Your fancy-schmancy 4K TV is lovely, no doubt about it. But the speakers in that TV? They’re poo-poo. Sorry for the harsh language, but I really need to stress the importance of adding a soundbar to the mix. It’ll improve every aspect of your listening experience, especially your ability to hear dialogue loud and clear. And if you’re going to do this thing, do it up right: For a limited time, the Polk MagniFi Max AX SR 7.1.2-channel surround-sound system is on sale for $699. That’s $200 off the regular price and the best deal since Christmas.
Spoiler alert: The MagniFi Max AX SR earned the title of “best surround soundbar” in my recent roundup of the best soundbars you can buy. And I’m going to borrow a bit from that roundup in explaining why.
The MagniFi is a beast of a system, with a subwoofer that will shake the floors and a soundstage powerful enough to bug the neighbors. It’s also a breeze to set up, though a few of the more advanced functions might prove a little confusing.
The soundbar itself boasts an amazing 11-speaker array, so it’s a big, heavy item. It’s nothing, however, compared to the mammoth subwoofer. If you’re hoping to shoehorn this into a corner or behind a couch, make sure you have enough space. The satellites are a fairly standard size, wider than they are tall, but provided without any kind of wall-mount hardware or floor stands.
Polk’s quick-start guide is easy to follow and nicely illustrated, culminating with three options for setting up Wi-Fi: Google Home, Amazon Alexa or Apple AirPlay. This is great, not only because you get to choose the smart-home platform that suits you best, but also because there’s no extra app required, no new account to register. I chose Alexa and had a very easy time completing setup.
That said, the guide is lacking in a few important areas; you’ll want to venture online to find the complete instruction manual, which is much more detailed.
Any lingering irritation about that gets blown away when you watch, say, Top Gun: Maverick (which you’ll want to do over and over). Polk’s system is robust, delivering loud, well-balanced surround sound with serious bass and electronically boosted dialogue.
Overall, the Polk MagniFi AX SR is absolutely superb. It’s versatile and easy to use, and it can blow the doors off even a large home-theater space. If big bass, satellite speakers and Dolby Atmos are on your list of must-haves, this is the system to get. Especially at this price.
(If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)
Originally published
