Polk Audio MagniFi Mini AX does not work with PC via HDMI

ManInNight

Hello,

I have now tried in various ways to get my Polk Audio MagniFi Mini AX to run on the PC via Hdmi.

-Reinstalled all drivers
-Replaced Hdmi cable
-Tested on the PC via AMD and Nvidia connections and even on a laptop
-Other sound devices work via Hdmi
-All drivers are recognized by Windows, but MagniFi Mini AX does not seem to communicate with the PC via Hdmi
-I can see that several people have had problems with this.

I therefore assume that this is a firmware problem. Could you please test AMD and Nvidia on the PC via Hdmi with the Polk Audio MagniFi Mini AX?

SeleniumFalcon

Hello,
Welcome! I'll pose this issue to a friend at Polk.

SeleniumFalcon

His response:


"Did OP post any specs on his PC? Not all GPUs offer ARC or eARC which might be the issue happening here. Most PC's do not have that functionality unless a part was installed intentionally with that feature. It could be connected via Optical which would work fine but if they are attempting to connect it via HDMI on a PC, about 90% of HDMI ports on PCs are just the video outputs and not able to do an audio connection."

ManInNight

My specifications:

Nvidia RTX 4080 Super
MSI MAG B650M Mortar WiFi with AMD Ryzen 9900X3D

Both devices support audio via HDMI and the corresponding drivers are installed, but the Polk Audio MagniFi Mini AX soundbar is not recognised on both HDMI ports (graphics card and mainboard) when plugged in.

Optical is unfortunately not an option, as only 2.0 sound is possible, but I want to control 2.1 to calibrate the subwoofer and this is only possible via HDMI.




Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

txcoastal1

What is the audio format you are trying play?

And have you followed these instructions?

https://www.nvidia.com/content/Control-Panel-Help/vLatest/en-us/mergedProjects/Display/To_set_up_digital_audio_on_your_graphics_card.htm#:~:text=From the NVIDIA Control Panel,, DisplayPort, or DVI).

SeleniumFalcon

I'll forward this information to my contact.

SeleniumFalcon

His reply:

"The issue with this is most GPUs do not have ARC like I had stated before. Looking at NVIDIA's site for this particular GPU, it shows no indication that the HDMI handles any audio which is what I was expecting. They would have to look into getting a dedicated sound card for the PC to use the Mini AX if he is determined in using HDMI ARC but that will likely be costly. There are very few GPUs designed to handle sound output and none that I can think off the top of my head. They are designed to handle visuals and graphics and do not really offer any output to audio. Neither the GPU or the Motherboard HDMI ports offer that audio channel as is typical in PC systems.

That said, the motherboard he mentioned does have optical and that would be the route I would recommend. The S/PDIF optical and onboard DSP does support up to 7.1 according to the manufacturer. This should be more than enough to work with the Mini AX and offer that subwoofer support he is looking for. There are S/DIF > HDMI converters out there but that is outside of my realm of knowledge and I am not sure how that would work in this case."

ManInNight

So my solution is a FeinTech AX310 adapter in ARC (no eARC mode). Now I can use HDMI for sound on my PC.