If you have seen traditional home theatre setups, floor standing speakers are the primary attraction. It is also a type of emblem that represents home theatre. The Polk home theatre setup screams just that, perfect for your home, a theatre without the crowd. And the Polk S50 vs S55 have been at odds with each other ever since they were introduced in the market. Several online forums argue about which one is the best for audio setups. In hindsight, all of Polk products deliver high performance and quality.
Polk Audio
You can think of all the speakers in the market, all the floor standing speakers in reference here, you will hear names like Sony, Bose, JBL, and many other big brands. But, Polk will miss your eye if you are not really looking for it. The reason being everyone is so focused on the famous products, it is common to miss out on underdogs like Polk.
Polk has been making speakers for a long while since 1972 and has kept up the quality since their first debut. They make home theatre speakers, regular desktop studio monitors, and many more all for the consumers at a reasonable price point. The Polks floor standing speakers are paramount in the audio world.
Floor-standing Speakers
Before getting into the speakers themselves, let’s talk about floor standing speakers. Floor standing speakers, as the name suggests, are speakers that stand tall on the ground. You cannot mount them up on the walls, place them on your shelves or tables. They are not speakers that come with a stand, but rather these are the opposite of soundbars.
They are long speakers top to bottom that is positioned usually at the corner of the room or beside your audio device such as the TV. You will see floor standing speakers beside the TVs in most cases, and they are mostly used in home theatre setups. They are not the best-looking home theatre speakers, but they do the job pretty well.
What’s really astonishing is how perfectly it produces the sound. The S55 and the S50 are both surround sound floor standing speakers that bring the quality of the movie theatres and music studios at the comfort of your homestead. The best part yet is that these are not passive speakers. Meaning, they do not require external amplification and comes pre-amplified.
Signature Series
The Polk S50 and the Polk S55 are all from their signature series that specializes in home theatre setups. These speakers are for those who know what they want and are ready to purchase.
This signature series speakers are specially made with terylene tweeters that replaced the previous traditional silk dome tweeter. This brings out the clarity of the audio, crisp sound, and high definition high-frequency playbacks, which aids in clean vocals and avoids any distortions.
Another cool feature of the signature series is the power port at the bottom of the speakers. The power port is specially designed to flow air in and out of the port efficiently. This helps in producing more impactful bass that can be felt all around the room. Additionally, this feature also allows for a clearer and high bass, so the woofer driver has a natural flow to it and delivers absolute performance. Also check out these Polk spekaers: S30 and S35 from signature series.
Polk S50 vs S55
All of the above-discussed features are included in the Polk S50 vs S55 since they are also part of the signature series. And yet, there are still phenomenal differences between these two speakers that make them unique.
Since you are here, you have the same question as well. The Polk S50 vs S55 are astonishing speakers that provide excellent quality for a fair price. Follow through this article to know more about what is unique and what separates the two of them.
Comparisons Table Polk S50 vs S55:
| Polk S50 | Polk S55 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth) | 37.4 x 10.25 x 11 inches | 41.5 x 11.7 x 12.5 inches |
| Weight | 32 lbs | 44 lbs |
| Power RMS | 20 Watts | 20 Watts |
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 90 dB |
| Impedance | 8 Ohms | 8 Ohms |
| Maximum Frequency Response | 40 kHz | 40 kHz |
| Minimum Frequency Response | 33 Hz | 32 Hz |
| Peak Power | 150 Watts | 200 Watts |
| No. of Woofers | 2 | 2 |
| No. of Tweeters | 1 | 1 |
| Tweeter Size | 1 inch | 1 inch |
| Woofer Size | 5.25 inch | 6.5 inch |
| Tweeter Material | Terylene | Terylene |
| Woofer Material | Mica-reinforced Polypropylene | Polypropylene |
| Unique Features | ● Anti-Diffraction Magnetic Grille ● Dual Gold Plated 5-Way Binding Posts ● Three Driver Cascading Tapered Crossover Array ● Dual Floor Compatible Feet | ● American Modern Styling |
| Recommended Amplifier Power | 20 - 150 Watts/ Channel | 20 - 200 Watts/ Channel |
| Price | Check Price on Amazon | Check Price on Amazon |
About the Polk S50 Floor Standing Speakers: An Overview
The Polk S50, an American Hi-Fi home theatre tower speaker, is one of the more prominent speakers from Polks Signature Series. These speakers are large tower speakers, otherwise known as, floor-standing speakers because they literally stand on the floor. That is how they operate and where they should be kept.
