Review of Polk Signature Series S60 Speakers
For the first time in 27 years I upgraded my main speakers from the RTA-8T 's to the flagship of the Signature Series the S60's.
For me, it was love at first sight when D2Lo posted the pictures. They were by far the sleekest, beautiful speakers that Polk has ever put out. And now that I have them in person, the pictures do not do them justice.
The craftsmanship of these speakers is outstanding, it is so well done you can barely see the seams at the back edge of the speakers. It is a dark grey/blackish woodgrain look finish that is beautiful, and goes well with the rest of my gear.
They are big, but not overly heavy for which is a blessing for me since it allows me to walk them into position, and I can't do that with any of Polk’s other flagship speakers since they are too heavy for me to wrestle with.
I asked the man who delivered them to unpack them for me which he was kind enough to do so and I had them set up and playing in 30 minutes.
Big speakers = big sound! For these speakers it means classic Polk sound and lots of it. I liked them right out of the box. I've had them for a little over a month and they continue to improve.
I spent the whole week playing my SACD's, especially my 2 channel ones to put the speakers through their paces then I moved on to my CDs. I turned off my subs to see how well the drivers handled the bass.
These speakers in two channel mode fill my Living room/kitchen with terrific sound.
I am very impressed on how well the three drivers and Power Port handle the bass. On quite a few of the songs, I had to double check to make sure I had actually turned off the subs!
If you want a good cd to test out the drivers I highly recommend Michael Jackson's History album. Some of his bass lines I could feel the vibrations through the floor.
Now with that said, once I re-engaged my subs I noticed that having the subs helped to clean up both the mid and deep bass. Having the speakers try to do both, ended up with neither one being clear. Once the subs were on, I could easily hear individual notes of the bass line and the clarity was back.
Now as for the tweeter....it is terrific! It is crystal clear, without any sibilance and is able to handle any music that I toss at it without me cringing. Live music is an excellent test to check out the tweeters, since I have found that is where I tend to run into ear piercing problems, but these pass with flying colors.
Some of you have asked me to compare my RTA-8Ts with my S60s. Simply put there is no comparison. The only things they have in common is the easy to listen to Polk sound that they are known for. Everything else is an apples to oranges comparison, with the S60s coming out on top in every category.
But most important to me is what both have in common is that both of them are well balanced, excellent multipurpose speakers that can handle both music and movies with ease. For me this was essential because I will only have one system to do both music/HT.
To wrap up, I am ecstatic with my new speakers, I have gotten back into 2 channel listening mode with an joy that surprises me, but with such room filling sound it is easy to hear why.
Thank you Polk Audio, it was well worth waiting 27 years to upgrade my main speakers to another set of Polk speakers, these will most likely be the last pair that I will be purchasing.
Cathy
For me, it was love at first sight when D2Lo posted the pictures. They were by far the sleekest, beautiful speakers that Polk has ever put out. And now that I have them in person, the pictures do not do them justice.
The craftsmanship of these speakers is outstanding, it is so well done you can barely see the seams at the back edge of the speakers. It is a dark grey/blackish woodgrain look finish that is beautiful, and goes well with the rest of my gear.
They are big, but not overly heavy for which is a blessing for me since it allows me to walk them into position, and I can't do that with any of Polk’s other flagship speakers since they are too heavy for me to wrestle with.
I asked the man who delivered them to unpack them for me which he was kind enough to do so and I had them set up and playing in 30 minutes.
Big speakers = big sound! For these speakers it means classic Polk sound and lots of it. I liked them right out of the box. I've had them for a little over a month and they continue to improve.
I spent the whole week playing my SACD's, especially my 2 channel ones to put the speakers through their paces then I moved on to my CDs. I turned off my subs to see how well the drivers handled the bass.
These speakers in two channel mode fill my Living room/kitchen with terrific sound.
I am very impressed on how well the three drivers and Power Port handle the bass. On quite a few of the songs, I had to double check to make sure I had actually turned off the subs!
