Polk Audio Monitor XT60

Sources split three ways. One group hears a neutral balance: Andrew Robinson measured his room and called the result 'shockingly neutral', and Viewfrommydesktop and several Reddit owners also describe it as neutral and clear. A second, anchored by Erin's measurements, hears a bright lean: Erin found a treble lift and a bright estimated in-room response, Hi-Fi Class heard the treble slightly dominating the midrange (though pleasantly), and ROOSKIE on Audio Science Review returned a pair as 'very bright and thin' in a medium room. A third hears warmth or fullness: OldTrades calls it warm and suggests pairing it with a neutral or bright amplifier, one small-room Reddit owner likes its warmth, and Monthly Audio praises how full it sounds.

The strongest point of agreement among the sonic traits: for its size and price, the bass goes deep. Erin was most surprised by the towers' bass, Hi-Fi Class says it sounds as if it came from much bigger speakers, and OldTrades, Monthly Audio and most owners agree. Sources differ on two things. One is control: Hi-Fi Class hears its radiators slowing the bass down and Andrew Robinson says it's 'not the tightest', while Monthly Audio calls it quick. The other is whether you need a subwoofer: Erin, Andrew Robinson and Jake Wilder recommend one, and Reddit's SgtSlice finds the bass lacking, while Viewfrommydesktop and a German owner on Amazon are happy with none. OldTrades adds that it fills out only when the amplifier gets the woofer moving.

“the base on this speaker though is really quite nice with an f3 of 44 hertz”

Erin's Audio Corner (YouTube, 2022; Klippel data)

“for full range playback a sub is 100 required”

Andrew Robinson (YouTube; solid to about 40 Hz in his room)

“W konsekwencji bas traci na szybkości reakcji i dynamice.”

Arkadiusz Ogrodnik, Hi-Fi Class (Polish: 'As a result the bass loses some speed of response and dynamics')

“빠른 저역 반응으로 스피드적인 쾌감도 뛰어나다.”

Kim Moon-bu, Monthly Audio (Korean: 'With quick bass response, the pleasure of its speed is excellent too')

Sources split. The larger camp finds the midrange clear and natural: Andrew Robinson calls it 'gold' and neutral with clear dialogue, Monthly Audio praises its fullness, Reddit's SgtSlice singles out the vocals, and Hi-Fi Class hears it as open and unconstrained, though less smooth and rich than in pricier speakers. OldTrades has no complaints about vocals, except for a gritty 'traffic jam' on dense music. The other camp hears a problem: Erin measured a run of cabinet-related resonances, ROOSKIE calls the mids 'very unclean', kakaku.com owners rate the mids well below the category average (3.84 against 4.41) and describe them as recessed or muffled, and a Reddit owner wants to upgrade because vocals and strings feel limiting.

Sources split into two clusters. The larger, by weight, hears a soft and easy treble: OldTrades calls it 'very soft sounding' and neither bright nor sharp, Andrew Robinson says detail is there without fatigue, a one-year German owner on Amazon calls the tweeter crystal clear and never shrill, and kakaku.com owners say it doesn't sting. The other cluster hears a lift: Erin measured one and recommends turning the tweeter down first, ROOSKIE calls it very bright, and Hi-Fi Class hears a boosted top end, softened by the soft dome. Andrew Robinson adds that above about 90 dB the tweeter loses composure and some grain and sibilance appear.

Generally praised. Andrew Robinson says the speaker disappears into a stage of 'terrific depth and width', Hi-Fi Class has only good things to say about its spaciousness, Monthly Audio heard the stage fill its listening room, and a Reddit owner calls the soundstage great. OldTrades is the cooler voice, finding it smaller-sounding than a bigger tower though more spacious than its size suggests.

“the xt60 disappears orally into a Sound Stage that has terrific depth and width with a nice Center image”

Andrew Robinson (YouTube; 'orally' is the caption's 'aurally')

“W kwestii przestrzenności brzmienia mogę się o nich wypowiadać wyłącznie pozytywnie.”

Arkadiusz Ogrodnik, Hi-Fi Class (Polish: 'On spaciousness I can speak of them only positively')

“it's kind of smaller sounding”

OldTrades (YouTube; adds that it sounds more spacious than it looks)

Good for the price, with limits. Hi-Fi Class found instruments easy to locate, and a Reddit owner who moved to it from Sony's SS-CS5 praises its imaging. Andrew Robinson also likes the centre image but says focus won't match speakers costing two or three times as much.

“Źródła pozorne kreślone są na tyle wyraźnie, że nie powinniśmy mieć większych problemów ze wskazaniem ich dokładnej lokalizacji scenie.”

