Customer Reviews

Polk ES55 Sounds Amazing

I bought these speakers to pair with my Polk ES35 center speaker and to replace my Polk Tsi400 tower speakers. They sound amazing when playing music and movies. They are the right size for my room and my budget. I was considering the ES60, but these were priced better for me and still an upgrade from my old speakers. I am happy with my purchase. Speakers were well packaged and arrived undamaged.

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Anthony Johnson Baltimore Md.

The Polk ES55 is an amazing speaker for the price point. You would think that there is a separate dedicated midrange speaker due to the highs from horn section content. I really look forward to the break in period, to get the most out of them. I was looking at the ES50 at first due to my room constraints, but I am glad that I made this decision.I have been dealing with audio equipment for a long time remembering when I own a pair of Bose 901 and a pair of Pioneers HPM 100 back in the day so I sort of know what to listen for. Sure there are speakers that would blow the Polk's out of the water, but not at this price point. Thanks again Crutchfield.

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Wonderful Sound Improvement Over 70's Sansuis

Had been hanging on to my 70's era Sansui monsters because I thought they were the best, even though they were in great shape and the crossovers were re-capped. They were just too big and awkward, to fit into my 5th wheel trailer. So I got these ES55's and also added an ES12 Sub-Woofer and the difference is amazing. Much clearer highs and mids and the bass is amazing, even with the sub turned off. Love these speakers and they are one of the best purchases I have ever made.

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

Sound great even with being placed in a 1600 sq ft with 13' walls. Better bass than I expected.

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Upgraded sound from Sony SS MF550h

Paired these with a new Sony STR DH190 receiver and they sound great, got the black ash finish and they look good on the room too. They really do get some pretty good bass and full sound across the spectrum. I use them strictly for 2 channel music and my old vinyl has new life. I did order and am awaiting an SVS sb1000 pro sub to add to my system as icing on the cake but even without the sub, they sound great.

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Bang for your buck

These speakers are to replace way older Polk audio speakers. Very happy with my choice although find them lacking on the low end. Definitely considering adding a subwoofer to my setup. Surprised by the quick delivery and careful packaging. Currently powered by a Yamaha RX-A2A. Sound is clean and with a good spatial presence.

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Very nice upgrade.

I am very pleased with the Polk ES 55 speakers I just received. They replaced a pair of Polk Audio Monitor 50 speakers I bought from Crutchfield seventeen years ago. Although the Monitor 50 speakers have been very good, the ES55's are even better. The bass difference is especially noticeable. I have paired the new speakers with the ES30 center and ES10 surround speakers.

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Full sound

These Polk ES55 speakers sound amazing and look great too! I plan on adding some ES10s for the rear surrounds soon. Rene was great to deal with and the price drop protection is awesome. I almost got these from another retailer but so glad I didn't. The price dropped and one chat session had money coming back to me! Crutchfield customer service can't be beat! Product knowledge and customer service is top notch.

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Great Value

I'm very pleased with the ES55s. My simple setup is an iPad -> iFi Zen2 DAC -> NAD C316 BEE -> ES55s in a medium sized room with high ceilings. I play lossless tracks from Apple Music and RadioParadise. At about half power it sounds as if the band is right in front of you. The guitars cut through the midrange, the symbols are crystal clear and drums hit you in the face while the bass is punchy but not overwhelming. A good test album is Question and Answer by Pat Metheny, Dave Holland and Roy Haynes.

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Great soundstage and value

Loving these speakers. Using them with a Marantz NR-1200 network streamer/amplifier. Soundstage sounds great to my ears. Streaming Tidal and Sirius are very satisfying. No need for a subwoofer in my opinion. Great value for the sound. Service, shipping, packaging and setup all great.

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

OK, so the Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55 are really good speakers; but just don't fit my room/life so I returned them. Before buying I had a really good chat with Mulligan. We discussed various speakers, but most important, what I was looking for as far as sound goes. Since I was all over the place, he sent me the listening kit which I used to compare MANY different speakers before ordering. I listened to on wall, in-wall, bookshelf and floor standing for all price ranges (even though my budget was below $1500). I finally landed on the Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55 for the sound/price balance. Once they arrived, I set them up and let them play for as much as 11 hours per day (mostly while I was out of the house). The sound was everything I was expecting - well rounded and clear at all volume levels. Except that they were on the floor and partially blocked the door (I didn't think being on the floor would be a problem but it bothered me more than I expected). I couldn't get past that aspect and returned them. The return process was fast and efficient. I then ordered a pair of Martin Logan Motion SLM, which I will review separately. Bottom line of this review is that Crutchfield customer service beginning to end ROCKS! Highly recommend working with them for your audio needs.

