Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55 Floor Standing Speakers (Pair)

Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55 Floor Standing Speakers (Pair)

The Polk Audio Signature Elite ES55 is a full-range floor standing loudspeaker supplied as a pair, positioned above the ES50 in Polk’s Signature Elite range. It is a two-way design with two 6.5-inch Dynamic Balance mica-reinforced polypropylene drivers and a 1-inch Terylene high-resolution dome tweeter, in a non-resonant MDF cabinet with Polk’s Power Port bass venting. The ES55 is Hi-Res Audio certified and voiced for both music and home theatre, giving larger living rooms a front pair with the output and low-frequency reach that compact towers cannot provide, while sharing its tuning with the rest of the Signature Elite family for system building.

Key features

• Twin 6.5-inch drivers: Two Dynamic Balance mica-reinforced polypropylene woofers for articulate midrange and dynamic bass.
• 1-inch Terylene tweeter: High-resolution dome tweeter extending response to 40 kHz, with Hi-Res Audio certification.
• Power Port technology: Patented port design that smooths airflow for deeper, cleaner bass with reduced port noise.
• 89 dB sensitivity: Efficient design compatible with a wide range of amplifiers, rated for 40 to 200 watts per channel.
• 33 Hz to 40 kHz response: Overall frequency response covering full-range music and film material.
• Dual binding posts: Gold-plated five-way binding posts supporting bi-wiring and bi-amplification.
• Anti-diffraction magnetic grille: Low-interference grille that removes easily and keeps the baffle clean.
• Stabilising feet included: Supplied feet broaden the footprint for stability on hard floors and carpet.

Driver array and crossover

Polk’s Dynamic Balance process analyses the driver’s materials and geometry as a system to reduce resonances that colour the sound. The two mica-reinforced polypropylene cones share the work through the bass and midrange, crossing to the Terylene dome at 2.4 kHz in a cascading crossover array intended to keep the soundstage wide and the handover between drivers seamless. Terylene is light and well damped for a dome material, supporting the extended high-frequency response that underpins the Hi-Res Audio certification and keeps cymbals, strings and film effects detailed without becoming brittle at higher levels.

Bass and room behaviour

The Power Port sits at the base of the cabinet and uses a specially shaped diffuser to smooth the air exiting the port. In practical terms that means bass that stays composed when soundtracks push low, with less of the chuffing and turbulence that conventional ports can produce, and somewhat friendlier placement near a rear wall than a simple rear port would allow. Even so, the ES55 rewards sensible positioning: some distance from side walls preserves soundstage width, and listeners seated further back in larger rooms are exactly the audience this model’s extra driver area and output were designed for.

System building and dimensions

Each speaker stands 41.5 inches high, 8.5 inches wide and 12.5 inches deep, widening to 11.7 inches across the base with feet fitted, and weighs 44 lbs (19.96 kg). Impedance is compatible with 4 and 8 ohm amplifier outputs. Within a Signature Elite system the ES55 pair forms the front stage alongside the range’s centre speakers, bookshelf surrounds and subwoofers, all sharing the same voicing so effects pan across the room without tonal steps. For stereo use, the pair covers the full range of most music without a subwoofer in medium and larger rooms.

The ES55 is the Signature Elite tower for listeners who have outgrown compact speakers: more driver area, deeper Power Port bass and the output headroom to keep music and film soundtracks effortless at the back of a bigger room.