
Polk Audio - MagniFi Max AX SR
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Based on 1 year's data from Feb 15, 2026 How it works
I used the Samsung Q990F for more than a week extensively for movies and music, but I ended up returning it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on the system; it's just that the subwoofer was underwhelming, to say the least. It always left me wanting more; it never hit the lows quite right or produced the rumble that a few scenes required. After continuing my research for a few more days, I finally pulled the trigger on the Polk Magnifi Max AX SR. I'm fully impressed; the subwoofer is amazing with a 10-inch driver. It hits the notes correctly and produces that rumble wherever it is required. The movie-watching experience is just next level. It may be a few hundred dirhams more expensive than the Samsung, but it's worth every penny. I'm keeping it. Footnote: I had already tried and returned the Sonos Arc Ultra plus Sub Gen 4 prior to the Samsung because it never really justified its price tag with its performance.
I've been very pleased with both music and especially movies with my Polk MagniFi Max AX SR. For under $800 it's hard to beat with 7.1.2, Dolby Atmos, functioning wireless surround, good base, and overall ease of use.
I changed the comparison to the 990D since thats the model I found $22 more than the Polk, and it was still favored by the same scores, but I think I'm going for the Polk since they're an audio company and not a do-everything like Samsung
I have the same. Polk Magnifi MAX AX SR for the bedroom and Polk XT Atmos setup for the living room. I've tried other brands in the past like Klipsch (the treble on those horns is too much a lot of times), and always come back to Polk. They're just a well balanced speaker.
Polk Magnifi MAX AX SR. Comes with everything; 10" subwoofer and surrounds (don't believe for a minute the bouncy room angled speakers in soundbars even come close to proper surround) When I get speakers I get them from companies that only make speakers. I did have Klipsch for a bit but their connectivity was horrendous (using a USB dongle in 2025 and pressing and holding buttons, then dropping out once an hour and requiring it to be done over again). Polk literally connects on its own once plugged in and stays that way. That being said, if you ONLY want a soundbar, the Klipsch Core 300 is insane. The built in subwoofers are no joke.
I got the Polk Magnifi max ax sr from Greentoe for the same price a couple of days ago - looking forward to it arriving.
I'm happy with it so far. The first one was damaged in shipping, so I had to wait for a replacement. I've only had it for about a week. I read a few reviews saying the rears were weak, but I have not had that experience. I had to turn them down a bit to keep from drowning out the soundbar. The "surround" experience is good. I struggled with dialogue on the speakers I replaced (older Bose CineMate). I have no issues with the Polk. I have a large open living room with vaulted ceilings. I don't get much of the overhead sound from the up-firing drivers. I knew that wouldn't be ideal for any ATMOS system, though. I listen to lots of music during the day (remote work). I like the sound for that too. How about you?
Polk Magnify Max AX SR, should come around 900€. I bought it after selling my A/V and speakers, which included 2 Polk T50. Never regretted those either. Back in the day I had a handful of soundbars going through my hands, and most I found to be "just heavy & loud". Hisense, Sony, Samsung, JBL, no matter all felt like the main goal was to blast my head off, make everything loud and go kaboom. The sound never felt truly full (not dull either, but the feeling of something missing was always there). I found the Polk soundbar completely by accident, I never thought they would make any. I dug deep, discovered it has basically the best codec/format support, minimal if any bloat (I don't use spotify so that was the only unnecessary thing for me), plus it lacks LAN connectivity. Compared to Klipsch, they offer far better bang for your bucks. And I'd also say the audio range is by far the most full you can get (similar to how a Pioneer DJ headphone compares to a Sony one - the latter is to just to casually listen to music, the former is to hear everything and basically be able to disect it if you want. same with the Denon PerL Pro earbuds vs. the other, casual high end ones). Anyhow, TL;DR if you are more on the audiophile end of the spectrum you should go for a proper speaker + A/V setup, but if you have to go with a soundbar, I'd go for the Polk. If you want loud and just simply powerful, everyone will say the Q990F (albeit I read that the sub supposedly sucks, so get the Q990D or E, the one with a single 10" sub)
Polk Magnifi Max AX SR I just bought it for a slightly smaller room (25m²), it is more than adequate even at lower volumes. Sound is rounded, you get deep, powerful bass, crisp highs and there is no loss on the mid-high range for the sake of more bass.
