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Reddit Reviews
We bought the Samsung b650F and we were not impressed at all. It was way too crisp with too much treble and not enough low/bass. It actually hurt our ears to listen to. We tried all the settings and couldn’t get it to balance out. The Polk audio signa s4 was on sell for $359 and still might be. That is a very good sound bar/sub for the money. Even the Vizio 5.1 SE we have has better sound than the b650f and that was $120.
Polk Audio Signa S4. On the bedroom TV. (2025 C5) Very happy, third year of use. 9/10 It can't do DTS/DTS-MA/DTS:X. (wasn't willing to pay either, since I have AVRs & HT speakers on my other TVs
You can sign up at Polk and get 10% off your first purchase. It’s on sale now for $359 before the discount. I just ordered one. It seems like a solid choice to start out. I considered those three from Costco as well as a JBL Bar 500.
What’s wild is JBL and Polk both appear to fall under Samsung (parent company). It’s wild how many of the audio brands fall under them now. I ordered the Signa S4 as well and strongly considered the JBL Bar 500. The 10” sub at least at a friend’s house overwhelmed the sound from the bar. How do you like the 5.9” Signa S4 sub?
I'd personally go with the JBL. I had a JBL for well over a decade and it sounded and worked great. Plus JBL ONLY manufactures audio so that's their only focus (Sonos does as well, but it's pricer and you don't get a subwoofer). I think you'll really enjoy the JBL. But as someone mentioned below; I moved from a JBL to a Polk myself, and it sounds fantastic; so much better than the JBL. Granted it's hard to compare a 12 year old JBL with a brand new Polk as audio technology is much more advanced nowadays, but I absolutely love my Polk. I also have the Signa S4.
The way companies fall under each other nowadays is absolutely wild; I agree with you. It's hard to even keep track sometimes! lol.. I was also considering the same JBL as you last year, and I might've gone with it had I not stumbled upon a really good sale with the Polk. The one thing I was hesitant about regarding the JBL was how strong JBL is known for their bass, and I wasn't sure if I wanted that in a soundbar. I think the Signa sub is perfect for what I was personally looking for. It's not going to blow the floor off, but it compliments the soundbar quite nicely, and you'll still get some rumble as well. Admittedly I don't use it for any music, but for TV, movies, and games; I have zero complaints with it! I think you'll enjoy it!
I got a Polk S4 and it’s been pretty good. Decent price/performance
I just bought the polk signa S4 for my bedroom and im impressed. Think its around the 500$ mark:)
I bought the polk signa s4 specifically because I have hearing loss and needed something to make voices clear. It works perfectly for that purpose. Has 3 levels for improving voice clarity and also has a night mode that keeps volume consistent from scene to scene. I also have the QM7K and they work perfectly together. TV remote controls the soundbar without issue, but you do need to use the soundbar specific remote to change the settings I mentioned.
For a small space it’s perfect. It does a killer job virtualizing sound, and the different sound modes all do their job well.
Rankings by Use Case
Top recommendations from others in the same boat
Best for Apartments

Top pick
Sonos - Arc Ultra
Best for Dialogue clarity

Top pick
Samsung - Q990F
Best for Large open-concept rooms

Top pick
Sonos - Arc Ultra
Best for Music-first listening

Top pick
Sonos - Playbar
Best for Standalone setups

Top pick
Sonos - Arc Ultra





