Philharmonic Audio - 3-way open back ML-TQWTs designed by Dennis Murphy

[ahblaza]

Actually, Clint, I was just reading in the newspaper this morning that the Republicans themselves are pointing fingers over who let you make that speech without a rehearsal. I liked it, but you came in #2 with me; I liked Condoleezza's speech better. In fact, I gotta say that as a registered Republican she made the only speech I was really proud of that night. I'll probably vote for these guys, but Ryan needs to get off the Ayn Rand alter, and he needs a better speech writer who can get his facts straight. Well, perhaps I'm being too harsh, every candidate needs that.

It would be nice, just once, to really vote *for* someone, rather than just against the other guy. Perhaps you can use your influential position, Clint, to give Romney some sage advice.

As for that start button, that's a good question for Steve Balmer. Of course, on my computer you power it down by clicking on an apple, or blindly reaching to the back of the monitor for the power button and feeling around until you find it. I can't decide which Steve needed an ergo course more.

There is an old saying, no matter who you vote "for" THE GOVERNMENT always wins
Tom I thought with age comes wisdom, I'm sure getting older and the "fusing" part is becoming more apparent now
When I want things to disappear around my home, I just invite my relatives over.
Cheers

 

[frsimms]

I hope you guys all caught my big speech at the Republican Convention. I thought the empty chair was a stroke of genius. The liberal press, of course, panned it. I may have to make their day. Remember now--I'm OLD. So no more confusing talk about subwoofer settings. I still haven't figued out why I have to press the Start button to turn Off my computer. Regards, Philharmonic Clint

The Dems(and some of the Repubs) didn't seem to have any compassion for an old geezer. I thought they were the ones that cared about the old!?

Bob

 

[Dennis Murphy]

The Dems(and some of the Repubs) didn't seem to have any compassion for an old geezer. I thought they were the ones that cared about the old!?

Bob

Nope--us geezers are on our own. So please send those checks and wire transfers to Denny Murphy, Bethesda MD.

As for what makes a speaker disappear, I don't really know. Some people still claim that you need true 1st order crossovers with time aligned drivers. But that certainly hasn't been my experience, and achieving that result requires very specal drivers and extremely complex crossovers. My view is that if you start with decent drivers, measure carefully, and optimize the crossover so that the acoustic slopes track the intended target and sum properly, and if there's nothing weird going on off axis, you should end up with speakers that image well and will not sound like boxes with drivers in them. I also think that an open-back midrange contributes significantly to a boxless, you-are-there sound stage.

 

[frsimms]

Dennis, I have said a couple of times that I thought the Philharmonic 2s were the most natural sounding speakers that I have ever heard. I was in my school band and was a piano tuner for a few years, but that was years ago. I am not the best judge of musical accuracy. You play in the Washington Philharmonic so your ear for accuracy is much more acute and so should be more useful. I was wondering which speakers, regardless of cost, that you think are more accurate than the Phils?

Bob

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Dennis, I have said a couple of times that I thought the Philharmonic 2s were the most natural sounding speakers that I have ever heard. I was in my school band and was a piano tuner for a few years, but that was years ago. I am not the best judge of musical accuracy. You play in the Washington Philharmonic so your ear for accuracy is much more acute and so should be more useful. I was wondering which speakers, regardless of cost, that you think are more accurate than the Phils?

Bob

Hi I'm sure there are quite a few, but I don't get around much. And, as you know, it's difficult to make any valid conclusions without having two competing speakers in the same room playing the same music through the same equipment. The speaker I was most impressed with during my most recent visits to RMAF was the Vandy 7. The midrange in particular seemed dead on to me.

 

[frsimms]

Hi I'm sure there are quite a few, but I don't get around much. And, as you know, it's difficult to make any valid conclusions without having two competing speakers in the same room playing the same music through the same equipment. The speaker I was most impressed with during my most recent visits to RMAF was the Vandy 7. The midrange in particular seemed dead on to me.

I thought so too! If it was only open baffle and $35k cheaper. I guess the Vandy's $100k worth of electronics didn't hurt either.

Bob

 

[KEW]

T-L interior pic

I had not noticed a pic of the interior of the T-L woofer cabinet so I asked Del about it. He was kind enough to send me a pic and said it would be okay to post:

I clearly provides good bracing for the cabinet, but I have to say I don't understand how the signal route.
If anyone can offer an explanation, I'd appreciate it.

 

[GranteedEV]

I clearly provides good bracing for the cabinet, but I have to say I don't understand how the signal route.
If anyone can offer an explanation, I'd appreciate it.

Think of the Songtower, or its sibling the ER18MTM

The driver placement and vent placement along that long, rectangular box are optimized to minimize response ripples created by standing waves, which can color the lower mids. In order to get the same driver and vent placement in a shorter box, you "fold the line" and make it deep.

Taken to extremes, this kind of folding can be done with very long horns as well:

 

[Swerd]

I had not noticed a pic of the interior of the T-L woofer cabinet so I asked Del about it. He was kind enough to send me a pic and said it would be okay to post:

I clearly provides good bracing for the cabinet, but I have to say I don't understand how the signal route.
If anyone can offer an explanation, I'd appreciate it.

Here's my guess at what we see. The vertical panel on the left side is the rear of the bass module. I can see what looks like a cut-out for terminals.

The top of the cabinet has a step down (on the right side) where the mid/tweeter module will sit.

The front panel, not yet installed, will go on the right side. The woofer will be near the top of that panel under the mid range and tweeter.

The path of the TL goes from behind the woofer, over the first bend, down and around the second bend, and finally out the TL port which is located on top at the rear (left side).

 

[fuzz092888]

You can also read this if you haven't seen it. Straight from Paul Kittinger

Academic Education | Full Width

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Here's my guess at what we see. The vertical panel on the left side is the rear of the bass module. I can see what looks like a cut-out for terminals.

The top of the cabinet has a step down (on the right side) where the mid/tweeter module will sit.

The front panel, not yet installed, will go on the right side. The woofer will be near the top of that panel under the mid range and tweeter.

The path of the TL goes from behind the woofer, over the first bend, down and around the second bend, and finally out the TL port which is located on top at the rear (left side).

Right you are, although Del didn't show the little mouse that runs around inside and provides power.

 

[KEW]

Here's my guess at what we see. The vertical panel on the left side is the rear of the bass module. I can see what looks like a cut-out for terminals.

The top of the cabinet has a step down (on the right side) where the mid/tweeter module will sit.

The front panel, not yet installed, will go on the right side. The woofer will be near the top of that panel under the mid range and tweeter.

The path of the TL goes from behind the woofer, over the first bend, down and around the second bend, and finally out the TL port which is located on top at the rear (left side).

Okay, that makes sense! I was looking at the cut-out for the terminal plate and thinking the woofer went there! Front baffle to the right clears up a lot!

 

[KEW]

Right you are, although Del didn't show the little mouse that runs around inside and provides power.

Uhhh... I better send you the dimensions of my cat's head so you can size the port properly. I'd hate to have them quit working prematurely.

Is there an up-charge for a BIG mouse?

 

[slipperybidness]

Right you are, although Del didn't show the little mouse that runs around inside and provides power.

Little mouse? I'm pretty sure it is powered by "magic smoke", like all electronics

 

[fuzz092888]

Mine are powered by gnomes riding miniature goats.

 

[Swerd]

Right you are, although Del didn't show the little mouse that runs around inside and provides power.

Doesn't Del install that later in the assembly?

Little mouse? I'm pretty sure it is powered by "magic smoke", like all electronics

Another closely kept secret of the audio industry is revealed, there is nothing magic about the smoke .

 

[frsimms]

My friend got Philharmonic 2s last winter he agreed to have them delivered to my house and I wrote a review of them at Audio Asylum. He liked them at my house but when he took them home he was not very happy with them. He said they didn’t move him like my Salk SoundScapes did. He would bug me to leave him my SoundScapes in my will. I felt a little responsible as I was the one that told him about the Phils. I remembered how well the Phils sounded with my cheap Panasonic XR70 receiver so I bought him a similar Panasonic XR50 off of Ebay and gave it to him to replace his old Onkyo. It made a tremendous difference. Like with the Onkyo, I ran his stuff through his TV into the receiver optically. He is very happy now. His system moves him now. I do think he would like it if I left him my Salks in a will, but I don’t think it would bother him if I didn’t.

Bob

I just thought I would give a follow up. My friend still talks about me leaving my SoundScapes to him in my will. Now, for the first time in 2 years he is talking about the veneer and not just the sound. LOL

Bob

 

[GranteedEV]

I just thought I would give a follow up. My friend still talks about me leaving my SoundScapes to him in my will. Now, for the first time in 2 years he is talking about the veneer and not just the sound. LOL

Bob

I think Neither Onkyo nor Panasonic is the solution for the Phils. Your friend definitely needs better electronics, at least maybe Emotiva, Marantz, or Crown if nothing expensive.

 

[frsimms]

I think Neither Onkyo nor Panasonic is the solution for the Phils. Your friend definitely needs better electronics, at least maybe Emotiva, Marantz, or Crown if nothing expensive.

I wasn’t suggesting that a Panny would be the best option. I was just trying to make the point that if the Phils were not moving you then I wouldn’t look toward the speakers. The problem would probably lie elsewhere. The electronics might be a suspect. I just chose the Panny as I knew it had a synergy, that my friend liked, with his Phils and I am cheap!

Bob

 

[PENG]

I suspect that you have already pulled most of the slack out of your own rope.

Peng,
I suspect that it is not really so much this particular post as much as the cumulative effect of posts made - a "straw that broke the camel's back" situation.

Okay, I knew I could be missing something, as mods around here seem quite tolerant, typically speaking..