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Great sound!

Terrific sound from the speakers. The soundstage imaging is perfect for me and my average sized living room. I ordered them and they arrived in a week - thanks Crutchfield. The only minor problem was the five way binding posts. I am using banana plug cables. I found it a bit difficult getting the caps off of the five way binding posts to use my cables. It would be perfect if there was an easier way to remove those - like if the caps had a molded in handle to make removing them easier. Other than that - I am very happy with this purchase.

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Great Speakers

The Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55 sound great. Randy at Crutchfield was great at recommenting these speakers along with the Polk Audio Signature Elite ES35, SVS PB-1000 Pro sub woofer, Yamaha MusicCast 20 (WX-021), Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A2A reciever.

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Super sounding !

Fantastic !

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ES55 Compared to ES20

I noticed the ES55s bass having more variation in the low frequency tones it delivers, when compared to my ES20s. I really liked my ES20s as my front speakers in my home theater but their sonic presence was always located "in front of me". Once calibrated with my Sony AZ3000 AVR, the ES55s deliver a more omnipresent sound stage. Placing my ear to the drivers during medium volume play back, the middle driver output mid range to lower frequency sound, while the lower driver output mostly low frequencies with less mid range (tweeter obviously delivered all the highs). My AVR is set up to deliver the low low frequencies to my subwoofers, so the bass coming out of the lower port of the ES55s is not significant when watching movies. Also the ES55s don't seem as bassy as my ES20s (which were closer to the wall) when playing 2 channel stereo music through the AVR that isn't directing bass to the subwoofers. Speaker placement in relation to the wall is likely part of that difference as the ES55s are about 24" from the wall ES20s about 6", room constraints play a part in my configuration... Overall, I'd say they are a great home theater addition, but without subwoofer support, the down firing bass of the ES55s might get lost in your carpet. That being said, I did set up the ES55s briefly in a tile floored room and the bass there was deeper and louder, with more tonal variation of the bass, when compared to the ES20s I set up in the same room.

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Polk ES55's deliver what's promised!

I was very impressed with the ability of these speakers to deliver powerful, low bass notes that I was missing from my previous speakers. The high notes are also very crisp and clear. And the walnut color looks great, too!

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

Great speakers ??

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

Great speakers for the money. I'm completely happy with them.

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

Im definitely into these, at first i tried to bi-amp them but it is not necessary. The speakers are very clear and sound great with music have some lows to them but not a lot. I am glad i purchased them thanks to crutchfield for the awesome packaging.

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Don't overlook ES55s!

This is a high quality speaker for my two channel bi-wired setup. Mids and highs are clear and bright, revealing details not heard via other setups. Lows are a bit shy but may improve with optimization via receiver function. Cosmetically the ES55 is outstanding. Purchased white color with zero regrets. Crutchfield is a solid supplier with great product support. I am a satisfied customer.

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

Bought these to update my 4 and 5 speakers on a 7.1 surround. These pack more punch and look amazing. They were marked down and that made the decision easy. Never can go wrong with Crutchfield and their support. I have played movies, cd's and vinyl through these and all sound great. Can't wait till they are broke in. Chose Polk as all my speakers are Polk from Crutchfield.

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

Recently retired an I've been planning on a new system for a few years now. Thought I was going to grab me a very hi end unit for my Golden years. Then sticker shock reared it's ugly head an put me in my place. So having never listened to either one I started my new system with a A-S 701 an a pair of es 55's. Leap of faith? Not really. VERY PLEASED with my purchase. Now I don't have the vocabulary or knowledge to tell you why they sound so good, but I can tell you this, THEY SOUND MOST EXCELLENT. The reviews contain all your need to make an educated guess for your self . Very simple process if you don't skip any reviews and read in-between the lines. If I were a movie guy that wanted 10 speakers in his set up room, I might have chosen the less expensive xt series. If I only wanted 2 speakers, I Might have emptied all my piggy banks to get into the r series speakers. Four speakers is a must have for me. So I started with two. If I love them they will go in front. If I just like them a lot they will go in back. Well these 55's are staying up front. So after experiencing the e s 55's I need to replace my older smaller Klipsch on the back channel. Not sure if I have a spot for tower's, might need to go with the e s 20's . Same driver, just one less. I suspect it will be ok either way. Can't go wrong with crutchfield on your side. They have all ready achieved the hi ratings an loyal customer base other companies dream of. So, leap of faith?