Design and Materials
The Polk S50 is a hefty surround sounding speaker system with dynamic range and phenomenal speaker drivers that bring out clarity in the audio that is unlike any other speakers in the market. This feature is not only ideal for your home theatre setups but also for music systems as well. You can listen to any music and these speakers will not disappoint you in any aspect of the quality. Find out these Best 3.1 surround sounding speakers for better understanding.
Furthermore, the unique part of the Polk S50s is its tweeter dome, made with a new material called Terylene that helps with the resonance of the audio. It lowers the resonance and cuts out distortions while also enhancing the low-frequency responses allowing dispersions. The high frequency ranges become more clear and detailed due to this material giving the audio an accurate image.
All in all, the high-end quality of the drivers inside the speaker unit makes the speaker efficient, the audio quality remains consistent with clear bass, clean vocals, and as a cherry on top, loud audio. The speakers built quality is also of no small feat. Sturdy build and ergonomic design promotes great acoustics and also reduces unwanted waves and distortion.
Features
An astounding feature of the S50s is the exclusive Polk power port deep bass technology. The name is aggressive and the performance is strong. This power port technology is uniquely designed for a smooth intake and outtake of air from the speaker ports to the listening space. This calls for an increase in overall bass due to increased surface area and also, it reduces distortion.
To cover the technical parts of the Polk S50, to an audio engineer, these may sound sweet. These speakers comprise an acoustic array designed by the new dynamic balance. When you are upgrading to a better system, with the Polk S50, unlike other systems, what it does is, it analyzes the entire speaker system throughout and works on killing the issues that might potentially reduce your speaker’s performance.
Performance
The Polk S50 provides great surround sound quality and is the ideal speaker system for your music to be played on. You can use it for anything, starting from, of course, movies and music, to playing console games on TV.
Say, you are playing the latest Ghost of Tsushima or The Last Of Us 2 on the Playstation 4, aside from the game’s astounding audio, with the addition of the Polk S50 and its surround sound capabilities which is on par with Dolby Atmos and other systems, the experience is simply astonishing.
The volume, being one of the primary concerns of many users, the Polk S50s did not compromise on that department while trying to improve their drivers. You can crank them at half the volume and they will blow your ears off while also maintaining the quality. The big hefty build of the speakers definitely screams quality.
Points for Praise:
- The smaller design makes it more compact than standard floor standing speakers.
- Power port technology calls for greater and deeper bass.
- A great performance which is on par with famous sound systems.
- Accurate surround sound system.
- Excellent bass, rendering the need for a subwoofer insignificant.
- Goes with the aesthetics.
Points for Improvement:
- If enough power is pushed, the bass quality improves, otherwise it is terrible.
- The sound quality overall may lack richness.
- Bass can be muddy to some people.
What is unique about the Polk S50 that makes you want it?
Polk has always come through for its customers and with the S50 model from their Signature series, they surely did not disappoint. The unique power port technology alone should be enough to convince you of getting this product. This adds clearer bass and you will not need an additional subwoofer.
Moreover, the price; at $249 these speakers are easily the best and reasonable floor standing speakers be it for watching movies or listening to music. Just move your furniture a little and place these speakers, they will not disappoint you. Also, these are Bi-Amp, meaning you can use an amplifier to boost the signal and fine-tune the audio, so even if the quality is unsatisfactory, there is room for customization.
About the Polk Floor Standing Speakers: An Overview
While the Polk S50 might rave about being smaller and better performing, the Polk S55 does not back out of the competition. From the Polks Signature series, the S55s features breathtaking audio quality that will take you by surprise. Being a successor to the S50s, the Polk S55s bulky looks, and huge size not only compliments your sound system but also speaks performance.
Design and Materials
The Polk S55 comprises three speaker drivers that work collectively to give us the best audio quality possible. It features a dynamic balance acoustic array that takes advantage of the two 6.5 inch drivers and the 1 inch Terylene tweeter dome to deliver detailed highs, i.e., vocals, voices, dialogues, and impactful lows.
The Polk S55 may not be the best-looking floor-standing speaker but if you give it a chance, you will not be disappointed. Place it anywhere in the room and the quality will be unwavering no matter your position in the room.
Features
Moreover, the Polk S55 also features the Signature series’ power port technology which can be seen at the bottom of the speaker if you take a look at it. This unique feature allows smoother airflow inside the woofers; this increases the surface area allowing a deeper bass response. Not only does the bass increases, but also the power port tech eliminates distortions in the sound for crisp output.
One other feature that makes the S55s so unique is its Bi-amp functionality; which means you can add an amplifier to the speakers and tune the audio to your liking. So, if the audio is not to your liking, there is room for improvement. Furthermore, if you have an existing system at your house, the Polk S55 pairs seamlessly with them and enhances the quality better than ever.
