In this review, we will be comparing R700 and S60, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Polk Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Polk R700 and Polk S60 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Polk R700 | Polk S60 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator | 1" Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" Polypropylene | 3 x 6.5" Mica-reinforced polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 38-38k Hz | 26-40k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-300 watts | 20-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 35.90kg / 79lbs | 23.60kg / 51.9lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 45" x 12.6" x 16.9"
1143.8 x 320.7 x 428.3mm | 44-1/2" x 11-3/4" x 15-3/4"
1131.0 x 299.0 x 401.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Polk R700 and Polk S60 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 S60 |
| 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.
**This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking
through our links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that R700 is a 3-way design whereas the S60 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 S60
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 S60 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
3 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 S60 features a 1" Terylene Dome Tweeter and 3 x 6.5" Mica-reinforced polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz.
Frequency Response
R700 has a frequency range of 38-38k Hz whereas S60 has a frequency range of 26-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 26Hz, the S60 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the R700's min frequency of 38Hz.
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 S60 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. R700 sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the S60's is at 90 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Polk S60 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.
Both handle the same maximum of 300 watts RMS, though R700 is rated 50-300 watts and S60 20-300 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
Both R700 and S60 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Polk R700's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Polk S60's 5-way post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both R700 and S60 have bottom firing ports.
Polk R700 Port
Polk S60 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 S60'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 S60 has external dimensions of 1131.0 x 299.0 x 401.0mm (44-1/2 x 11-3/4 x 15-3/4inch).
Polk R700 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 21.7mm wider, 12.8mm taller and 27.3mm deeper than Polk S60.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Polk R700 and Polk S60 in scale.
Comparison image of Polk R700 and Polk S60 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 S60 is approximately 1199.0cm2 / 185.8inch2. The R700 requires 15% more surface area than the S60 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 S60 weighs 23.60kg / 51.9lbs. This makes the R700 52% heavier than the S60.
Here is a comparison of how R700 and S60'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 S60?
Here are the items that come with the S60:
- 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 |
 Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
6.5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
|
Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
38 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
38k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1131mm
vs
1143mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1199cm2
vs
1373cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
898USD
vs
2198USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Polk Audio Reserve R700 |
Polk Audio Signature S60 |
| Brand |
Polk Audio |
Polk Audio |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-300 watts |
20-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
3.6 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
38-38k Hz |
26-40k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polypropylene |
Mica-reinforced polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Butyl rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Pinnacle Ring Radiator |
Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
350Hz and 2700Hz |
2500Hz |
| Firing Direction |
bottom |
bottom |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1143.8mm (45") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
320.7mm (12.6") |
299.0mm (11.8") |
| Depth |
428.3mm (16.9") |
401.0mm (15.8") |
| Weight |
35.90kg (79lbs) |
23.60kg (51.9lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Vinyl |
Meddite MDF |
| Available Colors |
Black, Walnut, White |
Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Polk R700 costs roughly 2.4x what Polk S60 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 S60 digs deeper - 26Hz against 38Hz. |
| Amplifier needs |
B |
Polk S60 is more sensitive (90dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom |
evenly matched |
Similar power handling (300W vs 300W). |
| Size |
depends |
Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability |
depends |
Polk R700: bi-amping; Polk S60: bi-amping. Polk R700 sits in a wider range (10 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price |
B |
Polk S60 is cheaper - $898 against $2,198, about 59% less; arguably a different class. |
A Polk R700
B Polk S60
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, placement 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 S60 is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take Polk R700 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 38Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Polk S60 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.