S55 vs Monitor 60 for dedicated 2 channel listening - advice needed !

Bobd207s

I could use some help on choosing a pair of new speakers. I have decided to set up an unused room strictly for 2 channel music listening . I have always liked the sound of Polk speakers . I went to the local Best Buy ( NH ) to hear these speakers but unfortunately they were either not available to hear or not in a sound room to hear. I mainly listen to jazz ( Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Jeff Lorber ) or Classic rock ( Steeley Dan, Chicago, Eagles ). I am using one of my older Adcom 555 II amps that pushes 200 watts per channel . I won't be pushing these real hard - but want something with clean sound and not fatiguing on the ears. I'd love to be able to hear these but since that isn't possible - maybe some of you who own these could provide some insight as to how these sound.
TIA
Bob

F1nut

The Signature series is much better than the Monitor series.

mrloren

^^^what he said^^^

The Signature line is a great speaker for the price. For a two channel with no sub look at the Signature S60. I don't have as power as you would be driving them with and still when I kick them into standalone two channel they are awesome.

Oh and you might be able to still find a deal on some LSiM speakers.

firsttimer

I love my S60 towers for both two channel and home theater. Great speakers for the money

tonyp063

I have similar musical tastes.

I've heard the music I like on both those speakers & the S55 is hands down a better choice.
To my ears they sound cleaner & more "accurate" than the Monitor.
And yes, if the S60s are within budget, so much the better.

rooftop59

Budget permitting, I would be comparing the S60s to the LSiM705s.

cfrizz

The S55s or if you can spring for it S60s all the way. I love my S60s, they are great for both music and movies. You have an amp that will allow them to operate to their full potential right from the get go. Here is the review I wrote on them last year.


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

rburgess714

I would try to find them on sale and spend the extra coin for the 60s. Easy to drive and have plenty of bottom end.

Bobd207s

Thanks everyone for the insight !! I will try to see if the 60's can fit my room and budget. I will also take a look at the LSIM's. I might go the E-bay Polk Refurb route due to budget limitations - does anyone have experience going this route ?
Thanks Bob

mrloren

Bobd207s wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the insight !! I will try to see if the 60's can fit my room and budget. I will also take a look at the LSIM's. I might go the E-bay Polk Refurb route due to budget limitations - does anyone have experience going this route ?
Thanks Bob

Never heard of any problems with the ebay refurb site. Some have even said that they received new not refurb.

rooftop59

Bobd207s wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the insight !! I will try to see if the 60's can fit my room and budget. I will also take a look at the LSIM's. I might go the E-bay Polk Refurb route due to budget limitations - does anyone have experience going this route ?
Thanks Bob

Keep an eye on this site: https://slickdeals.net/coupons/adorama/

this deal has come up several times: https://slickdeals.net/f/11268607-polk-signature-speakers-open-box-s60-pair-s35-s20-pair-800-free-shipping?src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1

monepolk

Bobd207s wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the insight !! I will try to see if the 60's can fit my room and budget. I will also take a look at the LSIM's. I might go the E-bay Polk Refurb route due to budget limitations - does anyone have experience going this route ?
Thanks Bob

Yes I've purchase a few speakers from them they always looked/performed like new.

mrloren

rooftop59 wrote: »

Bobd207s wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the insight !! I will try to see if the 60's can fit my room and budget. I will also take a look at the LSIM's. I might go the E-bay Polk Refurb route due to budget limitations - does anyone have experience going this route ?
Thanks Bob

Keep an eye on this site: https://slickdeals.net/coupons/adorama/

this deal has come up several times: https://slickdeals.net/f/11268607-polk-signature-speakers-open-box-s60-pair-s35-s20-pair-800-free-shipping?src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1

I got my S60 package from there for $800 shipped. great deal

mpitogo

I’m intrigued by the new Signature line. They remind me of the RT series without the powdered sub gimmicks. If you can do the S60 go for it. I’ve always been a fan of Polk and over the years I’ve branched out a bit but I’m quite happy with what select models I have. Performance and value are key considerations.

Regarding the $800 system, that’s a pretty good deal! The S35 also looks like a meaty center.

My main theater is all Polk but running a non-Polk center mainly because the LSiC was just not cutting it and it’s the most important part of the speaker system next to the subs. The ML runs circles around the LSiC and I’ve tried twice to give it a shot multiple times and it just falls flat and dead, muffled even. Audyssey recalibrated and few months in between. LSiC is now just a spare parts for the LSi25. The ML seems more dynamic, lively and natural, it just disappears with no problem blending.

Bobd207s

Thanks for all the great info !! I never heard of Slick Deals but signed up so hopefully I can catch a deal on some speakers ! THANKS !!!

Bobd207s

Can anyone tell me if the speakers sold thru Slick Deals are new, refurb or .... ?
Thanks
bob

mrloren

I got my S60 package via SlickDeals/Adorama, New in box.

Only very few have said they received damaged speakers from there or the Polk eBay site. All were from shipping and not sent defective. Polk and or the vendors took care of it right away without hassell.

Bobd207s

Thanks for the input - I purchased one of the bundles but haven't received the speakers yet

cfrizz

So which bundle did you get?

Bobd207s

I bought the Polk LSi Speaker Bundles that includes 2 of the LSiM705's + 2 of the LSiMM703's and a LSiMM706c. Really looking forward to hearing the 705's as I'm setting up a dedicated 2 channel music room. I'm not sure I'll be keeping the 703's and the 706.