In this review, we will be comparing ES60 and C 97 II, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Polk Audio and Jamo.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Polk ES60 and Jamo C 97 II first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Polk ES60 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter
- 3 x 6.5" Mica-reinforced polypropylene Woofer
- 32-40k Hz Frequency Response
- 90 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:50-300watts
- Weight:23.60kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1131.0" x 8-1/2" x 15-3/4"( 1131.0 x 216.0 x 401.0mm )
Jamo C 97 II Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" Tweeter
- 6" Midrange
- 3 x 6" Composite Woofer
- 6" Midrange
- 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 )
What size room are the Polk ES60 and Jamo C 97 II 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 ES60 |
Jamo C 97 II |
| 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.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Polk ES60 and Jamo C 97 II 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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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that ES60 is a 2-way design whereas the C 97 II is a 3-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 |
Polk ES60 |
Jamo C 97 II |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 6-inch |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
3 x 6-inch
|
ES60 features a 1" Terylene High-Res Soft-Dome Tweeter and 3 x 6.5" Mica-reinforced polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz. On the other hand, the C 97 II features a 1" Tweeter , a 6" Midrange and 3 x 6" Composite Woofer .
Frequency Response
ES60 has a frequency range of 32-40k Hz whereas C 97 II has a frequency range of 32-24k Hz.
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
ES60 is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the C 97 II which has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. ES60 sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the C 97 II's is rated at 89 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Polk ES60 a more sensitive speaker compared to Jamo C 97 II, 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. 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.
ES60 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS from the amp the whereas C 97 II has a max power handling value of 180 watts RMS, 120 watts less than the ES60.
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 ES60 and C 97 II 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
Cabinet Type and Port Position
ES60 has a bottom firing port whereas C 97 II has a rear firing ports. Polk ES60'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.
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 Polk ES60's and Jamo C 97 II's external dimensions. Polk ES60 has external dimensions of 1131.0 x 216.0 x 401.0mm ( 44-1/2 x 8-1/2 x 15-3/4inch) whereas 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) .
Polk ES60 is 32mm narrower and 1mm less deeper than Jamo C 97 II but it is also 61mm taller.
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 ES60 is approximately 866.2cm2 / 134.3inch2 and base area of the Jamo C 97 II is approximately 997.0cm2 / 154.5inch2. The ES60 requires 13% less surface area than the C 97 II which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.