Polk Audio MagniFi Mini Review
The Polk Audio MagniFi Mini shows that a tiny soundbar can produce big sounds. This affordable soundbar is compact and can fit in a small space easily. Gone are the days where you would need a huge soundbar to produce good quality sound.
With the Polk Audio MagniFi Mini, you can do much more than just listen to music. With its rich features and great sound quality, it is one of the best soundbars in this price range.
If bulky sound systems with multiple speakers and various other equipment are not what interests you, then this mini soundbar is the one for you. The soundbar can perfectly fulfill the needs of an individual or a small family. The Polk Audio MagniFi Mini is the perfect audio supplement for a small house or a bedroom.
Due to its compact size, it can easily fit anywhere and would provide great sound quality. With its Google Home compatibility, the Polk Audio MagniFi Mini is one of the best wireless speakers available in the market.
Where to Buy?
| Seller | Price |
|---|---|
| Amazon | Check Price |
Key Specifications
- One Dolby Digital Coding
- Multidimensional Sound
- Dedicated Modes (to be set as per requirements)
- Wireless streaming of music directly via phone or tablet through Google Home and Bluetooth
- Polk’s Voice Adjust Technology
- Two speakers – 0.5 in Tweeters
- Four speakers – 2.25 mid-range drivers
- System Power – 150 watts
- HDMI (ARC) cable and Optical and Analog cable
- Supports Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1
- Item weight – 12.5 pounds
- Battery Requirements – 2 AAA
Unboxing and Setting Up the Polk Audio MagniFi Mini
The Polk Audio MagniFi Mini Sound Bar comes with all the cables you require to set it up. The process of setting it up is simple and can be completed within minutes. You will get an HDMI cable and other optical cables in the box. Along with this, you will also be getting a good quality remote control with tactile buttons and an ergonomic design for a satisfying experience.
The process of setting up the soundbar is easy. The HDMI Audio Return Cable provided in the box can be used to connect the soundbar directly to the TV. If your TV doesn’t support the HDMI ARC connection, you can use the other connections. An optical or auxiliary connection can also be made between the two devices. By connecting with the HDMI cable, you can easily control both the TV and the basic sound functions on the soundbar. All you have to do is plug in the cables, and you are good to go.
The MagniFi Mini comes with one main soundbar, a remote control, some connection wires, and a subwoofer that helps create dynamic sounds.
Design and Build
The overall design and build of the Polk Audio MagniFi Mini Sound Bar is small and compact. It is just 3 inches high, 13 inches wide, and 4 inches in length. The soundbar body is made up of plastic, but the build quality is good and sturdy. The speaker bar is also surrounded by cloth lining and has a premium look to it. An additional advantage of its small size is that the soundbar does not interfere with the TV’s infrared remote control sensor.
The front of the soundbar has indication lights that portray the volume level and the input selection. The device has a strong base and does not have the provision to be mounted on the wall. It has to be placed on a horizontal surface only.
Towards the back of the soundbar are the various ports for connection to different devices. Starting from the left, there is the Power port, followed by the HDMI port. Next is the Optical port, the Auxiliary port, the USB port, the Wi-Fi port, and the Ethernet port.
The remote has dedicated power and volume buttons to switch sound modes, adjust inputs, etc. Polk Audio MagniFi Mini soundbar comes with raised symbols to give a tactile element to the product.
The remote, as well as the soundbar itself, can be used to change the settings. However, a dedicated button for Bluetooth and Chrome Cast connectivity is missing. The absence of this feature is noticeable in day-to-day use. This soundbar also lacks a screen display. The lights in the front of the device, while functional, are no match to a proper screen display.
Features
Compact Size
The size of the Polk Audio MagniFi Mini is one of its greatest selling points. The brand has marketed the product as a small audio house that delivers top-quality sound. It can easily fit in any small space. The brand claims that the mini soundbar can outperform audio devices three times its size.
Wireless Connection
Wireless connectivity is another design-centric feature that is available in the product. This makes the whole look of the soundbar cleaner. The biggest advantage of having wireless connectivity is the ability to keep it wherever you want. The fact the wireless connectivity makes the device portable is a bonus.
Polk Voice Adjust Technology
The Polk Audio MagniFi Mini comes with their voice adjust technology that helps you control the device’s voice levels according to your preference without raising the main volume. This feature is utilized best when watching movies, TV shows, or a sports event. The sound produced is crisp and clear. This would be beneficial for someone who has difficulty in understanding the dialogues due to the background score.
Subwoofer Presence
This is one of the top features of the product. Despite its small size, the brand has managed to fit a subwoofer in the mini soundbar. The subwoofer has a 16 cm driver that can handle 40-120Hz of frequency. Bass lovers can surely check this product out as it will produce deep bass while giving depth to the audio. You will get a truly immersive feel in a home theater.
