Leveraging its 40-plus years of audio engineering experience, Polk Audio has announced its MagniFi MAX SR soundbar system (see photos here). Designed to deliver a 5.1 surround sound experience to just about any home environment, the decades-old audio company says the system is supported by its Stereo Dimensional Array (SDA) technology.
“As soundbars continue to flood the market, consumers with an ear toward traditional surround sound are met with a huge array of products and technologies that supposedly bring 5.1 audio to the forefront,” says Michael Greco, global brand director, Polk Audio.
“While many soundbars certainly improve upon what TVs can offer, the majority lack the soundstage, imaging and discrete immersive surround sound experience of the MagniFi MAX SR,” adds Greco. “We're aiming to change that by providing proven technological tools like Polk's patented SDA and Voice Adjust technology, Dolby Digital and DTS decoding, HDMI connectivity and wireless surrounds consumers have the option to create a true 5.1 system that mimics what component audio can deliver with the ease of setting up a soundbar.”
The MagniFi MAX SR package is bundled with wireless surround speakers, which automatically connect with the sound bar and help deliver true 5.1 surround sound when paired. Users can also purchase the MagniFi MAX soundbar and SR1 wireless speakers independently.
Google Home Makes MagniFi MAX SR Stand Out
The MagniFi MAX's combination of SDA, Dolby Digital and DTS enable it to faithfully reproduce content from movies, TVs, sports and music, says Polk.
Furthermore, the soundbar's integration with Google Home supports the connection of the system to any Google Chromecast-enabled device. The Chromecast options allow for the building of Google-based whole house audio systems with voice control and streaming.
The company says the soundbar's use of Voice Adjust allows homeowners to customize voice levels to provide clear and intelligible voice articulation.
At the heart of the system is a multidriver array that includes four 1-inch by 3-inch “full-range drivers,” two 3/4-inch tweeters, one 1-inch center-channel driver and a built-in 8-inch ported woofer.
According to Polk, the soundbar outperforms TV speakers and traditional soundbars thanks to its built-in subwoofer, which produces up to 10 times the amount of bass than typical TV sets. Polk says the system includes preset equalization (EQ) settings for movies, music and sports in order to “optimize” the soundbar and subwoofer's output.
The soundbar features Bluetooth connectivity as well as Polk's Smart Remote compatibility, making the soundbar controllable via popular IR TV remotes from Samsung, LG, Sony, and Vizio.
Other Features:
- An ergonomically friendly footprint and industrial design that complements a variety of TVs
- Multiple HDMI inputs that offer Ultra HD 4K and HDCP 2.2 compatibility
- A choice of inputs such as HDMI, Aux 3.5mm, optical Google Home featuring Chromecast for audio, Bluetooth and Ethernet
- Wireless subwoofer and SR1wireless speaker setup
MSRPs:
- MagniFi MAX SR package (includes the SR1 wireless speakers): $599
- MagniFi MAX a la carte: $499
- SR1 wireless speakers a la carte: $149 (available in August 2017)
