Head-to-head

Polk MagniFi Mini AX vs Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6: Polk fits narrow stands, Sony clears lower screens, both still need TV inputs

The short answer

Choose MagniFi Mini AX for a narrow TV stand and music over AirPlay 2 or Chromecast. Choose Bar 6 for physical up-firing speakers and a lower main bar. Both include a separate subwoofer and neither adds HDMI source sockets, so the television still needs room for your console and streamer.

Before you choose

The reasoning and the trade-offs

A narrow bar does not necessarily sit lower

Polk is roughly 61% narrower, but its body is about 0.58 inches taller than Sony's without feet. A width constraint and a screen-height constraint can favor opposite products.

What this is based on

(37.4 - 14.4) / 37.4 = 61.5%. 3.1 - (64 / 25.4) = 0.58 inches. The Sony height is body only.

Main trade-off

Polk MagniFi Mini AX

Its compact body is taller than Sony's without feet.

Main trade-off

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6

The main bar needs about 23 more inches of width.

Polk MagniFi Mini AX

Polk MagniFi Mini AX

Choose it for
  • Fit the 14.4-inch bar between closely spaced TV legs
  • Stream music over AirPlay 2 or Chromecast
Main trade-off
Its compact body is taller than Sony's without feet.
See price & reviews on Amazon
Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6

Choose it for
  • Use physical up-firing drivers for the two height channels
  • Keep the main bar lower beneath the screen, before optional feet
Main trade-off
The main bar needs about 23 more inches of width.
See price & reviews on Amazon

Analysis updated , Catalog updated , Amazon.com / United States

About this comparison

Compare Polk Mini AX and Sony Bar 6 for narrow TV furniture, low screen clearance, Wi-Fi music and a package that already includes a subwoofer.

Choose MagniFi Mini AX for a narrow TV stand and music over AirPlay 2 or Chromecast. Choose Bar 6 for physical up-firing speakers and a lower main bar. Both include a separate subwoofer and neither adds HDMI source sockets, so the television still needs room for your console and streamer.

Winner by situation

Start with what you need it to do

  • Only 20 inches are available between the TV legs

    Polk's body is 14.4 inches wide. Sony's is about 37.4 inches, before placement allowances.

    Polk MagniFi Mini AX
    Better fit
    Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6
    Not suitable
  • AirPlay 2 music playback is required

    Polk documents the network playback feature. Bar 6 does not.

    Polk MagniFi Mini AX
    Better fit
    Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6
    Not suitable
  • Physical up-firing drivers are required

    Sony provides two. Polk uses its processing approach without that hardware.

    Polk MagniFi Mini AX
    Not suitable
    Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6
    Better fit
  • The screen sits very close to the stand

    Sony's body is lower, but measure the actual screen edge and any installed feet before declaring a fit.

    Polk MagniFi Mini AX
    Caution
    Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6
    Caution
  • There is no place or power for a separate subwoofer

    Both selected packages include a separate powered bass enclosure.

    Polk MagniFi Mini AX
    Not suitable
    Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6
    Not suitable

What matters in practice

The differences that matter

A narrow bar does not necessarily sit lower

Polk is roughly 61% narrower, but its body is about 0.58 inches taller than Sony's without feet. A width constraint and a screen-height constraint can favor opposite products.

How we reached this conclusion

(37.4 - 14.4) / 37.4 = 61.5%. 3.1 - (64 / 25.4) = 0.58 inches. The Sony height is body only.

The bass box remains part of a compact setup

Mini AX saves substantial width under the television, yet its included subwoofer still needs a separate floor position and mains supply.

How we reached this conclusion

Both verified packages include a wireless subwoofer. Polk's specified footprint is 7.2 by 15.6 inches and Sony's is 210 by 388 mm. Wireless audio does not power either enclosure.

Phone control is different from network music

Sony's app support and Bluetooth playback do not create a direct AirPlay 2 or Chromecast receiver. Those specific music routes are documented on Polk.

How we reached this conclusion

Polk lists AirPlay 2, Chromecast and Spotify Connect over Wi-Fi. Sony lists Bluetooth audio and BRAVIA Connect control rather than those Wi-Fi music features.

Try your real numbers

Will the soundbar fit under your TV?

Measure the clear space in front of your TV. Count devices you want to plug into the soundbar, not devices already connected to the TV. The numbers below are examples until you enter yours.

Polk MagniFi Mini AX

Does not meet these checks

Its 3.1-inch height exceeds the 3 inches below your picture.

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6

Does not meet these checks

0 separate HDMI source inputs cannot take the 1 device you want to connect to the bar.

Use an open top surface, not an enclosed cubby. Detachable speakers are counted in the docked width. Allow extra depth for cables and the TV stand. This checks physical dimensions and port counts, not Dolby Atmos, 4K/120Hz passthrough or your TV’s audio-format support.

Choice A
Polk MagniFi Mini AX

Polk Audio, MagniFi Mini AX

Polk MagniFi Mini AX

The Mini AX is the smallest bar here by width, making it useful between closely spaced TV feet. The included subwoofer moves part of the system onto the floor, so the tiny bar does not mean a one-box setup.

