Polk S15 vs Polk S60 Comparison

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Polk S15

Passive Bookshelf | 50-40k Hz

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Polk S60

Passive Floor-standing | 26-40k Hz

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Polk S15

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Polk S60

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Polk S15

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Polk S60

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Polk S15 vs Polk S60 Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Polk Audio. Polk Audio Signature S15 is a Bookshelf speaker whereas the S60 is a Floor-standing speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Polk S15 and Polk S60 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	Polk S15	Polk S60
Brand	Polk Audio United States · founded 1972	Polk Audio United States · founded 1972
Design	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1" Dome	1" Dome
Woofer	5.25" Mica-reinforced polypropylene	3 x 6.5" Mica-reinforced polypropylene
Frequency response	50-40k Hz	26-40k Hz
Sensitivity	88 dB	90 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	20-100 watts	20-300 watts
Weight	5.90kg / 13lbs	23.60kg / 51.9lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	12.0" x 7.4" x 10.2" 304.8 x 190.0 x 260.4mm	44-1/2" x 11-3/4" x 15-3/4" 1131.0 x 299.0 x 401.0mm

S15 and S60 are members of Polk Audio's Signature S series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

Polk Audio Signature S Series History

Model	Body	Frequency	Sensitivity	Impedance	Woofer
Polk S60	Floor-standing	26-40k Hz	90 dB	8Ω	3 x 6.5"
Polk S20	Bookshelf	39-40k Hz	88 dB	8Ω	1 x 6.5"
Polk S15	Bookshelf	50-40k Hz	88 dB	8Ω	1 x 5.25"
Polk S55	Floor-standing	32-40k Hz	90 dB	8Ω	2 x 6.5"
Polk S10	Bookshelf	67-40k Hz	87 dB	8Ω	1 x 4"
Polk S50	Floor-standing	33-40k Hz	89 dB	8Ω	2 x 5.25"

What size room are the Polk S15 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 S15	Polk S60
Near-field	Average	Bad
Small Room	Good	Poor
Mid-size Room	Average	Average
Large Room	Poor	Good
Very Large Room	Bad	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.

Drivers

Both S15 and S60 are 2-way speakers.

Polk S15

Polk S60

TweeterWoofer

Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.

Driver	Polk S15	Polk S60
Driver Setup	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1-inch
Midrange	-	-
Woofer	1 x 5.25-inch	3 x 6.5-inch

S15 features a 1" Terylene Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Mica-reinforced polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz. 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

S15 has a frequency range of 50-40k 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 S15's min frequency of 50Hz.

The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.

Low Frequency

Bookshelf Speakers

S15

S60

Min

Average

Median

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

S15 and S60 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. S15 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 S15, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

Bookshelf Speakers

S15

S60

Min

Average

Median

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.

S60 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas S15 has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 200 watts less than the S60.

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.

Amplifier - change this

Distance

Playing as

Polk S15

Polk S60

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

S60 features 5-way post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. S15 has a Pair of Binding Posts - Gold Plated which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

Polk S60's 5-way post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring

Cabinet Type and Port Position

S15 has a rear firing port whereas S60 has a bottom firing ports. Polk S60's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Polk S15 with its rear-firing 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 S15's and Polk S60's external dimensions. Polk S15 has external dimensions of 304.8 x 190.0 x 260.4mm (12.0 x 7.4 x 10.2inch) 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 S60 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 109mm wider, 826.2mm taller and 140.6mm deeper than Polk S15.

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 S15 is approximately 494.8cm² / 76.7inch² and base area of the Polk S60 is approximately 1199.0cm² / 185.8inch². The S15 requires 59% less surface area than the S60 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.

What's in the Box of Polk S15?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of S15:

2 Bookshelf loudspeakers
2 Grille (attached)
8 Self-adhesive rubber feet
Wall-mount template
Owners Manual
Online Product 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

Reasons to choose Polk Audio Signature S15 over Polk Audio Signature S60

Mounting Bracket	Yes vs No	Allows mounting on walls
Height	304mm vs 1131mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	494cm² vs 1199cm²	Takes less floor space
Price per pair*	259USD vs 898USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Reasons to choose Polk Audio Signature S60 over Polk Audio Signature S15

Max Input Power	300 watts vs 100 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 1	More woofers
Low Frequency Response	26 Hz vs 50 Hz	Generates deeper bass
Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring	Yes vs No	Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections

Polk S15 vs Polk S60 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Polk Audio Signature S15	Polk Audio Signature S60
Brand	Polk Audio	Polk Audio
Speaker Type	Bookshelf speakers	Floor-standing speaker
Power Range	20-100 watts	20-300 watts
Sensitivity	88 dB	90 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Frequency Response	50-40k Hz	26-40k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	3
Woofer Size	5.25"	6.5"
Woofer Composition	Mica-reinforced polypropylene	Mica-reinforced polypropylene
Woofer Surround Material	Butyl rubber	Butyl rubber
Tweeter Size	1"	1"
Tweeter Type	Dome	Dome
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Crossover Frequency	2500Hz	2500Hz
Firing Direction	rear	bottom
Physical Specs
Height	304.8mm (12")	1131.0mm (44.5")
Width	190.0mm (7.5")	299.0mm (11.8")
Depth	260.4mm (10.3")	401.0mm (15.8")
Weight	5.90kg (13lbs)	23.60kg (51.9lbs)
Enclosure	Bass Reflex	Bass Reflex
Finish	Meddite MDF	Meddite MDF
Available Colors	Black, Walnut, Brown Walnut	Black
Mounting Bracket	Keyhole	No
Recommended Stand Height	24-30"	n/a
Grille	Yes	Yes
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	Yes
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	5 Years
Labor Warranty	5 Years	5 Years

Verdict

Siblings in Polk Audio's Signature S series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	B	Polk S60 digs deeper - 26Hz against 50Hz.
Amplifier needs	B	Polk S60 is more sensitive (90dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier.
Headroom	B	Polk S60 takes more power (300W vs 100W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	Polk S15 is easier to place; Polk S60 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Type	depends	A Passive Bookshelf against a Passive Floor-standing - a different job rather than a better one.
Expandability	B	Polk S60: bi-amping.
Price	A	Polk S15 is cheaper - $259 against $898, about 71% less; arguably a different class.

A Polk S15 B Polk S60
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?

The usual trade-off: Polk S60 measures better, Polk S15 costs about about 3.5x the price% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 50Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Polk S15 much easier to justify. Match it to your room: we rate Polk S15 the better fit for near-field listening and a small room, and Polk S60 for a large room and a very large 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.