Short answer: the Polk Reserve R500 for better sound quality, the Polk Audio XT60 for the lower price. The Polk Reserve R500 ranks #30 of 59 floorstanding speakers at $699. The Polk Audio XT60 ranks #36 at $229, $470 cheaper.
What the Polk Reserve R500 gets right: Dual 5.25” midwoofers paired with a ring radiator tweeter in a floorstanding tower design. The catch: A bump around 4-6kHz gives a “shouty,” mildly sibilant quality in the lower treble.
The case for the Polk Audio XT60: Passive-radiator-loaded design (6.5” woofer plus two 6.5” passive radiators) gives deeper bass than the driver size alone would suggest - 43.9Hz at -3dB / 38.1Hz at -10dB, genuinely competitive extension for a budget tower. Set against that: Bass alignment Q is the highest, least-controlled figure in this entire batch, consistent with owner reports of a slightly loose, boomy low end at higher volumes.
Buy the Polk Reserve R500 if sound quality matters more than the price. Buy the Polk Audio XT60 if the price matters more than sound quality.
Specifications Side By Side
| Polk Reserve R500 | Polk Audio XT60 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $699.00 | $229 |
| Ranked | #30 of 59 in Large Size Floorstanding Speakers | #36 of 59 in Large Size Floorstanding Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 33Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 38.1Hz (measured, spinorama.org) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 51Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 43.9Hz (measured, spinorama.org) |
| Dimensions | 40.3"H x 6.8"W x 12.4"D (1023.6 x 172.7 x 315 mm) | 19.05 x 92.5 x 23.09cm (7.5 x 36.4 x 9.09 in) each |
| Impedance | 4.1 ohms minimum above 80Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner; 8 ohms nominal per manufacturer) | 4/8-ohm compatible |
| Sensitivity | 86.2dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 86dB (1W/1m) |
| Drivers | Two 5.25" Turbine Cone woofer, 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator tweeter | 1" Terylene dome tweeter, 6.5" bilaminate polypropylene woofer, 2x 6.5" passive radiators |
| Weight | 39.2 lbs / 17.8 kg each | 20 lbs / 9.07 kg (20 lb) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear | Passive radiator-loaded |
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- Definitive Technology BP-9020 vs Polk Audio XT60
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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- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Polk Reserve R500 vs ELAC DF63
- Polk Reserve R500 vs Linkwitz Lab LXmini
- Polk Reserve R500 vs PSB Imagine T65
- Polk Reserve R500 vs Definitive Technology BP-9020
- Polk Reserve R500 vs Q Acoustics 5040
- Polk Reserve R500 vs Polk Audio Reserve R700
- Polk Reserve R500 vs Infinity Primus 360
- Polk Reserve R500 vs Klipsch Forte IV
- See all 18 comparisons
Polk Audio XT60: $229 Amazon Bhphotovideo Crutchfield
Pros: Passive-radiator-loaded design (6.5” woofer plus two 6.5” passive radiators) gives deeper bass than the driver size alone would suggest - 43.9Hz at -3dB / 38.1Hz at -10dB, genuinely competitive extension for a budget tower. Hi-Res Audio certified, Dolby Atmos/DTS:X compatible, and works with either 4- or 8-ohm amplifier outputs.
Cons: Bass alignment Q (lfq 0.96) is the highest, least-controlled figure in this entire batch, consistent with owner reports of a slightly loose, boomy low end at higher volumes. On-axis deviation (nbd_on_axis 0.512) is also the roughest measured figure in the batch. The vinyl-wrapped (not wood veneer) cabinet reads as budget up close per owner reviews, and at least one owner reported blowing a driver under sustained heavy bass - some caution is warranted with bass-heavy source material at volume.
Full Polk Audio XT60 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 38.1Hz (measured, spinorama.org) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 43.9Hz (measured, spinorama.org) |
| Dimensions | 19.05 x 92.5 x 23.09cm (7.5 x 36.4 x 9.09 in) each |
| Drivers | 1" Terylene dome tweeter, 6.5" bilaminate polypropylene woofer, 2x 6.5" passive radiators |
| Impedance | 4/8-ohm compatible |
| Sensitivity | 86dB (1W/1m) |
| Weight | 20 lbs / 9.07 kg (20 lb) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | Passive radiator-loaded |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
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- Polk Audio XT60 vs KEF Q11 Meta
- Polk Audio XT60 vs Klipsch RP-5000F II
- Polk Audio XT60 vs ELAC DF63
- Polk Audio XT60 vs PSB Imagine T65
- Polk Audio XT60 vs Q Acoustics 5040
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