Polk Audio MagniFi Max AX SR Dolby Atmos 5.1 Soundbar Wireless Subwoofer surround sound speakers, DTS:X, Chromecast Audio Built-In, Works Alexa, Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay 2. Bluetooth

Product Information

The Max SR’s remote control is pretty decent, and a big step up on the blister-button unit the comes with the cheaper Polk Signa Solo. It’s a bit more substantial and has a rubber top that makes it quite pleasing to grip. There are some useful controls for adjusting the left-right balance and surround volume, as well as the usual stuff. It can learn IR codes, too.

Magnifi Max AX SR | Polk Audio

Delving through my Dolby Atmos demo discs, I was treated to an impressive show, from birds circling around the room to strafing starships overhead and buzzing bugs that almost had me scratching away the dense humidity of a muggy summer evening. Even the challenging rain storm in the “Amaze” demo came off with surprisingly realistic overhead placement, allowing my brain to almost feel the beads of rain falling from the ceiling. We previously mentioned about the built-in buttons placed at the top of the main bar and these include a power button, an input selection button, Bluetooth, Mute and volume controls. On the bass front, the included 10″ soundbar was really a beast. The low end felt menacing, powerful and will send plenty of low end sonic waves your way. During the last ride of the Rohirim it was as if the battle was taking place inside our room. And while the subwoofer offers plenty of shakes and low end hits it never felt muffled or too boomy. There were a couple of moments when we though that it lost its balance but it regained stability immediately.In case you do not want to bother changing sound modes every single time you change content there is an Auto mode that choses which mode to use depending the content at play. Both MagniFi Max AX and MagniFi Max AX SR models also include wireless subwoofers for extended bass response, but the MagniFi Max AX SR adds two wireless surround speakers for a more sonic immersion. Besides, there are more ways to play, thanks to the Polk’s Wi-Fi connection. This enables AirPlay 2 and Chromecast streaming, while there’s also Bluetooth, although no indication of any high-quality Bluetooth codecs, so use the Wi-Fi streaming if you’re able.

Polk MagniFi Mini AX review | What Hi-Fi? Polk MagniFi Mini AX review | What Hi-Fi?

Things fall down with the integration of the sub, as the soundbar doesn’t extend quite well enough toward the bottom end and neither does the subwoofer attempt to meet it halfway. It probably won’t bother you during most TV viewing, but on occasion it can be too obvious that a certain sound is coming from the sub rather than just the system as a whole. You don’t want a subwoofer to be a distraction, but you also don’t want to turn it down so much that you might as well not have it. Beneath the grille are four 3×1-inch oval woofers, a 1-inch mid-range driver and two 0.75-inch tweeters, all driven by a 180W amp. There are bass ports at either end, and a useful row of LEDs to display the volume level and device status. There are also plenty of ways to stream wirelessly, including Chromecast, AirPlay 2, and Spotify Connect, as well as Bluetooth 5.0. Alongside Dolby Atmos, the Magnifi Max AX also supports its main rival for Blu-ray discs, DTS:X spatial audio. With the Magnifi Max AX Dolby Atmos bar, Polk has shown a unique ability to load up the top features and attributes most users need, without skimping on the most important feature of all: impressive sound for your money. Offering a minimalist design and interface, solid features, and great performance, the Max AX appeals to those seeking a simplified Dolby Atmos setup that rises above the crowd without blowing your budget. High Points At the top face we get the built-in buttons with Polk using physical buttons in the shape of their functionality. To be honest we like these much more that the touch sensitive ones that some brands are using as these are much less prone to fail or accidental input. There is nothing else visible at the top as the up-firing drivers are hidden under the cloth grille keeping a very minimalistic look.

Summary

Another problem with the up-firing, Dolby Atmos enabled soundbars is that the sweet listening spot is extremely narrow. Sit too far from it and the Atmos effects will not be as pronounced or distinct as they should. For our review we decided to use the pass-through capabilities of the soundbar so we connected our Zidoo Z9X media player and PS5 in two of the HDMI inputs and from there to the TV we had at hand. Obviously we can’t get 4K@120Hz gaming through this connection but for 4K@60Hz it is more than sufficient.