In this review, we will be comparing AE120 MII and ES60, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Acoustic Energy and Polk Audio. Let's have a brief look at the main features
of AE120 Mark II and Polk ES60 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
What size room are the AE120 Mark II and Polk ES60 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size and max power parameters:
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the AE120 Mark II and Polk ES60 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that AE120 MII is a 3-way design whereas the ES60 is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
| Driver |
AE120 Mark II |
Polk ES60 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.2-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5.2-inch
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
AE120 MII features a 1" fabric dome with waveguide Tweeter , a 5.2" Midrange and 2 x 5.2" paper cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300Hz and 2.7kHz. On the other hand, the ES60 features a 1" Terylene High-Res Soft-Dome Tweeter and 3 x 6.5" Mica-reinforced polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz.
Frequency Response
AE120 MII has a frequency range of 39Hz - 26kHz whereas ES60 has a frequency range of 32-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 32Hz, the ES60 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the AE120 MII's min frequency of 39Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
AE120 MII is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the ES60 which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
On the other hand, they have the same sensitivity of 90 dBdB.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. While using an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
AE120 MII can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS from the amp the whereas AE120 MII has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS , 100 watts less than the ES60.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
AE120 MII has a rear firing port whereas ES60 has a bottom firing ports. Polk ES60's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to AE120 Mark II with its rear-firing port.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare AE120 Mark II's and Polk ES60's external dimensions. AE120 Mark II has external dimensions of 950.0 x 165.0 x 250.0mm ( 37.4 x 6.5 x 9.8inch) whereas Polk ES60 has external dimensions of 1131.0 x 216.0 x 401.0mm ( 44-1/2 x 8-1/2 x 15-3/4inch) .
Polk ES60 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 51mm wider, 181mm taller and 151mm deeper than AE120 Mark II.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the AE120 Mark II is approximately 412.5cm2 / 63.9inch2 and base area of the Polk ES60 is approximately 866.2cm2 / 134.3inch2. The AE120 MII requires 52% less surface area than the ES60 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The AE120 Mark II weighs 19.00kg / 41.8lbs and the Polk ES60 weighs 23.60kg / 51.9lbs. This makes the ES60 24% heavier than the AE120 MII.
Here is a comparison of how AE120 MII and ES60's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of Polk ES60?
Here are the items that come with the ES60:
Floorstanding loudspeakerGrille (attached)4 Feet (pre-installed)Owners ManualOnline Product Registration
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Height |
950mm
vs
1131mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
412cm2 (165x250mm)
vs
866cm2 (216x401mm)
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
200 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
5.2 inches
|
Larger woofer |
| Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
| Low Frequency Response |
32 Hz
vs
39 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
26k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Price per pair* |
1098USD
vs
1499USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Acoustic Energy AE120 Mark II |
Polk Audio Signature Elite ES60 |
| Brand |
Acoustic Energy |
Polk Audio |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
up to 200 watts |
50-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
39Hz - 26kHz |
32-40k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
5.2" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
paper cone |
Mica-reinforced polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Butyl rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
dome with waveguide |
Soft-Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.2" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
300Hz and 2.7kHz |
2500Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
bottom |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
950.0mm (37.4") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
165.0mm (6.5") |
216.0mm (8.5") |
| Depth |
250.0mm (9.8") |
401.0mm (15.8") |
| Weight |
19.00kg (41.8lbs) |
23.60kg (51.9lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
HDF |
MDF, Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Walnut, Satin Black |
Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
n/a |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |