In this review, we will be comparing C 97 II and S50, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Jamo and Polk Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Jamo C 97 II and Polk S50 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Jamo C 97 II Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" Tweeter
- 6" Midrange
- 3 x 6" Composite Woofer
- 32-24k Hz Frequency Response
- 89 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 6ohms
- Power Range:50-180watts
- Weight:24.55kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1070.0" x 9-3/4" x 15-13/16"( 1070.0 x 248.0 x 402.0mm )
Polk S50 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1" Dome Tweeter
- 2 x 5.25" Mica-reinforced polypropylene Woofer
- 33-40k Hz Frequency Response
- 89 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:20-150watts
- Weight:14.50kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 951.0" x 10-5/16" x 11-1/16"( 951.0 x 262.0 x 281.0mm )
What size room are the Jamo C 97 II and Polk S50 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* |
Jamo C 97 II |
Polk S50 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Poor |
(* 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.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Jamo C 97 II and Polk S50 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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through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that C 97 II is a 3-way design whereas the S50 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 |
Jamo C 97 II |
Polk S50 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 6-inch
|
2 x 5.25-inch
|
C 97 II features a 1" Tweeter , a 6" Midrange and 3 x 6" Composite Woofer . On the other hand, the S50 features a 1" Terylene Dome Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Mica-reinforced polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz.
Frequency Response
C 97 II has a frequency range of 32-24k Hz whereas S50 has a frequency range of 33-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 32Hz, the C 97 II can go slightly deeper then the S50's min frequency of 33Hz.
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
C 97 II is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the S50 which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
On the other hand, they have the same sensitivity of 89 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.
C 97 II can handle a max power of 180 watts RMS from the amp the whereas S50 has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 30 watts less than the C 97 II.
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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both C 97 II and S50 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Jamo C 97 II's Posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Polk S50's 5-way post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
C 97 II has a rear firing port whereas S50 has a bottom firing ports. Polk S50's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Jamo C 97 II with its rear-firing port.
Polk S50 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 Jamo C 97 II's and Polk S50's external dimensions. Jamo C 97 II has external dimensions of 1070.0 x 248.0 x 402.0mm ( 42-1/8 x 9-3/4 x 15-13/16inch) whereas Polk S50 has external dimensions of 951.0 x 262.0 x 281.0mm ( 37-7/16 x 10-5/16 x 11-1/16inch) .
Polk S50 is 119mm shorter and 121mm less deeper than Jamo C 97 II but it is also 14mm wider.
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 Jamo C 97 II is approximately 997.0cm2 / 154.5inch2 and base area of the Polk S50 is approximately 736.2cm2 / 114.1inch2. The C 97 II requires 35% more surface area than the S50 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.