Short answer: the Dynaudio Emit 20. It ranks #121 of 203 bookshelf speakers by sound quality, rated 3.6/5, at $1,049. The Polk Reserve R100 ranks #146, rated 3.4/5, at $559, $490 cheaper, not enough of a saving to outweigh the sound-quality gap.
The Dynaudio Emit 20 is the deeper-bass pick. Two-way design with a 28mm Esotar soft dome tweeter (Hexis-damped) and an 18cm mid-woofer, using a first-order crossover on the tweeter and second-order on the woofer. Its bass reaches about 54Hz before falling 3dB, against 68Hz for the Polk Reserve R100. The tradeoff: A resonance around 600-800Hz gives snares and similar percussion a muffled, flat quality lacking impact: confirmed as originating in the woofer itself (isolated via measurements of the raw driver out of the cabinet), and attempts at constrained-layer damping didn’t resolve it.
The Polk Reserve R100 is the more accurate option. Compact cabinet, unusually useful bass for its size and well-controlled woofer breakup. Its measured preference score, a predictor of how neutral it sounds, is 5.46 against 4.22 for the Dynaudio Emit 20. The catch: Erin measured only about 85dB sensitivity and the impedance reaches 3.6 ohms, so it is neither efficient nor an entirely benign AVR load.
Buy the Dynaudio Emit 20. It is rated higher for sound quality, and the $490 you would save on the Polk Reserve R100 does not close the gap.
Still deciding? The full Passive Home rankings cover every ranked option.
Specifications Side By Side
| Dynaudio Emit 20 | Polk Reserve R100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,049.00 per pair | $559.00 per pair |
| Ranked | #121 of 203 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers | #146 of 203 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 33Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 49Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 54Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 68Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Drivers | 7.1” Magnesium Silicate Polymer woofer, 1.1” Cerotar soft dome with Hexis tweeter | 1” Pinnacle ring-radiator tweeter; 5.25” Turbine Cone midwoofer |
| Weight | 12.8 lbs (5.8 kg) | 12.1 lbs (5.5 kg) each |
| Sensitivity | 83.5dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner; 86dB manufacturer specified) | 85dB/2.83V/1m (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal (5.5 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 3.6 ohms minimum (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 14.6”H x 8.1”W x 12.3”D (370.0 x 205.0 x 312.0 mm) | 12.8”H x 6.5”W x 10.2”D |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear | ported, rear X-Port |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 4.22 | 5.46 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 5.92 | 7.93 |
| DIY Kit | No | No |
Related Speaker Comparisons
How Dynaudio Emit 20 compares with other leading options:
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs Perlisten S4b
- KEF Reference 1 Meta vs Dynaudio Emit 20
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs GR-Research NX-Studio
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs AsciLab C6B
- Audio First Cadentia 3 vs Dynaudio Emit 20
Prices on this page were last checked October 7, 2026 at 9:25 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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The Two Speakers In Full
Dynaudio Emit 20: $1,049.00 per pair Amazon eBay
Same family: the Dynaudio Emit 10 (smaller bookshelf, estimated 3.2/5), the Dynaudio Emit 30 (smaller floorstanding, rated 3.9/5), the Dynaudio Emit 50 (larger floorstanding, estimated 4.2/5) and the Dynaudio Emit 25C (center, estimated 3.7/5).
Pros: Two-way design with a 28mm Esotar soft dome tweeter (Hexis-damped) and an 18cm mid-woofer, using a first-order crossover on the tweeter and second-order on the woofer. Exceptional bass extension for a bookshelf speaker: reaches a clean, authoritative 40Hz in-room, rare enough that the reviewer says most listeners could skip a subwoofer for typical music. Very low distortion across the board, staying below 1% THD down to 40Hz at 86dB and below 3% even at 96dB: unusually clean bass performance where most two-way bookshelf speakers start rising in distortion around 80Hz. Wide, remarkably consistent horizontal directivity (about ±50-60°) that holds steady up to roughly 13kHz: rare for a speaker in this format, thanks to a beveled tweeter edge that acts as a mild waveguide. Excellent compression and dynamic-range linearity at the frequency extremes, actually showing slight bass enhancement rather than the sharp low-end compression common in similarly-sized bookshelf speakers. Measured bass extension of 54Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 83.5dB.
Cons: A resonance around 600-800Hz gives snares and similar percussion a muffled, flat quality lacking impact: confirmed as originating in the woofer itself (isolated via measurements of the raw driver out of the cabinet), and attempts at constrained-layer damping didn’t resolve it. A peak around 4kHz adds a sharp, edgy quality to some male vocals. A roughly 5dB boost above 10kHz gives cymbals and hi-hats excess shimmer that can sound unnatural, especially pointed directly on-axis. Vertical dispersion shows two separate crossover-related notches (above and below the tweeter reference line around 5kHz) rather than the usual single one, a direct consequence of the shallow crossover slopes used on both drivers. Multitone distortion is elevated in the midrange, possibly due to the woofer’s magnet structure lacking a shorting ring. Best aimed slightly off-axis (about 10-15° of toe-out) to tame the excess high-frequency shimmer, rather than pointed straight at the listener.
Full Dynaudio Emit 20 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 33Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 54Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 14.6”H x 8.1”W x 12.3”D (370.0 x 205.0 x 312.0 mm) |
| Drivers | 7.1” Magnesium Silicate Polymer woofer, 1.1” Cerotar soft dome with Hexis tweeter |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal (5.5 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 83.5dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner; 86dB manufacturer specified) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 4.22 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 5.92 |
| Weight | 12.8 lbs (5.8 kg) |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear |
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Polk Reserve R100: $559.00 per pair Amazon Polk Audio eBay
Same family: the Polk R200 (larger bookshelf, ranked lower, rated 3.2/5), the Polk Reserve R500 (smallest floorstanding, rated 4.2/5), the Polk Reserve R600 (floorstanding, estimated 4.2/5), the Polk Audio Reserve R700 (largest floorstanding, rated 4.3/5), the Polk Audio Reserve R300 (smallest center, estimated 3.6/5), the Polk Audio Reserve R350 (center, rated 3.7/5) and the Polk Audio Reserve R400 (largest center, estimated 3.8/5).
Pros: Compact cabinet, unusually useful bass for its size and well-controlled woofer breakup. Erin measured F3/F10 points of 68Hz/49Hz, and the X-Port vent avoids much of the chuffing and pipe resonance common to budget rear ports. The 5.25-inch Turbine Cone woofer and 1-inch Pinnacle ring-radiator tweeter produce good detail at moderate levels, while listening roughly 20° off-axis reduces part of the elevated top octave. Measured bass extension of 68Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 85dB.
Cons: Erin measured only about 85dB sensitivity and the impedance reaches 3.6 ohms, so it is neither efficient nor an entirely benign AVR load. The treble runs roughly 3dB above the midrange and becomes aggressive above about 85dB SPL. A directivity discontinuity through the woofer/tweeter crossover means EQ cannot fully repair the power response, and a 400Hz impedance feature plus 500Hz-1kHz response irregularity suggests a cabinet or system resonance. Substantial low-frequency compression at higher playback levels limits clean dynamics.
Full Polk Reserve R100 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 49Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 68Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 12.8”H x 6.5”W x 10.2”D |
| Drivers | 1” Pinnacle ring-radiator tweeter; 5.25” Turbine Cone midwoofer |
| Impedance | 3.6 ohms minimum (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 85dB/2.83V/1m (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 5.46 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 7.93 |
| Weight | 12.1 lbs (5.5 kg) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear X-Port |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
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