This review is for the Polk Audio-MagniFi AX Dolby Atmos compatible soundbar. All the specs will be at the end of my review. This MagniFi Ax soundbar weighs 28 pounds, so Polk has put some really good quality speakers with substantial magnets in it.
It comes with a 10 inch wireless subwoofer. I watched three movies with Dolby Atmos and overhead sounds and direction were quite good. Atmos effects really are never a overly significant part of 95 percent of Atmos recorded soundtracks, and should be considered a bonus and not a good reason to judge a soundbar.
What this soundbar does do well is reproduce a pretty darn good range of all the individual sound ranges. The 10-inch subwoofer is a heavy subwoofer and does what it should do, really well. It has three HDMI in ports and one HDMI out that will work with both ARC and eARC.
It also has optical in, but you won’t get Atmos with optical. Video is passed through with no reduction of quality, 4K and HDR included. Inputs are easily selected from the remote. It has five sound configurations that include Auto, TV, Music, Movie, which is designed to work with Dolby Atmos and Stereo only if you have the satellite Surround speakers.
This model I received did not have the surround speakers, so I purchased them from Best Buy. The Polk SR2 Bluetooth speakers work with this bar and are easy to pair. I suggest buying the package with the surround speakers as it will only cost 100 dollars more, whereas I had to pay almost twice that to purchase them separately.
The speakers are Bluetooth enabled, but they have to be plugged into a wall socket. So, they aren’t truly wireless, but placement flexibility is more easily varied without speaker wires. The soundbar comes with wall mounting hardware and the surround speakers easily mount on a wall with a small screw to hang them on.
If you want the best effect of surround sound then I recommend the surround speakers, but with that being said if you have a small room, the soundbar by itself will be really impressive. Overall, I think it is a good sounding soundbar with a great subwoofer.
It has some flaws in the controls. You can adjust the surround speaker’s volume, but you can’t adjust L-R balance on them or the soundbar. You can adjust subwoofer volume, there is a voice volume adjustment, but I am not sure if it has a dedicated center channel speaker.
You can adjust Bass, Treble and height volume. There is no artificial height feature. You can also adjust delay if your sound is out of sync. Some will think it is pricy, but you are getting a top-quality subwoofer and really good speakers in the bar.
Setup was easy. It is packaged well, so shipping damage should not be a problem. In conclusion it lacks some adjustment features and if you get the surround speakers, they are not height speakers. They are only forward firing, but it sounds very good and well worth checking it out if you are in the market for a quality soundbar.
These are the specifics from the Best Buy site. Key Specs Voice Assistant Built-in No Wireless Connectivity Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Bluetooth Enabled Yes Wireless Subwoofer Connectivity Yes Input(s) HDMI, Optical Digital Audio, USB, Auxiliary Compatibility Voice Assistant Built-in No General Product Name MagniFi Max AX SR Dual 2.
5” Drivers Three 0. 75” Tweeters and Four 1” X 3” Mid-Woofers Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer Brand Polk Audio Model Number MAGMAXAXATMOSSR Color Black Color Category Black Audio Number of Channels 7.
1. 2 Surround Sound Supported Dolby Atmos, DTS:X High Resolution Audio Yes Connectivity Wireless Connectivity Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Wireless Multi-Room Audio Yes Bluetooth Enabled Yes Wireless Subwoofer Connectivity Yes Satellite Speakers Included HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) Yes Input(s) HDMI, Optical Digital Audio, USB, Auxiliary Number of HDMI Inputs (Total) 3 Number Of USB Inputs 1 Output(s) HDMI, Subwoofer Number of HDMI Outputs (Total) 1 Video Video Pass-through 2160 (4K), 3D Feature Wall Mountable Yes Dialogue Enhancement Yes Speaker Subwoofer Included Number of Drivers Included 2 Woofer Size 10 inches Dimension Product Height 2.
8 inches Product Width 45 inches Product Depth 4. 6 inches Product Weight 12. 85 pounds Subwoofer Height 15. 7 inches Subwoofer Width 11. 9 inches Subwoofer Depth 16 inches Subwoofer Weight 26. 3 pounds Included Remote Control Included Yes Cable(s) Included HDMI, AC power, Optical digital audio Mounting Hardware Included No Certifications Listings & Approvals ENERGY STAR Certified Yes Warranty Manufacturer’s Warranty – Parts 3 years Manufacturer’s Warranty – Labor 3 years.