Polk Audio - MagniFi Mini AX

Hmm, are you sure you compared it to the Mini AX and not the first-gen Mini? I gotta say, I don’t fully agree that the JBL bar 500 is *that* much better, if at all (I think this is where subjectivity comes in). In my opinion, they’re pretty much on par.. and personally, I like the mini ax just a bit more. Plus it's wayyy smaller, which is a big win for me. The size:sound quality ratio and even size:loudness ratio is crazy

I have it and can attest that it is an outstanding setup. I got it for a steal at $649 a week ago but I think now it's $899.Even at that I highly recommend.

JBL has the worst sound. It sounds good because they drown out everything with lows and mids making music and movies punchy but it is not great at all. Polk wins on clarity

I went Polk Mini AX that I got of Amazon for $275 after taxes. Sounds good enough to my ears.

Hi everyone, wanted to share my experience from having the Polk Magnifi Mini AX for more than a year, and now I have switched to the Bose 600. I have/had them in a kind of small room, and the main purpose was gaming (PS5) and movies to take advantage of ATMOS effects. The Polk has good audio quality, very punchy sound because of the woofer, but the ATMOS effect is not great (neither top nor side effect). When compared to the Bose, the Bose gives us more details and the high-ends are better, but it lacks a lot of the power of the Polk mainly because it has no woofer. However, the Bose is way better in Atmos because of the top and side speakers, would say it is a bit better for music also. So mainly because of the Atmos, the Bose is better for me, but if you don't care about Atmos, for overall (TV, Gaming, movies, music, ...) use, I would say the Polk is a better package and most of the time it costs less....even more if you intend to add the satellites for surround since they are much cheaper.

Sorry for the late answer. If you want sound with power and punch, go with the Polk. If you want detail, clear voices, and atmos performance (the difference in atmos performance is significant), go with the Bose. Performance for the money, Polk is better IMHO, but I really wanted atmos performance.

It totally depends on the soundbar. I am still impressed with the Vizio 5.1 system’s ability to produce a really nice sounding virtual atmos experience. I also have a Polk Mini ax and in my opinion it doesn’t compare to the Vizio. I also have a Vizio 5.1.2 system and I’ll still stand by that system as THE top of the line budget system. Saying all of that I’ll conclude by saying, none of those systems match my Sony HT-A9, but I wouldn’t expect them to. I had an LG SP7Y and took it back within hours of purchase. It soured me on LG soundbars quickly. Also, if you’re looking for a budget system, don’t count out ONN’s 5.1 or 5.1.2. They both are surprisingly good.

I just recently got the Polk Magnifi Mini AX and it sounds excellent, but I have issues with popping on the Wireless Sub because of the wifi interference. The only option is to move the sub and/or the router further away, but I am unable to move it far enough in my situation unfortunately. I wish they could fix this because the sound is great and setup was so easy otherwise.

Samsung q900c, polk magnifi mini Ax.

I love my Polk Audio MagniFi Mini AX. It’s perfect for a living space where you still want a soundbar.

comparing the two is apples and pears. The polk is a tiny package. The jbl is much bigger. You go with the magnifi when you don't have a ton of room (under a computer monitor, cramped wall space) of course the JBL sounds better, is 40" width, the polk is 14". I haven't heard the jbl, and I own the polk.. but I can't imagine there's even a contest between sound quality between the two, the polk just isn't in the same class ....