Polk MagniFi Mini AX guide

Has this miniaturised soundbar got what it takes to deliver an immersive, room-filling sound? We put it to the test.

The Polk MagniFi Mini AX is a soundbar with a bit of a difference, in that it's not really much of a bar at all.

Instead of the usual lengthy oblong shape, the Mini AX takes a form more akin to a portable Bluetooth speaker.

This means that it's ideal for certain living rooms, where a traditional soundbar just won't fit, or smaller rooms like a bedroom or kitchen.

This little speaker promises to pack a punch, and the pricing is attractive, but can it deliver the performance we need? We've been putting it to the test.

If you're looking for a compact TV audio solution, we think the Polk MagniFi Mini AX is one of the best options available today. It looks good, sounds great and comes at a reasonable price.

The Polk Audio MagniFi Mini AX offers powerful home theater audio with just a small soundbar and a subwoofer, though it can't fully produce accurate spatial audio imaging.

For soundbars and other speakers, small size usually means small sound. Looking at the Polk Audio MagniFi Mini AX ($499), which measures just over a foot across, it’s understandable to expect relatively meager output. Thanks in part to its included wireless subwoofer, however, this little soundbar can put out some thundering audio that easily complements a big-screen TV. There are limits to its acoustic design, which simply can't generate immersive surround sound in such a compact form factor, but even so, this reasonably priced, powerful sound system is worth your attention if space is at a premium.

TVs are bigger than ever. These days, you can score a great low-end 75-inch panel for below $600 if you wait for the right sale. While that should translate to larger entertainment stands than ever before, in actuality, finding space for a big piece of furniture is often difficult — not to mention costly.

Whether you're choosing to hang that beautiful OLED TV on your wall or opting for a third-party VESA mount, squeezing a large panel into a smaller space is easy. Unfortunately, finding a soundbar that fits into a compact home theater setup can seem impossible.

Polk MagniFi Mini AX review

Remarkable Dolby Atmos sound from this small lozenge of a soundbar backed by a large and deep-delving subwoofer Tested at £429 / $499 / AU$829

Early Verdict

This well-priced soundbar and subwoofer solution is full of surprises. Its lozenge is physically discreet, yet facilities are impressive, with networked music streaming in addition to Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatibility, while the system delivers a solid entertainment performance for those seeking a simple solution at this price.

The MagniFi Mini AX is full of surprises. Polk has delivered a rather different soundbar and subwoofer solution – although it’s hard to call it a bar, really, when it sits like a little humpy at the centre of your TV. A TV speaker? A lozenge, perhaps. So an unusual sound lozenge and subwoofer solution.

The lozenge is remarkably small, just a ruler’s length at 34cm wide; we had thought it larger from pictures we had seen, and had wondered where we might put it to prevent it covering the bottom of our benched TV screen. But no, at 8cm high it was just perfect to fit below a resident 75-inch Samsung. Check that 8cm height against your own screen and you’ll know whether you can accommodate the first ‘Mini’ bit of Polk’s pairing here.

The subwoofer may be regarded as the bit doing the MagniFi-ing. This is much larger, with a large oval driver firing downwards, so that its main acoustic output exits from bottom gaps in the raised sides, while it also ports to the back. This makes it versatile with regard to placement, relatively immune to furniture on either side of it, though you couldn’t easily put it in cabinetry.