Universal Compatibility
This feature helps you minimize the equipment you would need to operate the soundbar and your TV. You can connect the Polk Audio MagniFi Mini to any remote, be it TV, satellite IR or cable box. Two remotes would not be required to access your multimedia device and the audio device.
Three Listening Modes
The mini soundbar comes with three listening modes: Movie, Sports, and Music. You can adjust the listening modes according to what you are watching. The soundbar will be set at default with the ‘Music’ mode. You can easily change it to the ‘Movie’ or ‘Sports’ mode. In these modes, the bass and the midrange will be altered to fit the particular mode.
Wireless Streaming
The soundbar uses Google Home and Bluetooth to connect to your devices wirelessly. This will enable you to stream your music wirelessly from your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or any other compatible device. Use your preferred music streaming app and connect to the soundbar for a great listening experience. The Google Home connectivity also provides additional features such as connecting with the other speakers added to the Home Group and playing audio together.
Night Mode
The soundbar comes equipped with a unique feature known as ‘Night Mode,’ which enables you to play music at night without disturbing anyone sleeping. This mode comes in addition to the other three modes of audio. This is a great feature for people who would like to stream music, watch TV or movies at night.
The dynamic range will be reduced, whereas the midrange will be increased to balance it out. In the Night Mode, you will hear audio clarity even with lower volume settings.
Performance
The performance of the Polk Audio MagniFi Mini Soundbar is unmatchable for its size. Six small Bluetooth speakers are fitted inside the soundbar’s main body to provide the best experience possible. Four of these speakers are equipped with 2.25-inch drivers, and the other two have 0.5-inch tweeters.
The sound quality produced by the mini soundbar is good. It produces loud sounds easily without any distortions at the higher levels. The quality of the bass is exceptional due to the presence of the subwoofer along with the soundbar. The highs and lows are captured beautifully and have no issue. The sound produced by the mini soundbar is immersive and gives the illusion of a stereo setup.
The treble is one place where the Polk Audio MagniFi Mini soundbar stumbles. Due to the bass being the soundbar’s focal point, the treble is overshadowed, and sounds can seem weak. The midrange of the soundbar is also not impressive. It sounds congested and could use some improvement in terms of quality. The voices are sometimes not properly optimized and can sound ‘closed-in’ rather than open.
While the soundbar’s performance is quite good according to its size, the loudness will not be enough to cover your whole house.
Who should buy the Polk Audio MagniFi Mini
The Polk Audio MagniFi Mini soundbar is a great product for its price. You can opt to purchase this soundbar if –
- Your requirements for sound level are not too high.
- You like deep bass but can deal with less treble.
- You are not concerned about the lack of a physical Bluetooth button and the lights panel.
- You live in a small house and require a fairly loud sound.
- You are buying this for a single person only.
- You would like an affordable soundbar speaker with good sound quality.
- You are looking for a small and compact speaker that wouldn’t take up a lot of space.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Powerful bass due to the presence of the subwoofer
- Clear and crisp voice for dialogues and commentaries
- Google Home, Bluetooth, and Wireless connectivity to help cast directly from the phone
- Five different ways to connect with TV or any other device
- Supportive customer care service with good replacement policies
- Excellent sound quality with loud and crisp voices even in Night Mode
- Gives an immersive experience with the sound coming from all around the listener
- Good high pitch sounds without brittleness and distortion
Cons
- Harsh and poor-quality treble due to the main focus on sound clarity, volume, and bass
- No mobile application to control the speakers
- Lack of onscreen display
- Audio Return Channel (ARC) only works with Television
Final Verdict
Polk Audio Magnifi Mini Sound Bar is a one-of-a-kind product that offers some of the features of a full-fledged home theatre in a small and compact size. With its affordable price segment, it would be a good investment for you if you are looking for a casual use soundbar. The sound quality and output are excellent for movies, sports, and music. In this price segment, there is rarely any other speaker or soundbar that can match the specifications provided by this particular product.
The overall performance is appreciable for the price range. There are a few issues such as treble, physical Bluetooth button, frequent heating issues that could have been dealt with, but the pros outweigh the cons for this product. If you live in a small house or an apartment, this would be the perfect soundbar for you. You can expect a loud enough voice for a small home and can use the ‘night mode’ for late-night movie sessions or sports games. This small-sized mini soundbar packs a strong punch.
However, this product will not be enough for a large room or a large-sized home. This is in no way a replacement for the larger and complex home theatre systems and soundbars. The Polk Audio MagniFi Mini Sound Bar, even though it struggles in some aspects, is a good combination of some great features and compact size.