If you want a good cd to test out the drivers I highly recommend Michael Jackson's History album. Some of his bass lines I could feel the vibrations through the floor.
Now with that said, once I re-engaged my subs I noticed that having the subs helped to clean up both the mid and deep bass. Having the speakers try to do both, ended up with neither one being clear. Once the subs were on, I could easily hear individual notes of the bass line and the clarity was back.
Now as for the tweeter....it is terrific! It is crystal clear, without any sibilance and is able to handle any music that I toss at it without me cringing. Live music is an excellent test to check out the tweeters, since I have found that is where I tend to run into ear piercing problems, but these pass with flying colors.
Some of you have asked me to compare my RTA-8Ts with my S60s. Simply put there is no comparison. The only things they have in common is the easy to listen to Polk sound that they are known for. Everything else is an apples to oranges comparison, with the S60s coming out on top in every category.
But most important to me is what both have in common is that both of them are well balanced, excellent multipurpose speakers that can handle both music and movies with ease. For me this was essential because I will only have one system to do both music/HT.
To wrap up, I am ecstatic with my new speakers, I have gotten back into 2 channel listening mode with an joy that surprises me, but with such room filling sound it is easy to hear why.
Thank you Polk Audio, it was well worth waiting 27 years to upgrade my main speakers to another set of Polk speakers, these will most likely be the last pair that I will be purchasing.
Cathy
Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
Comments
-
Thanks for the review, glad you're enjoying them.Pio Elete Pro 520
Panamax 5400-EX
Sunfire TGP 5
Micro Seiki DD-40 - Lyra-Dorian and Denon DL-160
PS Audio GCPH phono pre
Sunfire CG 200 X 5
Sunfire CG Sig 405 X 5
OPPO BDP-83 SE
SDA SRS 1.2TL Sonicaps and Mills
Ctr CS1000p
Sur - FX1000 x 4
SUB - SVS PB2-Plus
Workkout room:
Sony Bravia XBR- 32-Inch 1080p
Onkyo TX-DS898
GFA 555
Yamaha DVD-S1800BL/SACD
Ft - SDA 1C
Not being used:
RTi 38's -4
RT55i's - 2
RT25i's -2, using other 2 in shop
LSI 15's
CSi40
PSW 404 -
If they didn't beat out your entry level RTAs I would have been worried.afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
Cool thanks for the review
Come on Friday, I get mine then. Still pondering on which CD/SACD I want to hit first. Scorpions Moment of Glory, Rush 2112 (remastered) Peter Gabriel Uli Roth,,, I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas.When I was a kid my parents told me to turn it down. Now I'm an adult and my kids tell me to turn it down.
Family Room:LG QNED80 75", Onkyo RZ50 Emotiva XPA3 GEN3 Oppo BDP-93,Sony UBP-X800BM. Main: Polk LsiM 705Center: Polk LSiM 704CFront High/Rear High In-Ceiling Polk 80F/X RT Surrounds: Polk S15 Sub: HSU VTF3-MK5
Bed Room; Marantz SR5010, BDP-S270Main: Polk Signature S20Center: Polk Signature S35Rear: Polk R15 Sub: SVS SB2000
Working Warehouse; Yamaha A-S301, Sony DVP-NS3100ES for disc Plok TSX550T SVS PB2000 Mini tower PC with 400GB of music -
Nice review. Based on my far more limited time with ears on these, I'm not surprised one bit by how much you're liking them. Enjoy!
-
Impressive Cathy thanks for sharing.
-
Really happy you're enjoying your new speakers. Question though, when you turned off yours subs, did you flip the power switch or change the settings in the pre?
-
Thanks for the follow up review.
Polk seems to be hitting their stride, I bought a Magnifi Mini sound bar and it's terrific. My review of that to come.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Very nice informative review. And your writing skills are top-notch as well. Short sentences, clear, concise and well organized. A pleasure to read. Thanks.
