Soundbars offer a convenient way of getting powerful audio for home theaters. Rather than placing speakers around a room, they typically rely on audio tuning and technology to mimic the experience of a surround sound system. Polk’s Signa S4 soundbar features a sleek design, a wireless subwoofer, and a seven-speaker array that support Dolby Atmos. But, its best feature might be the sound modes. Be sure to check out the video to hear more on the $399 Polk Signa S4.
Polk Signa S4: Overview
The Signa S4 is Polk’s first Atmos soundbar. In addition to upward-firing speakers, the S4 is loaded with sound modes that optimize the audio for hearing voices, movies, or music. There’s also a sound mode to make the soundbar less disruptive at night.
Sleek design
The sleek design of the Signa S4 features a cloth cover that hides much of what is going on underneath. Spread out across the soundbar’s 4ft width are seven drivers, including two upward-firing speakers for Dolby Atmos.
On top are physical buttons for power, input source, Bluetooth, and volume controls. In the back are all the inputs. There are connections for HDMI with the included cable, a 3.5mm audio cable, and optical.
Polk Signa S4: Video
The Signa S4 can be wall mounted and includes a paper template to make that process easier. I’ve placed it on the TV stand that also holds my LG TV. One thing to note, if the soundbar is mounted on a wall, make sure that there is enough space between the top of the soundbar and the TV above to not interfere with the Atmos speakers on top. Polk provides suggestions on distances in the manual.
LED status lights
On the front of the soundbar is a series of LED lights. These lights indicate power, volume level, connection type, and even listening mode. For example, a green status light when playing audio signifies that the soundbar is picking up Dolby audio, but a light blue light means that it is using Atmos. An orange light flashing once, twice, or three times signifies the level of voice assist.
Remote
The remote is simple but includes all the controls needed to change the audio. There are dedicated buttons for switching audio modes, navigating voice adjust modes, controlling volume and bass, and selecting inputs. Unfortunately, the buttons don’t illuminate.
Getting set up
To take advantage of Dolby Atmos audio, the soundbar does need to be connected via HDMI Arc. Otherwise, the setup is just plugging in the HDMI and power cables and placing the soundbar. It’s also worth checking the TV sound settings to ensure that the output is set to HDMI arc.
Secret weapon: Audio modes
One of the best features of this product, in my opinion, is the different audio modes. With a soundbar that concentrates all audio from a small point near the TV, different audio modes tailor the sound to different listening experiences. The Polk Signa S4 has modes for movies, music, and nighttime viewing. Night mode reduces lower frequencies that have a higher chance of disturbing others at night.
In addition to night mode, the Signa S4 also has three different levels of voice adjust. This mode adjusts the audio to focus on voices. If you’re having trouble picking up voice lines and conversations in a movie or show, this mode works well to accentuate them.
Subwoofer
In addition to the soundbar, the Signa S4 comes with a wireless subwoofer. Being wireless means it can be easily placed anywhere in a viewing area without having to worry about running cables. There aren’t any controls on the sub, but bass audio is controlled via the remote.
Polk Signa S4: How does it sound?
With the seven-speaker array and the wireless subwoofer, the Polk Signa S4 has clear, powerful sound. Movies sound great with the Signa S4.
I was surprised by how much the sub rounds out the sound. Using the remote to set the bass level around 50% was good for my room. In the manual, they suggest placing it near the soundbar, but I put it a little farther away in the corner of my room.
The time I really noticed the Atmos speakers was when watching Rogue One. In the scene (spoiler alert?) where the Deathstar does its test fire and the ceiling starts to crumble in the jail where Jyn and Cassian are being held, the above audio from the rocks falling was very noticeable and added some more height to the sound.
The Signa S4 also gets plenty loud. Once again, 50% volume was a good setting for me for action-packed movies like Rogue One.
My only complaint – and this is true of most soundbars that I’ve tried – is that I’ve never heard one that really competes with a true multi-speaker setup. That can also depend on the setup of your room. Much like up-firing Atmos speakers are meant to bounce off the ceiling, the side-firing speakers from a soundbar are meant to bounce off of the walls to give a surround sound style experience. My setup doesn’t work well for that kind of bouncing. I could hear it on the right but without a close wall on the left, it didn’t work well.
It really feels like this is meant for use in a small-medium apartment living room or a bedroom. Those are better set up for soundbar systems. It also has features for those who might have to worry about disturbing others.
9to5Toys’ Take
Soundbars are great in their own right – they’re incredibly easy to set up, don’t require running extra cables, and don’t take up much visual space. Over built-in TV speakers, they are a huge improvement.
The Polk Signa S4 sounds full and powerful when you want to crank up the bass but also has audio modes that make it less disruptive for others. If you’re in a small-medium apartment or bedroom, it will make a huge difference.
Just remember that the TV requires an HDMI Arc input to get the true Atmos experience. Thankfully, most modern TVs do have that output.
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