In this review, we will be comparing Imagine X2T and R600, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from PSB and Polk Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of PSB Imagine X2T and Polk R600 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | PSB Imagine X2T | Polk R600 |
|---|
| Brand | PSB
Canada · founded 1972 | Polk Audio
United States · founded 1972 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Dome | 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.25" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.2" Clay/Ceramic/Poly | 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene Turbine Cone |
|---|
| Frequency response | 30-23k Hz | 43-38k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 87.5 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-200 watts | 25-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 23.60kg / 51.9lbs | 21.50kg / 47.3lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 40-1/8" x 9" x 16-3/4"
1020.0 x 229.0 x 426.0mm | 41.9" x 11" x 15"
1063.8 x 280.7 x 381.6mm |
|---|
What size room are the PSB Imagine X2T and Polk R600 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* |
PSB Imagine X2T |
Polk R600 |
| 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.)
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 Imagine X2T is a 3-way design whereas the R600 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.
PSB Imagine X2TPolk R600
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
PSB Imagine X2T |
Polk R600 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.25-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.2-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
Imagine X2T features a 1" titanium with neodymium magnets Dome Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 2 x 6.2" Clay/Ceramic/Poly Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 500Hz and 2200Hz. On the other hand, the R600 features a 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene Turbine Cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2700Hz.
Frequency Response
Imagine X2T has a frequency range of 30-23k Hz whereas R600 has a frequency range of 43-38k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the Imagine X2T can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the R600's min frequency of 43Hz.
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
Imagine X2T and R600 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Imagine X2T sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the R600's is at 87.5 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the PSB Imagine X2T a more sensitive speaker compared to Polk R600, 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.
Both handle the same maximum of 200 watts RMS, though Imagine X2T is rated 20-200 watts and R600 25-200 watts.
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
Imagine X2T features 5-Way post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. R600 has a Post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
PSB Imagine X2T's 5-Way post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Polk R600's Post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Imagine X2T has a front firing port whereas R600 has a bottom firing ports. PSB Imagine X2T's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Polk R600 with its rear-firing port.
Polk R600 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 PSB Imagine X2T's and Polk R600's external dimensions. PSB Imagine X2T has external dimensions of 1020.0 x 229.0 x 426.0mm (40-1/8 x 9 x 16-3/4inch) whereas Polk R600 has external dimensions of 1063.8 x 280.7 x 381.6mm (41.9 x 11 x 15inch).
PSB Imagine X2T is 51.7mm narrower and 43.8mm shorter than Polk R600 but it is also 44.4mm deeper.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of PSB Imagine X2T and Polk R600 in scale.
Comparison image of PSB Imagine X2T and Polk R600 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 PSB Imagine X2T is approximately 975.5cm2 / 151.2inch2 and base area of the Polk R600 is approximately 1071.2cm2 / 166.0inch2. The Imagine X2T requires 9% less surface area than the R600 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 PSB Imagine X2T weighs 23.60kg / 51.9lbs and the Polk R600 weighs 21.50kg / 47.3lbs. This makes the Imagine X2T 10% heavier than the R600.
Here is a comparison of how Imagine X2T and R600'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 PSB Imagine X2T?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Imagine X2T:
- Floor-standing speaker
- Grille
- 4 Rubber feet
- 4 Spiked Feet
- Wrench
- Quick Start Guide
- Warranty Card
What's in the Box of Polk R600?
Here are the items that come with the R600:
- 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
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Low Frequency Response |
30 Hz
vs
43 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Height |
1020mm
vs
1063mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
975cm2
vs
1071cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1500USD
vs
1698USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
|
Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
6.2 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 High Frequency Response |
38k Hz
vs
23k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
| General |
PSB Imagine X2T |
Polk Audio Reserve R600 |
| Brand |
PSB |
Polk Audio |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-200 watts |
25-200 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
87.5 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
n/a |
4 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
30-23k Hz |
43-38k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.2" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Clay/Ceramic/Poly |
Polypropylene Turbine Cone |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Dome |
Pinnacle Ring Radiator |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.25" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
500Hz and 2200Hz |
2700Hz |
| Firing Direction |
front |
bottom |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1020.0mm (40.2") |
1063.8mm (41.9") |
| Width |
229.0mm (9") |
280.7mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
426.0mm (16.8") |
381.6mm (15") |
| Weight |
23.60kg (51.9lbs) |
21.50kg (47.3lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood-grain |
MDF/Vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Black |
Black, Walnut, White |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
A generation apart: Polk R600 is the newer design, against a 2013 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | PSB Imagine X2T digs deeper - 30Hz against 43Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | A | PSB Imagine X2T is more sensitive (90dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (200W vs 200W). |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | depends | PSB Imagine X2T: bi-amping. Polk R600 sits in a wider range (10 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | A | PSB Imagine X2T is cheaper - $1,500 against $1,698, about 12% less. |
A PSB Imagine X2T B Polk R600
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?
PSB Imagine X2T is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take Polk R600 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 43Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, PSB Imagine X2T 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.