Polk Audio - MagniFi Max AX SR

I considered both as well but found a great deal on the Polk Audio MagniFi Max AX SR and even at suggested retail price, it's hard to beat IMO. I couldn't be more pleased fitting my use case perfectly.

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 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?

Sorry, I posted that to the wrong thread. The MAX AX SR is pretty solid too

I’ve used both the Magnifi Max AX SR and the 990D and they are both excellent systems. The only things I would say the Polk has over the Samsung would be the Subwoofer (which is an absolute beast) and the fact the soundbar has 3 HDMI ports to plug your gear into.

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 It just felt like a really out of date system (which it is, but still underwhelmed me).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..

I wouldn’t say it’s better. It just provides a different sound preference for some people, especially when you also measure it’s price to performance ratio in comparison to the Samsung.  I listened to both the Polk magnifi ax sr and the Samsung 990 and my ears could not justify a big enough difference for me to spend another 800-1k for the Samsung 990 hence why I own the Polk over the Samsung.

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.

I've got the polk sr ax magnifi setup on a g4 and it is pretty solid

I agree, got mine a month ago and really surprised by the sound quality I am getting out the system, it's really underrated.

3.19 and I heard it hasn't been updated for a long time.

Same old 3.19 version

It goes both ways, if you'd mention any soundbar brand to some people they only think of Samsung q series. I wanted JBL 1300 as I own the bar500 in a 2nd room and it's a great device lacking dtxs support, and a friend recommended the Polk which I never heard of before (bad marketing from the Polk folks) price was great and once installed I was blown away with the sound quality supporting every sound type and glad I have found this post with the few users who own and give their honest review.

also own MAX AX SR and its fantastic

The Polk Max AX SR doesn’t get enough love. For the same (or less) price as an ARC Ultra it absolutely stomps it for value and performance: - 10” sub and surrounds included - 3 in/ 1 out HDMI switching - DTS:X support - Remote included - front panel display - Universal streaming (Cast, AirPlay, Alexa, BT)

This is my opinion on soundbars: 1. If you have money get Quads with SW5 or Sonos Ultra + ERA300 with Sub 4 or 3 they are the best when it comes to soundbar ecosystem. 1. But if you don't have a space where you cannot place rear speaker at least 1 meter behind you then don't get the Quads, they work best when you are in middle of action. 2. Else get the mid tier Theater Bar 6 system its not expensive and works good and music and sound quality is better than Q990F. 3. Other options with rears: Polk MagniFi Max AX SR this one is the best when it comes to sound clarity and dialogue clarity. But its availability is less I would have got this but is was not available in India.

I got a Polk magnifi max from fb marketplace, comes with surrounds and a big ol sub for around $150. It sounds great and I is reviewed very well too on rtings

If you want both, Polk Magnifi Max AX would be an excellent option

Es correcto con algo de marketing mucha gente se enteraría de la marca, digo salvo por los videos que tienen en YouTube seria mas conocido y la gente de verdad conocería mas respecto a la marca, por que como mencionas las marcas Sonos, **Samsung**, **Bose**, **Sony**, se encuentran por todas partes en estanterías como en anuncios publicitarios, además que existe mucho fanboy que defiende a esas marcas sin argumentos validos por ende siempre recomiendan esos productos sin ser objetivos al momento de criticar. Por otro lado me sigue sorprendiendo que esta barra *magnifi max ax* que salió casi 3 años atrás tenga mucho mejor rendimiento que barras que han salido este mismo año. Nuevamente reitero para mi las marcas que no decepcionan y ofrecen calidad por lo que se esta pagando **Polk** ♥️ y **Harman/Kardon ♥️** >*"Beautiful Sound"* *Harman/Kardon Slogan ⬆️*

The polk seems to be better rated via rtings for mixed usage, yet for some reason doesn't make their recommendation lists. Not sure if it is related to the reduced likelihood of clickthrough revenue generation or not. I've had great experience with Polk products in the past. Also had great experience with Klipsch.

The Polk magnifi max ar is a true gem.

Yes, 100%. My Polk Audio Magnifi AX is absolutely phenomenal. No rear speakers.