Home > Consumer Reviews > Polk Audio Monitor 60 2-Way Floorstanding Speaker (Single, Cherry)

I purchased my Polk Audio Monitor 60s after auditioning "higher end" (read alot more expensive) floorstanding speaker offerings from KEF iQ series, Klipsch RF and F series, and similarly priced speakers from Wharfedale, the Boston Acoustics Horizon floorstanding speaker, and also Polk Audio's own Monitor 50 and Monitor 70.

To my ears, the Monitor 60s combine the best elements from all of these speakers. They have a wonderfully open, spacious and detailed sound that results in realistic reproduction of instruments, voices and soundstage. I was bothered by the brightness of the KEFs and Boston Acoustics speakers though these speakers may have had slightly better soundstaging capability. I didn't like the sound of the treble from the Klipschs (specifically their tone and their detail/resolution capabilities), though they had better bass extension and great dynamics (slam). I found the Monitor 50's sound too lightweight, and I was surprised that I didn't like the tonal balance of the Monitor 70s - they sounded too dark to my ears.

As other reviewers have noted, the bass is a little too light for home theater use (i.e. to really create floor shaking explosions) but adding a subwoofer (I already had two) removes that problem. On their own, without a subwoofer, I find the bass more than enough for critical music listening. Your mileage may vary, but I have never liked the sound of any subwoofer for music listening (it's too boomy), and the Monitor 60's tonal balance sounds just right for everything from rock, classical, jazz, latin, electro. The bass is very fast and tight and extends deep enough to reproduce nearly all instruments, except deep organ notes and some electronic bass.

So I'm very very happy with the Monitor 60s particularly at their low price!

I purchased my Polk Audio Monitor 60s after auditioning "higher end" (read alot more expensive) floorstanding speaker offerings from KEF iQ series, Klipsch RF and F series, and similarly priced speakers from Wharfedale, the Boston Acoustics Horizon floorstanding speaker, and also Polk Audio's own Monitor 50 and Monitor 70.

To my ears, the Monitor 60s combine the best elements from all of these speakers. They have a wonderfully open, spacious and detailed sound that results in realistic reproduction of instruments, voices and soundstage. I was bothered by the brightness of the KEFs and Boston Acoustics speakers though these speakers may have had slightly better soundstaging capability. I didn't like the sound of the treble from the Klipschs (specifically their tone and their detail/resolution capabilities), though they had better bass extension and great dynamics (slam). I found the Monitor 50's sound too lightweight, and I was surprised that I didn't like the tonal balance of the Monitor 70s - they sounded too dark to my ears.

As other reviewers have noted, the bass is a little too light for home theater use (i.e. to really create floor shaking explosions) but adding a subwoofer (I already had two) removes that problem. On their own, without a subwoofer, I find the bass more than enough for critical music listening. Your mileage may vary, but I have never liked the sound of any subwoofer for music listening (it's too boomy), and the Monitor 60's tonal balance sounds just right for everything from rock, classical, jazz, latin, electro. The bass is very fast and tight and extends deep enough to reproduce nearly all instruments, except deep organ notes and some electronic bass.

So I'm very very happy with the Monitor 60s particularly at their low price!

I recently purchased a pair of these speakers and added a 10-inch subwoofer as well as two bookshelf monitor series speakers. WOW! For speakers that Polk Audio considers entry level these are an excellent choice for someone who wants to save money and get a well rounded speaker system that covers an array of music genre. From Classical music to Rap, these speakers will do the job.

Here stands the narrow, but deep and tall Monitor 60, the middle performer, between the lesser endowed 50 and bigger sibling 70. It's dimensions and tower design make it well suited for home theatre and two-channel music listening. It stands just tall enough at 37.5 inches so that it pairs well with TV's perched on cabinet or wall mount. No need for cement bricks or adjustable stands, the 60 will put the seated listener's ear and the center channel speaker on the same plane. The upper drivers, placed at the top end of the speaker's cabinet, will reach over even the most magnificent sofa arms. The cabinet feet are of a hard plastic, spike design that works well enough for carpet or hard surface flooring. My only let down. I don't care for the grill covers which do not sit flush with the cabinet around the edges, and, due to thin material,the plastic, diamond-shaped, lattice framework is visible underneath the material at times.

My Polk speaker system consists of the Monitor 60's in Front, Polk Audio Monitor Series CS1 Center Channel Speaker (Single, Black), and Polk Audio Monitor 30 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers (Pair, Black) in surround and rear positions. The subwoofer is a 100 watt amped, 8" Sony. Power is supplied by a 95 Watt per channel Yamaha with 7.2 surround and High Definition audio decoders. Content is provided by a Samsung Blu-ray player and HP Home Theatre PC storing music in WMA-lossless format.

