In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Polk Audio. Polk Audio Reserve R700 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the R400 is a Center Channel speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Polk R700 and Polk R400 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Polk R700 | Polk R400 |
|---|
| Brand | Polk Audio
United States · founded 1972 | Polk Audio
United States · founded 1972 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator | 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" Polypropylene | 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene Turbine Cone |
|---|
| Frequency response | 38-38k Hz | 48-39K Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 89 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-300 watts | 20-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 35.90kg / 79lbs | 14.91kg / 32.8lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 45" x 12.6" x 16.9"
1143.8 x 320.7 x 428.3mm | 7-13/16" x 24-5/16" x 14-5/8"
199.0 x 618.0 x 372.0mm |
|---|
R700 and R400 are members of Polk Audio's Reserve series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Polk Audio Reserve Series
History
What size room are the Polk R700 and Polk R400 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* |
Polk R700 |
Polk R400 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
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 R700 is a 3-way design whereas the R400 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.
Polk R700Polk R400
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Polk R700 |
Polk R400 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
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. On the other hand, the R400 features a 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene Turbine Cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz.
Frequency Response
R700 has a frequency range of 38-38k Hz whereas R400 has a frequency range of 48-39K Hz. With a minimum frequency of 38Hz, the R700 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the R400'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
R700 and R400 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. R700 sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the R400's is at 89 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Polk R400 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 R400 has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 100 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
R700 features Post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. R400 has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Polk R700's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Polk R400's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
R700 has a bottom firing port whereas R400 has a rear firing ports. Polk R700's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Polk R400 with its rear-firing port.
Polk R700 Port
Polk R400 dual 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 Polk R700's and Polk R400's external dimensions. Polk R700 has external dimensions of 1143.8 x 320.7 x 428.3mm (45 x 12.6 x 16.9inch) whereas Polk R400 has external dimensions of 199.0 x 618.0 x 372.0mm (7-13/16 x 24-5/16 x 14-5/8inch).
Polk R400 is 944.8mm shorter and 56.3mm less deeper than Polk R700 but it is also 297.3mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Polk R700 and Polk R400 in scale.
Comparison image of Polk R700 and Polk R400 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 Polk R700 is approximately 1373.6cm2 / 212.9inch2 and base area of the Polk R400 is approximately 2299.0cm2 / 356.3inch2. The R700 requires 40% less surface area than the R400 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of Polk R700?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of 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
What's in the Box of Polk R400?
Here are the items that come with the R400:
- Center-channel loudspeaker
- Grille
- Owners Manual
- Online Registration