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Customer Reviews Collected from polkaudio.com |
Polk Audio - SurroundBar 5000 IHT Soundbar with 6-1/2" Wireless Subwoofer
Average Customer Rating:
4
Rating breakdown 47 reviews
5 Stars
23
4 Stars
11
3 Stars
7
2 Stars
4
1 Star
2
60%of customers recommend this product.
(
6 out of
10)
Customer Reviews for Polk Audio - SurroundBar 5000 IHT Soundbar with 6-1/2" Wireless Subwoofer
Customer Rating
3
on May 6, 2013
Posted by: Jim Vickers
I can't tell you because it did not have the remote.
Written by a customer while visiting polkaudio.com
Customer Rating
5
on May 28, 2013
Posted by: Mike
Incredible sound from such a small system! I have a Polk 5.1 system for our media room. This was purchased for a large ( 25x30) family room for mostly listing to music with some tv viewing... what a great subwoofer. We have Dish and like the fact that my wife has to use only one controller for the Joey. I would suggest one product improvement ...a volume reference for the subwoofer.
Written by a customer while visiting polkaudio.com
Customer Rating
3
on August 3, 2013
Posted by: awesome mold news
Really appreciate you sharing this blog post. Awesome.
Written by a customer while visiting polkaudio.com
Customer Rating
1
TERRIBLE REMOTE
on February 2, 2014
Posted by: JJames
from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Gender:Female
Favorite music genre:Rock
I agree with John T about the remote being a toy - our remote cannot be programmed to our TV's pay TV remote and so we use the Polk remote - problem is the batteries are exorbitantly expensive and need replacing every seven or days or so, regardless if we use the remote.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting polkaudio.com
Customer Rating
5
great soundbar for the price
on December 1, 2014
Posted by: Ron63
from Ontario, Canada
Gender:Male
Favorite music genre:Rock
Purchased this 3 weeks ago, Had our first taste of partying with it, this past weekend, Everyone was so impressed with how loud it was and the sleek design.
don't hesitate on purchasing one . It would be nice if you could equalize the sound with perhaps some preset EQ Settings .
don't hesitate on purchasing one . It would be nice if you could equalize the sound with perhaps some preset EQ Settings .
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting polkaudio.com
Customer Rating
3
on February 9, 2013
Posted by: Mark U.
I've had the SurroundBar 5000 IHT for almost two weeks as of this writing, and am on the fence about keeping it. I'd rate it 2.5 stars here if that were allowed, since my experience with it has been right down the middle... equal parts pleased and frustrated.
Pleased:
As others have said, the 5000 is dead simple to set up. Since that is usually a one-time chore, it needn't factor strongly into the overall impression the product gives, but it does indicate that thought has gone into the design and that Polk has prioritized flexibility in the feature set. It has three audio inputs, plus Bluetooth, and while I'd prefer two optical inputs instead of just one, at least the one is there. The unit is compact, attractive (as these things go, anyway), and generally does not call attention to itself.
As others have said, the 5000 is dead simple to set up. Since that is usually a one-time chore, it needn't factor strongly into the overall impression the product gives, but it does indicate that thought has gone into the design and that Polk has prioritized flexibility in the feature set. It has three audio inputs, plus Bluetooth, and while I'd prefer two optical inputs instead of just one, at least the one is there. The unit is compact, attractive (as these things go, anyway), and generally does not call attention to itself.
Sound quality is good for TV sources (but see below). I have been skeptical about the surround-sound capabilities of all-in-ones like this, but have been startled to in fact hear passable surround effects in some instances, for example while watching live sports. It won't knock your socks off, but it does enhance the experience. All in all, as the box promises, the 5000 does deliver sound "way beyond any TV speakers".
Frustrated:
That said, overall the sound quality is not what I had hoped for. This, of course, is my biggest disappointment -- and I am no audiophile. To my ears, the 5000 is lacking in the highs especially, being dominated by mids and lows. The result overall is a somewhat muddy sound, what I might call "thick" instead of defined.