Arkadiusz Ogrodnik, Hi-Fi Class (Polish: 'Phantom sources are drawn clearly enough that we shouldn't have much trouble pointing to their exact place on the stage')

“just don't expect a laser focused presentation”

Andrew Robinson (YouTube)

Mostly praised as clear for the money. Andrew Robinson calls the treble detailed and articulate, Jake Wilder finds the clarity impressive for the price, and Reddit owners call it neutral yet clear, with one saying it keeps the detail of Sony's SS-CS5. An Amazon owner hears great definition in a small room. Hi-Fi Class gives the main caveat: the slightly raised treble first suggests more detail than there is, and it lacks a little resolution, though the review doesn't count that as a fault at this price.

“Overall speaker clarity is impressive for the price.”

Jake Wilder (YouTube description; bought at Best Buy)

“brakuje im nieco rozdzielczości”

Arkadiusz Ogrodnik, Hi-Fi Class (Polish: 'they lack a little resolution'; no fault at the price, the review adds)

Sources split on how it handles volume, and much of the split is about how loud you go. Most of the weight finds limits: Erin measured about 1 dB of compression in the upper bass at 102 dB at one metre, ROOSKIE found it stressed at louder levels in a medium room, OldTrades hears a gritty 'traffic jam' on heavy metal, Hi-Fi Class hears a slightly slowed rhythmic response, and an Amazon owner says a large room and loud volumes need more than a 6.5-inch woofer. The other camp is happy: Andrew Robinson calls the dynamics excellent between 60 and 90 dB, Monthly Audio finds it quick and full, and an ASR owner in an 11×15 ft room says it gets plenty loud.

Three points recur. The tweeter sits low for a tower: Erin had to slouch to reach its axis, though he says a little above it is fine. Horizontal dispersion is wide, so seats off to the side are well served. And it suits smaller spaces: an Amazon owner says it has great definition in a small room but not enough for a large one, and a small-room Reddit owner is very happy with it. ROOSKIE found the bass goes fairly deep near a wall.

“tweeter is below ear level in most situations”

Erin's Audio Corner (YouTube, 2022; tower height 92.5 cm)

“I will say the bass does go fairly deep if near a wall.”

ROOSKIE, Audio Science Review forum (11.5×23×8.5 ft room)

“In a small room, they have great definition”

Andy, Amazon US owner

Sources split on how much amplifier it wants. Some find it easy: Andrew Robinson says two mainstream AV receivers drove it to its limits without strain, one Reddit owner is happy on a Yamaha WXA-50, and an Amazon owner calls 40 W per channel plenty. Others find it hungry: OldTrades had to turn it up far more than similarly rated speakers and says the bass only fills out once the woofer moves, a German owner wants an amplifier that can deliver clean low frequencies, and another Amazon owner says it just needs enough power, running 120 W per channel.

Basic, with the savings easy to find. Hi-Fi Class calls the finish careful but the materials cheap, with vinyl wrap, simple low-cost crossover parts and plastic terminal nuts, along with a tidy fixed plinth and plenty of mineral-wool damping. Erin suspects the bracing or panel thickness is behind its resonances, Andrew Robinson says more bracing would help, though he also calls it nicely constructed for a budget speaker. OldTrades finds the grille flimsy. Owner complaints are mostly about individual units: a kakaku.com owner reports loose terminals that shorted and damaged an amplifier, a Reddit owner hit a buzzing driver on both towers within a year, and an Amazon owner received both cabinets with minor damage.

“Skrzynki wykończono starannie, choć z użyciem tanich materiałów.”

Arkadiusz Ogrodnik, Hi-Fi Class (Polish: 'The cabinets are carefully finished, though with cheap materials')

“sure some added bracing or deadening would have solidified the edges of instruments and performers a bit more but for a budget speaker the xt60 is nicely constructed”

Andrew Robinson (YouTube)

“端子がゆるいのでショートしてアンプが壊れます。危険です。”

嘆きのボイン, kakaku.com owner (Japanese: 'The terminals are loose, so it shorts and breaks the amp. Dangerous.')

Mostly praised, more so at sale prices. Andrew Robinson calls finding a speaker this good at its price 'like stealing', OldTrades calls it really good for the money, Hi-Fi Class finds no rival at the price with bass like this, and Amazon owners rate it 4.6 of 5 in the US and 4.4 in Germany. A Reddit owner who paid $136 calls it a home run but says that at the then $250 list, other towers deserve a look. The dissent is about what else the money buys: a Reddit reply prefers the ES20 bookshelf at every frequency above the bass, one Reddit listener heard the XT70 as significantly better side by side, a German owner says the XT70 is worth the extra €40, and one commenter dismisses the whole brand as 'department store'. Kakaku.com owners are cooler overall (3.97 against a category average of 4.50).

“finding a speaker as good as the xt60 at its asking price of less than 500 a pair 400 a pair if you buy them on sale is like stealing”

Andrew Robinson (YouTube, 2022)

“The XT60s' measured in-room response is a whole 10Hz lower than the ES20s', and above that, the ES20s sound objectively better at every frequency.”

NTPC4, r/BudgetAudiophile

“Polk is nothing more than brand. Department store sound, department store build quality, insane price.”

Physical_Manager_123, r/BudgetAudiophile