In this review, we will be comparing Airmotiv T3+ and R700, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Emotiva and Polk Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ and Polk R700 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ | Polk R700 |
|---|
| Brand | Emotiva
United States · founded 2003 | Polk Audio
United States · founded 1972 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 25×32 mm" folded ribbon | 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator |
|---|
| Midrange | 2 x 5.25" | 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 8" woven fiber cone | 2 x 8" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 29 Hz – 28 kHz | 38-38k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 91 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | Up to 250 watts | 50-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 38.60kg / 84.9lbs | 35.90kg / 79lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 49-1/2" x 12-1/2" x 17"
1258.0 x 318.0 x 432.0mm | 45" x 12.6" x 16.9"
1143.8 x 320.7 x 428.3mm |
|---|
What size room are the Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ and Polk R700 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:
| Listening Environment* |
Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ |
Polk R700 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Average |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both Airmotiv T3+ and R700 are 3-way speakers.
Emotiva Airmotiv T3+Polk R700
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ |
Polk R700 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
25×32 mm-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
2 x 5.25-inch |
1 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 8-inch
|
2 x 8-inch
|
Airmotiv T3+ features a 25×32 mm" folded ribbon Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 3 x 8" woven fiber cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 350 Hz and 2800Hz. On the other hand, the R700 features a 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 350Hz and 2700Hz.
Frequency Response
Airmotiv T3+ has a frequency range of 29 Hz – 28 kHz whereas R700 has a frequency range of 38-38k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 29Hz, the Airmotiv T3+ can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the R700's min frequency of 38Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Airmotiv T3+ is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the R700 which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Airmotiv T3+ can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Airmotiv T3+ sensitivity is rated at 91 dB and the R700's is rated at 88 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ a more sensitive speaker compared to Polk R700, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
R700 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas Airmotiv T3+ has a max power handling value of 250 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the R700.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Airmotiv T3+ and R700 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Emotiva Airmotiv T3+'s Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Polk R700's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Airmotiv T3+ has a rear firing port whereas R700 has a bottom firing ports. Polk R700's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ with its rear-firing port.
Polk R700 Port
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Emotiva Airmotiv T3+'s and Polk R700's external dimensions. Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ has external dimensions of 1258.0 x 318.0 x 432.0mm (49-1/2-inch x 12-1/2-inch x 17-inch) whereas Polk R700 has external dimensions of 1143.8 x 320.7 x 428.3mm (45 x 12.6 x 16.9inch).
Polk R700 is 114.2mm shorter and 3.7mm less deeper than Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ but it is also 2.7mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ and Polk R700 in scale.
Comparison image of Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ and Polk R700 Size and External Dimensions
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 Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ is approximately 1373.8cm2 / 212.9inch2 and base area of the Polk R700 is approximately 1373.6cm2 / 212.9inch2. The Airmotiv T3+ requires 0% more surface area than the R700 which gives it a small disadvantage 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 Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ weighs 38.60kg / 84.9lbs and the Polk R700 weighs 35.90kg / 79lbs. This makes the Airmotiv T3+ 8% heavier than the R700.
Here is a comparison of how Airmotiv T3+ and R700'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 R700?
Here are the items that come with the R700:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- 4 Outrigger feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spike feet (pre-installed)
- Grille
- Hex-key
- Owner's Manual
- Online Registration
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
29 Hz
vs
38 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Price per pair* |
1899USD
vs
2198USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
250 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 High Frequency Response |
38k Hz
vs
28k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1143mm
vs
1258mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1373cm2
vs
1373cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ |
Polk Audio Reserve R700 |
| Brand |
Emotiva |
Polk Audio |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
Up to 250 watts |
50-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
91 dB |
88 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
n/a |
3.6 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
29 Hz – 28 kHz |
38-38k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
woven fiber cone |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
25×32 mm" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
folded ribbon |
Pinnacle Ring Radiator |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.25" |
6.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
350 Hz and 2800Hz |
350Hz and 2700Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
bottom |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1258.0mm (49.5") |
1143.8mm (45") |
| Width |
318.0mm (12.5") |
320.7mm (12.6") |
| Depth |
432.0mm (17") |
428.3mm (16.9") |
| Weight |
38.60kg (84.9lbs) |
35.90kg (79lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
HDF |
MDF/Vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Black |
Black, Walnut, White |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your amplifier and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ digs deeper - 29Hz against 38Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | A | Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ is more sensitive (91dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | B | Polk R700 is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (250W vs 300W). |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | depends | Emotiva Airmotiv T3+: bi-amping; Polk R700: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ is cheaper - $1,899 against $2,198, about 14% less. |
A Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ B Polk R700
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 38Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Emotiva Airmotiv T3+ is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.