New BMR Philharmonitor from Philharmonic

[zieglj01]

This looks to be a good sounding beast
http://philharmonicaudio.com/BMR Philharmonitor.html

 

[slipperybidness]

Looks interesting!

Also of note--The Alexis-branded Philharmonitors and the AAL Pios have been removed from the Philharmonic web site

 

[zieglj01]

Looks interesting!

Also of note--The Alexis-branded Philharmonitors and the AAL Pios have been removed from the Philharmonic web site

Post #91 - his supplier raised them prices for the AA mods
http://www.avsforum.com/forum/89-speakers/1954057-speaker-review-phil-bmr-dennis-murphy-4.html#post34985497

 

[Swerd]

I heard one of those last winter. My first impression was that it was very nice, but as I walked about the room, I was surprised at how little the sound changed.

Those little BMR drivers make poor tweeters in a 2-way design, but work really well as a mid range in a 3-way speaker.

The off axis performance of those speakers is noteworthy considering Floyd Toole's comments in another thread about room treatments and speakers that don't behave well off axis. He says room treatments that deaden reflections are not needed if a speaker has smooth off axis performance. I think these speakers do just that.

… However, and it is a big "however", many loudspeakers do not behave well off axis. Historically, it was really bad. So, people found that absorbing the reflections improved things. The pros went through a period of a "live end" and a "dead end " in which the loudspeakers were in the dead end, and all off axis sounds were absorbed. One of the most popular monitor loudspeakers of that era was the UREI 811 and its siblings, all of which had absolutely terrible off axis performance. A lot of bad sound was simply turned into heat in thick absorbers.

Calculus won't help you here, but good loudspeakers can do wonders. I spend several chapters of the book discussing the various influences of first reflections. Think about it, if a Stradivarius violin were played in your room, would you feel compelled to absorb most of its sound output? Instead of timbrally rich and room filling, it would sound thin and tiny. If a really good loudspeaker is playing a good recording of a good voice or musical instrument, why would you absorb most of its output?

 

[KEW]

Any price info on them yet?

 

[fuzz092888]

$1400/pr plus shipping

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Any price info on them yet?

All the info is up on my site. The $1400 price doesn't include shipping, but I've capped it at $75.

 

[KEW]

I really need to learn how to read...one of these days!

 

[zieglj01]

$1400/pr plus shipping

I really need to learn how to read...one of these days!

 

[MEGATURON]

Someone has to audition these with the sierra 2 as i am watching sierra2 for a long time

 

[herbu]

I really need to learn how to read...one of these days!

Nah... just sound it out...

 

[psbfan9]

Are these rear ported/vented?
Dennis, any plans for a front ported/vented bookshelf speaker for those of us placement restrictions?

 

[Swerd]

I'm not Dennis, but I'll take a guess at what his answer might be.

The standard version of these bass reflex speakers comes in pre-made cabinets (22" tall × 9" wide × 13½" deep) with the port on the back. I doubt if there is room in this cabinet to put the port on the front.

Custom cabinets are also available through Jim Salk. These might be built front ported, if the cabinet is made taller and less deep, so the internal volume is the same. I don't know how long the port tube is. If it's too long, a slot port in front might do the trick, but I don't know what the cost of such a cabinet would be.

 

[slipperybidness]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Dennis mentioned in another thread that if you want a front port then you have to get it custom through Salk.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Dennis mentioned in another thread that if you want a front port then you have to get it custom through Salk.

And that's the truth. I don't think Jim charges extra for a slotted front port. You probably wouldn't want these any taller than they already are, so a regular round port isn't a good idea.

 

[uncola]

I think I found my next speaker. I always wanted the Phil 2 but I didn't have the room for them. But now I have a serious computer desk audio setup these can go in. This is going up on my vision board so I can The Secret them into my life for christmas! What's the difference between the standard cabinet and the jim salk one? fancy internal bracing? or the finish?

 

[PENG]

IHe says room treatments that deaden reflections are not needed if a speaker has smooth off axis performance. I think these speakers do just that.

I think he is probably right for many rooms but there are going to be rooms that still benefit from treatments.

 

[Swerd]

I think I found my next speaker. I always wanted the Phil 2 but I didn't have the room for them. But now I have a serious computer desk audio setup these can go in. This is going up on my vision board so I can The Secret them into my life for christmas! What's the difference between the standard cabinet and the jim salk one? fancy internal bracing? or the finish?

Dennis's words from the Philharmonic Audio web site:

The standard version of the BMR Philharmonitor is available in three finishes--cherry, maple, or piano mirror black. A custom version in a wider choice of veneers, with cabinets built by Jim Salk, is available for $1600/pr. There are no sonic differences between the standard and custom versions. Both cabinets come with magnetic front grills.​

If the standard cabinets are what I think they are, they are very well made. The front baffles are 1" thick and they are well braced internally. The $200 extra for Salk cabinets gets you a wider choice of finishes, or front ported cabinets.

If you plan on using these on a desk top, remember the size, 22" tall × 9" wide × 13.5" deep.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Dennis's words from the Philharmonic Audio web site:

The standard version of the BMR Philharmonitor is available in three finishes--cherry, maple, or piano mirror black. A custom version in a wider choice of veneers, with cabinets built by Jim Salk, is available for $1600/pr. There are no sonic differences between the standard and custom versions. Both cabinets come with magnetic front grills.​

If the standard cabinets are what I think they are, they are very well made. The front baffles are 1" thick and they are well braced internally. The $200 extra for Salk cabinets gets you a wider choice of finishes, or front ported cabinets.

If you plan on using these on a desk top, remember the size, 22" tall × 9" wide × 13.5" deep.

The cabinet differences are just finish quality. The prefabs are actually quite attractive, but Jim would choose much nicer veneer with more interesting and contrasting grain structure. As for putting these hogs on a desk top, I haven't tried it. I would be a little concerned that the bass might get a little overwhelming.

 

[Seth=L]

The cabinet differences are just finish quality. The prefabs are actually quite attractive, but Jim would choose much nicer veneer with more interesting and contrasting grain structure. As for putting these hogs on a desk top, I haven't tried it. I would be a little concerned that the bass might get a little overwhelming.

What kind of stands would be recommended for these?