Polk Signature Series Official Discussion

rooftop59 wrote: »

Ctxx24 wrote: »

DSkip wrote: »

Ctxx24 wrote: »

felipe wrote: »

So far it looks like both the S50 and S55 do need a sub, whereas the S60 doesn’t....bummer. The S60s are outside of my budget anyways...guess I’ll stick with what I got for now. Its not that I want to go subless...I just saw the sale and was wondering about the performance of these...now I have an idea .

The 60s need one the same as the 55s don't let anyone tell you different ..same size drivers.. One extra isn't going to give you much more bump.. Being where you live I would imagine you will be happy.. I just turned mine on full range.. Played some skrillex and couldn't believe it..

I'm sorry but I've had both and the 55 digs ok but the 60 is a different beast. It isn't just the extra driver. The speaker itself is about twice the internal volume of the 55. The sheer size difference can be staggering if you haven't seen them side by side.

There is more to a speaker than just the drivers.

OK lol I have heard them both side by side and there was very little difference base wise there is no difference in my opinion

Just curious were they properly set up with good power or was it just in Best Buy? Cause that setup is terrible...

And what setup is that..

Loving my 20s on my turntable sounds great..

Clipdat wrote: »

Might want to consider some isolation stands/pads for the speakers. Generally you don't want speakers to be resting on the same surface that your TT is on.

Ctxx24 wrote: »

Loving my 20s on my turntable sounds great..

I wish I had room for stands.. But there is no interference and most of the bass goes to my sub..soinds wonderful

Ctxx24 wrote: »

OK lol I have heard them both side by side and there was very little difference base wise there is no difference in my opinion

We all hear things differently and your opinion as to what you heard is valid. However, I would agree with @DSkip on this as I believe that the S60 puts out more bass and a wider spectrum of sound compared to that of the S55.

rooftop59 wrote: »

Ctxx24 wrote: »

halo wrote: »

Ctxx24 wrote: »

OK lol I have heard them both side by side and there was very little difference base wise there is no difference in my opinion

We all hear things differently and your opinion as to what you heard is valid. However, I would agree with @DSkip on this as I believe that the S60 puts out more bass and a wider spectrum of sound compared to that of the S55.

Everyone's ears are different..I had the 60s in my living room same spot my 55s are.. Planned on using the 55s for rears I talked about doing this earlier in this thread.. After a week I returned the 60s as they where not worth the extra cash.. They had a little more punch I would say but just didn't make that much difference.. Now that being said I have a small room.. Maby a bigger room speakers wider apart someone will see a big difference wider Soundstage.. As for the guy asking in a smaller condo that's my opinion..

Interesting. What are you powering with (sorry if you oh alreaud stated)?

Just a standard avr 90per.. The 55s don't need more.. Maybe the 60s do I don't really know.. Thanks for the advice I ordered the Adam hall will see if it makes a difference..

Ctxx24 wrote: »

Everyone's ears are different..I had the 60s in my living room same spot my 55s are.. Planned on using the 55s for rears I talked about doing this earlier in this thread.. After a week I returned the 60s as they where not worth the extra cash.. They had a little more punch I would say but just didn't make that much difference.. Now that being said I have a small room.. Maby a bigger room speakers wider apart someone will see a big difference wider Soundstage.. As for the guy asking in a smaller condo that's my opinion..

Having different speakers in the same spot and expecting different results may also have been an issue. Speaker placement is a critical step in getting the most out of a pair of speakers as this determines how the speakers interact with your room's acoustic properties.

Ctxx24 wrote: »

I don't need to look at anything further I love my speakers.. I have gotten bashed because people think I'm crazy I like these over my a9s or the 60s as a matter of fact..

Nope. No bashing on my part. More like a difference in my findings compared to yours. As I said initially, we all hear things differently and that is perfectly fine. If you’re happy with the sound you’re getting from the S55’s then that’s cool. I still prefer the S60’s and I’ll say that to anyone who asks because that’s been my experience.

Here is how good the Signature line is.

Had a family get together this afternoon. My uncle a retired Navy Captain was here. We had on Harry Potter on for the kids. My uncle was saying how he likes the sound of my system. Once the movie was over I put on some Simon and Garfunkel. he got a glass of wine and sat back, my other uncle and one aunt joined him. About a 1/2 hour later he asked how much were the speakers. He said I had to pay at least $2k for them. I told him about the Adorama deal I got. I then gave him a good demo or the S20 in the bedroom, once again he was impressed. He said when he gets back home he will be looking for a pair.

These Signatures are a darn good speaker that continues to impress.

Congrats, I look forward to reading your impressions.

Ctxx24 wrote: »

Nice.. I see u got the 30 also I like mine alot..

Yeah I was a bit skeptical about the S35 with the 3” drivers, so I got the S30 instead...plus it costs less . I’m happy with it too.