I had a 5.0 setup with A/V, 3 way front speakers, the whole starter kit I bought ~5 years ago. It didn't need a sub, but the fronts took up more space each. When I moved in with my then gf, now wife, we could find the space to set them up. But space is really tight, and our new flat will not have much more either. And I wanted to upgrade to Atmos. So I made the decision to sell off my kit and bought a Polk Magnifi Max AX SR. It saves a lot of space, yes, and the sound is good to be frank, but it doesn't fully compare to the "real stuff". It's physically impossible with all those small drivers. If you never had an A/V and big speakers, you will not know though. Obviously anything is better than TV speakers and a good soundbar will easily trick you into feeling like the real stuff. And they give you way more flexibility with placement, less cords to hide, etc. I'd probably do a proper system again if I had the space and opportunity, but I can appreciate the trade offs and I feel like I only lost about 10-20% of the complete enjoyment.
Spend a little bit more and get the Polk Magnifi Max AX SR. Full complement system - soundbar, rears, and sub.
Look up the Polk Magnifi Max AX SR. You can add another couple of surrounds. Great product and you'll have money to spare.
Definitely the Bose. Better quality sounding bar & much better subwoofer (the BM700 is possibly the best/most powerful soundbar subwoofer on the market). I just tried the Polk Magnifi Max AX SR myself & I'm not going to lie I expected MUCH more than it provided. It just felt like a really out of date system (which it is, but still underwhelmed me). I definitely expected much more from the subwoofer too but it really under delivered badly! The bar itself actually sounds decent tho. If Polk releases new soundbars anytime soon, I definitely think they'll be substantially higher quality than the Magnifi Max AX, but I wouldn't recommend Polk at the moment.
Subwoofer was a little weak, but more so a badly tuned subwoofer. Like mid-bass from the sub would drown out the sub-bass. I can't speak on the Dolby stuff cause I've never experienced it on any system before. But I can also say this is a system that kinda "falls apart" above half volume. Just never satisfied me no matter what I did or how loud it got. Just never sounded as good as I expected (not expecting Samsung or Bose level quality btw, but something close & this isn't even close).
I just got my POLK Magnifi Max AX SR today! This thing is a beast and best bang for my buck - $950. Quite an upgrade from my 10yr old Bose Cinemate 120 soundbar & sub.
Long overdue upgrade from my 12yr old Bose Cinemate 120 soundbar & subwoofer. After months of agonizing research, below were my top 3 shortlisted options: 1. Bose Ultra soundbar with the 700 subwoofer. 2. Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar with Gen 4 subwoofer and 2 Sonos Era-300 rear speakers. 3. Bang&Olufsen BeoSoundstage soundbar. Now, I’ve been saving $$$ for quite sometime and I was ready to dive into the Bose system since it has been near & dear to me for over a decade. I am a bass lover and Sonos just didn’t cut it for me for some reason, it could be that the demo environment in the store wasn’t right bcz the online reviews wouldn’t lie. While I had never considered anything under the ~$1000 budget, I came across POLK’s collection and the Magnifi MAX ($950) truly blew my senses. Never thought something in this budget could be so remarkable. It has elevated my new 98” TV’s viewing experience; the bar, subwoofer and it’s rear surrounds have exceeded my expectations. Of course let’s address the elephant in the room, wife needs new shoes with the money saved & toddler loves how Bluey sounds as if they are right next to us in the room! Let me get back to watching my game on the phone..
If you don't mind factory refurbs, it's hard to beat the Polk Magnifi Max AX SR for 499. Sound quality, separation, and real bass are the standouts of that system to me.
I'm viewing soundbars from the anti-soundbar home theater separates only person lens. The only reason I have any in other parts of my home is simply because of my SO, so I scrutinized all of the ones tried up to this point. When referencing Polk as an option to consider, I was specifically thinking of the Max AX...which *is* great (I have no experience with their older/other offerings). It rates favorably on RTings (who I do not hold as gospel), and it compares well to the Ambeo+ in my bedroom from a sound reproduction perspective which again is 90% of my requirement (not features or tech). If you're not that person, that's fair but in the the price range OP provided, that model is in my opinion STILL hard to beat compared to the options provided by the circle jerk of brands the internet has caused people to only consider worthy.
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