Polk Audio Signature S50 Review What Hi Fi

Polk Audio is a California-based company specializing in high-terminate dwelling house audio products. Information technology was founded in 1972 and has since been well-known in the audiophile community for enthusiast-class sound. Thanks to differentiated product stacks, in that location are price points for every heir-apparent, starting with the budget-oriented T series, and going all the way upwards to the LSi serial. Today, we will exist looking at the recently released Signature series, and more than specifically the S50 Front Tower speaker.

Loftier-Cease Sound

The earth of high-cease audio is a far cry from the portable Bluetooth speakers, reckoner speakers, and bundled ear-phones with mobile phones – these three being the bulk of what content is consumed on nowadays. Even Television receiver speakers and depression-cost 5.1 abode theater offerings practice not provide a level of quality that is comparable.

Brands like Polk Sound, Wharfedale, Klipsch, KEF, Focal, ELAC, and the likes are for the discerning sound enthusiast, looking for quality, fidelity, and immersion.

To provide perspective, a pair of Polk Audio T15 Bookshelf Speakers price P8,990; T50 Belfry Speakers cost P19,990; and they would need to be paired with an A/V Receiver, costing upwards of P16,000.

A complete T Series 5.one abode theater will set you back P86,440, while the more premium RTi series 5.i theater tin be had for P162,960. The sky is limit when it comes to high-finish audio, with the Triton One Forepart Tower speakers from GoldenEar Engineering science retailing for as much every bit P320,000 for the pair.

The Setup

My existing setup was a 5.ane dwelling house-theater, powered by a Yamaha RXV-375 A/V Receiver. The front towers were a pair of Kenwood LS-V230 speakers, a Yamaha NS-C55 at the center, a Yamaha NS-C56 pair of bookshelf speakers at the rear, and a Mordaunt Short Carnival 9 sub-woofer.

While the setup had served me well, I was looking for front towers that would better fill the room with sound, and a sub-woofer that could go deeper and louder. Therein started my search.

After much online research, discussions on AVS Forum, and four visits to The Listening Room in SM Megamall to audition diverse speakers, I finally chose the combination of the Polk Audio S50 front towers from their Signature Series, and the HTS 12 sub-woofer.

Introducing the Signature Series

Expect a gimmicky wait with the Signature series, beingness Polk Sound'due south most recent offering. The options include three variants of the Front Tower speakers — the S50, S55, and S60. Bookshelf speaker offerings include S10, S15, and S20. There are two options for the Middle channel: the regular S30, and a slim S35 for narrow spaces. Equally for the sub-woofer, Polk Audio suggests pairing the Signature series with either the HTS 10 or HTS 12 sub-woofers.

The Signature Series is certified for hi-res audio, with the Terylene tweeter being responsible for the accurate delivery of well-baked clear highs. The Front Towers likewise as the sub-woofers characteristic Polk Sound's patented Ability Port technology, for deeper bass delivery.

Blueprint and Aesthetics

Polk Audio is well-represented on Facebook, and while I'd seen several ads of the Signature series, they had failed to capture my attending. But on seeing them in person I was immediately impressed.

The design is very modern, with the steel anxiety being especially trendy. The entire front is covered with mesh that is magnetic and tin exist easily removed and fastened. The edges of the cabinet are rounded, and the design elements used are consistent across the serial, for easy pairing. From my testing of various brands, the Signature Serial styling remained my personal favorite.

Done Black Walnut, Archetype Dark-brown Walnut, and White are the 3 colors on offering. I opted for the erstwhile, though the White was as well a consideration, given my living room black and white pattern artful.

Audio Performance

Right from the become-go, I was impressed with the S50's, which are total-range, passive floor standing speakers; commonly referred to as front tower speakers. They were vibrant and lived upwardly to the Hi-Res audio marketing. Supplied with loftier-bitrate FLAC sound, it made for a detailed sound listening experience, with every note and instrument being precise and audible.

The clarity of the sound was simply phenomenal.

