American audio manufacturer Polk Audio has announced the Magnifi Max SR soundbar, with the SR representing the fact it has surround speakers for a more authentic 5.1 surround sound experience.

Design-wise, there's not a huge amount to differentiate the Magnifi Max from other soundbars. It's a black bar with an 8-inch wireless subwoofer. Inside the main bar you'll find two tweeters and five full range drivers, coupled with Polk's proprietary Voice Adjust and SDA Surround technologies.

The voice adjust technology works in a similar way to a centre speaker in a conventional 5.1 surround sound system. It boosts the vocals in both music and movies, to project them toward the audience, without being drowned out by the surrounding bass. The SDA technology meanwhile helps the 'bar to emulate a surround sound effect from a single unit, if you don't have the wireless rear speakers.

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Pocket-lint

The Magnifi Max SR has full Dolby Digital and DTS decoding onboard, although it's not Dolby Atmos compatible. Instead, it can faithfully handle any 5.1 soundtracks thanks to the two wireless rears mentioned earlier. The only cable they need is for power, but then they connect to the main bar via a mesh network, which keeps lag to an absolute minimum.

Connections include three 4K compatible HDMI inputs, digital optical and an auxiliary input. The Polk Magnifi Max SR is available to order now, and will be available in stores from December for £699, or alternatively is available without the surround speakers for £599. The SR1 surround speakers are available on their own too, for £129.