for much less... Problem solved

[@urklenurkle]

Sounds like a sales pitch. Don’t believe half of what he said. It’s a sound bar.

[@datadude67]

This review is SPOT ON. I installed this sound bar in place of my old Samsung sound bar. I was 'astounded' at how much better this was. Granted the Samsung was a pretty cheap product. The audio quality and bass volume are right up there with my old wired Bose 7.1 discreet speaker setup. When friends come over they are blown away.

[@memphisreines4058]

I don't care, I give a shit.

[@memphisreines4058]

@Alex Sonne I'm not surprised you don't understand.