In this review, we will be comparing S60 and RTi A9, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Polk Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Polk S60 and Polk RTi A9 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Polk S60 | Polk RTi A9 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Dome | 1" |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 2 x 5.25" |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 6.5" Mica-reinforced polypropylene | 3 x 7" Polymer composite |
|---|
| Frequency response | 26-40k Hz | 30-26k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-300 watts | 50-500 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 23.60kg / 51.9lbs | 34.09kg / 75lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 44-1/2" x 11-3/4" x 15-3/4"
1131.0 x 299.0 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 S60 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 S60 |
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.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that S60 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 S60Polk 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 S60 |
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
|
S60 features a 1" Terylene 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
S60 has a frequency range of 26-40k Hz whereas RTi A9 has a frequency range of 30-26k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 26Hz, the S60 can go slightly deeper then the RTi A9's min frequency of 30Hz.
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
S60 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 S60 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 S60 and RTi A9 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Polk S60's 5-way post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
S60 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 S60 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 S60's and Polk RTi A9's external dimensions. 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) 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 S60 is 90mm shorter and 146mm less deeper than Polk RTi A9 but it is also 27mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Polk S60 and Polk RTi A9 in scale.
Comparison image of Polk S60 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 S60 is approximately 1199.0cm2 / 185.8inch2 and base area of the Polk RTi A9 is approximately 1487.8cm2 / 230.6inch2. The S60 requires 19% 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 S60 weighs 23.60kg / 51.9lbs and the Polk RTi A9 weighs 34.09kg / 75lbs. This makes the RTi A9 44% heavier than the S60.
Here is a comparison of how S60 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 S60?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of S60:
- 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
 Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
30 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
26k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1131mm
vs
1221mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1199cm2
vs
1487cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 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 |
| General |
Polk Audio Signature S60 |
Polk Audio RTi A9 |
| Brand |
Polk Audio |
Polk Audio |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-300 watts |
50-500 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
26-40k 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 |
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 |
299.0mm (11.8") |
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 |
Meddite MDF |
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 S60 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 |
A |
Polk S60 digs deeper - 26Hz against 30Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| 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 S60 is easier to place; Polk RTi A9 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability |
depends |
Polk S60: bi-amping; Polk RTi A9: bi-amping. |
A Polk S60
B Polk RTi A9
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, placement 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?
Neither runs away with it - they trade advantages. Let the "depends" rows and your own room settle it. 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.
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.