Sound quality: In the Music sound mode Polk Audio's Omni SB1 Plus delivers sound quality that falls in the good range - it reproduces music and dialog reasonably well despite obvious shortcomings. The bass has good impact and goes fairly deep, but is a somewhat tubby and a bit prominent. Midrange is fairly even, but is somewhat hazy and grainy, echoey and a bit boxy. Treble is extended but recessed and a bit sizzly. The sound is echoey and the system doesn't do a good job of recovering room ambience (the sense of the acoustic space in which the music was recorded), sounds somewhat congested, and lacks fine detail. In the Movie sound mode the sound is more expansive but, depending on the program material, the sound quality may degrade somewhat (the midrange becomes nasal and overall sound is processed and more echoey). With some program material lowering the voice level makes the sound more echoey, raising it makes center dialog louder, but also makes it sound harsh; with other program material it does not seem to have much of an effect. There was no significant difference in sound quality between the optical, Wi-Fi, analog and Bluetooth inputs. The sound bar can provide satisfying volume in a medium sized room.
TV setup and ease of use: TV setup and EOU is very good overall. Setup: Programming to respond to a TV remote was easy and straight forward; the instructions that came with the soundbar didn't mention programming specifically but did refer to on-line instructions that cover this feature. All appropriate cables for TV connection included. Ease of Use: If the soundbar has been programmed to respond to a TV remote control's volume and mute commands it can work seamlessly with most TVs. If you decide to use the soundbar's remote instead you'll find that it's fairly well organized and is not difficult to use. App remotes that operate via WiFi can also be downloaded onto Apple and Android mobile devices. We found that the general use section of these app remotes (used to control the soundbar for TV use like a physical remote) could only be used for muting the soundbar and adjusting its volume. Switching to the soundbar TV input couldn't be done with the app remotes themselves - it had to be done using the controls on the soundbar console or the physical remote supplied with the soundbar. The console has power, source, and volume controls; it lacks a mute control, but if muted from the remote pressing the console volume button unmutes it. All controls are adequately marked and are on the top of the soundbar where they are fairly easy to see and access. The console display provides device status info. It has a power status indicator and a source display that consists of persistent unlabeled patterns of lights to indicate the input selected that require referring to the remote to decode. The volume display is graphical, momentary, and has rough increments. The muting status indicator is persistent and highly visible, while the DSP mode indicator is momentary and provides a visual indication that the mode has been selected but does not indicate what the selection is.
Features setup and ease of use: Non-TV features setup and EOU is good overall. Setup: WiFi setup requires an app download to an Apple or Android mobile device; if it is done using an app it is straight forward (however it is slightly easier with the Android app than with the Apple app). If you have a router with a compatible WPS feature setting up via WPS is fairly easy to do; the instructions provide the basic information needed, however details that would avoid some possible confusion during the connection process are left out. Bluetooth pairing requires installing the supplied Bluetooth adapter and is straight forward. Ease of Use: The remote is fairly well organized and is not difficult to use. App remotes that operate via WiFi can also be downloaded onto Apple and Android mobile devices. These apps have general sections that are used to control the soundbar like a typical physical remote, and streaming player sections that are used to play audio streamed from a number of Internet content providers, the mobile device the app is downloaded on, and computes on the same network. The general section could only be used for muting the soundbar and adjusting its volume. Switching between the soundbar's inputs couldn't be done with the app remote - it had to be done using the controls on the soundbar console or the physical remote supplied with the soundbar. The streaming content player section can switch between streaming sources, has all of the needed controls, and was easy to use. The Android version of the app may ask the user for access mobile device's contacts and/or phone management functions in order to use a particular Internet streaming service. Audio content can also be streamed directly from Spotify to the soundbar using their Connect app. The soundbar's console has power, source, and volume controls; it lacks a mute control, but if muted from the remote pressing the console volume button unmutes it. All controls are adequately marked and are on the top of the soundbar where they are fairly easy to see and access. The console display provides device status info during general use, and can be used in conjunction with app remote screens during WiFi use. It has a power status indicator and a source display that consists of persistent unlabeled patterns of lights to indicate the input selected that require referring to the remote to decode. The volume display is graphical, momentary, and has rough increments. The muting status indicator is persistent and highly visible, while the DSP mode indicator is momentary and provides a visual indication that the mode has been selected but does not indicate what the selection is.
