In this review, we will be comparing Theva No3 and ES60, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Focal and Polk Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Theva No3 and Polk ES60 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Theva No3 | Polk ES60 |
|---|
| Brand | Focal
France · founded 1979 | Polk Audio
United States · founded 1972 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" inverted dome | 1" Soft-Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Slatefiber | 3 x 6.5" Mica-reinforced polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 48-28kHz | 32-40k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 91 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 40-250 watts | 50-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 20.00kg / 44lbs | 23.60kg / 51.9lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 39" x 8-3/8" x 15-1/4"
991.0 x 213.0 x 388.0mm | 44-1/2" x 8-1/2" x 15-3/4"
1131.0 x 216.0 x 401.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Focal Theva No3 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:
| Listening Environment* |
Focal Theva No3 |
Polk ES60 |
| 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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Theva No3 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.
Focal Theva No3Polk ES60
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Focal Theva No3 |
Polk ES60 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
Theva No3 features a 1" TNF Al/Mg inverted dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Slatefiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 270 Hz - 2700 Hz. 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
Theva No3 has a frequency range of 48-28kHz 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 Theva No3's min frequency of 48Hz.
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
Theva No3 and ES60 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Theva No3 sensitivity is rated at 91 dB and the ES60's is at 90 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Focal Theva No3 a more sensitive speaker compared to Polk ES60, 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.
ES60 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas Theva No3 has a max power handling value of 250 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the ES60.
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
ES60 features 5-Way post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Theva No3 has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Theva No3 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 Focal Theva No3 with its rear-firing 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 Focal Theva No3's and Polk ES60's external dimensions. Focal Theva No3 has external dimensions of 991.0 x 213.0 x 388.0mm (39 x 83/8 x 151/4) 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 3mm wider, 140mm taller and 13mm deeper than Focal Theva No3.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Near-identical footprints. Polk ES60 is 140mm taller.
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 Focal Theva No3 is approximately 826.4cm2 / 128.1inch2 and base area of the Polk ES60 is approximately 866.2cm2 / 134.3inch2. The Theva No3 requires 5% 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 Focal Theva No3 weighs 20.00kg / 44lbs and the Polk ES60 weighs 23.60kg / 51.9lbs. This makes the ES60 18% heavier than the Theva No3.
Here is a comparison of how Theva No3 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 loudspeaker
- Grille (attached)
- 4 Feet (pre-installed)
- Owners Manual
- Online Product Registration
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Height |
991mm
vs
1131mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
826cm2
vs
866cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
250 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
32 Hz
vs
48 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
28k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Price per pair* |
1098USD
vs
2398USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Focal Theva No3 |
Polk Audio Signature Elite ES60 |
| Brand |
Focal |
Polk Audio |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
40-250 watts |
50-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
91 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
2.9 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
48-28kHz |
32-40k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Slatefiber |
Mica-reinforced polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Butyl rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
inverted dome |
Soft-Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
270 Hz - 2700 Hz |
2500Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
bottom |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
991.0mm (39") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
213.0mm (8.4") |
216.0mm (8.5") |
| Depth |
388.0mm (15.3") |
401.0mm (15.8") |
| Weight |
20.00kg (44lbs) |
23.60kg (51.9lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF, Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Black High Gloss,Dark Wood,Light Wood |
Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Focal Theva No3 costs roughly 2.2x what Polk ES60 does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | Polk ES60 digs deeper - 32Hz against 48Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (91dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (250W vs 300W). |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | B | Polk ES60: bi-amping. Polk ES60 sits in a wider range (12 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | Polk ES60 is cheaper - $1,098 against $2,398, about 54% less; arguably a different class. |
A Focal Theva No3 B Polk ES60
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?
Polk ES60 is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take Focal Theva No3 if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 48Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Think about the whole system, not just the speakers: the roughly $1,300 saved by taking the cheaper pair would buy a subwoofer or a better amplifier, and either usually does more for the sound than the difference between these two.
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.