In this review, we will be comparing Prime Tower and ES60, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from SVS and Polk Audio. Let's have a brief look at the main features
of SVS Prime Tower and Polk ES60 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
What size room are the SVS Prime Tower and Polk ES60 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:
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the SVS Prime Tower and Polk ES60 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Prime Tower is a 3-way design whereas the ES60 is a 2-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.
| Driver |
SVS Prime Tower |
Polk ES60 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
Prime Tower features a 1" aluminum dome Tweeter , a 4.5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 350Hz and 2100Hz. On the other hand, the 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.
Frequency Response
Prime Tower has a frequency range of 30-25k Hz whereas ES60 has a frequency range of 32-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the Prime Tower can go slightly deeper then the ES60's min frequency of 32Hz.
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
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
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
Prime Tower and ES60 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Prime Tower sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the ES60's is at 90 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Polk ES60 a more sensitive speaker compared to SVS Prime Tower, 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. 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.
Prime Tower can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Prime Tower has a max power handling value of 250 watts RMS , 50 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
ES60 features 5-Way post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Prime Tower has a 5-Way post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
SVS Prime Tower's 5-Way post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Prime Tower has a rear firing port whereas ES60 has a bottom firing ports. Polk ES60's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to SVS Prime Tower with its rear-firing port.
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 SVS Prime Tower's and Polk ES60's external dimensions. SVS Prime Tower has external dimensions of 931.0 x 204.0 x 297.0mm ( 36-5/8 x 8 x 11-11/16inch) whereas 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) .
Polk ES60 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 12mm wider, 200mm taller and 104mm deeper than SVS Prime Tower.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of SVS Prime Tower and Polk ES60 in scale.
Comparison image of SVS Prime Tower and Polk ES60 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 SVS Prime Tower is approximately 605.9cm2 / 93.9inch2 and base area of the Polk ES60 is approximately 866.2cm2 / 134.3inch2. The Prime Tower requires 30% less surface area than the ES60 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 SVS Prime Tower weighs 18.23kg / 40.1lbs and the Polk ES60 weighs 23.60kg / 51.9lbs. This makes the ES60 29% heavier than the Prime Tower.
Here is a comparison of how Prime Tower and ES60'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 SVS Prime Tower?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Prime Tower:
Floorstanding loudspeakerGrille (pre-installed)4 Elastomer isolation feet (pre-installed)4 Spike feet4 Nuts4 Protective discsOwners ManualSVS brochureOnline Product Registration Card
What's in the Box of Polk ES60?
Here are the items that come with the ES60:
Floorstanding loudspeakerGrille (attached)4 Feet (pre-installed)Owners ManualOnline Product Registration
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Low Frequency Response |
30 Hz
vs
32 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Height |
931mm
vs
1131mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
605cm2 (204x297mm)
vs
866cm2 (216x401mm)
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
250 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
| Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
25k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Price per pair* |
1098USD
vs
1400USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
SVS Prime Tower |
Polk Audio Signature Elite ES60 |
| Brand |
SVS |
Polk Audio |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-250 watts |
50-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
87 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
30-25k Hz |
32-40k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polypropylene |
Mica-reinforced polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Butyl rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
dome |
Soft-Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
4.5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
350Hz and 2100Hz |
2500Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
bottom |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
931.0mm (36.7") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
204.0mm (8") |
216.0mm (8.5") |
| Depth |
297.0mm (11.7") |
401.0mm (15.8") |
| Weight |
18.23kg (40.1lbs) |
23.60kg (51.9lbs) |
| 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 |
No |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |