Polk MagniFi MAX SR Bass Volume

laelle
laelle Posts: 100
edited January 2018 in Customer Service
Hello Polk and Polk fans!

I have just bought this system and when I amp the bass volume up it only boosts the subwoofer volume...

This system is definitely the best system I have ever owned...

Please Polk, if you hear me I’d be in heaven just now if you could update the bass volume to reach the soundbar and satellites too!

Thank you ever so very much!

Small update:

- Bluetooth defaults to music 1 when I leave it to music 2 sound mode!
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Comments

  • TopperDude
    TopperDude Posts: 166
    Pretty sure the bass volume control will really only affect the output coming out of the subwoofer. The speakers used in the sound bar and wireless surrounds are too small to play any meaningful bass.
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    Thanks for your input TopperDude! And thanks for keeping this topic alive as I really would like Polk and Polk lovers to take this under consideration!

    An LG phone hardly has trouble outputting bass even a cheap Vizio soundbar or even an old Magnavox radio and even an old JVC system!

    I understand the sub bass can’t be reproduce and needs the subwoofer without distortion... but the bass itself can be reproduced!

    Thank you!
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  • TopperDude
    TopperDude Posts: 166
    Compared to some of the other sound bars, i've actually found the MAX bar to play pretty decent bass on its own (without the subwoofer) factoring for the size of the speakers and all. To the point that it is much less fussy on subwoofer placement versus the competition.

    How big is your room by the way?

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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    I agree! It does play decent bass indeed at normal levels! But when you INCREASE the bass level you expect it to deliver well... more bass?

    And pretty much any digital class amplifiers can do that well... the speaker size is only related to volume... with or without bass...

    My room is small. But it does a good job sound field wise. Speaker placement is setup very correctly.
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    edited January 2018
    I listened today to Movies, Sports sound modes and the bass was very lightweight.

    Even though Movies and Sports sound modes are probably just the signal run through an impulse response to simulate wider sound field... and thus sounds weaker...

    Bass at max volume of course. Same for two channel Music 1 sound mode... when you switch to 5.1 Music 2 it gets better but you really can feel that in two channel Music 1 mode the bass is lacking compared to other sources...
    Post edited by laelle on
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    After a bit of listening I have found the Sports sound mode to be ideal with the voice volume boosted to the max!

    It seems to be more than just a simple impulse response... there seems to be some more magic involved, the sound is alluring!

    :)

    Please Polk, just add some more bass when you up the bass volume and I’d be in heaven alreaaaady! o:)
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  • TopperDude
    TopperDude Posts: 166
    Thanks for the tip on sports mode. Will try that out.
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    edited January 2018
    Yes! Good luck! It appears to me I was using some compressed audio file and it gave me the feeling it was using some impulse response... I think I was wrong hahah ;)

    Also about the voice volume you don’t really have to touch it but on some songs the vocals sometimes feel a bit low...
    Post edited by laelle on
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    Well finally I found that the voice volume thickens the sound but it seems the left and right channel play a bit quieter than the center channel though ;)
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  • mdaudioguy
    mdaudioguy Posts: 5,165
    I would imagine the voice +/- controls only (or mostly) affect the center channel. I think the bottom line is that sound bars just aren't as configurable as your standard audio/video receivers. I have, however, worked with some brands/models that allowed for individual channel adjustment. I haven't scanned the manuals for these new Polks to see if that's an option.
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    edited January 2018
    Yes I understand that! However I have an LG 55UH6150 HDTV and somehow it pumps more bass than the soundbar :/

    And there is no receiver there hahah

    100hz 10
    300hz, 1khz, 10khz -10

    It’s very concerning...

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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    edited January 2018
    Also, google home no longer detects my soundbar after the update! :'(

    HELP!!!

    Polk Speaker.l003 is the WiFi name of my soundbar and it says Unable to join the network when I try to connect to it!
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  • ken brydson
    ken brydson Posts: 8,756
    @KennethSwauger
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    Alright after numerous tries I was able to connect it...
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    edited February 2018
    Also is it me or the wireless rear surround speakers SR-1 are quiet? I have it set to max volume and it feels more natural...

    My current EQ settings are
    Music 2 sound mode
    Max bass
    Max voice
    Max wireless surround volume

    There is also loud static pops sometimes and latency between the soundbar and wireless surrounds but I’m guessing this is normal...
    Post edited by laelle on
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    Sometimes the audio cuts for a few milliseconds too, is this because I am using the optical cable?
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  • Rosaski
    Rosaski Posts: 17
    laelle wrote: »
    Also is it me or the wireless rear surround speakers SR-1 are quiet? I have it set to max volume and it feels more natural...

    My current EQ settings are
    Music 2 sound mode
    Max bass
    Max voice
    Max wireless surround volume

    There is also loud static pops sometimes and latency between the soundbar and wireless surrounds but I’m guessing this is normal...

    Me too:

    Hello, do you know when a firmware update for the Magnifi Max SR will be released next.

    I am getting high pitched popping (short noises) from the SR speakers and the dialogue speaker doesn't seem to get much louder when volume is increased?

    Thank you,
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    Hello! I have no idea when they will release a firmware update and I don’t even know how to update it with google home!

    Also may I add that since the last time I have changed the volume of the wireless surrounds back to normal...

    Thank you Rosaski for your input!!!

    ;)
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    Also is it me or the bass volume does not affect the surround speakers?!

    There is more bass on the soundbar than the surrounds...
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    Also the audio cuts off for 0.5 seconds after a minute or so, every minutes... this is quite annoying
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    About the above comment, I rectify this!!! It’s my PS4 Pro!!!

    Sorry about that!!
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    Also there is some weird loud noises especially with dts, Dolby content???

    And by any chances, could I know if the material used for the drivers is polypropylene??

    Thank you!
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  • Michael_G
    Michael_G Posts: 1
    First, thank you for supporting Polk and purchasing the MagniFi MAX SR.

    I am the brand manager for Polk Audio. Looking over this thread there a few points of clarification I would like to make. Regarding bass adjustments, it is not a subwoofer volume adjustment. We adjust bass response across the entire system. This is why we label it Bass and not subwoofer volume.

    Second, We noticed specific content could make the bar sound over-bassed or muddy. We published an update in late January to resolve this issue. To get updates, you have to connect your bar to your wifi via the free Google Home app. When connected, it will update overnight.

    Regarding Voice Adjust, it is similar to bass. It is much more than just a center channel adjustment (we have a patent on our technology). At a high level, we use the entire driver array to deliver the center channel data as well as boosting the frequencies used for voice. This is done improve vocal clarity and it will help with off access listening. In Music Mode, we minimize the affects of voice adjust. We want to do a minimum amount of coloration when listening to music. Conversely, Movie mode boosts bass and surround channels.

    Last, popping, cracking and drop-outs on the rear surrounds is a known issue. We are working on an update. At this time, we anticipate a solution in the next 30-days (Mid to late May). However, there is no guarantee. This has proven to be very challenging problem solve. If it is really bad, you might need to temporarily unplug them until the update is available (note you must have connected to WiFi via Google Home app to get the update).

    I hope this helps with some of your questions. And again, thank for support Polk.
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    Michael G, your input comforts me and I really appreciate your response!

    Not only did I update the firmware just now, but the sound is probably 5 times better now!

    This is by far the most balanced sound I have ever heard frequency wise...

    I am in heaven by your product, cheap, top of the line and promising hours of non stop fun, what a great company you represent...

    I am an absolute fan of music and sound, and what a treat it is to be blessed by this...

    Muddy doesn’t exist with this sound system, all frequencies seem to be non exaggerated and punctuate the exact amount of space and depth you would expect...

    I don’t miss the days of my modded Yamaha MSP7 Studio and my Lynx Studio soundcard... this soundbar is potentially the best sounding gear I have ever heard thanks to its non bright and non muddy sound, which before this, I had never heard and thought it was impossible to achieve...

    Here are a few weird things that happened thought, constructive criticism;

    - The soundbar once shut down even thought music was playing through Bluetooth
    - The soundbar once did not send HDR when playing PS4

    Thank you so much for this life enhancing soundbar that I enjoy every day!
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    I also wondered about the wireless surrounds volume... when I listen to stereo material in Full Stereo, Movie, Sports mode, the sound from the rear speakers is very low... is this normal??? And why???

    Also, at what notch is your wireless surrounds volume set to if I may ask?

    Thank you
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    Oh well, I leave the wireless surrounds volume to default now by the way...

    Sometimes I wish the soundbar was louder though hahah...
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    edited April 2018
    Also, when I was in bluetooth mode, the soundbar shut itself down after not being used even though the HDMI 1 ARK was being used with PS4... :)

    Also, sometimes in bluetooth mode, the soundbar shuts itself down AND powers itself on right after??? Kind of weird :)

    Hope this helps!
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  • henninge
    henninge Posts: 52
    See my poll and vote. I'm getting pretty choked and it seems I'm not alone
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    Can you send me the link? Thank you!
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  • laelle
    laelle Posts: 100
    Also I saw on another thread that an update was available... is it only available from an update done through Ethernet connection???

    And why? Can someone confirm and explain this?

    I’ll be waiting for an update through Google Home from my end, that’s for sure!
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