Best Polk series to pair with OWM surrounds and tops (T, XT, ES, Reserve, etc.)

[CMuss]

I recently changed up my home theater from a 7.1 to a 7.1.4 setup using the Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment Studio Technical Guidelines manual. My base layer consisted of 20-30 year old Polk speakers that I wanted to upgrade. I wanted the Atmos experience and decided it was time for a change after almost 20 years with the same speakers. My AVR is the Onkyo RZ50 w/Dirac. My subs consist of two Stereo Integrity HT18v3's and two SQL-15's in sealed enclosures. I also use MSO w/ a miniDSP 2x4 HD for the subs. Subs are powered by a pair of Crown XLi1500 and XLi2500 amps for a total of 2400W.

My room size is limited to 28'L x 11'W x 7'H. I decided to use the Polk OWM5's for surrounds and the OWM3's for tops because they gave me great flexibility with mounting and placement. My remaining Polk's for the LCR channels are the RT400/CS250s. I now want to upgrade my LCR speakers and have been doing lots of research with consideration of what would pair well with my OWM's. I had some discussions on a couple FB groups and wanted to get some insight on here too.

I was mostly leaning towards going with either the T50/T30 or XT60/XT30 combo because they seemed like the best match for the OWM. The T series features a 1" silk dome tweeter, which is the same tweeter on the OWM. The XT series feature a 1" Terylene dome tweeter, which can be somewhat similar to silk dome tweeters. Most of my audio playback will be from movies and music with either Dolby Atmos or DTS:X sources and 7.1.4 up-mixing. For this reason, I'd like to pair the OWM's with speakers that will have some timbre matching similarities.

There were many people suggesting that I go with the Reserve series on the FB groups. My main concern is using speakers with both the 1" Pinnacle ring radiator tweeter and silk dome tweeter on the same base layer. From my understanding: "It is generally not recommended to mix ring radiator and silk dome tweeters within a surround sound system due to their fundamental differences in sound dispersion and directivity. Mixing them can lead to an inconsistent soundstage and compromise the overall audio quality and imaging." -AI

I've been researching and reviewing all the measurement data that I can find on these speakers. I really appreciate the people that do these objective measurements and explain the results on here. I just recently came across the SPINorama website. Awesome stuff in there! I would love to get a set of the R600/R300 for my LCR channels, but ultimately felt the T50/T30 would timbre match with my OWM the best because they share the same tweeter. Also, the T50 received a score of 7.9 w/ EQ+SUB compared to the XT60 that received a score of 8.1 and that seemed pretty close to me.

I ordered the T50/T30 set direct from Polk and they were delivered today. I briefly wired the T50's up and gave them a quick listen before work. They do sound pretty decent to my ears. I still have to rerun Dirac and give them a proper demo.

I decided to send Polk an email to get their insight before I took delivery of the T50/T30 set a few days ago. Probably should have reached out to them before I ordered, but they do have a 60 day return policy for the holiday's if I decide to go a different direction. Their response surprised me a bit. I thought they'd recommend the T or XT series, but they actually recommended the Signature Elite Series. Here was their recommendation for my situation:

"We appreciate you reaching out and sharing details about your current home theater setup. We understand how important it is to achieve the best possible sound experience, and finding speakers that timbre match well with your existing OWM5 and OWM3 surround and height channels is a key part of that process.

Given your goal of upgrading your LCR channels while maintaining a cohesive sound signature with your OWM speakers, we recommend considering the Polk Audio Signature Elite series. Specifically, the Signature Elite ES55 or ES60 tower speakers would be excellent choices for your left and right channels. For the center channel, the Signature Elite ES35 or ES30 would offer clear dialogue and tonal consistency.

The Signature Elite series is designed for a neutral and accurate sound profile, which will complement the sound characteristics of your OWM5 and OWM3 speakers, helping to ensure a smooth timbre match across all channels.."

So, after receiving their response, I'm now also considering giving the ES55/ES30 set a try. What worries me is that the SPINorama ratings for the Signature series are a bit mixed. Neither the ES55 or ES30 have been tested, but some of the other speakers have been. The T and XT series seem to test better than the ES series?
Here are some of the ratings w/ EQ & SUB:
XT15 (8.6)
XT35 (8.4)
S15 (8.4)
XT30 (8.3)
XT20 (8.3)
XT60 (8.1)
XT70 (7.9)
T50 (7.9)
ES20 (7.6)
ES60 (7.5)
S30 (7.2)
T15 (6.9)

Thanks for making it this far and with all the information I shared, do you think it's even worth trying out the ES series? Should I just roll with the T50/T30? Should I go the Reserve route and not worry about trying to timbre match the surrounds and tops? My movie/music ratio is about 80/20. Budget really isn't an issue as long as the value is there. The T50/T30 set was $475. The ES55/ES30 set would be $880 and the R600/R300 set would be $1770. Thanks again for any input!