Best matched use
Fit the 14.4-inch bar between closely spaced TV legs

Checked facts

  • Main-bar width: 14.4 inches
  • Body height: 3.1 inches
  • Height-effect hardware: SDA processing without physical up-firing drivers
  • Network music: AirPlay 2, Chromecast and Spotify Connect over Wi-Fi
Choice B
Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6

Sony, HT-B600

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6

The Bar 6 includes a separate subwoofer and upward-firing drivers without asking you to choose an entire speaker ecosystem. It is a straightforward bar-and-sub option, but your TV must handle all HDMI source switching.

Best matched use
Use physical up-firing drivers for the two height channels

Checked facts

  • Main-bar width: 950 mm, about 37.4 inches
  • Body height: 64 mm, about 2.52 inches, without feet
  • Height-effect hardware: Two physical up-firing drivers
  • Network music: Bluetooth audio, no Wi-Fi music streaming in the reviewed specification

Meaningful differences

What changes the fit

Meaningful differences between Polk MagniFi Mini AX and Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6
What changesPolk MagniFi Mini AXSony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6Why it matters
Main-bar width14.4 inches950 mm, about 37.4 inchesPolk requires about 23 fewer inches of horizontal space.
Body height3.1 inches64 mm, about 2.52 inches, without feetSony's lower body can help screen clearance. Installed feet must be considered separately.
Height-effect hardwareSDA processing without physical up-firing driversTwo physical up-firing driversAn Atmos label does not identify the same driver arrangement.
Network musicAirPlay 2, Chromecast and Spotify Connect over Wi-FiBluetooth audio, no Wi-Fi music streaming in the reviewed specificationPolk can join the documented network-music services directly.
Included subwoofer footprint7.2 by 15.6 inches210 by 388 mm, about 8.27 by 15.28 inchesPolk's bass box is narrower and slightly deeper.
HDMI source socketsNoneNoneBoth use a TV audio-return connection instead of providing source switching.

What you give up

Every choice has a cost

If you choose Polk MagniFi Mini AX

  • It does not include physical up-firing drivers.

If you choose Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6

  • Bluetooth playback does not supply Polk's direct Wi-Fi music options.

Recommendation switch

The decision flips if...

The available body width is 20 inches

Choose Polk MagniFi Mini AX. The 14.4-inch Polk body fits that width before required clearance, while Sony's does not.

Two physical up-firing drivers are required

Choose Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6. Bar 6 includes the required height-driver hardware.

An extra HDMI source input is essential

Choose neither. Neither bar has a separate HDMI source socket.

What matters in practice

How to make the call

01

Check both dimensions below the television

Mini AX solves a narrow-space problem unusually well, but its taller body can still cover a low screen edge or remote receiver. Sony needs much more width. Its 64 mm body height excludes feet, so verify the final mounting arrangement instead of comparing a bare enclosure with an installed one.

02

Choose the playback route you will use every day

Polk's Wi-Fi music features are useful when the bar should receive an AirPlay 2 or Chromecast stream directly. Sony can receive Bluetooth audio, which suits a different connection routine. Both depend on the television for video-source switching. Count the TV's available inputs before assuming the soundbar creates an extra socket.

03

Treat height speakers as an installation choice

Sony's physical up-firing drivers need a suitable, unobstructed path toward the ceiling. Polk's spatial processing uses a different arrangement. Neither specification proves a better result in a particular room. The separate subwoofer in each package also needs its own position, power and sensible clearance, regardless of the main bar's size.

Check these before buying

  • Measure TV-leg spacing, screen height and the final bar height with any supplied feet fitted.
  • Reserve an accessible mains outlet and suitable position for the included subwoofer.
  • Confirm whether the music source uses Bluetooth, AirPlay 2 or Chromecast and whether the television has enough HDMI inputs.

What this comparison cannot tell you

  • We have not measured bass, speech intelligibility or height effects. Sony's published inch dimensions contain inconsistent rounding, so body-height arithmetic uses its North American metric specification.

What the facts say

What the comparison shows

Useful conclusions from the current soundbars comparison, followed by the checked facts used to reach them.

See the checked facts and calculation notes
Compared set
2 models
Source records
5 for the products shown
Catalog updated
Facts and source records used for the products in this recommendation
ProductNeeds matchedChecked factsSource records
Polk MagniFi Mini AX
  • Fit the 14.4-inch bar between closely spaced TV legs
  • Stream music over AirPlay 2 or Chromecast
  • Main-bar width: 14.4 inches
  • Body height: 3.1 inches
  • Height-effect hardware: SDA processing without physical up-firing drivers
  • Network music: AirPlay 2, Chromecast and Spotify Connect over Wi-Fi
  • Included subwoofer footprint: 7.2 by 15.6 inches
  • HDMI source sockets: None
Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6
  • Use physical up-firing drivers for the two height channels
  • Keep the main bar lower beneath the screen, before optional feet
  • Main-bar width: 950 mm, about 37.4 inches
  • Body height: 64 mm, about 2.52 inches, without feet
  • Height-effect hardware: Two physical up-firing drivers
  • Network music: Bluetooth audio, no Wi-Fi music streaming in the reviewed specification
  • Included subwoofer footprint: 210 by 388 mm, about 8.27 by 15.28 inches
  • HDMI source sockets: None

Ready to choose?

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