RATING
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 3.1.2-channel 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
