I did not expect this mini soundbar to sound so big, and it’s $150 off right now

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Polk MagniFi Mini AX soundbar at the moment sells for $349 on Amazon, a $150 low cost from its retail worth.
• Huge, booming sound from a really small package deal, wi-fi plug-and-play subwoofer, Bluetooth connectivity, AirPlay 2, Chromecast, and Spotify Join make this as simple to make use of as attainable.
• Voices in TV and movie can sound louder than traditional, which is sweet or unhealthy relying in your choice.

Polk is a reputation that individuals who know sound can belief. The corporate has been round since 1972, and has produced sufficient high-quality audio system and sound methods to know what they’re doing. 

Additionally: One of the best soundbars: Professional examined and really useful

So, after I obtained the MagniFi Mini AX soundbar to evaluate, I had sure expectations. I might loved Polk audio methods of all types, from automobile stereos and audio system to floor-standing audio system and numerous items of audio {hardware}. Though it has been some time since I might skilled the fantastic world of Polk audio, I knew what I used to be entering into with this sound bar.

It didn’t disappoint.  

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Polk MagniFi Mini AX soundbar

This small footprint soundbar will fill your house with loads of lows and highs (and voices that may really be heard).

The principle speaker is simply 15″ extensive, so it may be utilized in tight areas, with out sacrificing sound. The soundbar is each Dolby Atmos and DTS:X licensed and delivers Polk’s fourth-generation SDA know-how for a extra correct soundstage that may fill your room so that you by no means miss a phrase of dialog or a thundering increase of deep bass.

The specs

The Polk MagniFi Mini AX specs look one thing like this:

• Channels – 3.1
• Encompass Format – Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, DTS:X, DTS HDMA, DTS Digital Encompass.
• Entrance Panel Show – OLED
• Polk VoiceAdjust – sure
• Subwoofer dimensions – 7.2″ x 15.6″ x 14.6″
• Soundbar dimensions – 4.1″ x 14.4″ x 3.1″
• Inputs – HDMI eARC, Optical, 3.5mm
• Most output – 10 Watts
• Weight – 14 kilos

Do not let the ten watts of output idiot you, as this soundbar delivers some pretty impactful sound. 

My expertise

I’ve to preface this by saying each soundbar I exploit and check is in comparison with my default Klipsch soundbar, which is roughly a decade previous and now not in manufacturing. That soundbar has the most effective total sound I’ve ever skilled in a two-speaker (fundamental and sub) soundbar. Due to that, I am a bit biased towards the Klipsch sound that’s produced by that gadget.

Additionally: I changed my costly Klipsch soundbar with a $300 Hisense, and it shocked me in the easiest way

With that stated, with one exception, I used to be totally impressed with the Polk MagniFi Mini AX soundbar. The sound was spacious, correct, and wealthy. What actually impressed me probably the most in regards to the soundbar was the bass. Given the small dimension of the unit, I used to be sure the bass would fall brief. It didn’t.

The bass on the MagniFi Mini AX is punchy, with out muddying the entire. It is not fairly as much as what my Klipsch delivers, however that is a reasonably excessive bar. The crossover for the Polk does an amazing job of not sending too excessive a frequency to the subwoofer. 

For many who aren’t sure of what crossover does on a subwoofer, think about you’ve got a spread from 1-10, with 1 being the bottom and 10 being the very best. For a really correct subwoofer, you need to restrict the vary to the decrease finish of the spectrum. It would not make any sense to ship something above 5 to the subwoofer, as a result of that might muddy the sound. As an alternative, you may want sound within the 1-3 vary despatched to the subwoofer. The Polk does an amazing job of conserving the mids and better ranges out of the sub to maintain all of it sounding tight and clear.

Additionally: One of the best sound methods: Professional really useful

And imagine me after I inform you, this soundbar can produce. I examined it each in our TV room and my train room and located the MagniFi Mini did a stellar job in each situations.

My solely gripes

Perceive that I am very choosy about sound, so hold that in thoughts. My solely drawback with the Polk is the midrange (the place voices hit) is usually a bit tinny. It is a quite common criticism from me for a lot of soundbars. I imagine there is a purpose for this development.

You see, motion pictures and TV (particularly motion pictures) are produced such that music and particular FX overpower dialog. This drawback is getting worse and worse. To treatment that, producers are having to punch the midrange on their units so dialogue will be heard. 

Additionally: These skull-rattling headphones spoiled watching motion pictures at dwelling for me – in the easiest way

Due to that, voices are likely to sound a bit too tinny for my style. Nonetheless, I’ll say that my spouse says the identical factor (and he or she’s not an audiophile). That specific tackle midrange can are likely to make a speaker sound low-cost. The tradeoff is that you could all the time hear dialogue, irrespective of how loud the music and FX are. 

For a lot of, that exact professional far outweighs the con of tinny midrange. And, to be trustworthy, most customers will not even discover the overpronounced mids and can rejoice that they’ll hear what’s being spoken by the characters they’re watching. Moreover, when you’re not proud of the mids, you possibly can all the time decrease the “voice” quantity on the distant or change the sound from Film, 3D, Music, or Night time to higher match the sound to your wants and specific listening to skill.

My second gripe is the optical connection was so tight that I used to be unable to get it pressed in far sufficient such that the soundbar might obtain sound from my TV. The optical connection was nice to the TV however, for no matter purpose (and irrespective of how onerous I pushed or oriented the plug), I could not get the connection to work.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

At $499 (or, higher but, $349 when it is on sale), the Polk MagniFi Mini AX soundbar is a superb purchase, particularly if you’re restricted on house. And though the mids is usually a bit harsh, if listening to dialogue is a precedence for you, this soundbar may have you smiling and listening to each phrase spoken.