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.
| Key Specs | Polk ES60 | Jamo C 97 II |
|---|
| Brand | Polk Audio
United States · founded 1972 | Jamo
Denmark · founded 1966 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Soft-Dome | 1" |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 6" |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 6.5" Mica-reinforced polypropylene | 3 x 6" Composite |
|---|
| Frequency response | 32-40k Hz | 32-24k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 89 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 6 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-300 watts | 50-180 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 23.60kg / 51.9lbs | 24.55kg / 54lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 44-1/2" x 8-1/2" x 15-3/4"
1131.0 x 216.0 x 401.0mm | 42-1/8" 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.)
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 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.
Polk ES60Jamo C 97 II
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 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.
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
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. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
ES60 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas C 97 II has a max power handling value of 180 watts RMS, 120 watts less than the ES60.
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 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
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 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.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Polk ES60 and Jamo C 97 II in scale.
Comparison image of Polk ES60 and Jamo C 97 II 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 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.
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 ES60 weighs 23.60kg / 51.9lbs and the Jamo C 97 II weighs 24.55kg / 54lbs. This makes the C 97 II 4% heavier than the ES60.
Here is a comparison of how ES60 and C 97 II'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 ES60?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of ES60:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille (attached)
- 4 Feet (pre-installed)
- Owners Manual
- Online Product Registration
What's in the Box of Jamo C 97 II?
Here are the items that come with the C 97 II:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Outrigger feet
- 4 Spikes (pre-installed on outrigger feet)
- 4 Rubber feet
- 8 Machine screws
- 2 Jumper-straps (pre-installed)
- Hex-key
- User Manual
- Important Safety Instructions
- Warranty Information
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
180 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
89 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
24k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Base Surface Area |
866cm2
vs
997cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1098USD
vs
1378USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Height |
1070mm
vs
1131mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
| General |
Polk Audio Signature Elite ES60 |
Jamo Concert 9 Series C 97 II |
| Brand |
Polk Audio |
Jamo |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-300 watts |
50-180 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
89 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
6 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
32-40k Hz |
32-24k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Mica-reinforced polypropylene |
Composite |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Butyl rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
n/a |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
6" |
| Crossover Frequency |
2500Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
bottom |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
1070.0mm (42.1") |
| Width |
216.0mm (8.5") |
248.0mm (9.8") |
| Depth |
401.0mm (15.8") |
402.0mm (15.8") |
| Weight |
23.60kg (51.9lbs) |
24.55kg (54lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF, Wood-grain vinyl |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Black |
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 |
A generation apart: Polk ES60 is the newer design, against a 2016 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | evenly matched | Much the same reach (32Hz vs 32Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (90dB vs 89dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Amplifier match | A | Polk ES60 is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | A | Polk ES60 takes more power (300W vs 180W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | depends | Polk ES60: bi-amping; Jamo C 97 II: bi-amping. Polk ES60 sits in a wider range (12 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | A | Polk ES60 is cheaper - $1,098 against $1,378, about 20% less. |
A Polk ES60 B Jamo C 97 II
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?
Polk ES60 is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take Jamo C 97 II if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. Match it to your room: we rate Polk ES60 the better fit for a very large room, and Jamo C 97 II 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.