Signa S2

Overview

The Signa S2 is a low-profile Polk Audio soundbar with a wireless subwoofer. The bar is 900 mm wide, 55 mm high and 84 mm deep, weighs 1.8 kg and comes in black. Polk says it is low enough not to block the bottom edge of the TV or its IR remote sensor. It can be wall-mounted on its keyhole slots; spacers are in the box, the screws are not.

The bar has two 1.25 x 4.4-inch full-range oval drivers and two 1-inch tweeters. The subwoofer, 171 mm wide, 341 mm high and 312 mm deep and 5.2 kg, has a 5.25-inch driver in a ported enclosure. Polk lists a frequency response of 45 Hz to 20 kHz.

The TV connects over HDMI ARC or optical, and the bar also has a 3.5 mm aux input and Bluetooth for music from a phone or tablet. There is no Wi-Fi. Polk lists Movie and Music modes, a Night mode and VoiceAdjust for clearer dialogue. With HDMI ARC and CEC enabled on the TV, the TV remote controls the bar's volume.

The box contains the IR remote with a AAA battery, a 1.5 m HDMI cable, a 1.5 m optical cable, the bar's power supply, two power cords, the wall spacers and the quick start guide.

What the specs mean

• 2.1 speaker setup: two main channels (left and right) and one subwoofer channel; the ".1" is the wireless subwoofer in the box. There are no center, surround or height speakers.
• HDMI ARC: the Audio Return Channel sends sound from the TV's built-in apps and from sources plugged into the TV to the soundbar over one HDMI cable.
• No HDMI passthrough: the Signa S2 has no HDMI input, so a console or streaming box connects to the TV, and the TV sends the sound on over HDMI ARC.
• Audio formats: Polk lists Dolby Digital 5.1 decoding and describes the result as virtual surround; the product page's comparison table lists Dolby Digital and DTS.
• Expandability: none; Polk states that the Signa series was not designed to work with surround speakers.