Accessible Atmos

Polk Audio Signa S4 Soundbar

- By Rob Sabin

WHEN IT COMES to hi-fi and home theater, I'm a space hog. Some folks zero in on tight, room-shaking bass, others seek immaculate midrange accuracy or high-frequency extension with gobs of etched detail. For me, it's always been about imaging and soundstage first. I can forgive a lot of sins if a system conveys the sense of a three-dimensional instrument, voice, or sound object in the listening room. This is what makes things real for me.

Therefore, I was intrigued at the prospect of reviewing Polk's new Signa S4 soundbar. I'm a big Atmos fan for the format's convincing staging, and at $399, the S4 is among the least expensive certified Atmos bars you can get.

Not surprisingly at that price, the Signa S4 is pretty basic beyond the two height drivers and compact wireless sub that earn its 3.1.2channel designation. There are no rear surround speakers or any way to add them, nor any network connection for streaming music straight to the bar. For online music you can use your TV's smart platform or an attached streamer to tap your favorite service, or else use your phone to make a Bluetooth connection. But as you'll see, the S4 serves its primary function-TV and movie viewing-very well and provides great value at its price.

The Signa S4 is a lean, black column made from formed ABS with black grille cloth across the entire front. It has nice build quality for a budget system. The low-profile bar runs 41.2 inches wide a good fit under a 55-inch TV-and you can easily hang the 6.4-pound bar on the wall from keyholes on the back.