Sonus Sonetto VIII vs Polk ES60 Comparison

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Sonus Sonetto VIII

Passive Floor-standing | 36-25k Hz

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Polk ES60

Passive Floor-standing | 32-40k Hz

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Sonus Sonetto VIII

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Polk ES60

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Sonus Sonetto VIII

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Polk ES60

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Sonus Sonetto VIII vs Polk ES60 Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing Sonetto VIII and ES60, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Sonus Faber and Polk Audio.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Sonus Sonetto VIII and Polk ES60 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sonus Sonetto VIII Key Specs

3-way Design

1.15" high definition DAD Dome Tweeter

6" Midrange

3 x 7" aluminum cone Woofer

36-25k Hz Frequency Response

90 dB Sensitivity

Impedance: 4ohms

Power Range:50-300watts

Weight:26.30kg

Dimensions (H x W x D): 1188.0" x 11" x 17"( 1188.0 x 283.0 x 427.0mm )

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 )

What size room are the Sonus Sonetto VIII 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:

Listening Environment*	Sonus Sonetto VIII	Polk ES60
Near-field	Bad	Bad
Small Room	Poor	Poor
Mid-size Room	Average	Average
Large Room	Good	Good
Very Large Room	Average	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.)

In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Sonus Sonetto VIII and Polk ES60 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

One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Sonetto VIII 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	Sonus Sonetto VIII	Polk ES60
Driver Setup	3-way	2-way
Tweeter	1.15-inch	1-inch
Midrange	1 x 6-inch	-
Woofer	3 x 7-inch	3 x 6.5-inch

Sonetto VIII features a 1.15" high definition DAD Dome Tweeter , a 6" Midrange and 3 x 7" aluminum cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 270 and 3.000 Hz. 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

Sonetto VIII has a frequency range of 36-25k Hz whereas ES60 has a frequency range of 32-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 32Hz, the ES60 can go slightly deeper then the Sonetto VIII's min frequency of 36Hz.

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

Sonetto VIII

ES60

Min

Average

Max

High Frequency

Floor-standing Speakers

Sonus Sonetto VIII

Polk ES60

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

Sonetto VIII is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the ES60 which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Sonetto VIII can provide this impedance level.

On the other hand, they have the same sensitivity of 90 dBdB.

Sensitivity

Floor-standing Speakers

Sonetto VIII

ES60

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.

Sonetto VIII and ES60 has the same power range of 50-300 watts.

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 Sonetto VIII and ES60 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.

Sonus Sonetto VIII's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring

Cabinet Type and Port Position

Both Sonetto VIII and ES60 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 Sonus Sonetto VIII's and Polk ES60's external dimensions. Sonus Sonetto VIII has external dimensions of 1188.0 x 283.0 x 427.0mm ( 47 x 11 x 17inch) 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) .

Sonus Sonetto VIII is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 67mm wider, 57mm taller and 26mm deeper than Polk ES60.

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 Sonus Sonetto VIII is approximately 1208.4cm² / 187.3inch² and base area of the Polk ES60 is approximately 866.2cm² / 134.3inch². The Sonetto VIII requires 40% more surface area than the ES60 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 Sonus Sonetto VIII weighs 26.30kg / 57.9lbs and the Polk ES60 weighs 23.60kg / 51.9lbs. This makes the Sonetto VIII 11% heavier than the ES60.

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

Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers

Sonus Sonetto VIII

Polk ES60

Min

Average

Max

What's in the Box of Sonus Sonetto VIII?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Sonetto VIII:

8 Spikes

8 Under Spikes

8 Spike locks

2 Masks

2 Fabric dust guards

2 Basis

16 Locking screws

2 Jumpers

1 Allen Wrench

1 Manual

What's in the Box of Polk ES60?

Here are the items that come with the ES60:

Floorstanding loudspeaker

Grille (attached)

4 Feet (pre-installed)

Owners Manual

Online Product Registration

Reasons to choose Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII over Polk Audio Signature Elite ES60

Driver Setup	3-way vs 2-way	Have a dedicated mid-range driver
Woofer Size	7 inches vs 6.5 inches	Larger woofer

Reasons to choose Polk Audio Signature Elite ES60 over Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII

Nominal Impedance	8 ohms vs 4 ohms	Less selective with amplifiers
Low Frequency Response	32 Hz vs 36 Hz	Generates deeper bass
High Frequency Response	40k Hz vs 25k Hz	Generates higher frequency
Height	1131mm vs 1188mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	866cm² vs 1208cm²	Takes less floor space

Sonus Sonetto VIII vs Polk ES60 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII	Polk Audio Signature Elite ES60
Brand	Sonus Faber	Polk Audio
Speaker Type	Floor-standing speaker	Floor-standing speaker
Power Range	50-300 watts	50-300 watts
Sensitivity	90 dB	90 dB
Impedance	4 ohms	8 ohms
Frequency Response	36-25k Hz	32-40k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	3	3
Woofer Size	7"	6.5"
Woofer Composition	aluminum cone	Mica-reinforced polypropylene
Woofer Surround Material	n/a	Butyl rubber
Tweeter Size	1.15"	1"
Tweeter Type	high definition DAD Dome	Soft-Dome
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	6"	No
Crossover Frequency	270 and 3.000 Hz	2500Hz
Firing Direction	bottom	bottom
Physical Specs
Height	1188.0mm (46.8")	1131.0mm (44.5")
Width	283.0mm (11.1")	216.0mm (8.5")
Depth	427.0mm (16.8")	401.0mm (15.8")
Weight	26.30kg (57.9lbs)	23.60kg (51.9lbs)
Enclosure	Bass Reflex	Bass Reflex
Finish	n/a	MDF, Wood-grain vinyl
Available Colors	Wood, White, Black, Wenge	Black
Grille	n/a	Yes
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	Yes	Yes
Other
Parts Warranty		5 Years
Labor Warranty		5 Years