HK Audio POLAR Series Powered Column PA Systems

The HK Audio POLAR series is a powered column PA built in two pieces: a subwoofer that doubles as the amplifier and mixer, and a slim column that plugs into the top of it. It comes in three sizes, named for the subwoofer driver. The POLAR 8 is 1,200 W peak with a 118 dB maximum SPL and reaches down to 50 Hz. The POLAR 10 and POLAR 12 are both 2,000 W peak, at 126 dB and 127 dB, reaching 38 Hz and 35 Hz. Everything packs into three parts, and the heaviest piece on the largest model is under 50 lb.

All three run without an external mixer. Microphones, instruments and a phone go straight into the subwoofer, and the column does the rest. The whole system stands a little over two metres assembled and needs one power outlet.

Which size should I buy?

The honest answer is that this is two decisions, not three. The POLAR 8 is a smaller, simpler machine. The POLAR 10 and POLAR 12 are the same system with a different subwoofer.

Choosing between the 10 and the 12, you are choosing a subwoofer. Same amplifier, same column, same mixer, same DSP, same coverage. The 12-inch driver buys one more decibel, three more hertz at the bottom, five more centimetres of height and about three more pounds. Nothing else changes.

The POLAR 8 is a different class of thing. Its column has no compression driver, so the six 2.5-inch cones run full range above the crossover. Its vertical coverage is 45 degrees rather than 30, which throws sound higher and shorter, and it has no DSP, no instrument channel and no display. What it does have, alone in the range, is wireless stereo pairing: two POLAR 8s link over Bluetooth with no cable between them. It is also 17 lb lighter than a POLAR 10.

Is this the current model?

The POLAR 10 and POLAR 12 on this page are the original series. HK Audio introduced the POLAR MK2 versions of both in June 2025, and a POLAR 8 MK2 in May 2026. The original models are still listed by HK Audio and are not discontinued, but the MK2 is the current generation and adds a louder 130 dB output, phantom power on the microphone channels, and wireless stereo pairing on the 10 and 12.

If you want the current version, we stock all four: POLAR MK II 10 in black, MK II 10 in white, MK II 12 in black and MK II 12 in white. If you want the original at the original price, buy it here.

What is in the box?

The system ships in two cartons. The subwoofer box holds the sub, a padded protective cover for it, and the mains cable. The column box holds the mid/high unit and the spacer, packed in a transport bag. So the cover and the bag are included rather than extra, which is not true of most systems at this price.

How many people will one cover?

HK Audio publishes no headcount figure, so treat any "covers 200 people" claim as somebody's guess. What they do publish is maximum SPL measured at one metre and the coverage pattern: 118 dB and 120 x 45 degrees on the POLAR 8, 126 dB and 120 x 30 degrees on the POLAR 10, 127 dB on the POLAR 12. In practice HK positions the POLAR 10 at singer-songwriters, solo entertainers, presenters, schools and churches, and the POLAR 12 at DJs who need real bass all night and at live situations with drums.

Can I plug microphones straight in, or do I still need a mixer?

Straight in. The mixer is built into the subwoofer. On the POLAR 10 and 12 it is four channels: two balanced XLR and quarter-inch combo inputs with a Line/Mic switch, a high-impedance instrument jack for guitar, bass or electric piano, and a stereo RCA aux that shares its channel with Bluetooth. The POLAR 8 has a three-channel version of the same idea, without the instrument jack.

Does it have phantom power for a condenser microphone?

No, not on these models. HK Audio lists no phantom power anywhere in the specifications or manuals for the original POLAR 8, 10 or 12. The MK2 versions do add it, switchable on channels 1 and 2. If you are running a condenser microphone, that is a reason to look at the MK2 rather than to buy a phantom power supply.

Can I run backing tracks off my phone while a microphone is live?

Yes. Bluetooth is its own mixer channel and runs alongside the microphone channels, with one knob setting the level for both the aux input and the Bluetooth stream. Range is up to 40 metres if your phone supports Bluetooth 5, and around 10 metres if it does not, though walls and even a thick phone case will cut that down.

Can I add a second one later for stereo?

Yes, and you are not locked to a matching model. HK Audio documents running a POLAR 10 and a POLAR 12 together as a stereo pair, using each system's Sub knob and EQ to even them out. For a cabled pair you send the left channel to one and the right to the other and set both DSPs identically.

The POLAR 8 can do it without any cable at all. Connect one unit to your phone, press TWS Link on both, and the blue LEDs settle when they are joined. One thing to know: wireless pairing carries only the streamed audio. Microphone and line signals do not cross to the second cabinet wirelessly, so a pair of POLAR 8s used for vocals still needs a cable between them.

What is the heaviest piece I have to carry?

The subwoofer, and even on the POLAR 12 it is under 50 lb at 48.7 lb. The POLAR 10 sub is 46.2 lb and the POLAR 8 sub is 30.4 lb. The column pieces barely register: the mid/high unit is 8.6 lb and the spacer 4.4 lb. The subwoofer is roughly the footprint of a milk crate, so the whole PA is a three-trip load at worst and fits in a hatchback.

How does it compare to the other column systems we stock?

Specifications

Figures are from HK Audio's published manuals and catalogue. Where their own sources disagree we have used the manual and catalogue over the website: HK's site lists 127 dB for the POLAR 10 where two other HK documents say 126, and lists a peak figure of 300 W for the POLAR 8 that is actually its RMS rating. HK Audio publishes no packed carton dimensions for any POLAR model, so we have not quoted any.

Accessories

The POLAR wheel board bolts under the subwoofer and turns the load-in into one trip. More in column speakers and the rest of the HK Audio range.