 

[ZolaIII]

How about R700 main and R200 satellite? Wouldn't go with either T/ES series for cabinet/port resonance. Not a value proposition for sure and still more to mid bass capacity of R700 in music (but also surround and directive just less). Mids and tweeters are of course same. Score ain't value but there it is if it has to be from brand.

 

[CMuss]

How about R700 main and R200 satellite? Wouldn't go with either T/ES series for cabinet/port resonance. Not a value proposition for sure and still more to mid bass capacity of R700 in music (but also surround and directive just less). Mids and tweeters are of course same. Score ain't value but there it is if it has to be from brand.

I'm already locked in with the OWM's and very limited with space for side surrounds and tops. I'll definitely look at better equipment for a future HT build in a different house in the next 5-10 years. I'd like to stick with the Polk brand, but was also looking at some Kef towers too. Definitely "stuck" with the OWM's and looking for the best pairing option for my LCR channels. Thanks.

 

[Power Pop 23]

Welcome to ASR,

Yes, re-run Dirac Live with the Polk T50's. The T50's punch above their weight but their weight as a tower loudspeaker is modest. Make sure they can get as loud as you desire without perceiving distortion. If not, consider a Polk loudspeaker with more substantial build quality. I obtained satisfactory results from a Polk ES60 when deploying Dirac Live.

 

[CMuss]

Welcome to ASR,

Yes, re-run Dirac Live with the Polk T50's. The T50's punch above their weight but their weight as a tower loudspeaker is modest. Make sure they can get as loud as you desire without perceiving distortion. If not, consider a Polk loudspeaker with more substantial build quality. I obtained satisfactory results from a Polk ES60 when deploying Dirac Live.

Yeah, I plan on re-running a Dirac calibration after a couple days of listening. These things are a bit bright and fatiguing as is. I'm hoping they'll settle down after some time. My initial impression is that they do seem better timbre matched with the OMW's than my RT400/CS250s set.

I forgot to mention that my LCR speakers are about 15' from my main listening position. I do like watching movies at a near reference volume level. My MLP is also slightly off-axis in a narrow room, which isn't ideal.

I'm very intrigued by the ES series, especially after the recommendation from Polk. I'm very tempted to pick up either the ES55 or ES60 with the ES30 while they're still on sale. Also could consider going the ES20 route instead of towers. If they do timbre match well the OWM's and perform better than the T50/T30, it may be worth giving them a try.

 

[Power Pop 23]

With your desire for near reference volume levels, I would opt for the ES60 or ES55 over the ES20 - if you find the T50/T30 combination wanting.

 

[CMuss]

With your desire for near reference volume levels, I would opt for the ES60 or ES55 over the ES20 - if you find the T50/T30 combination wanting.

So after several days with the T50/T30 and after re-running Dirac, I have a few thoughts and comments. These T series speakers are pretty decent! They blend very well with my OWM speakers. My surround and top speakers virtually disappeared into the 3D holographic environment that I was hoping to get when I decided to go to a 7.1.4 setup! I definitely lost some volume compared to the RT400, but I gained output over the CS250s. I feel like maybe I lost some of the finer detail, but the overall cohesiveness of my system has greatly improved! The T50 also feels very cheap compared to the RT400, which I'm not a fan of. The grilles are also pretty restrictive.

I prefer listening to music being upmixed in 7.1.4 with the T50 because it does seem to be lacking much more than the RT400 in the low end in Pure Audio stereo mode. I also had to bump my crossover up from 70 Hz to 80 Hz when watching movies with the T50. I'm still impressed with the overall experience that the T50/T30 brought to my system when paired with the OWM's.

With all that being said, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to try out the Signature Elite series from Polk's recommendation. I also didn't want my system's output to be limited. I went ahead and ordered the ES55 and ES30. They were just delivered yesterday. I'm going to give them a few days of listening and run another Dirac calibration. My initial impression of them is pretty positive. I can already tell that I'm getting a larger sound stage, better detail, and better low end than the T50. I'm just hoping that they play well with the OWM's.

I plan on doing some comparison with all three sets of LCR speakers that I have on had. Each set will have their own Dirac calibration slot that I'll be able to switch out. I'm going to take some time to measure each speaker's raw frequency response from my MLP and hopefully share the results on here within the next few weeks.

 

[CMuss]

I have spent a few weeks with each set of speakers. I've reran multiple sets of Dirac Live calibrations for all three sets of LCR speakers so that I have a consistent measurement method for all speakers. All of the measurements below were made in the main listening position (MLP) in my room and used the "Moving Mic Method" with my Cross Spectrum Umik-1.