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

Excellent speakers, aesthetically pleasing, performance is top notch. The material used its construction are premium, the sound they produce is rich, clear highs, excellent native base

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

So far so good, nice sound. I love them. The bass is better than the other Polk speakers I have.

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

Looks georgous, sounds fantastic. Crutchfield did an awesome job packaging for shipment too.

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

I'm currently using Martin Logan theos as my main front speakers. I wanted to add a rear floor standing speaker! Overall the sound was clean with a nice treble sparkle. Of course , compared to the electrostatic speakers (Martin Logan) the sound stage is limited in detail and realism! But it does compliment the theos well ! I realize that the comparison between a traditional speaker and electrostatic is unfair,but overall I'm enjoying its ability to compliment my main front speakers!

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

Very pleased with the sound right out of the box. These pair well with the Polk subwoofer that I already had. Still playing around with placement. Should sound even better once the speakers have been "broken in"!

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

Great sound ,looks good. I would recommend these speakers to anyone. Great quality speakers

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Real improvement from.

Saw great sale price from Crutchfield. Upgraded to Polk es55 from s55 for my home theater system. I instantly noticed enormous sonic improvement in dialogue reproduction and overall clarity. Furthermore, the bass reproduction was much tighter and more thunderous than the S 55.

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

This is the one speaker that finally replaced my Bose 701 speakers with built-in powered subwoofer as my main speaker (still works great) so of course I had to get a powered subwoofer and I might as well get some Polk atmos speakers. This of course led me to get a new Yamaha 9.2 channel receiver. Now I can put this Yamaha receiver with the Bose 701's on the other TV. Now this year's presents to myself is completely (I was really good this year!)

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Polk ES 55

These speakers are very musical. The base may be not as deep for those who want thunder though. A subwoofer would help in that situation. I am very pleased for my music and are great for tv movies. They also look great and have a small footprint . I have had these for about a week and noticed a price drop. I called Crutchfield and was pleasantly refunded the difference in price. Great company.

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Perfect size

They look great, They sound great, too. I noticed very accurate highs and mids in music and movies. Base is good but I have two subs for movies and one is used for music so I haven't tried them on thier own for base, but I have the sub crossover turned way down to 60 hz and music sounds very full. They aren't too big and fit nicely with my set up. Very pleased with them.

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Very Happy

Great sound!! Quality product.

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

The speakers sound and look great better than I expected. Thank you Crutchfield for all the information you provide on your site.

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Overall Great Speaker

Great design, Sound and Quality!

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

Great sounding and great looking

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RG

Nothing but the best. Sweet speakers. Thanks Crutchfield your the greatest.

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

Great sound quality a real sonic superstar

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

Great range / powerful bass; replaced bookshelf speakers with these and my movies and music really rock!

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

Crutchfield's website made it super easy for me to compare speaker details and make a sound decision based both on price and performance. I especially liked the fact that I could use the Crutchfield Speaker Compare tool to actually listen to each speaker at home using my Apple earbuds. Once again, Crutchfield helped get it done and I couldn't be happier with my purchase.

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A little muddy

I rate these speakers 9 out of 10. The low end and the high end are great. However they are a little heavy on the midrange and at times a little muddy. I think that an equalizer would resolve the issue completely. Overall I am satisfied for the price paid.

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Great performancefor the $

Delivered quickly, great sound !

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

I replaced a nearly 30-year-old Polk center channel speaker last year with a Polk ES35. It made dialog easier to hear, and generally sounded brighter. Ever since then, I have been eying these ES55 speakers as replacements for some very old left and right channel Polk S6 speakers. Finally bought them on sale, and I'm not disappointed. They hadn't been connected to my receiver for 30 seconds when my wife looked at me, smiled, and shook her head up and down. (A good sign!) Like the ES35, these speakers do a great job separating dialog from background sounds. And, of course, they work well throughout the entire audio spectrum -- at least that's true for my non-audiophile ears! My old Polks were not torn, nor did they distort, but I suspect they just weren't moving as much air as they did 30 years ago.

