Polk Audio Magnifi Mini Home Theater Sound Bar Review

Our Verdict

A small-scale soundbar that needs a scrap of refining before it tin be a large fish in this particularly crowded pond

For

• Skillful agility
• Large bass
• Spacious sound

Against

• Could be more insightful
• Boxy midrange

What Hullo-Fi? Verdict

A modest soundbar that needs a bit of refining before information technology tin can exist a big fish in this particularly crowded swimming

Pros

• +

  Good agility

• +

  Large bass

• +

  Spacious sound

Cons

• -

  Could be more than insightful

• -

  Indigestible midrange

There are a few benefits to being pocket-size. You're more than adept at playing hibernate and seek, are naturally ameliorate at potholing, and usually accept a slight edge at limbo.

However, none of these actually use to soundbars – a product that usually has to hit the sweet-spot between impressive audio and a compact body.

But Polk is attempting to get around this with the MagniFi Mini, which the company says will provide "huge sound from a mini soundbar".

MORE: Polk Audio's two new soundbars promise big audio from tiny packages

Build

To kickoff with the obvious, information technology's small. At just 35cm long and 7cm tall, it'south piddling bigger than your average lunchtime baguette. Behind its grille are two 10mm tweeters, and four 6cm drivers for the midrange.

Accompanying the diminutive piece of kit is a notably larger subwoofer – near as high equally a coffee-table – to bargain with frequencies from 40Hz to 110Hz using its 16cm driver.

Sound

Nosotros plug in the optical cablevision and put on Interstellar, skipping to the betoken where Dr Joseph Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) detaches himself from the spacecraft and falls into the blackness hole.

The soundbar's side-firing drivers provide a spacious sound, stretching the soundtrack out to fill our medium-sized testing room.

Information technology'southward pretty competent around the treble too – when listening to Isn't She Lovely on Stevie Wonder'southward Live At Last Blu-ray, the high-pitched harmonica comes beyond clearly without sounding as well bright or brittle.

And in that location'due south no doubting the agility of the MagniFi Mini. Irresolute to some White Denim over Bluetooth, the soundbar can continue upward with the speed and bounce of the guitars in tracks like At Night In Dreams and Distant Relative Salute.

MORE: Best soundbars 2016

In that location's also a decent amount of bass, courtesy of the subwoofer. The horns (known as Zimmer Horns past picture buffs because of how oft they announced in Hans Zimmer's scores) are prominent plenty, but demand to be tighter.

And there are also other improvements needed: in that location'south not quite plenty sophistication in the midrange, and it can finish up sounding congested.

Vocals that should feel wide and open, such as Colin Farrell's rendition of East Air current on the Saving Mr Banks soundtrack, sound airtight-in.

The arrogant exact shrug in the climax of Kanye West'southward Power is lacking and a little lost, showing the MagniFi Mini could do with more insight beyond the lath.

Features

Though the MagniFi Mini's sound quality won't fix any new standards, Polk has managed to pack in an impressive number of connections.

On the wireless side, it has both Bluetooth, wi-fi and the surprising bonus of congenital-in Google Chromecast - so you lot're able to stream audio from your smartphone or tablet via Spotify, Tidal or other uniform apps.

Round the back there's an ethernet port, HDMI and USB inputs, an optical input and a 3.5mm connection.

A string of LEDs light upward on the Mini'due south face to let you know which source is playing. They're also used to signify volume, bass, and eye aqueduct levels – the concluding ii existence managed by the 'Bass' and 'Voice' buttons on the remote.

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The MagniFi Mini gives yous telescopic to adjust your audio for any occasion, with a variety of DSP settings including Music, Motion-picture show, Sports and Dark Manner.

Music is the default, while the Movie and Sports modes alter the corporeality of bass and midrange ability coming from the soundbar. Night mode reduces the overall dynamic range, and increases the midrange to brand things clearer at lower volumes.

Settings can either exist adjusted on the soundbar or the remote, which is pretty prissy to use. Its main symbols are raised slightly so you get a improve idea of what you're pressing in a night room, and there are explicitly marked buttons for different sources rather than an all-in-one source push button.

The merely addition we would like to run across is a dedicated button for Bluetooth connectivity and pairing, which unfortunately tin be washed only on the soundbar.

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Verdict

The Polk MagniFi Mini sits in a difficult position, able to beat neither alternative, larger soundbars nor smaller wireless speakers at this price.

Information technology's a competent product with much to admire in terms of features and design. But it doesn't quite have the audio quality to get a wholehearted recommendation from us.

See all our Polk Audio reviews

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to ownership and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help yous buy the very all-time for your money, with our advice sections giving you lot step-past-step data on how to get fifty-fifty more from your music and movies. Everything is tested past our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so yous tin can purchase with absolute confidence.

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Source: https://www.whathifi.com/polk-audio/magnifi-mini/review

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