The Monitors sound quality is clear, ranging from 38Hz to 25kHz. For those unaware - the human range of hearing is generally recognized to be 20Hz (bass) - 20kHz (treble). Therefore, the 60's bass output leaves room for improvement. You'll probably have to find a bookshelf or tower speaker with a larger woofer to get more bass in the same price range (or pay much more). The Polk Monitors are all very similar with the CS2 and 70 being the exception. They employ 6.5" drivers instead of 5.25". The difference that really sets them apart is in mid to low bass prominence. So, on to the big question - does the Monitor 60 have sufficient bass using a small woofer? My answer is the safe one, drawing up specs and understanding of human differences, it depends.

Again, the 60's woofer bottoms at 38Hz. Larger brother 70 drops as deep as 30Hz and the 50 only hits 42Hz. Bookshelfs and Centers dip into the 48-55Hz range. Specs on many of the similarly priced SUB-woofers ($100 to $300) drop down in the upper 20's and mid 30Hz area. So only the 70 rivals the RANGE of a subwoofer. However, bass VOLUME superiority from the subwoofer is far more than marginal. The difference is most noticeable on paper when reading SPL measures, but easily identified by even the ears of novice listeners. The 60's bass ouput will be barely noticeable where the subwoofer stands proud and loud.

Out of the box, prior to break-in, and with no Receiver/EQ adjustment, the 60's bass was lacking. When using the "Direct" minimal circuitry setting on my amp, the 60 produced just enough bass to be adequate for my taste. In fact, at this point, increasing the volume to feel the bass in your chest, you'll probably notice the pain in your ears far sooner. However, after about a month of break-in and adjusting the Receiver/EQ, the 60's bass is more than adequate. Increasing the bass tone control on the A/V receiver may be enough for some. My Yamaha receiver has seven band EQ settings for each speaker, as well as the bass/treble tone controls and a variety of surround formats. Combine this with the EQ on my Home Entertainment PC and I have an incredible array of tools to get substantial bass without subwoofer.

Yet, typically I listen to music with all speakers using the ProLogic IIx Music setting on the Receiver. The moderately configured 8" subwoofer compliments the Monitors very well with the Yamaha's crossover set to direct frequencies below 60Hz from the small speakers to the sub and the sub's volume set just above the mid point. I listen to a wide variety of music, mostly Jazz and Classical, some pop/rock, occasionally techno/industrial, blues, world styles, such as Irish Trad. The 60's seem at home with each genre.

Barring the tightest of overstretched budgets and given the current Amazon prices for the Monitor Towers, I would choose the 70 over the other two, and the Cs2 Center. I was able to purchase the 60's at $130 each from a different vendor (instead of $180 at Amazon), and the matching CS1 for only $79, sealing the deal for me. However, the Monitor 50 or 60 and an 8-10 inch subwoofer costing as little as $100 can be a highly potent system when everything is adjusted correctly. In fact, taking the savings by getting the lower priced 50's and investing more in a subwoofer might be good approach for those not sub-averse. Keep in mind, your sub will have adjustments for volume and crossover frequency. Your A/V Receiver will allow you to adjust speaker levels as well. When you turn on your DVD player to watch the latest action flick, turn up the sub volume/level. When you go for the CD or Radio, turn the sub volume down.

Last, Polk speaker quality is well-known in audio circles and the Monitors are no exception. Binding posts, rubber driver surrounds, bi-amping, and solid MDF/wood cabinetry are just some of the obvious signs. I must make a confession. Purchasing seven new Polk Monitors for just over $500, with no shipping charges, was a very big factor in choosing this setup. However, it was my ownership of Polk products in the past and their great reputation that had me looking at them in the first place.

I got these for my home theater. I previously had the JVC 1000-Watt system TH-C5. Needed something with more clarity. Here's my setup: Front R&L - Polk Monitor 60s, Center - Polk Csi3, Rear - Polk RTi4, Sub - Hsu VTF-2MK2, Receiver Onkyo TX-604.

I did alot of research before finally ordering these speakers and heard alot of speakers at my local Fry's. First off, I really wanted floorstanding for my fronts, but wanted to spend under 700/pair. Alot of people complain about how there's no Bass with these speakers and they are right. These speakers need to be supplemented with a subwoofer (which is essential for any home theater system in my opinion). But the high/midrange of these speakers are amazing for the price. The speakers sounded better than the Monitor 50's especially at higher pitches, and they did sound crisper at duller volumes. But I did not notice a big difference between these and the monitor 70's. So, I'd recommend these M 60's over the 70's as the 70's dont justify the higher price tag.

And wow the clarity of this system is amazing. Movies, HD television (like 24, Prison break, and Lost), and my downloaded music videos all have a whole new feel to them. Its spectacular. I love POLK! I'm so glad I got rid of my JVC's. by the way, did I mention, that speakers look sexy! Everyone gives it a wow factor when they walk in and look at them, not to mention listen to them.