The Polk S60 (see image) is the largest and heaviest of all three and offers the widest frequency spectrum.
For those of you looking for a pair of floor-standing speakers for your home that won’t break the bank, have a look at the Polk S50, S55, and S60. While probably not competitors for the likes of heavy-duty audiophile brands, the quality on offer here in this price range makes for great value for consumers looking for optimized listening pleasure in their home-theater and sound systems.
In summary, all three speakers in this series are solid pieces of equipment that offer a sleek, retro-futurist look and high-fidelity sound specs. The Polk S60 is the largest and heaviest of all three and offers the widest frequency spectrum. The Polk S55 and Polk S50 are closer contenders in sound but come with minute differences in size and weight.
Let’s have a closer look.
Design
The aforementioned retro-futuristic aesthetic is probably the strong point of all three speakers. Available in what Polk calls 'Walnut' brown or black washed paneling, the bold, visible bolts and rounded and chrome bezels give these tall, skinny speakers bring a chic vibe that would look as comfortable in a minimalist living room as they would in a cozy study (when placed intelligently). Additionally, they come with stabilization stands which not just add to the aesthetic but add genuine utility. This ease in design is generally a big plus for floor-standing speakers, which can often tend to be somewhat clumsy and bulky in design.
That being said, none of the three are very light or portable. The Polk S60, as the model number probably gives away, is the largest of them all and weighs in at 50lbs. The Polk S55 follows with 44lbs, and the Polk S50 with 32lbs.
The Polk S50 (see image) is the most lightweight at 32lbs.
Dimensions
S50: 10.9 x 7.5 x 37.4 inches
S55: 12.5 x 11.7 x 41.5 inches
S60: 15.7 x 8.5 x 44.5 inches
Also check out the complete specifications of the Polk Signature Series.
Sound
Have you ever noticed that there often tends to be quite the opposite opinions about a speaker?
I can understand this for more "personal taste" kinda products like clothing, for example.
But for engineering products like speakers? Personal tastes and preferences probably still play a role. But shouldn't it be less?
Why is it that we can't set a universal metric for sound quality?
First time I asked this question to myself has been a pivotal day.
Because it turns out that in the mid 90's, Electrical Engineer PhD Floyd Toole came up with a method called Spinorama. This is exactly what he accomplished with this. Turns out that his book Sound Reproduction is like the bible of audiophiles.
Put it simply, Spinorama is a set of measurements that gives a comprehensive overview of a speaker's performance from various angles.
It allows you to compare the performances of different speakers before even laying your ears hands on them.
Isn't that amazing?
This is why Spinorama was apparently groundbreaking news for audio industry. Hence in the mid-late 2010's, most brands and magazines began publishing Spinorama measurements, despite the challenges of making such measurements.
Fortunately, now we have the Spinorama data for a bunch of quite popular speakers. Pierre Aubert put all this untidy data together and put it into https://www.spinorama.org/. This is a stunning source. Pretty valuable stuff from him right there.
All good up to this point.
Now there comes a caveat.
Since the sound speakers propagate are in the form of omnidirectional waves, all measurements are obtained in anechoic or semi-anechoic chambers (a super-quiet room where soundwaves don't bounce back, here's how different that room sounds [a mind blowing time-adjusted video]).
This is a problem because it means that Spinorama alone, unfortunately, won't give us all we need. Placement and reflections play an equally important role there too.
This is why most A-class brands (like SVS, Bang & Olufsen, etc) often come up with room correction features, adjusted either manually or automatically. The EQ adapts itself to the placement (room, corner, center, etc) for a better (deeper and more accurate) sound. Which is great.
Additionally they often emphasize the importance of placement, here is an example: https://www.svsound.com/blogs/subwoofer-setup-and-tuning/75365187-the-art-of-subwoofer-placement
Anyways...
The source code under Pierre Aubert's work is licensed under GPL (General public license). He didn't perform any of the measurements himself, and instead he compiled all of them into one place, so that makes sense.
At this point, I thought that if there was a tool that combined both the Spinorama with the room acoustics data, it'd be extremely useful.
Unfortunately, it turns out that there wasn't any.
This is where I stepped in and partnered with an Acoustics and Audio Engineering PhD in order to achieve this.
We combined Spinorama data with room acoustics and came up with Soundton. A very simple, 2D online tool that allows you to:
- Reveal optimal speaker positions in a room,
- Test with real speakers from real brands,
- Compare different speakers and different positions in the room.
It can be very valuable for the vast majority.
The colormap provides you the locations with the best (green) and worst (red) listening experience.
It works the best with subwoofers since Soundton processes low frequency response waves only.
- Soundton is going to be, say, 80% accurate. Not 100%.
- Because, other parameters such as the age/materials of the building, furniture/windows in place also have an impact on room acoustics.
- If you want absolutely the most detailed room analysis, then what you need is an acoustics consultant. Mind you that's going to require deep pockets and patience though... assuming you find the right person and they get the job done.
Anyways...
The general quality of sound amidst all three is similar.
High-fidelity clarity and balance for a budget price. The trebles and mids are clear and transparent, the much-dreaded low-mids are not too muddy if placed properly, and the bass is focused and no-nonsense.
The only catch with that last bit (the lower frequencies) is that they can be a little muffled at lower volumes and need a little cranking up for their clarity. But for listening to music or watching movies, these offer more-than-sufficient headroom for your pleasure and convenience.
Polk S60 comes with the broadest frequency spectrum (check specs below). The Polk S55 and Polk S50 have a minimal difference of 1Hz in the lower range. But between each set of speakers is a difference of 100W in Power output. So while the overall character in sonic output is similar, your best strategy on choosing the right pair is to take the size of your room into account.
All this being said, it is important to note that these speakers do not offer the kind of sheer volume and power a larger speaker system with a subwoofer and satellite outputs for sheer trebles would. But they’re way less complicated to set up and give you a nice, even output that integrates itself quite easily in most rooms. So the trade-off at the end of the day is fair.
The Polk S55 (see image) and Polk S50 have a minimal difference of 1Hz in the lower range. But between each set of speakers is a difference of 100W in Power output.
Specs:
Frequency Range:
- S50: 33 Hz - 40 kHz
- S55: 32 Hz - 40 kHz
- S60: 26 Hz - 40 kHz
Peak Power:
- S50: 150 W
- S55: 200W
- S60: 300 W
Impedance:
- S50: 8 ohm
- S55: 8 ohm
- S60: 8 ohm
Connectivity
These speakers are passive (meaning you’ll need an additional amplifier to use them) and don’t offer any wireless connectivity like Bluetooth either. But Polk speakers are compatible with most Home theater AV receivers. This gives you multiple setup options. You could use these as a 5.1 channel system on their own or upgrade to an immersive multi-room setup with 7.1, 9.1, or more channels.
Price
At the time of this article, The Polk S50 is priced at around $199, the Polk S55 at $263, and the Polk S60 at approximately $359 per speaker. (Please check your local dealer for changes).
Verdict
In conclusion, this is how the three speaker systems stack up against each other:
- Design: Tie. The Polk S50 is the most lightweight, though.
- Sound: The Polk S60 gives you the broadest spectrum.
- Connectivity: A clear tie.
- Price: The Polk S50 wins.