JBL BAR 500 vs Polk Audio MagniFi Mini AX review

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l would like to share my experience after comparing and testing two soundbars – JBL BAR 500 vs Polk Audio MagniFi Mini AX. The JBL BAR 500 was rated 8.6, while the Polk Audio MagniFi Mini AX has a rating 7.6. The soundbars are equipped with a different number of buttons, power, volume down, volume up for the BAR 500 and power, source, demo, mute for the MagniFi Mini AX.

Audio features

Each of the models under consideration has active amplification type. A noticeable difference is the number of channels that BAR 500 has 5.1 and MagniFi Mini AX has 3.1. These rivals can be compared in terms of power, 620 (overall) versus 10 (overall) according to devices. The built-in subwoofer is not implemented in any of these models. An external subwoofer can be connected to any of the units in this comparison. Rate 7 out of 10 received the JBL BAR 500 for audio features and specs, but the Polk Audio MagniFi Mini AX received 4 out of 10.

Streaming services

Each of the competitors can play content from Spotify. Audio streaming from Pandora, SoundCloud is in each of the presented soundbars.

Connectivity

Both models have a wireless Wi-Fi interface. Soundbars from this comparison have Bluetooth support. There are 1/1 HDMI inputs/outputs in the JBL BAR 500 versus 1/0 HDMIs in the Polk Audio MagniFi Mini AX. As in the BAR 500, so in the MagniFi Mini AX there is the HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). Connecting devices via USB is possible in both models. We rated the connectivity of the BAR 500 at 10 out of 10, while the MagniFi Mini AX was rated 5/10.

Features

Each of the soundbars can be controlled using the application. The soundbars in this review are equipped with a microphone. The models under consideration cannot become part of a multiroom system.

Multichannel surround

Manufacturers equipped both units with Dolby Atmos audio decoder. The MagniFi Mini AX can work with surround sound due to DTS:X support. The BAR 500 was rated 7/10, while the MagniFi Mini AX received a mark of 10/10 for multichannel surround.

Advantages Polk Audio MagniFi Mini AX over JBL BAR 500