Bass from a cabinet rather than from a subwoofer
A floorstander holds more air than a bookshelf speaker, and that is what produces the low end without a subwoofer. Four published figures do the work. Frequency response with its tolerance — "45 Hz–22 kHz ±3 dB" is a specification, "20 Hz–40 kHz" alone is not. Sensitivity and impedance, which together say what amplifier the speaker wants. And the port: a rear-firing one needs distance from the wall, a front or downward-firing one does not, and that single detail decides whether a speaker suits a real living room. Two- and three-way designs differ in how they split the range, and a three-way keeps the midrange away from the driver that is moving most. We compare stated frequency response with tolerance, sensitivity and impedance, driver configuration, port type and placement, and dimensions.
Passive pair · 500 W maximum stated · works with common hi-fi amplifiers
The entry floorstander: a passive pair with a maximum power figure and little else published, at the price where most people buy their first tower speakers.
Best for: A first pair of tower speakers, where the alternative is bookshelf speakers on a shelf.
≈ £210 / 190 €
Active pair · 320 W stated · Bluetooth 5.4 · DAB+ radio built in · wooden cabinets · LED
Active floorstanders with a DAB radio inside them — a complete music system in two cabinets, with no amplifier, no source and no shelf.
Best for: A room that wants music without any furniture — no rack, no amplifier, no source.
≈ 274 €
Passive pair · three-way · 200 W RMS (440 W max) stated · 1 × 6.5" subwoofer, 3 × 6.5" woofers, 1 × 6.5" mid, 1" tweeter
The most completely specified floorstander here: every driver diameter published, and power stated as RMS with the peak figure alongside it.
Best for: A medium or large room, and a buyer who wants to see the driver complement before committing.
≈ 200 €
Floorstanding · top of the Monitor XT range · Terylene dome tweeter · Hi-Res capable frequency extension stated
The largest speaker in the Monitor XT range, which also contains the matching centre and height module in this catalogue — a system rather than a speaker.
Best for: The front pair of a Polk Monitor XT system, with the matching centre and height modules from this catalogue.
≈ $319 / 313 €
Active pair · three-way · two woofers · Kevlar midrange with phase plug · 25 mm tweeter · no external amplifier
An active three-way floorstander: the amplifier is inside, which removes a component and a decision — and removes the ability to change it later.
Best for: A system where the speakers are the whole system — a television, a source and these, with nothing between them.
≈ 730 €