-
When using my DVD player in 8 channel mode, if the disc is stereo, the subs automatically bypassed. If using my cd player, I muted the Polk sub and turned the volume all the way down on the SVS which makes it shut off.
Thank you Dromunds, it was typed out, proofed and spellchecked before being posted.Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2 -
Thanks Cathy!
Nice, clear review.
I'm glad your ears are happy
-
Cathy, are we going to get some pics to go along with your great review?
-
Cathy, are we going to get some pics to go along with your great review?
How about these? http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/176133/my-new-speakers/p1 -
mdaudioguy wrote: »Cathy, are we going to get some pics to go along with your great review?
How about these? http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/176133/my-new-speakers/p1
Yes just saw this now....
Just would be nice to see some close up. -
Thanks for sharing.
I have listened to the S50s (or S55s) at less than ideal conditions at Best Buy and was impressed.
"Big speakers = big sound!" I say AMEN to that!!AMP/Pre Pro: Outlaw 7000x, Marantz AV7703
Speakers: Fronts:LSiM 705s/ Center: LSiM 706c / Surrounds: LSim 703s
SUB: Rythmik LV12R x2
Source:OPPO UDP-203 -
mdaudioguy wrote: »Cathy, are we going to get some pics to go along with your great review?
How about these? http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/176133/my-new-speakers/p1
Yes just saw this now....
Just would be nice to see some close up.
I'll see what I can do this weekend JF.Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2 -
Ok JF, as requested here are some close ups of the speakers, they are so pretty!
Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2 -
Wow thanks Cathy, those are very nice looking. Like a modern retro.
-
Those look sweet, I love them.2 channel:
Bryston 4B3, Bryston BDA3, Cary SLP05, Shanling CDT1000SE with parts conneXion level 2 mods, Nottingham analogue ace space 294, soundsmith Carmen MKii, Zu DL103 MKii, Ortofon MC 20 MKii, Dynavector XX2 MKii, Rogue Audio Ares, Core power technologies balanced power conditioner, Akiko Corelli power conditioner with Akiko Audio HQ power cable, Nordost heimdall 2, Frey 2, interconnects, speaker and power cables, Focal Electra 1028 BE 2, Auralic Aries Femto, Black diamond racing cones, ingress audio level 1 roller blocks, JL Audio E110 with Auralic subdude, Primacoustics room treatments.
Theater:
Focal Aria 926,905,CC900, SVS PB ultra x2. Pioneer Elite SC85, Oppo BDP93, Panamax M5400PM, Minix neox6, Nordost Blue heaven LS power cables. -
Hey guys new to the site looking forward to learning from all of you congratulations Cathy I too purchased the S60's and like you am in love with them. I took it one step further since my system like yours is for both music and home theater. Since I couldn't find a big matching center channel and I had the space I bought a third S60! Overkill maybe but when I fire up the subs both for music and movies just Wow I can't describe it. I'll have to post you some pics sometime. Take care looking 4ward to getting to know all of you as I continue to build the system.
-
danzilla31 wrote: »Since I couldn't find a big matching center channel and I had the space I bought a third S60! Overkill maybe but when I fire up the subs both for music and movies just Wow I can't describe it. I'll have to post you some pics sometime.
Welcome! While we're waiting for your pics, here's a link to my HT rig with 3 RTi10 towers. I've always enjoyed the effect. No normal center can match it. http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/comment/2289844#Comment_2289844 -
Hey thanks! Nice to meet you. Man I just peeked at your room that is so amazing I love your whole setup. A man cave dream come true. Here's my turn I'm new here so I'm hoping I get these pictures sent right. Also as I continue on this journey I'll be really appreciating advice on what I'll need to do
to fully take advantage of my front setup that room is going to be a real challenge for a beginner like myself! Well here goes with the pics if they upload right let me know what you think! -
Very nice! It looks like you have a lot of space to fill with sound, so you're off to a good start. What model is your AVR?