That said, overall the sound quality is not what I had hoped for. This, of course, is my biggest disappointment -- and I am no audiophile. To my ears, the 5000 is lacking in the highs especially, being dominated by mids and lows. The result overall is a somewhat muddy sound, what I might call "thick" instead of defined.
This isn't an issue for TV sources, really, since those are dominated by dialog typically -- and the 5000 acquits itself perfectly well for that. It does less well for movies, especially Blu-ray sources, which rely more on their soundtracks and overall sound design for impact. The sound isn't displeasing, really, but you're left with the impression that you've not gotten the full benefit of the soundtrack. And the unit's weakness at the high end fairly dooms the 5000 for music sources. Granted, you're probably less likely to use a sound bar for music than for TV and disc-based video, but it's still a use case and one where the 5000 comes up short. Here, unfortunately, it ends up sounding a bit like a boomy FM radio.
The 5000 features Dolby Digital decoding, which is nice and does matter. However, the unit is not always reliable in detecting a Dolby Source and tends to fail over to PCM without much prompting. For example, if the audio source is a DVR -- which is quite common, I'd imagine -- the 5000 will lock onto the Dolby source readily enough. But fast-forward your video for more than a few seconds, cutting out the audio, and the unit will switch over to PCM and not resume Dolby when playback starts again. The only way to set things right is to switch to a different audio input briefly and then back, at which point the 5000 will recognize the Dolby signal and use it again. So if you want the full benefit of the SurroundBar's capability with your DVR, you have to keep the remote handy. You'll be toggling its audio input several times during any show.
The 5000 also struggles a bit with its Bluetooth implementation. Being able to use it with a wireless source is hugely convenient, but marred by audio syncing problems that lead to frequent stutters and dropouts of the audio stream. I haven't been able to pin down any specific cause for this, and probably half the time I pair a device to the SurroundBar it doesn't happen. However I have experienced it with multiple devices, suggesting that the issue is with the 5000 itself. I never know whether I can rely on the Bluetooth connection, which is terribly inconvenient, and reduces the value of a feature that should be a primary use.
Overall:
I've taken more space describing the weaknesses than the strengths of the 5000, but it's not a bad product really. I wish it sounded better and were more reliable, but it does do perfectly well within a somewhat narrow range of uses. This range happens to be mainly what I purchased it for, and so on that basis I am considering keeping it despite the issues I mention. I have had a number of Polk audio products over time and have been happy with the performance and longevity of all of them. Knowing that, I am not unhappy despite a price that is arguably higher than the performance the 5000 delivers. But if you are a price-sensitive buyer, and/or the issues I've described seem important to you, you may find better options in the Polk lineup or from someone else.
I've taken more space describing the weaknesses than the strengths of the 5000, but it's not a bad product really. I wish it sounded better and were more reliable, but it does do perfectly well within a somewhat narrow range of uses. This range happens to be mainly what I purchased it for, and so on that basis I am considering keeping it despite the issues I mention. I have had a number of Polk audio products over time and have been happy with the performance and longevity of all of them. Knowing that, I am not unhappy despite a price that is arguably higher than the performance the 5000 delivers. But if you are a price-sensitive buyer, and/or the issues I've described seem important to you, you may find better options in the Polk lineup or from someone else.
Written by a customer while visiting polkaudio.com
Customer Rating
5
on November 16, 2012
Posted by: Jalil F
I purchase this polk SurroundBar 5000 IHT. the sound that this system reproduce is simply exquisite it performs really well in low high and mid range the sound feels like its surrounds you the bass is much more deeper and very clean than other systems I was thinking of purchasing yes I would definitely recommend this system this company has always made very good audio and with this system there's no exception this system also has Bluetooth conectivity this is the first product in polk product line up to have bluetooth conectivity without this product my home theater would not be the same :)
Written by a customer while visiting polkaudio.com
Customer Rating
1
The Wireless Subwoofer for me only lasted 1 year!
on March 5, 2014
Posted by: jimdev99
from Coram, NY, United States
Gender:Male
Favorite music genre:Rock
My girlfriend bought me this unit 2 Christmas's ago and the wireless subwoofer cuts in and out most of the time. I have to shut it off and just use the bar. It's bad.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting polkaudio.com