In this review, we will be comparing ES60 and RTi A9, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Polk Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Polk ES60 and Polk RTi A9 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Polk ES60 | Polk RTi A9 |
|---|
| Brand | Polk Audio
United States · founded 1972 | Polk Audio
United States · founded 1972 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Soft-Dome | 1" |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 2 x 5.25" |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 6.5" Mica-reinforced polypropylene | 3 x 7" Polymer composite |
|---|
| Frequency response | 32-40k Hz | 30-26k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-300 watts | 50-500 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 23.60kg / 51.9lbs | 34.09kg / 75lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 48-1/16" x 10-11/16" x 21-1/2"
1221.0 x 272.0 x 547.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Polk ES60 and Polk RTi A9 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 |
Polk RTi A9 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Good |
(* 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 RTi A9 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 ES60Polk RTi A9
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 |
Polk RTi A9 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
2 x 5.25-inch |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
3 x 7-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 RTi A9 features a 1" Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 3 x 7" Polymer composite Woofer.
Frequency Response
ES60 has a frequency range of 32-40k Hz whereas RTi A9 has a frequency range of 30-26k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the RTi A9 can go slightly deeper then the ES60's min frequency of 32Hz.
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 and RTi A9 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms and their sensitivity is also same at 90 dB.
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.
RTi A9 can handle a max power of 500 watts RMS, whereas ES60 has a max power handling value of 300 watts RMS, 200 watts less than the RTi A9.
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 RTi A9 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
ES60 has a bottom firing port whereas RTi A9 has a front firing ports. Polk RTi A9's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Polk ES60 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 Polk RTi A9'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 Polk RTi A9 has external dimensions of 1221.0 x 272.0 x 547.0mm (48-1/16 x 10-11/16 x 21-1/2inch).
Polk RTi A9 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 56mm wider, 90mm taller and 146mm deeper than Polk ES60.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Polk ES60 and Polk RTi A9 in scale.
Comparison image of Polk ES60 and Polk RTi A9 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 Polk RTi A9 is approximately 1487.8cm2 / 230.6inch2. The ES60 requires 42% less surface area than the RTi A9 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 Polk RTi A9 weighs 34.09kg / 75lbs. This makes the RTi A9 44% heavier than the ES60.
Here is a comparison of how ES60 and RTi A9'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 Polk RTi A9?
Here are the items that come with the RTi A9:
- Floor-standing speaker
- Detachable black cloth grille
- 4 Screw-on spike feet
- Owners Manual
- Online registration sheet
- Polk Audio product brochure
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
26k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1131mm
vs
1221mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
866cm2
vs
1487cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1098USD
vs
1498USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
500 watts
vs
300 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Woofer Size |
7 inches
vs
6.5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
30 Hz
vs
32 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
| General |
Polk Audio Signature Elite ES60 |
Polk Audio RTi A9 |
| Brand |
Polk Audio |
Polk Audio |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-300 watts |
50-500 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
32-40k Hz |
30-26k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
7" |
| Woofer Composition |
Mica-reinforced polypropylene |
Polymer composite |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Butyl rubber |
Butyl Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
n/a |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
5.25" |
| Crossover Frequency |
2500Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
bottom |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
1221.0mm (48.1") |
| Width |
216.0mm (8.5") |
272.0mm (10.7") |
| Depth |
401.0mm (15.8") |
547.0mm (21.5") |
| Weight |
23.60kg (51.9lbs) |
34.09kg (75lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF, Wood-grain vinyl |
Real wood veneer |
| Available Colors |
Black |
Cherry |
| 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 2008 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 30Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (90dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | B | Polk RTi A9 takes more power (500W vs 300W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Polk ES60 is easier to place; Polk RTi A9 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | Polk ES60: bi-amping; Polk RTi A9: 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 $1,498, about 27% less. |
A Polk ES60 B Polk RTi A9
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 RTi A9 is ahead, but only on 1 of the measured areas, and it costs about 36% more. That is a lot of money for a narrow margin on paper - Polk ES60 looks like the sensible buy unless something else about the Polk RTi A9 appeals to you. Match it to your room: we rate Polk RTi A9 the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same. In a large or open-plan room, Polk RTi A9 has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Polk ES60 is the easier speaker to get right.
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.