In this review, we will be comparing SS-CS3 and TSi300, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Sony and Polk Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Sony SS-CS3 and Polk TSi300 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Sony SS-CS3 | Polk TSi300 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Soft-Dome | 1" |
|---|
| Super tweeter | 0.75" super tweeter | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5.12" Mica Reinforced Cellular (MRC) | 2 x 5.25" Organic Fiber |
|---|
| Frequency response | 45-50k Hz | 47-24k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 145 watts | 20-150 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 10.60kg / 23.3lbs | 11.82kg / 26lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 36.30" x 9.05" x 10.24"
922.0 x 230.0 x 260.0mm | 36-1/4" x 8-3/16" x 11-3/4"
921.0 x 208.0 x 299.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Sony SS-CS3 and Polk TSi300 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* |
Sony SS-CS3 |
Polk TSi300 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
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.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
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through our links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that SS-CS3 is a 3-way design whereas the TSi300 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.
Sony SS-CS3Polk TSi300
TweeterWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Sony SS-CS3 |
Polk TSi300 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Super Tweeter
|
0.75-inch |
- |
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5.12-inch
|
2 x 5.25-inch
|
SS-CS3 features a 1" polyester fiber Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 0.75" Supertweeter and 2 x 5.12" Mica Reinforced Cellular (MRC) Woofer. On the other hand, the TSi300 features a 1" Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Organic Fiber Woofer.
Frequency Response
SS-CS3 has a frequency range of 45-50k Hz whereas TSi300 has a frequency range of 47-24k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 45Hz, the SS-CS3 can go slightly deeper then the TSi300's min frequency of 47Hz.
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
SS-CS3 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the TSi300 which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. SS-CS3 sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the TSi300's is rated at 90 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Polk TSi300 a more sensitive speaker compared to Sony SS-CS3, 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. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
TSi300 can handle a max power of 150 watts RMS, whereas SS-CS3 has a max power handling value of 145 watts RMS, 5 watts less than the TSi300.
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
TSi300 features 5-way post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. SS-CS3 has a Post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
SS-CS3 has a rear firing port whereas TSi300 has a bottom firing ports. Polk TSi300's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Sony SS-CS3 with its rear-firing 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 Sony SS-CS3's and Polk TSi300's external dimensions. Sony SS-CS3 has external dimensions of 922.0 x 230.0 x 260.0mm (36.30 x 9.05 x 10.24inch) whereas Polk TSi300 has external dimensions of 921.0 x 208.0 x 299.0mm (36-1/4 x 8-3/16 x 11-3/4inch).
Polk TSi300 is 22mm narrower and 1mm shorter than Sony SS-CS3 but it is also 39mm deeper.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony SS-CS3 and Polk TSi300 in scale.
Comparison image of Sony SS-CS3 and Polk TSi300 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 Sony SS-CS3 is approximately 598.0cm2 / 92.7inch2 and base area of the Polk TSi300 is approximately 621.9cm2 / 96.4inch2. The SS-CS3 requires 4% less surface area than the TSi300 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 Sony SS-CS3 weighs 10.60kg / 23.3lbs and the Polk TSi300 weighs 11.82kg / 26lbs. This makes the TSi300 12% heavier than the SS-CS3.
Here is a comparison of how SS-CS3 and TSi300'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 TSi300?
Here are the items that come with the TSi300:
- Tower speaker
- Detachable cloth grille (installed)
- Owners Manual
- Wall-Mount template
- Online registration sheet
- Polk Audio product brochure
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Low Frequency Response |
45 Hz
vs
47 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
50k Hz
vs
24k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Base Surface Area |
598cm2
vs
621cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
150 watts
vs
145 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Woofer Size |
5.25 inches
vs
5.12 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Height |
921mm
vs
922mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
358USD
vs
458USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Sony SS-CS3 |
Polk Audio TSi300 |
| Brand |
Sony |
Polk Audio |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speakers |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
up to 145 watts |
20-150 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
45-50k Hz |
47-24k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5.12" |
5.25" |
| Woofer Composition |
Mica Reinforced Cellular (MRC) |
Organic Fiber |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Butyl Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
n/a |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
No |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
bottom |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
922.0mm (36.3") |
921.0mm (36.3") |
| Width |
230.0mm (9.1") |
208.0mm (8.2") |
| Depth |
260.0mm (10.2") |
299.0mm (11.8") |
| Weight |
10.60kg (23.3lbs) |
11.82kg (26lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood-veneer |
Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Black |
Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
2 years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
2 years |
5 Years |
No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your amplifier and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass |
evenly matched |
Much the same reach (45Hz vs 47Hz). |
| Amplifier needs |
B |
Polk TSi300 is more sensitive (90dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match |
B |
Polk TSi300 is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom |
evenly matched |
Similar power handling (145W vs 150W). |
| Size |
depends |
Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability |
B |
Polk TSi300: bi-amping. |
| Price |
B |
Polk TSi300 is cheaper - $358 against $458, about 22% less. |
A Sony SS-CS3
B Polk TSi300
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?
Polk TSi300 is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take Sony SS-CS3 if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Polk TSi300 is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
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.