-
Hey thanks yeah you ain't kidding on the space. That is a completely open floor plan with 2 dining spaces and a kitchen around it. So I got my work cut out for me. The AVR is an Onkyo TX-N9809. 7.2 most importantly it has preouts and I scored it for $200 on Craigslist. It's a beast so heavy it was breaking my entertainment center which inspired me to go with the 3rd S60. They have a glitch with the video running hot when it's shut down when left on which is why I scored it for so little but you just unplug it when your not using it which keeps it cool and it should last me for a long time till I'm ready to upgrade. I'm thinking subwoofers next either SVS PB 2000's dual or Monoprice THX ultra 12 duals I'm leaning towards the Monoprice just can't get over those dang metal grills on the SVS's. Then S20's for surround and rears to get away from the ceiling speakers. They're okay I just can't get around the off axis sound you can't avoid from in ceiling. And I can leave them in for when I upgrade down the road to Atmos. Then a power amp either Emotiva or Monoprice I was going towards Emotiva but Monoprice has that new 200w x 7 beauty coming out in February for $1600 with XLR inputs and unbalanced and I'm Kind off leaning towards that. It'll take a lottof work to get it right I'm looking 4ward to all you guys and your input. I'm hoping the 12's will be enough to fill that space I think it will I'm just worried dual 15's will be a little overkill Lol.
-
Oh thank goodness you didn't lay the S60 on it's side. Nice setup there.
For you sub please also look at HSU.Two VTF3-MK5 will rock you world. http://hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-3mk5HP.html I have one and it's great. I've listened to some setups with SVS subs, very nice too. Have not had a chance to get a listen on the Monoprice yet.
For amps I have a BasX-A300, that really opened up my S60. For the $400 it is well worth it.
This is a nice hobby but please watch your wallet around here, we do like to spend others money.When I was a kid my parents told me to turn it down. Now I'm an adult and my kids tell me to turn it down.
Family Room:LG QNED80 75", Onkyo RZ50 Emotiva XPA3 GEN3 Oppo BDP-93,Sony UBP-X800BM. Main: Polk LsiM 705Center: Polk LSiM 704CFront High/Rear High In-Ceiling Polk 80F/X RT Surrounds: Polk S15 Sub: HSU VTF3-MK5
Bed Room; Marantz SR5010, BDP-S270Main: Polk Signature S20Center: Polk Signature S35Rear: Polk R15 Sub: SVS SB2000
Working Warehouse; Yamaha A-S301, Sony DVP-NS3100ES for disc Plok TSX550T SVS PB2000 Mini tower PC with 400GB of music -
Welcome to the forum @danzilla31
You have a great looking setup and you're off to a very nice start!
Just looking at the photos you posted, I think you may benefit from a bigger TV or a projector to balance that front wall.Audio: Polk S15 * Polk S35 * Polk S10 * SVS SB-1000 Pro
HT: Samsung QN90B * Marantz NR1510 * Panasonic DMP-BDT220 * Roku Ultra LT * APC H10 -
Hah hah yeah an S60 on its side Id have to believe it to see it Thanks for the compliments and feedback guys I will for sure check out that HSU tip I've heard great things about them. Yeah I like that BasX line myself especially to get started and halo your right on the money on the bigger screen or TV just figure I'll get the components right then save up and really go after a big projector or TV next year. I'm really interested in the new Monoprice subs but I'm waiting for some more professional reviews but I like all your input fellas cuz the more options the better. Oh and I'll keep the warning about you guys spending my wallet in mind Lol! Although I gotta feeling I'm not gonna be able to put up much of a fight.... Sigh
-
Monoprice never made anything worth owning.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
They're upping their game: https://www.monoprice.com/pages/monolithMonoprice never made anything worth owning.
-
Very nice set up! You are going to have one rocking system once it is all put together especially when you get an amp.Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
-
They're upping their game: https://www.monoprice.com/pages/monolithMonoprice never made anything worth owning.
The only way they can, by rebadging gear made by others.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk
