The Philharmonic Audio BMR, Refreshed!

[ryanosaur]

I was hoping our good friend would pop in and show off the goods... I know a few people have already been talking about @D Murphy 's new gear... But this is too cool to not show off for those of us that like shiny cabinets that make pertty sounds.

New photos here:

Philharmonic Audio - Dennis Murphy

www.avsforum.com

@shadyJ 's review from early 2019

More details here:

Philharmonic Audio

www.philharmonicaudio.com

Dennis, the new stuff is looking great! Can't wait to see what else you have in store for us!

 

[mazersteven]

The look Beautiful!!!

So what's the difference between the Philharmonic and the Salk?

 

[VMPS-TIII]

The look Beautiful!!!

So what's the difference between the Philharmonic and the Salk?

About $700 lol

Philharmonic Audio

philharmonicaudio.com

 

[Alex2507]

About $700 lol

Philharmonic Audio

philharmonicaudio.com

... and probably like 6 coats of finish.

It makes them sound better.

 

[D Murphy]

About $700 lol

Philharmonic Audio

philharmonicaudio.com

There's a little more of a difference than that. The Salk versions use the original Scan woofer and its associated crossover. And, of course, Jim can use any kind of veneer and finish you want.

 

[D Murphy]

... and probably like 6 coats of finish.

It makes them sound better.

As I recall, there are something like 7 coats of lacquer on the new factory BMR's. They're expensive cabinets.

 

[KEW]

As I recall, there are something like 7 coats of lacquer on the new factory BMR's. They're expensive cabinets.

Hey Dennis!
Is there somewhere to find a shot of the front view of the mini-monitors?

 

[Beave]

Hey Dennis!
Is there somewhere to find a shot of the front view of the mini-monitors?

That same AVS thread - just go back a couple of pages and you'll see lots of pics of the minis in red walnut and in white.

https://www.avsforum.com/threads/philharmonic-audio-dennis-murphy.1348949/page-527

 

[Mpsafranski]

So thrilled to see you back @D Murphy ! The new BMRs look fantastic IMO. Can’t wait to hear em down the road

 

[Alex2507]

As I recall, there are something like 7 coats of lacquer on the new factory BMR's. They're expensive cabinets.

IIRC Salks have 12-15 coats.

Edit: To add:

Mantown

I like your speaker story arc better. Aww, shucks. *blushes Come to AH for some Lessons. Stay for the Friends and Stories! ;) None of what I did would have happened without some well placed advice from a few nice people I met here! :cool: What sounds good? I'll take two Phils. The end...

forums.audioholics.com

Your cabinets do look primo with the veneer following the curve. Nice middle of the road price point between the Salk and the flat pack with some serious WAF in the looks department.

 

[D Murphy]

Hey Dennis!
Is there somewhere to find a shot of the front view of the mini-monitors?

Not the best lighting, but at least it is a pic of the front.

@D Murphy, umm you wouldn't have any B Stock laying around? Or one that got Nicked up a bit? Towers

Not yet. But who knows what lies within the remaining BMR boxes.

 

[ryanosaur]

Not yet. But who knows what lies within the remaining BMR boxes.

such a tease...

GUYS:
*hint
dig a little deeper into the posts on that other forum! it doesn't take that long to power scan 5 or 10 pages.

 

[TankTop5]

I was under the impression the new BMR’s are Chinese assembled with mostly Chinese (high quality) components and outsourced cabinets.

I think it’s great to have a “budget” option and I don’t see it as detracting from Salk in any fashion. Any hopes of a similar budget philharmonic coming out?

 

[ryanosaur]

For the new BMRs, SB Acoustics manufactures in Indonesia, IIRC. Raal is in Serbia. Tectonic is an American company in California, manufacturing in China. The XOs are from Bennic in Taiwan.
We know the cabinets are sourced from China.
Final assembly is here in the US.

See below:

Philharmonic Audio - Dennis Murphy

www.avsforum.com

 

[ryanosaur]

Hey Dennis!
Is there somewhere to find a shot of the front view of the mini-monitors?

Here:

Philharmonic Audio - Dennis Murphy

www.avsforum.com

 

[VMPS-TIII]

There's a little more of a difference than that. The Salk versions use the original Scan woofer and its associated crossover. And, of course, Jim can use any kind of veneer and finish you want.

Dennis,
Do you prefer the original Scan woofer and crossover over the new design?

 

[Beave]

IIRC Salks have 12-15 coats.

I prefer one big coat over 12-15 thin coats.

 

[Beave]

Dennis,
Do you prefer the original Scan woofer and crossover over the new design?

I'm not sure if it's a matter of preference of one vs. the other.

The newer design with the SB woofer has higher sensitivity and a simpler crossover from woofer to mid, while only giving up a small amount of power handling capability at the very low end (at least, that's what I remember him writing in that other place).

 

[D Murphy]

I'm not sure if it's a matter of preference of one vs. the other.

The newer design with the SB woofer has higher sensitivity and a simpler crossover from woofer to mid, while only giving up a small amount of power handling capability at the very low end (at least, that's what I remember him writing in that other place).

You're right about power handling, although the Scan is a really high bar. The trade-off for a little extra volume at 34 Hz is a very heavy cone that breaks up fairly early and requires a steep slope to the mid to suppress the breakup. The SB Ceramic is much smoother, to the point that on quite a bit of music you might think you were listening to a decent 2-way if you played the woofer alone without a crossover. That allowed me to use a second order acoustic slope on the woof-mid circuit, which increased sensitivity. But the Xover isn't any simpler. It has the same number of components as the 4th order (both are 3rd order electrical). The component values are just chosen to roll the woofer off more gradually. The most complex crossovers are 1st order acoustic, because the acoustic output of the woofer has to be so carefully tailored.

 

[Beave]

Thanks for the clarification. I see from the SB ceramic data sheets that it's pretty smooth all the way up to several kHz, so they've really managed to push the breakup to a high frequency.