It seems like even makers of high performance audio like Polk Audio cannot resist the draw of Alexa and hence, the existence of the Command Bar, an Alexa-enabled sound bar, or as Polk Audio described it, “the home theater sound bar system with Amazon Alexa Built-in.” First unveiled at the CES 2018 earlier this year, this Polk Audio voice-controlled sound bar, which is also the first sound bar to sport Alexa voice assistant, is now available for pre-order for a surprisingly modest, not-so-bank-breaking sticker of $300 (or $299.95, to be precise).
Pack inside its somewhat odd but yet sleek form is a pair of 1-inch tweeters, two 1.25 by 3.25-inch oval mid/woofers and a 160 watts Class D amplifier, that will have high, mid and low frequency covered. Further low thumping, usually demanded by action movies, is achieved through a wireless sub woofer that is loaded with a 6.5-inch driver, backed by a dedicated 100-watt (also Class D) amplifier. With a form factor measuring 43 inches wide, 4 inches deep and just 2 inches tall, the Command Bar should sit well with most of today’s flat screen TVs even if it is not wall mounted.
Via Polk Connect Skill, users can control volume and tweak the bass, mute the sound, select desired audio modes and sources, plus execute non-home theater related tasks like control lights, locks et cetera, with voice commands. On the I/O aspect, it gets a HDMI (ARC), Toslink Optical, as well as two 4K HDMI 2.0a ports with video pass-through support.
Other highlights include integrated far-field microphones, Dolby and DTS surround sound decoding, patented Voice Adjust technology (for enhancing dialog), acoustically tuned vent, polychromatic LED display, Bluetooth and dual-band WiFi connectivity, support for Amazon Fire TV and audiobooks on Audible, and onboard streaming services that cover Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio. Spotify, we read, will be added later in the year and so is multiform audio capability.
The Polk Audio Soundbar with Alexa is expected to ship starting May 28, 2018.
Images: Polk Audio.
via Sound & Vision.