Performance
With a pair of the S55s, you can create the surround sound channel, which means double the performance, double the quality, double the satisfaction. The Polk S55 is a stereo speaker with capabilities of surround sound which is on par to many famous audio processing companies like Dolby Atmos or IMAX. The quality and performance can be seen from the looks and once plugged in, you can feel it in your body.
For watching movies or playing music, the Polk S55 is a perfect choice. As you already know by now of its mind-blowing performance and Polks’ unwavering commitment to delivering reliability to its customers through these products, the S55 truly stands on top with other great floor mounting speakers.
Why stop at movies and music when using the S55s. You can use these speakers for gaming as well. Connect it with your TV and experience what it is like to be inside the game. Moreover, practicing with musical instruments like the guitar or piano is even more convenient and interactive when paired with the Polk S55s for audio output.
All in all, this product has all the complicated features which are ideal for audiophiles and audio engineers. But, if you are a regular consumer who just wants a home theatre setup or a sound system, the Polk S55 is the one you go for. It brings the theatre to your house without the crowd and that is ideal especially during the current pandemic.
Points for Praise:
- Dynamic Balance acoustic array design makes the audio cleaner and crispier.
- Power port technology boosts the already enhanced bass to a whole another level.
- The listening experience is comparable with other high-end expensive speakers
- Is ideal for any genre of music and can deliver quality performance without any distortions.
- Good value for the price.
Points for Improvement:
- Requires a powerful amplifier for better performance from the speakers.
- The mid-range frequencies are not strong enough.
What is unique about the Polk S55 that makes you want it?
The answer is simple, you will want these no matter what. It is because, of the consistency of the product. The Polk S55 is a great speaker with almost no lackings and for the price of $329, you are getting the performance that is similar to many high-end speakers which are valued at $1200 or more.
Sure, enough to different users, these may sound lacking in certain departments but to a regular consumer who had a taste of the highs of the world, the Polk S55 will not disappoint. It has great bass, especially for Polk’s patented power port technology. Also, if the quality is still not sufficient, the Bi-Amp allows the integration of an amplifier which can boost its performance by 25%.
The Difference between Polk S50 vs S55: Which goes as the best Floor Standing Speaker for your everyday needs?
If you have reached this far, you might have a slight idea as to what the differences are. First and foremost is, of course, the price. The S50 is cheaper than the S55 but when it comes to price for performance, the S55s take the cake by a long shot. Even if there is an $80 difference, the S50 is nothing compared to the S55 despite having several features.
Another aspect where the S55 dominates the S50 is bass. Both of the speakers feature the same Polk’s patented power port technology but the S55 has higher power output. Its drivers are efficient and do not require a push to bring out its performance. Sure, you can add a subwoofer to fill in the gaps to your preference but that is up to you.
Furthermore, in terms of richness and audio quality, the S55 is far better at transmitting audio in all the levels be it the highs or the lows. While the S50 may lack the clarity, the S55 covers it up with smoothness and high definition. You will feel the sound as if you are hearing it for the first time.
Lastly, when it comes to compatibility, the S50s for its slightly smaller size lets you fit it in small spaces. This is not a huge factor but you do not have to move more furniture so that is a plus point. And also, the S50 has the looks and aesthetics that go perfectly with your room unlike the rugged build of the S55
Alternative Options
Polk S60
Polk S60’s Signature Series effectively embodies the company’s long-held ethos of providing high output at an affordable price in a modern, well-designed lineup.
Pros
- Excellent range and tonal balance
- Dramatic looks
- Good blend from unusually low-profile center
Cons
Sub doesn’t add much to the towers alone
Polk Monitor 60
The Polk Audio Monitor 60 Series II speakers are an excellent addition to any Hi-Fi setup.
Pros
- Made by a popular and well-trusted company
- Particularly good value for money
- Produces a great sound overall and provides great bass
Cons
Legs of the speaker are not the most sturdy ones.
Final Verdict: Polk S50 vs S55
The speakers, whatever you choose, it is highly likely that when you walk into the store, you will see a demo version of both Polk S50 vs S55. These are floor standing speakers, so you can definitely try some of your music on them and experience it yourself. The best test is the live testing of the product.
In the end, whatever your budget is, there is always a product that is perfect for you, and thankfully, these two speakers fall right into that category. A little investment on either side can take you a long way. A good speaker system stays for a long time without you having to replace them. By now, your choice should be clear, so start buying the one that suits your taste.
Engineer and Tech Journalist.Read More