The system doesn't offer a two-channel mode, which is how most music sounds best. And while the acoustic bass on Cannonball Adderley's jazz classic 'Autumn Leaves' sounded rich and detailed, the horns lacked crispness. John Bonham's drums boomed and Robert Plant's vocals soared on 'Trampled Under Foot,' though the missing high end took some of the attack out of Jimmy Page's guitar. On the MagniFi, the drum and bass line at the core of Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' 'Uptown Funk' thumped with plenty of drive, but the horns fell short. The subwoofer helps songs sound rich, but a lack of treble keeps the system from besting the Sonos Playbar for music playback. The MagniFi's shortcomings only become apparent when playing music. When Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence) shot down the planes attacking District 8 in Mockingjay Part 1, the force of the explosions rumbled my floor, thanks to the big subwoofer. Cate Blanchett's voiceover at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring resonated with gravitas, and Kevin Spacey's drawl as Frank Underwood in House of Cards was easy to distinguish during his frequent asides.

The soundbar excelled at both dialogue and action scenes. The MagniFi boasts big, room-filling sound, especially when it comes to movies and television. Fortunately, you can teach your TV remote to control the main functions, like power and volume. It had limited range, and I found I needed to push buttons multiple times for the unit to react. The MagniFi ships with a 'credit-card-style remote' - meaning it's small and not very functional. LED indicators on a soundbar with more features, like the Yamaha YAS-203, aren't as effective.

Since you have only two choices, it's not hard to remember which is which. If you choose Movie, the lights flash in one pattern if you choose Music, they flash in a different arrangement. It worked well enough, mainly because the unit doesn't feature that many options. Instead, LED indicators flash to show levels and modes. Because it lacks HDMI, there's no on-screen display.

Fr1 polk audio soundbar troubleshooting