The Polk MagniFi Mini AX is a soundbar with a bit of a difference, in that it’s not really much of a bar at all.

Instead of the usual lengthy oblong shape, the Mini AX takes a form more akin to a portable Bluetooth speaker.

This means that it’s ideal for certain living rooms, where a traditional soundbar just won’t fit, or smaller rooms like a bedroom or kitchen.

This little speaker promises to pack a punch, and the pricing is attractive, but can it deliver the performance we need? We’ve been putting it to the test.

Design

  • Soundbar dimensions: 366 x 104 × 79 mm Subwoofer dimensions: 182 × 396 × 371 mm Soundbar: Fabric finish with soft-touch top panel, OLED display Subwoofer: Black plastic finish, LED status indicator on rear

The standout feature of the Mini AX’s design is, of course, how small it is. At under 37cm in length, it’s one of the most petite soundbar solutions that you’ll find on the market today.

  • Tiny size makes it easy to place Deep rumbling bass from the wireless subwoofer Hassle-free setup Can be expanded with wireless surrounds Chromecast Audio, AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect

  • Musical performance could be better Not much height for Atmos soundtracks Need to be careful with subwoofer placement

However, it’s worth remembering that it relies on a pretty hefty subwoofer to deliver its low-end, so you’ll need to have space on the floor, even if your TV cabinet is too cramped for a full-length soundbar.

We found this system a delight to set up, especially when compared to the metre-plus length soundbars that we usually test. It can be easily tucked away on the shelf of your TV cabinet, or just placed on top. Keep in mind that there’s a fair bit of height to this unit, though, and it could block the IR receiver on some TVs.

It’s also worth noting that there’s no wall-mounting solution in the box, if you’re hoping to go down that route. You could, of course, use a small shelf, but the MagniFi Mini AX seems like it’s designed with TV cabinets in mind.

The soundbar is covered with a dark grey fabric material that wraps around the front and rear of the speaker. The top side is made from a soft-touch black plastic, with seamless buttons for power, volume control and input selection.

The wireless subwoofer is fairly sizable, sitting at around 37cm tall, but it’s narrow at a width of just 18cm. This form factor reminds us of the Sonos Sub, and makes it much easier to place than a traditional cube-shaped subwoofer.

However, while the Sonos Sub has a luxurious glossy finish, the Polk woofer leaves something to be desired in the aesthetics department. The matte-black finish doesn’t quite have the same premium look or feel as the soundbar itself. But, since it’s so easy to tuck away out of sight, this might not matter too much.

Features

  • Inputs: HDMI (eARC), Optical, Analogue 3.5mm, USB-A (firmware updates) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity Google Chromecast Audio, Apple AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect supported TV remote compatibility and included remote

When it comes to hooking the Mini AX up to your TV, you’re well covered with a variety of input options. We used the included HDMI cable and plugged it into an eARC-compatible port on our TV. Then, we plugged the wireless sub into the mains and it was instantly paired. Easily one of the most hassle-free installs we’ve ever gone through.

Without the need for any additional settings tweaking, we could instantly use our TV remote to control the volume, great stuff. There’s a remote included in the box, too, which allows for additional tweaks like vocal enhancement, bass adjustment and listening mode.

You can also add the soundbar to your Wi-Fi network, which will allow for wireless music streaming via Chromecast, AirPlay or Spotify Connect. Once the soundbar was switched on, we saw a notification pop-up on our phone, prompting us to set up the soundbar in Google Home.

For the most part, the Wi-Fi setup was as simple as can be. Once connected, though, we were told to perform an over-the-air firmware update, which was a little less smooth. It hung for a while on install, and Google Home told us that something had gone wrong, but in the end, it worked. On the plus side, that’s not something that you’ll need to do very often.

Sound quality

  • Soundbar: Dual 19mm tweeters and 3x 51mm mid-range drivers Subwoofer: Downward firing 127mm x 178mm woofer Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Polk SDA 3D Audio Technology Polk VoiceAdjust speech clarifying technology

We were immediately impressed by the sound of the MagniFi Mini AX, especially for movies. It delivers a much more spacious sound than you might expect, given its dimensions, particularly when set to the “3D” sound mode. In fact, we think the 3D preset sounds the best no matter what you’re watching and it’s the mode we kept it on for the majority of our testing.

The subwoofer delivers some real impact and the rumble of a spaceship passing in a sci-fi movie sounds like it should be coming from a much larger, and more expensive, system.

Dialogue clarity is decent, as standard, but can be greatly enhanced by turning the “Voice” setting up a bit. We found that we liked Voice +2 and Bass +0 for the majority of sources.

The Mini AX has Dolby Atmos support, but since there are no upward-firing drivers, it doesn’t really deliver the full Atmos experience. That’s not to say there’s no height to the soundstage, there’s more height here than you’ll find with the majority of competing products, it just won’t sound like it’s above you, as you might expect from Atmos.

The subwoofer handles more of the midrange than we’re used to, which is no bad thing, it does a great job of delivering a full-bodied sound. This does, however, mean you’ll want to place the subwoofer somewhere near your TV - otherwise you risk a disjointed soundscape.

When it comes to musical performance, we were less impressed with the Polk. It doesn’t sound bad, and will certainly work nicely in the background, but it doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny.

We found the staging and treble to be a little lacklustre for music, especially in the music preset, where it seems there’s just not enough physical width to create a proper stereo effect. Things are improved in 3D mode, but it’s not going to knock your socks off.

For movies, TV and gaming though, the Polk Mini AX punches well above its weight.

Verdict

If you’re looking for a compact TV audio solution, you’ll be hard-pressed to find something more impressive than the Polk MagniFi Mini AX.

There are other compact options, of course, like the Sonos Beam, but that comes at a similar price without a subwoofer, and if you’re sticking to TV and movie watching, we think the Polk could well best it. It’s a different story if you want to listen to lots of music - we were a little underwhelmed with the Polk’s performance here - or if you add a Sonos Sub, but then you’ll find yourself in an entirely different price bracket.

Stick with TV and movie watching though, and the Mini AX is superb. It sounds like a much larger system, somehow crammed into a tiny, sleek and attractive chassis. If AV is your priority, then this miniature soundbar won’t disappoint.