Short answer: the Polk Reserve R500 for better sound quality, the Linkwitz Lab LXmini for the lower price. The Polk Reserve R500 ranks #26 of 54 floorstanding speakers at $699. The Linkwitz Lab LXmini ranks #27 at $505, $194 cheaper.
What the Polk Reserve R500 offers: Dual 5.25” midwoofers paired with a ring radiator tweeter in a floorstanding tower design. Watch for: A bump around 4-6kHz gives a “shouty,” mildly sibilant quality in the lower treble.
What the Linkwitz Lab LXmini offers: Open-baffle/dipole upper driver and cylindrical woofer enclosure create a very large, open soundstage with unusually little cabinet signature. Watch for: This is not a conventional passive pair: it requires a construction-plan license, assembly, miniDSP, four matched amplifier channels and careful gain/setup work, so the apparent kit price is not the complete system cost.
Buy the Polk Reserve R500 if sound quality matters more than the price. Buy the Linkwitz Lab LXmini if the price matters more than sound quality.
Specifications Side By Side
| Polk Reserve R500 | Linkwitz Lab LXmini | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $699.00 | $505.00 |
| Ranked | #26 of 54 in Large Size Floorstanding Speakers | #27 of 54 in Large Size Floorstanding Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 33Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 33Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 51Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 50Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 40.3"H x 6.8"W x 12.4"D (1023.6 x 172.7 x 315 mm) | - |
| Impedance | 4.1 ohms minimum above 80Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner; 8 ohms nominal per manufacturer) | 4 ohms upper driver / 8 ohms woofer nominal (separate actively bi-amplified loads; manufacturer specified) |
| Sensitivity | 86.2dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 85dB upper driver / 87dB woofer @ 1W/1m (individual driver specifications; complete active-DSP system sensitivity is not directly specified) |
| Drivers | Two 5.25" Turbine Cone woofer, 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator tweeter | 6.5" SEAS woofer in sealed tube, 4" SEAS full-range dipole driver |
| Weight | 39.2 lbs / 17.8 kg each | - |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear | sealed cylindrical enclosure; open-baffle upper driver |
| Crossover Frequency | - | 700Hz LR2, active DSP |
| Amplification | - | Four channels, 50W/channel minimum with identical voltage gain |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More useful head-to-heads from the same speaker class:
- ELAC DF63 vs Infinity Primus 360
- Revel Concerta2 F35 vs ELAC DF63
- Polk Audio Reserve R700 vs ELAC DF63
- Linkwitz Lab LXmini vs Infinity Primus 360
- ELAC DF63 vs Linkwitz Lab LXmini
The Two Speakers In Full
Polk Reserve R500: $699.00 Amazon
Pros: Dual 5.25” midwoofers paired with a ring radiator tweeter in a floorstanding tower design. Surprisingly neutral overall compared to Polk’s smaller bookshelf models - notably more even-handed than the brighter-sounding R200 the reviewer tested previously. Good linearity on-axis, within about -3/+2dB. Sensitivity close to 86dB, easily driven to adequate levels in a small-to-medium room with a 100W-capable amplifier. Takes very well to EQ - a single band of correction (about a 2dB cut around 4-5kHz) resolves the main tonal issue and transforms the sound. Dynamic range and compression performance is solidly “medium,” holding up fine through about 20dB of level increase before higher-frequency and bass output start to taper at extreme volumes.
Cons: A bump around 4-6kHz gives a “shouty,” mildly sibilant quality in the lower treble. Counterintuitively, toeing the speaker out to reduce brightness makes this worse rather than better, since the ring-radiator tweeter’s directivity narrows rapidly above about 6-7kHz - pointed on-axis retains enough top-end air to balance the bump, but toed away that air drops off and the shoutiness stands out more. Bass is adequate for its 5.25” woofers but lacks real weight below about 40-50Hz; a subwoofer is still needed for movies and bass-heavy music. A cabinet resonance around 160-170Hz subtracts from rather than adds boom to the mid-bass region. Vertical listening window is fairly narrow - sitting more than about 10-20° above or below the tweeter axis causes a suckout in the 2-5kHz range, reducing clarity and attack. Multitone distortion ramps up noticeably around 1kHz, and crossing over to a subwoofer at 80Hz doesn’t meaningfully reduce it - likely a surround-related effect rather than excursion-related. Without applying corrective EQ, the reviewer says the 4-6kHz brightness would make it harder to live with day to day.
Full Polk Reserve R500 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 33Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 51Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 40.3"H x 6.8"W x 12.4"D (1023.6 x 172.7 x 315 mm) |
| Drivers | Two 5.25" Turbine Cone woofer, 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator tweeter |
| Impedance | 4.1 ohms minimum above 80Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner; 8 ohms nominal per manufacturer) |
| Sensitivity | 86.2dB (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Weight | 39.2 lbs / 17.8 kg each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear |
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Linkwitz Lab LXmini: $505.00 Madisound LXmini Kit
Pros: Open-baffle/dipole upper driver and cylindrical woofer enclosure create a very large, open soundstage with unusually little cabinet signature. Erin praised the stable, well-controlled directivity: despite using a nominal full-range upper driver, off-axis response retains composure beyond its beaming region and the directivity index is smooth enough for reliable DSP voicing. Imaging can be precisely adjusted through placement and toe angle. Erin measured F3 at 50Hz and F10 at 33Hz, impressive for the narrow footprint, and found the system satisfying for much music without a subwoofer. The supplied miniDSP configuration is readily editable; broad shelf correction near 550Hz and a handful of narrow filters can make the response substantially more linear. The kit is mechanically simple, highly customizable and based on well-documented Linkwitz engineering.
Cons: This is not a conventional passive pair: it requires a construction-plan license, assembly, miniDSP, four matched amplifier channels and careful gain/setup work, so the apparent kit price is not the complete system cost. Output below about 50Hz lacks kick-drum weight and benefits from subwoofers. Erin found rising second-order distortion near 1.5kHz on both samples, accompanied by an impedance blip that may indicate an enclosure reflection or driver-compliance effect. At high output the system behaves as if electronically limited even with miniDSP limiting bypassed, reducing bass and subjective dynamics. Default voicing is less linear than expected, with irregularities above roughly 2kHz, though its controlled directivity makes these correctable. Dipole rear radiation demands meaningful distance from the front wall and makes placement less flexible than a box speaker.
Full Linkwitz Lab LXmini review and specifications →
| Amplification | Four channels, 50W/channel minimum with identical voltage gain |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 33Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 50Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Crossover Frequency | 700Hz LR2, active DSP |
| Drivers | 6.5" SEAS woofer in sealed tube, 4" SEAS full-range dipole driver |
| Impedance | 4 ohms upper driver / 8 ohms woofer nominal (separate actively bi-amplified loads; manufacturer specified) |
| Sensitivity | 85dB upper driver / 87dB woofer @ 1W/1m (individual driver specifications; complete active-DSP system sensitivity is not directly specified) |
| Woofer Cabinet | sealed cylindrical enclosure; open-baffle upper driver |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
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