Floorstanding loudspeakers — Polk Audio Signature Elite ES60

The Signature Elite ES60 is the big tower of Polk Audio's Signature Elite series, a passive floorstander that Polk aims at movies, music and gaming. Polk describes it as the highest-performing model of the Signature Elite line. The price is USD 599 for a single speaker, finished in black, white or brown. The tweeter is Hi-Res Audio certified, and Polk lists it as suitable for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X setups.

Key specs that matter

One 1 inch Terylene dome tweeter and three 6.5 inch woofers using Dynamic Balance cones of polypropylene reinforced with mica make up the driver complement, and the crossover point is 2.4 kHz. Polk quotes a frequency response of 32 Hz to 40 kHz and a sensitivity of 90 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m. The speaker is specified as compatible with 4 and 8 ohm amplifier outputs, and the recommended amplifier power spans 50 to 300 W. The cabinet stands 113 cm tall, 21.6 cm wide and 39.9 cm deep, widening to 29.7 cm across the base. Weight is 23.6 kg.

Engineering and use context

Bass loading uses Polk's patented Power Port, which the maker says has a greater surface area and smoother air flow for more output and less distortion. According to Polk, it smoothly transitions airflow from the port into the room to remove turbulence. The Dynamic Balance cones are lightweight polypropylene parts chosen for efficiency, with mica added as reinforcement. The Terylene tweeter dome sits on a motor built around a ceramic magnet structure. Inside the tall enclosure, Polk applies Column Resonance Control to minimise internal standing waves. The cabinet is made from critically damped Medite MDF with laser optimised bracing, intended to keep the enclosure rigid and acoustically inert. A removable magnetic grille with an anti-diffraction design covers the front baffle, and there are dual gold-plated 5-way binding posts at the rear.

Pairing

Polk states that the ES60 works with nearly any amplifier or receiver, whether it is a vintage stereo unit or a current Dolby Atmos receiver. The dual sets of terminals give the option of feeding the speaker with two cable runs from the amplifier.

Alternatives

The Polk Reserve R600 is a floorstanding model from the Reserve series with two 6.5 inch Turbine Cone woofers, a Pinnacle Ring Radiator tweeter and a floor-firing Power Port 2.0 with X-Port, rated for 25 to 200 W.