They were first measured with no processing or crossover (Raw) and were all the same volume level of -24 on my AVR. Both the T50 & T30 measured with a lower amplitude, so the T50 needed a +5db offset and the T30 needed a +2db offset in REW to give a better frequency response comparison to the other speakers. They were then measured with a 70Hz LP crossover and DL processing (I believe the T50/30 were crossed over at 80Hz in the DL measurements, oops). They all have the same DL house curve of +10db on the low end and a slope of -3db on the high end. I think I'll prefer the +6db or +8db house curve better. Finally, they were measured with DL + SUB. I still need to do some alignment work with the mains/center and subs as you can see below.

These measurements are just a comparison of the frequency response differences in my listening room. The room measures roughly 28'L x 11'W x 7'H. The MLP is slightly offset to the right and 15' from the speakers. I'm going to try and do the best A/B comparison that I can before I post my final thoughts about what's best for my situation.


Polk ES55, RT400, & T50

Polk ES30, T30, & CS250s

Polk RT400 & CS250s that I've had for 20 years!

Dirac Live House Curve (+10db, -3db)

Center channel with no processing

Center channel with Dirac Live

Center channel with Dirac Live plus Sub

Left channel with no processing

Left channel with Dirac Live

Left channel with Dirac Live plus Sub

Right channel with no processing

Right channel with Dirac Live

Right channel with Dirac Live plus Sub

 

[CMuss]

Final thoughts...

I'm keeping the Polk ES55 & ES30 and returning the T50 & T30.

Initially, I planned on comparing all 3 sets of LCR speakers that I had, but my old Polk's just couldn't match what I was hearing with the new sets. My ultimate goal was to see what was the best match with my setup. I believe the T series paired best with my OWM speakers. Listening to music upmixed to 7.1.4 sounded great! Movies with a good Atmos track was also very, very good! I loved the way the whole system sounded so cohesive. That "Atmos bubble" was definitely there. All the speakers virtually disappeared, making the whole experience very immersive. The T50's on their own were not my favorite.

My Onkyo RZ50 has a "Pure Audio" mode that disables all processing. I enjoy using this mode when I want to listen to music more faithfully. I couldn't use Pure Audio mode with the T50. They really do need EQ and a sub to sound decent in my room. They also don't sound very "big". I almost feel like they're a decent bookshelf speaker dressed up as a tower speaker. I did like their small size that allowed me to toe them in much more than the ES55.

The T30 surprised me a bit. I felt like it held it's own when compared to the other center channel speakers. I also liked how the tweeter is slightly higher than the woofers, similar to the R300/R400. I have my center channel located under the TV, so I feel that having the tweeter higher helps focus the energy towards the listening area. I also angled the center channel speakers up a bit to help with this.

Now, the ES55 was an nice upgrade from the T50. Everything just sounded bigger and with more detail. The bass output is also very well done. Pulling it away from the wall a little bit really helps clean things up too. My RT400's were very boomy, which was kind of fun depending on what I was listening to. Both the ES55 and RT400 can get loud and low. Sometimes I would forget that I turned my subs off when listening. The ES55 sounds very good in Pure Audio mode. To me, they sound better at low volume in this mode. It can be a bit fatiguing if I turned it up too loud for very long because of the treble rise of the speaker with no processing. The ES30 was also a nice upgrade from the T30. Everything just sounded more natural and detailed with plenty of headroom.

The one negative about the ES speakers in my setup is they don't have the same sound signature as the OWM speakers. They're close, but not as close as the T series. That's where the tradeoff is for me. I chose the better built and sounding speakers over the speakers that paired best with my system. I believe I would have been happy with the T50/T30, but the ES55/ES30 was just more well rounded for me. They were much better in Pure Audio mode, have more detail, less distortion, and performed well enough with my OWM speakers. They also look better!

I spent the last few days with the T50/T30 combo. I listened to the Wish You Were Here 50th Anniversary Blu-Ray that was just released in all the different audio formats, which includes 2025 Dolby Atmos Mix, 2011 5.1 Surround Mix, 1975 Stereo Mix, and 1976 4.0 Quad Mix. I wasn't really blown away with the T50/T30 combo. Just seemed like the ES55/ES30 combo performed better, even in Atmos. I also watched the movie "Weapons" and that was very immersive with the T50/T30 combo. I decided to watch "One Battle After Another" and I was starting to get bored with the T50/T30 combo after the first 30 minutes. That film has a pretty well done film score. I decided to swap back to the ES55/ES30 combo and that was much more enjoyable.

I hope my ramblings will help someone out there, but I just wanted to share my experience and feelings. It was kind of fun evaluating these speakers, but I'm glad it's over and I can focus more on improving what I have going forward. Thanks for listening.