My first impressions of the 55s...they are a great sounding speaker. With music, they have good dynamics and soundstaging/imaging...better than the S15s I was using ( guess that could be expected lol ). As for bass...it is tight, clean with good detail/clarity...and ample enough to not need a sub IMO music (at least in my setup). With movies, the bass actually creates a “tactile” feel...explosions and such have actual “impact” ( not room shaking, but enough to be felt ). As for depth, they can reach as low as 30hz with usable output ( again, not room shaking, but definitely present ). The dual PSW 108s I was using achieved this as well with noticable more output ( not significantly more ), but with less control and definition...noticeably more muddy and sloppy.

Can the S55s be used without a sub/subs? IMO, in an apartment/condo setting,you can get away with not using subs. They can create an acceptable “tactile” experience, with enough usable depth to not take too much away from movie soundtracks.

felipe wrote: »

Ctxx24 wrote: »

Nice.. I see u got the 30 also I like mine alot..

Yeah I was a bit skeptical about the S35 with the 3” drivers, so I got the S30 instead...plus it costs less . I’m happy with it too.

My first impressions of the 55s...they are a great sounding speaker. With music, they have good dynamics and soundstaging/imaging...better than the S15s I was using ( guess that could be expected lol ). As for bass...it is tight, clean with good detail/clarity...and ample enough to not need a sub IMO music (at least in my setup). With movies, the bass actually creates a “tactile” feel...explosions and such have actual “impact” ( not room shaking, but enough to be felt ). As for depth, they can reach as low as 30hz with usable output ( again, not room shaking, but definitely present ). The dual PSW 108s I was using achieved this as well with noticable more output ( not significantly more ), but with less control and definition...noticeably more muddy and sloppy.

Can the S55s be used without a sub/subs? IMO, in an apartment/condo setting,you can get away with not using subs. They can create an acceptable “tactile” experience, with enough usable depth to not take too much away from movie soundtracks.

Awesome glad ya like em.. I think they are great also they look good.. Your setup looks good..

kadetime wrote: »

What all of you that have the Signature use as a Receiver? Looking to get the signature S60 S35 S20 and thinking about the Yamaha RX-A1070 or RX-A1080 or just the RX-780

cant decide want to see what you all ado.

Thanks in advance,

I don't use a receiver but I think you can get something lower in the SIgnature line if you are incorporating subwoofers. In this way, the "main" speakers are only producing frequencies above 60Hz or 80Hz, depending on where you set the crossover in your AVR.

For example, I used bookshelf speakers in my HT setup for many years as they were paired with an SVS subwoofer. The SVS handled all the bass and low mid-bass while the bookshelf speakers provided the mid-bass and treble. The pairing was brilliant and fairly inexpensive, all things considered. You may need speaker stands for the bookshelf speakers, which will add to the cost. So, whichever speakers will cost the least (floorstanding Signature series like the S50) or bookshelf speakers + speakers stands (like the S15 or S20 + stands) is the way I would go.

Hope that helps as any AVR should do a decent job of driving these speakers, especially if the heavy lifting is handled by a powered sub or two powered subs.

Is your main interest watching movies & TV or listening to music? What's the ratio?

kadetime wrote: »

Ctxx24 wrote: »

kadetime wrote: »

What all of you that have the Signature use as a Receiver? Looking to get the signature S60 S35 S20 and thinking about the Yamaha RX-A1070 or RX-A1080 or just the RX-780

cant decide want to see what you all ado.

Thanks in advance,

Are you looking at the 35 for space reasons? If not I think the 30 is better at least if your using it for a good amount of home theater.. There isn't much punch with the small drivers in it.. These speakers all run fine with a standard avr.. Not like the rtis that need power

Ctxx,

I like the look of it a lot, that was my main reason and i thought since they have all this drivers they would outperform the s30 i guess i could be wrong.

if not for space or look is the s30 better then the s35 as a center channel?

Thanks for your time and the response Ctxx

I have not owned them but did hear them in a shop room.. I don't think they sound much different for the highs.. But they definitely outshined with lows even though the center speaker is mainly dialogue I still prefer it..

kadetime wrote: »

What all of you that have the Signature use as a Receiver? Looking to get the signature S60 S35 S20 and thinking about the Yamaha RX-A1070 or RX-A1080 or just the RX-780

cant decide want to see what you all ado.

Thanks in advance,

More power is always better I'd go with the RX-A10XX series AVR. It will allow you to expand latter on. Or you can look into Marantz SR60XX or Denon AVR-X3300 and up series.

S30 is a very good center speaker, I liked mine but my TV stand was made for the bigger CSi5/CSiA6 speaker.

Skip is right on about the S20 being BIG. I use mine as main speakers in the bedroom setup. I do think they are too big for surrounds. I would look at S10 or S15. If budget allows two S35 would make a good surround.