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Good speakers for music and home theater.

If you're cross shopping these with the Polk XT line, get these. They're worth it. I replaced a couple of XT70s with these. The bass is more musical, extends deeper and is more punchy. The highs and midrange are great. I have these as a part of a 5.1.4 atmos system with a SVS Prime Center. They're being driven by an Integra DRX 3.4 and Emotiva XPA-5 Gen 3. I'm taking off a star because the plastic thingies that are blocking the banana plug holes are hard to get out. I had to find a thin flathead screwdriver to pry them out. I don't have the flowery speaker reviewer words to describe these, but I think they're good speakers, especially with power.

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Good spkrs with 5-star potential

Though I would have like to go with the ES60 spkrs, my budget only allowed for these ES55. However, I'm not disappointed by my choice. I like the dynamic range, the looks, and the sound. Note: I'm well aware that this line of Polk spkrs will take a while to break in. As is, the sound is gratifying and satisfactory. Giving them 4-stars now on the premise that after break-in, these spkrs will emit a 5-star music experience. One negative note: I have high end speaker wire to which I've attached banana plugs. Removing the spkr wire terminal insert plugs on the speakers was arduous and tore up a couple of the plastic knobs trying to remove them. Once removed, wiring fit nicely, but the terminal plug inserts seem to be entirely unnecessary by the manufacturer. On the positive side, the speakers were very well packaged. No dents, scratches, etc. Pleased with the quick delivery as well.

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Silverdale

I am 76 years old and lost a good portion of my hearing working on the flight line in Da Nang, Vietnam. F4's and F102's are unbelievably loud when their afterburners kick in and you are less than 200 feet away with no hearing protection. Back on topic. I could not understand vocals in music nor most of the voices on TV with my 40+ year old floor standing Pioneers. I went to a local hifi dealer who kept demonstrating and pushing Klipsch. I found them somewhat unpleasant (harsh sounding). I called Crutchfield and got some great advice after explaining my problem. With these speakers I can now say that I catch most words. The bass is actually better (cleaner) than my old 12" woofer. Note: I had recently rebuilt the Pioneers with new woofer surrounds and new capacitors to try to solve this problem. That helped but not enough. Even though I struggle with hearing issues, especially high frequencies, these sound absolutely amazing to these old ears. A dramatic improvement. Also note that I am not using these in a surround system, pure two channel stereo (old school) and don't think they need a subwoofer. Good job Polk and Crutchfield. I am quite pleased that I can enjoy music and TV again. Of interest.... A gorilla must have handled these as the styrofoam packing was pulverized and the speakers came through it just fine. These are very well built.

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Classic sound

Excellent sound. This is especially true for Classical, Romantic Era, and Choral music.

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Good, solid speakers at a very affordable price.

I am not an audiophile, but do appreciate good equipment. I've owned B&W speakers which I loved. The Polk's aren't quite up to that level, but I am very satisfied with them, especially at this price point, which is much less than the cheapest B&Ws. In the top ranges, they are "airy" and "crisp", without being too bright. I'm impressed with their bass extension, but will be adding a subwoofer to bring out the very lowest notes. I use them for home theater mains and music listening, driven by a Denon AVR-S760H.

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

I really got a great deal on these floor speakers. I had not replaced home audio speakers in over 20 yrs and I was drawn towards Polk and wanted a step up so decided on the signature Elite. I found the last two on Outlet and paid 50 bucks less for each and there is only one slight, cosmetic blemish that is hardly noticeable. I'm still tweaking the settings on my receiver to get the optimal sound but so far these I'm very pleased with the sound.

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Great value

These speakers have a very "relaxed" sound and would be great for stereo music and are a great value for the price point. My use was for strictly home theater and I prefer a little more brightness. I ended up returning them for a set of Klipsch RP8000f with matching 504c center and I was happy with the swap. Crutchfield customer service was fantastic as always and made the return and replacement about as easy as it could be.

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Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55

Forgoing all the superlatives let me just say that I love them. They sound great.

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