JBL BAR 500 vs Polk Audio Signa S4 review

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If you have already decided that you want to buy a new soundbar, but still don’t know what exactly you want, the JBL BAR 500 vs Polk Audio Signa S4 comparison is here to offer you two decent solutions. The JBL BAR 500 was rated 8.6, while the Polk Audio Signa S4 has a rating 7.8. The soundbars are equipped with a different number of buttons, power, volume down, volume up for the BAR 500 and power, source, demo, volume down, volume up for the Signa S4.

Audio features

Each of the models under consideration has active amplification type. A noticeable difference is the number of channels that BAR 500 has 5.1 and Signa S4 has 3.1.2. These rivals can be compared in terms of power, 620 (overall) versus 80 (overall) according to devices. The built-in subwoofer is not implemented in any of these models. An external subwoofer can be connected to any of the units in this comparison. Rate 7 out of 10 received the JBL BAR 500 for audio features and specs, but the Polk Audio Signa S4 received 5 out of 10.

Streaming services

Each of the competitors can play content from Spotify. Audio streaming from Pandora, SoundCloud is in each of the presented soundbars.

Connectivity

Both models have a wireless Wi-Fi interface. Soundbars from this comparison have Bluetooth support. There are 1/1 HDMI inputs/outputs in the JBL BAR 500 versus 0/1 HDMIs in the Polk Audio Signa S4. As in the BAR 500, so in the Signa S4 there is the HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). Connecting devices via USB is possible in both models. We rated the connectivity of the BAR 500 at 10 out of 10, while the Signa S4 was rated 6/10.

Features

Each of the soundbars can be controlled using the application. The soundbars in this review are equipped with a microphone. The models under consideration cannot become part of a multiroom system.

Multichannel surround

Manufacturers equipped both units with Dolby Atmos audio decoder. Devices from this comparison cannot process surround sound due to lack of DTS:X. The BAR 500 was rated 7/10, while the Signa S4 received a mark of 9/10 for multichannel surround.