The audio stage created by the S50's were phenomenal; on pure Stereo, seated in the right position while auditioning them, it felt like a wide audio-stage, versus sound coming from ii speakers specifically. The sound enveloped me and filled the unabridged room.

Testing Notes:

• Disturbed – The Sound of Silence: I fired-up Disturbed's rendition of the Audio of Silence, and the recreation of David Draiman'southward tone is excellent, differentiating between the initial whisper-ish airy vocals, versus the more than concentrated deep hoarse notes later. Though the vocals and piano accept middle stage, the guitar strings are still clear and shrill in the groundwork.
• Imagine Dragons – Built-in to be Yours (with Kygo): Switching gears to something upbeat, the runway goes through waves of vocal prominent sections with loftier notes, and deeper bass-heavy sections. The presentation was lively, providing the level of prominence to each portion of the rails while managing the transitions seamlessly.
• The Corrs – Runaway: Prepare to be mesmerized past the lovely vocals of Andrea Corr, and the pleasing sound of Sharon Corr'southward violin. Every guitar notation and hi-hat is perceptible, with the just a soft impact of bass, while the mids fill the room with sound.
• Battleship – Finally for the movie test, I sampled an action sequence from 2012's Battleship on Bluray, featuring a full-on battle at sea against aliens. The S50 was very competent, serving-up the sound-furnishings and ambiance of the environment splendidly.

While quality content makes a difference, even my older MP3s, and Youtube videos sounded neat; so don't be hard-pressed for FLAC or Bluray content.

Additionally, though the S50's are competent in the bass section, adding a sub-woofer to the mix makes a worthwhile difference.

Other Speakers Tested:

To ensure a consequent baseline for the testing, the AV Receiver was set to Stereo (without a sub-woofer), and volume was adapted while switching speakers to compensate for inherent volume variance.

• Polk Audio S55 – Slightly better bass notes (when compared to the S50)
• Polk Sound T50 – Well-baked and clear, but leaning towards bright (not as dynamic every bit the Signature Series, and less wholesome mids)
• Wharfedale D330 – Lovely warm sound, and was great for nigh music.
• Wharfedale D230 – Similar to the D330, merely non every bit clear.
• B&Westward 684 S2 – Similar to the D330, meliorate bass, but considerably more expensive.
• Pioneer FS52 – Very like to my approachable Kenwood speakers.

The Wharfedale D230 and Pioneer FS52, in my opinion, occupied the lowest tier in this set; they were good speakers, when not auditioned dorsum to dorsum with others. With the Signature Series equally a reference point, they were not in the same league when it came to fidelity.

If on a lower budget, I'd strongly recommend the Polk Audio T50; it offers an excellent value proposition, given the clarity and fidelity it affords.

The ones that made it to my shortlist were the Polk Sound S50, and the Wharfedale D330. I loved the warm audio of the D330, which sounded splendid, specially in song tracks. The S50 eventually sealed the deal attributable to its clarity, and consistency across audio genres.

My auditioning feel was at The Listening Room in SM Megamall, assisted by Marky Generalao who was competent and very helpful in guiding me through my speaker testing. I likewise had the pleasure of interacting with Christine, who was very accommodating and ensured that I got to test all the speakers I was interested in, ordering specific ones for me, and also giving me the all-time deal possible. I would strongly recommend The Listening Room for your habitation amusement needs.

Closing Words

If you're in the market for a new pair of high-end speakers, you will exist very pleased with the Polk Sound S50. The combination of their loftier fidelity, great sound imaging, and modernistic looks will make for a great add-on to your living room. If you're looking to get a complete Signature Serial five.1 home-theater expect to spend around P100,000 depending on the individual speakers selected.

Also wait that once your ears get used to this form of sound, virtually other music on lesser equipment will fall flat. After setting upwardly these speakers at home and listening to them every mean solar day, just about everything else I hear lacks clarity. So consider yourself warned!

• Model: S50
• Cost: P29,990
• Verdict: Satisfying high-allegiance front end tower speakers for the audiophile in you

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Source: https://newsbytes.ph/2019/08/07/review-polk-audio-s50-front-tower-speaker/

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