In this review, we will be comparing R700 and R500, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Polk Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Polk R700 and Polk R500 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Polk R700 | Polk R500 |
|---|
| 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 5.25" Polypropylene Turbine Cone |
|---|
| Frequency response | 38-38k Hz | 49-38k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 87 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-300 watts | 25-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 35.90kg / 79lbs | 17.70kg / 38.9lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 45" x 12.6" x 16.9"
1143.8 x 320.7 x 428.3mm | 41.1" x 10.1" x 13.7"
1044.5 x 255.4 x 348.8mm |
|---|
R700 and R500 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 R500 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 R500 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| 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 R500 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 R500
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 R500 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
2 x 5.25-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 R500 features a 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene Turbine Cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz.
Frequency Response
R700 has a frequency range of 38-38k Hz whereas R500 has a frequency range of 49-38k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 38Hz, the R700 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the R500's min frequency of 49Hz.
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 R500 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. R700 sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the R500's is at 87 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Polk R700 a more sensitive speaker compared to Polk R500, 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 R500 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. R500 has a Post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Polk R700's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Polk R500's Post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
R700 has a bottom firing port whereas R500 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 R500 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 Polk R700's and Polk R500'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 R500 has external dimensions of 1044.5 x 255.4 x 348.8mm (41.1 x 10.1 x 13.7inch).
Polk R700 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 65.3mm wider, 99.3mm taller and 79.5mm deeper than Polk R500.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Polk R700 and Polk R500 in scale.
Comparison image of Polk R700 and Polk R500 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 R500 is approximately 890.8cm2 / 138.1inch2. The R700 requires 54% more surface area than the R500 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 Polk R700 weighs 35.90kg / 79lbs and the Polk R500 weighs 17.70kg / 38.9lbs. This makes the R700 103% heavier than the R500.
Here is a comparison of how R700 and R500'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 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 R500?
Here are the items that come with the R500:
- 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
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
200 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
88 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
5.25 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
38 Hz
vs
49 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
38k Hz
vs
36k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Minimum Impedance |
3.9 ohms
vs
3.6 ohms
|
Very low impedance levels puts more pressure on amplifier |
 Height |
1044mm
vs
1143mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
890cm2
vs
1373cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1298USD
vs
2198USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Polk Audio Reserve R700 |
Polk Audio Reserve R500 |
| Brand |
Polk Audio |
Polk Audio |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-300 watts |
25-200 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
87 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
3.6 ohms |
3.9 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
38-38k Hz |
49-38k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
5.25" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polypropylene |
Polypropylene Turbine Cone |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Pinnacle Ring Radiator |
Pinnacle Ring Radiator |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
350Hz and 2700Hz |
2500Hz |
| Firing Direction |
bottom |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1143.8mm (45") |
1044.5mm (41.1") |
| Width |
320.7mm (12.6") |
255.4mm (10.1") |
| Depth |
428.3mm (16.9") |
348.8mm (13.7") |
| Weight |
35.90kg (79lbs) |
17.70kg (38.9lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Vinyl |
MDF/Vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Black, Walnut, White |
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 |
Siblings in Polk Audio's Reserve series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | Polk R700 digs deeper - 38Hz against 49Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (88dB vs 87dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | A | Polk R700 takes more power (300W vs 200W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Polk R500 is easier to place; Polk R700 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | A | Polk R700: bi-amping. |
| Price | B | Polk R500 is cheaper - $1,298 against $2,198, about 41% less; arguably a different class. |
A Polk R700 B Polk R500
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?
The usual trade-off: Polk R700 measures better, Polk R500 costs about about 69% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 49Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Polk R500 much easier to justify. Match it to your room: we rate Polk R700 the better fit for a very large room, and Polk R500 for a mid-size room.
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.