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Polk ES60 vs Polk ES50 Comparison

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Polk ES60

Passive Floor-standing | 32-40k Hz

Polk Audio Signature Elite ES60
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Polk ES50

Passive Floor-standing | 38-40k Hz

Polk Audio Signature Elite ES50
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Polk ES60 Polk ES60
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Polk ES50 Polk ES50
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Polk ES60
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Polk ES50
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Polk ES60 vs Polk ES50 Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing ES60 and ES50, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Polk Audio

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Polk ES60 and Polk ES50 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 )

Polk ES50 Key Specs

  • 2-way Design
  • 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter
  • 2 x 5.25" Mica-reinforced polypropylene Woofer
  • 38-40k Hz Frequency Response
  • 88 dB Sensitivity
  • Impedance: 8ohms
  • Power Range:40-200watts
  • Weight:14.50kg
  • Dimensions (H x W x D): 951.0" x 7-1/2" x 11-1/16"( 951.0 x 191.0 x 281.0mm )

ES60 and ES50 are members of Polk Audio's Signature Elite series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

Polk Audio Signature Elite Series History
Model Body Frequency SensitivityImpedance Woofer
Polk ES60
Floor-standing 32-40k Hz 90 dB8Ω 3 x 6.5"
Polk ES35
  
Center Channel 66-40k Hz 89 dB8Ω 6 x 3"
Polk ES20
  
Bookshelf 41-40k Hz 86 dB8Ω 1 x 6.5"
Polk ES10
  
Bookshelf 78-40k Hz 84 dB8Ω 1 x 4"
Polk ES15
  
Bookshelf 44-40k Hz 85 dB8Ω 1 x 5.25"
Polk ES55
  
Floor-standing 34-40k Hz 89 dB8Ω 3 x 6.5"
Polk ES50
Floor-standing 38-40k Hz 88 dB8Ω 2 x 5.25"
Polk ES30
  
Center Channel 55-40k Hz 89 dB8Ω 2 x 5.5"

What size room are the Polk ES60 and Polk ES50 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 ES50
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 Polk ES50 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.


**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.


Drivers

Both ES60 and ES50 are 2-way speakers.

Driver Polk ES60 Polk ES50
Driver Setup 2-way 2-way
Tweeter 1-inch 1-inch
Midrange - -
Woofer 3 x 6.5-inch 2 x 5.25-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 ES50 features a 1" Terylene High-Res Soft-Dome Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Mica-reinforced polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz.

Frequency Response

ES60 has a frequency range of 32-40k Hz whereas ES50 has a frequency range of 38-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 32Hz, the ES60 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the ES50's min frequency of 38Hz.

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

ES60
ES50
Min
Average
Max
High Frequency

Floor-standing Speakers

Polk ES60
Polk ES50
Min
Average
Max

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 and ES50 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. ES60 sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the ES50's is at 88 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Polk ES60 a more sensitive speaker compared to Polk ES50, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

Floor-standing Speakers

ES60
ES50
Min
Average
Max

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 ES50 has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 100 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 ES50 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.

Cabinet Type and Port Position

Both ES60 and ES50 have bottom firing ports.

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 Polk ES50'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 ES50 has external dimensions of 951.0 x 191.0 x 281.0mm ( 37-7/16 x 7-1/2 x 11-1/16inch) .

Polk ES60 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 25mm wider, 180mm taller and 120mm deeper than Polk ES50.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Polk ES60 and Polk ES50 in scale.

Polk ES60 vs Polk ES50 Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Polk ES60 and Polk ES50 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 ES50 is approximately 536.7cm2 / 83.2inch2. The ES60 requires 61% more surface area than the ES50 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 ES60 weighs 23.60kg / 51.9lbs and the Polk ES50 weighs 14.50kg / 31.9lbs. This makes the ES60 63% heavier than the ES50.

Here is a comparison of how ES60 and ES50's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.

Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
Polk ES60
Polk ES50
Min
Average
Max

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 ES50?

    Here are the items that come with the ES50:
  • Floorstanding loudspeaker
  • Grille (attached)
  • 4 Feet (pre-installed)
  • Owners Manual
  • Online Product Registration

  • Reasons to choose Polk Audio Signature Elite ES60 over Polk Audio Signature Elite ES50
    Max Input Power 300 watts vs 200 watts Handle more power from your amplifier
    Sensitivity 90 dB vs 88 dB Play louder with same amount of amplification power
    Woofer Size 6.5 inches vs 5.25 inches Larger woofer
    Number of Woofers 3 vs 2 More woofers
    Low Frequency Response 32 Hz vs 38 Hz Generates deeper bass

    Reasons to choose Polk Audio Signature Elite ES50 over Polk Audio Signature Elite ES60

    Height 951mm vs 1131mm Easier to fit in smaller spaces
    Base Surface Area 536cm2 vs 866cm2 Takes less floor space
    Price per pair* 698USD vs 1098USD costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)
    Polk ES60 vs Polk ES50 Specs Table
    Detailed comparison of specifications
    General Polk Audio Signature Elite ES60 Polk Audio Signature Elite ES50
    Brand Polk Audio Polk Audio
    Speaker Type Floor-standing speaker Floor-standing speaker
    Power Range 50-300 watts 40-200 watts
    Sensitivity 90 dB 88 dB
    Impedance 8 ohms 8 ohms
    Frequency Response 32-40k Hz 38-40k Hz
    Drivers
    Woofer Quantity 3 2
    Woofer Size 6.5" 5.25"
    Woofer Composition Mica-reinforced polypropylene Mica-reinforced polypropylene
    Woofer Surround Material Butyl rubber Butyl rubber
    Tweeter Size 1" 1"
    Tweeter Type Soft-Dome Soft-Dome
    Aimable Tweeter No No
    Midrange Driver No No
    Crossover Frequency 2500Hz 2500Hz
    Firing Direction bottom bottom
    Physical Specs
    Height 1131.0mm (44.5") 951.0mm (37.4")
    Width 216.0mm (8.5") 191.0mm (7.5")
    Depth 401.0mm (15.8") 281.0mm (11.1")
    Weight 23.60kg (51.9lbs) 14.50kg (31.9lbs)
    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

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