Polk Audio N1 39" Bluetooth Soundbar
- It’s louder and more detailed and has a bigger sound field than your TV speakers, for whatever that’s worth
- Feel free to ignore the Xbox nonsense: it works with any audio source (TV, stereo, tuner, receiver, console, etc.) via optical, coaxial, 1/8", and Bluetooth
- Or, if you insist, use the “Immersion Modes” for Halo and Forza, which “immerse you in dynamic, lifelike sound” for an “immersive gaming experience”
- Boy, Polk sure does like the word “immerse”
- Model: AM1910-A, AM1911-A (the most Meh model numbers of all, they make us feel nothing)
We sell 'em, but we don't have to like 'em.
As we’ve said before, we’re the world’s biggest soundbar haters. Not because they don’t do what they’re built for, but because the job they’re built for is such a niche concern. On the one side, you have home theater nuts; on the other side, people who are fine with their TV’s built-in speakers. Not many people left for that third side.
When all of your potential customers feel like they already got adequate speakers free with their TV, convincing them to spend a penny more is a tough sell. And you’re never going to convince the audiophiles to lower themselves to a soundbar. But then the soundbar isn’t a response to a consumer desire - it’s a solution to an engineering problem. Thanks, engineers. Glad you guys had a good time figuring that one out.
The desperation to find a market, any market, for soundbars leads to some bizarre marketing, like labelling this one an “Xbox One Gaming Soundbar” despite the fact that it’s a standard soundbar that works with any audio source, platform, or device. The only Xboxy things about it are some sound profiles optimized for specific games, and voice control. Just look at how the price has tumbled from its original list price of $299 to see how well that gambit worked out. You would expect Polk Audio to know better.
For what it is, it’s pretty good. A detailed review at Forbes “highly recommended” it at $149. This guy says the quiet moments are perfectly audible, loud moments are loud, there’s plenty of bass, and even the pseudo-5.1 surround fakery works. It seems to be what you would want in a soundbar, especially at our ruthlessly slashed price.
None of which means you should want a soundbar. No level of performance could lift it out of that no-man’s land between “free” shitty TV speakers and a full stereo system. If you’ve somehow escaped those two poles and haven’t bought a soundbar already, welcome to your niche. Come on in, there’s plenty of room.
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Polk Audio N1 39" Bluetooth Soundbar 104
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