Polk vs Klipsch Speakers

Most audiophiles are truly what the term implies: they love to listen to high-fidelity sound from a home theater or stereo. They have a good memory of certain music and can tell a difference to the fine details the way a sound is played using a different speaker or apparatus.

Maybe you are an audiophile yourself.

We know you are an exceptional breed of people who are motivated by sound. And perhaps you consider a sound system worth more than your car or you just take your passion for music a step further than the rest of the people.

But we also know how much of a challenge it would be to be an audiophile. You didn’t choose to be born with exceptional hearing. 

In your quest for high-end audio equipment, a type of speaker that may have caught your attention is the soundbar, which is an all-in-one speaker that provides high-quality home theater sound.

If you want to make your TV sound awesome, two brands that offer excellent soundbars in the market right now are Polk Audio and Klipsch. But which among the two is better?

Read on below to know more about the difference between Polk and Klipsch speakers (soundbars) to serve as your buying guide.

TLDR: Polk vs Klipsch Sound Bars/ Floor Standing Speakers

Product Description

Polk Audio MagniFi Mini Home Theater Surround Sound Bar

The MagniFi Mini from Polk is an ultra-compact subwoofer and soundbar. It delivers a room-filling home theater experience you can expect in bigger soundbars.

Polk is proud to share that the creation of the Polk MagniFi Mini Home Theater soundbar is a culmination of their tight-knit teamwork, collaboration, and engineering expertise. 

While the Polk MagniFi Mini is small in size (34.04 cm width and 8.13 cm height), it provides a big sound. Thanks to its powerful tweeters and drivers that produce a clear sound.

The Polk treble speaker or tweeter is a type of loudspeaker meant to deliver a high audio frequency range so that the sound can be heard in the entire listening room and not just focused in one direction.

This Polk Audio model also has 5.1 Dolby Digital coding for immersive surround sound. It’s also easy to set-up this Polk soundbar and often takes only minutes using the optical cables and HDMI.

Connecting this Polk Audio’s soundbar system to the app on your Android or iOS gadgets is also possible. With the surround speakers’ universal compatibility, it works well with any cable box, satellite IR remote control, and TV. 

Pros

• Makes any TV virtually sound incredible
• A clear and crisp dialogue using the VoiceAdjust (TM) technology
• Allows wireless streaming of music via Google Cast
• Immersive surround sound
• Small in size for portability but big sound
• Powerful driver
• 3-year warranty
• Easy setup
• Universal connectivity

Cons

• ARC (Audio Return Channel)-only HDMI limits Bass connectivity

Klipsch Cinema 400 Sound Bar

Klipsch Cinema 400 is a 40” 2.1 Soundbar with 8Inch Wireless Subwoofer. The brand promises that this speaker’s sound quality is a definition of what “true entertainment” should be.

This means that it is ideal for those who want to upgrade their movie or television viewing into a home theater.

The Klipsch speakers also have a dedicated center channel (delivers about 70% of the dialogue from TV and movies) with 3 dialog enhancement modes. These features, when combined together, ensure that the audience hears every detail and whispers clearly.

Without the center channel speakers, you’ll likely miss vital parts of what you’re watching. “The center channel is where the action is,” Klipsch explained on its website.

As part of the Klipsch Cinema Series Sound Bars, this model has the biggest wireless subwoofers (reproducing low-pitched audio frequency range) compared to other floor standing speakers and soundbars in the market today.

Having a big subwoofer also means a more powerful and cleaner bass. Furthermore, this model from the Klipsch speakers cinema series is designed using premium (real wood) materials, guaranteeing you both its quality and durability.

