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

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

Comments

  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,711
    The Signature series is much better than the Monitor series.
    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

  • mrloren
    mrloren Posts: 2,454
    edited April 2018
    ^^^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.
    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
  • I love my S60 towers for both two channel and home theater. Great speakers for the money
  • tonyp063
    tonyp063 Posts: 1,044
    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
    rooftop59 Posts: 7,952
    Budget permitting, I would be comparing the S60s to the LSiM705s.
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es; Squeezebox Touch with Bolder Power Supply
    Game Room 5.1.4:
    Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra

    Bedroom 2.1
    Cambridge Azur 551r; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    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
    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
  • rburgess714
    rburgess714 Posts: 614
    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.
    Living Room
    Parasound HINT 6, Yamaha Aventage RX-A 1060, Yamaha BD-S681, Cambridge Audio Azur 851N, Polk S60, Polk S30, Samsung 60" LED

    Office
    Cambridge Audio 851A, Auralic Aries Mini, LSiM 703s

    Douglas Connection ICs and Cables
  • Bobd207s
    Bobd207s Posts: 6
    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
    mrloren Posts: 2,454
    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.
    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
  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 7,952
    edited April 2018
    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
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es; Squeezebox Touch with Bolder Power Supply
    Game Room 5.1.4:
    Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra

    Bedroom 2.1
    Cambridge Azur 551r; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
  • monepolk
    monepolk Posts: 1,140
    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
    mrloren Posts: 2,454
    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 :)
    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
  • mpitogo
    mpitogo Posts: 475
    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.
    • Living Room Music-2.0 Polk Legend L800 | McIntosh C70 | McIntosh MA5200 (Treble) | McIntosh MC452 (Bass) | Sublimeacoustic K231 Active xover | Denon DP-2500A | Denafrips Ares II | Belkin Soundform Connect | iPad Air USB to DAC
    • Media Room Ht-7.2.6/13.1 (Atmos/Auro-3D) Polk LSiM707, LSiM706c, LSiM702 F/X [x4], height LSiM703 [x6], HSU VTF-15H MK2 Dual | Marantz AV8805A | Rotel RB-1590 (L/R) | Appollon NC500 11ch | Sony UBP-X800 | AppleTV 4K | JVC RS2100
    • Game Room-5.1 Polk LSi25, LSiC, LSiF/X | Marantz SR7009 | AppleTV 4K | Xbox One S | Sony PS2, PS3 | Nintendo Wii | Gaming PC | Sony 75" LCD
    • Master Bedroom Music-2.0 Totem Hawk | Marantz PM-10 | Marantz SA-10 | SONY PS-HX500
    • Office-2.0 Ascend Acoustics Sierra LX, DSW microPRO3000 | Rotel RA-1570 | Marantz HD-CD1
    • Daughter's Bedroom 1-2.0 TBD Martin Logan Forte
    • Guest Room 2-2.0 Klipsch RP-600M | Martin Logan Forte
    • Guest Room 3-3.0 Martin Logan Motion 40, 50XT | Onkyo TX-SR705 | Apple TV | Samsung 55" TV
    • Guest Room 4-2.0 QAcoustics 3030i | Sansui AU-6900 | Topping DX7s | Sansui FR-1080 | TV
    • Maintenance: Pro-Ject VC-S Record Cleaning Machine
  • Bobd207s
    Bobd207s Posts: 6
    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
    Bobd207s Posts: 6
    Can anyone tell me if the speakers sold thru Slick Deals are new, refurb or .... ?
    Thanks
    bob
  • mrloren
    mrloren Posts: 2,454
    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.
    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
  • Bobd207s
    Bobd207s Posts: 6
    Thanks for the input - I purchased one of the bundles but haven't received the speakers yet
  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    So which bundle did you get?
    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
  • Bobd207s
    Bobd207s Posts: 6
    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.