Polk Signature Elite ES20 Bookshelf Speaker - Hi-Res Audio Certified, Dolby Atmos & DTS:X Compatible, 1" Tweeter & 6.5" Woofer, Power Port Technology for Effortless Bass (Pair, Contemporary Walnut)

The reviews are so confusing because they are literally for different models in the lineup. Amazon please fix this.ES20 Review: I live in a studio apartment in NYC so getting a 5.2 system was overkill by far. I bought these ES20 monitors to compliment a single ES60 in a bi-amp configuration. As standalone bookshelf speakers, these aren’t bad at all. The mods and highs are CRISP and CLEAN. As you can imaging the bass is not ground shaking but it is adequate. Where these monitors really shine is when I connect my ES60 giving me an immersive experience.I ordered everything in white and omg they are a masterpiece. Zero regrets here except perhaps I could have gotten away with using the ES10’s as wellES60: I’m operating a white single unit in a big amp configuration. One channel for the highs and another channel from the amp for the mids and lows. Much like my review above for the ES20, the 60 is crisp, clean and loud once powered up well. I initially had 80 watts going to the speaker but they seemed weak so now it’s 160 and perfect. Could probably be even better with more. More than adequate for an apartment. Again it’s not going to rattle your floors but damn this thing can get loud. I probably don’t need a separate subwoofer but that’s always an option if you really crave hair raising bass.5 Stars all around for build quality, weight, appearance, clarity and loudness!

Had my eye on these for a long time. Had a pair of Polk rti4's for many years till I played them so loud one night I blew the voice coils. I replaced those with some Nuemi bs5's. For a little over a hundred dollars they are great speakers that punch well above their price. However when I finally caught these Polk es15's used/returned at a price direct from from the Amazon warehouse I couldn't ignore I took the chance. They are brand new though. Never been unboxed, I couldn't believe it. Even at full price they would be worth it. I listen to a lot of different genres of music, some on vinyl, some CD's, and digital copies/streaming. Everything sounds great. Clean, precise, full, and dynamic. Intrument seperation and stereo stage is very wide and detailed. Bass is well defined and tight. Mids are smooth and not too forward. Highs are clean and crisp without being sibilant or fatigueing. Cabinets are very well made and heavier than you would think. Very well built.

Beautiful looking speakers. Works better than expected for surround sound. The quality and design are very good. Whenever friends come over, they always ask where I got them from. Tjey ate hooked up to my Marantz receiver and do the job well.

Awesome sound,paired with Polk T 15 surround. Using in home gym.

Purchased these as near field monitor speakers for enjoyment purposes as I'm not a producer. I do zero musical creation. I have these connected to a Fosi BT30D Pro at my desk and am thoroughly impressed! They're still breaking in, but initial impressions are a HUGE upgrade from an old Vizio soundbar with subwoofer I had connected.Audio feels full and vibrant.Speakers are set at a downward angle towards standard sitting position, which is 4ft evenly from each speaker. Volume does not have to be set obnoxiously loud to enjoy the bass levels. Tuned properly, there's no reason for you to second guess the audio quality.Appearances are well up there in my ratings as well. The black stained wood looks phenomenal. Cloth covers for the speakers are magnetic and do not look required to be connected. Aesthetics would not be compromised with the panels removed.Are there better options? Sure, possibly. However, you should get what looks as good as it sounds.

I bought these really wanting to like them. I grew up reading about Polk in the 80's & 90's, and they do have a stellar track record. I was looking for small computer speakers to replace my B&W MM-1's. I got these and hooked them up to a cheapie $29 class-d amp I bought here on amazon that has 50W x 2 and a THX Onyx DAC. The overall sound was actually very good, nice and neutral from the mid-bass all the up to the treble. I listen to rock + metal + extreme metal. The highs were pleasant, as pleasant as a shrieking death metal guitar can be, and that is with No EQ applied. That being said, what caused me to cave and return them was non-existent bass. I figured with that Polk Power Port and having a decent size (for a 4" bookshelf speaker that is), they could maybe get close to 60Hz or so as an F(-6dB), but nope, these roll-off HARD below 80Hz even when close to a wall. I've heard other speakers in the same size factor with much more satisfactory bass output with the same size mid-bass driver. I know most would say "get a subwoofer", but these would have been used for traveling; I needed something that I can put in one of my duffle bags and these fit that bill with their small size.All things considered, for the size and cost:♦ Sound quality in their usable range: 9 out of 10♦Finish/aesthetics: 10/10♦Midbass: 7 out of 10♦Midrange: 7 out of 10♦Treble: 8.5 out of 10♦Bass: 4 out of 10♦Overall value: 7 out of 10These should be priced somewhere in the $170-$180 range tops, not $250, mainly due to the lack of bass response. Other than that, the look and finish is GREAT! With a 50Wx2 amp they can get LOUD and still sound great doing so! I bet the 5" and larger versions sound much much better as Main speakers! If Polk were to re-engineer these and give that midbass driver a lower resonant frequency (maybe 10Hz lower), and increase cabinet size just a smidge but not too much, perhaps 10-12%, I bet they could sound much much better! If you are totally OK with the lack of bass, I highly recommend them.

These speakers are great. Expensive, but worth it. Music is so much clearer, cleaner. I'm glad I went ahead and paid the money for better sound.I bought a Marantz single CD player too. So that helped a lot also. But these speakers replacing old Bose speakers are much better speakers.