Pros

• Clear sound
• Left and right stereo
• With dialog enhancement mode to help you hear every whisper and detail with clarity
• Easy to use
• Theater-quality surround sound
• Dialogue mode
• With external subwoofer
• Basic control panel
• 35-20,000 Hz frequency response
• Bluetooth device compatible
• Elegant wooden enclosures
• Dolby Digital decoding
• HDMI Arc

Cons

• No Wi-Fi
• No eARC

In-Depth Comparison: Klipsch vs Polk Speakers

Specifications

Polk MagniFi Mini Home Theater Speakers

Availability:  US, Internationally

Orientation: Horizontal

Height: 3.2″ (8.13 cm)

Width: 13.4″ (34.04 cm)

Depth; 4.3″ (10.92 cm)

Weight: 3.88 lbs (1.76 kg)

Front Array Driver Complement

• (2)  0.5″ (1.27 cm) d (Round) – Tweeter
• (4)  2.25″ (5.72 cm) d (Round) Drivers – Midrange

Power: 150 watts

Bluetooth

Wireless

Wireless Protocol: 802.11a/b/g/n/AC – 2.4GHz & 5GHz

Audio Inputs

•  HDMI (ARC)
•  Toslink Optical
• Analog 3.5mm Mini-Jack (AUX)

Google Cast

• HDMI (ARC)
• Toslink Optical
•  Analog 3.5mm Mini-Jack (AUX)

Polk Speaker: Who is It Best For?

Polk speakers are preferred for intimate studio recordings of jazzy female vocals or acoustic instrumentals.

Klipsch 400

Soundbar

Channel Configuration: 2.1-Channel

Enclosure Type: Sealed

Midrange Drivers: 2 x 3″ / 76.2 mm Front-Firing Composite Cone

High-Frequency Drivers: 2 x 0.98″ / 25 mm Front-Firing Tweeter

Frequency Response 35 Hz to 20 kHz (System)

Maximum SPL: 99 dB

Subwoofer

Enclosure Type: Bass-Reflex

Drivers: 1 x 8″ / 20.32 cm

Subwoofer Connectivity: Wireless

Klipsch Speaker: Who is It Best For?

The Klipsch 400 soundbar/ speakers are ideal for movie buffs who enjoy watching films with immersive surround sound.

The Klipsch speakers are also chosen by audio enthusiasts, who enjoy music deeply and seek to reproduce the sound they hear in a live performance.

Best Places to Buy Polk Audio and Klipsch Speaker System

If you want to check the recent price of the Polk MagniFi Mini Home Theater Speakers or Klipsch 400 speakers, the best places to check out are Amazon, from the main websites of Polk and Klipsch, or you can also visit Best Buy.

You can check out the Amazon link for Klipsch and Polk speakers provided above.

What Do People Say About it?

Amazon

KIM K. purchased the Polk MagniFi Mini Home Theater Surround Sound Bar and shared on Amazon, “The coolest part about the sound is that even though the bar is positioned in front of me, underneath my TV, the sound “feels” [imm]ersive like it’s coming from all around the room.”

Another buyer from Amazon, who goes by the username “I buy Stuff” wrote, “The dialog is clean, crisp and intelligible. The bass is wild. How did Klipsch get such a big subwoofer added at this price?“

YouTube

KosherTech did a sound demo of the Polk Audio MagniFi Mini. He said, “This is absolutely a mighty beast, and who said that small things come in small packages?”

“It [also] has Wi-Fi built in so I could already cast music to it and then I could use the Polk app,” he added referring to the use of Google Cast and Polk apps.

TechnoBabble reviewed the Klipsch Cinema 400. He said, “One thing I really like about Klipsch is that you get a button to toggle the LED on and off. That’s really good if, let’s say, you’re watching a movie and you put all [the] lights off because these LEDs are really bright. So the fact that you can turn them off, so they’re not a distraction is actually a really good idea.”

The Verdict: Which One Should You Buy?

Experts’ opinions are not unanimous on which among the soundbars brands are better, but the majority prefer the Klipsch in terms of live recording music.

What other people find fatiguing (loud music), others may love. So, if you like that “in-your-face” music or sound for streaming, watching action movies, or gaming, then we suggest you choose the Klipsch vs Polk to add as part of your home theater setup.

In terms of its design, we also like that the Klipsch Cinema 400 sports a luxurious wooden finish. The way the drivers are placed on the side of the speaker is highlighted with silver and it makes Klipsch Cinema 400’s overall look elegant.

If you like this article, you might want to read our other reviews at Speakertune.com.

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