Philharmonic Audio BMR Philharmonitor Bookshelf Speaker Demo Report

[gene]

If you're in the market for a magnificent 3-way bookshelf speaker for a price that won’t break the bank you might want to check out the BMR Philharmonitor from Philharmonic Audio. With the Philharmonitor you get quality instead of quantity. The BMRs can play a wide variety of music really well relying on the superb craftsmanship of the RAAL tweeter. Check out our full demo report of the Philharmonitors to see if they're right for you.

Read: Philharmonic Audio BMR Philharmonitor Bookshelf Speaker Demo Report

 

[shadyJ]

Hey Dennis, if you read this, can you tell me about that midrange diaphragm? Most diaphragms are conical to help with stiffness, as you know, but that one is a flat surface. Can you tell me why the manufacturer decided to go with a flat diaphragm instead of a cone?

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Hey Dennis, if you read this, can you tell me about that midrange diaphragm? Most diaphragms are conical to help with stiffness, as you know, but that one is a flat surface. Can you tell me why the manufacturer decided to go with a flat diaphragm instead of a cone?

All of the driver elements in the BMR line are flat to facilitate the bending motion mode the speaker enters at higher frequencies (beginning around 1800 Hz). The element itself is quite stiff, and there is no breakup until way beyond the operating range I use.

 

[Swerd]

I've heard these speakers more than once or twice, and I can confirm all the wonderful things K Garcia says about them.

That BMR mid range driver does amazing things with off-axis dispersion. Coupled with the smooth and clear sounding ribbon tweeter, its a winner. And if that wasn't enough, there's real bass extension, 30 Hz ± 2 dB, coming from a bookshelf speaker!

If anyone is considering these, and I would definitely encourage it, it is important to understand that these "bookshelf" speakers are not small. The cabinet footprint is reasonably small, 9" wide ×13.5" deep, but its 22" tall, almost 2 feet. That's probably taller than most bookshelf speakers available. Nothing wrong with that. But don't let the bookshelf term fool you into thinking these speaker cabinets are small.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

I've heard these speakers more than once or twice, and I can confirm all the wonderful things Gene says about them.

That BMR mid range driver does amazing things with off-axis dispersion. Coupled with the smooth and clear sounding ribbon tweeter, its a winner. And if that wasn't enough, there's real bass extension, 30 Hz ± 2 dB, coming from a bookshelf speaker!

If anyone is considering these, and I would definitely encourage it, it is important to understand that these "bookshelf" speakers are not small. The cabinet footprint is reasonably small, 9" wide ×13.5" deep, but its 22" tall, almost 2 feet. That's probably taller than most bookshelf speakers available. Nothing wrong with that. But don't let the bookshelf term fool you into thinking these speaker cabinets are small.

Actually, the model that was reviewed is merely large, rather than HUUUUGE. It's 20" high. The 22" model is the one Jim Salk builds. The sonics are the same for both.

 

[slipperybidness]

Actually, the model that was reviewed is merely large, rather than HUUUUGE. It's 20" high. The 22" model is the one Jim Salk builds. The sonics are the same for both.

Just curious, any chance these BMR would work well and look nice on those Ascend stands--the ones that make his BS speakers look like tower speakers?

 

[shadyJ]

I've heard these speakers more than once or twice, and I can confirm all the wonderful things Gene says about them.

That BMR mid range driver does amazing things with off-axis dispersion. Coupled with the smooth and clear sounding ribbon tweeter, its a winner. And if that wasn't enough, there's real bass extension, 30 Hz ± 2 dB, coming from a bookshelf speaker!

If anyone is considering these, and I would definitely encourage it, it is important to understand that these "bookshelf" speakers are not small. The cabinet footprint is reasonably small, 9" wide ×13.5" deep, but its 22" tall, almost 2 feet. That's probably taller than most bookshelf speakers available. Nothing wrong with that. But don't let the bookshelf term fool you into thinking these speaker cabinets are small.

It looks like Kevin Garcia is the author of this article, not Gene.

 

[Swerd]

It looks like Kevin Garcia is the author of this article, not Gene.

I missed that, thanks .

 

[KEW]

Actually, the model that was reviewed is merely large, rather than HUUUUGE. It's 20" high. The 22" model is the one Jim Salk builds. The sonics are the same for both.

This should be changed in the review! I guess he pulled the 22" dimension off of your site without noting that was for the Salk version.

For $1,350/pair plus shipping you get these magnificent 3-way ported speakers which are 22" H x 9" W x 13.5" D and weigh in at 38lbs. ea. The pair used in this demo are the standard speakers with a pre-fab cabinet MTMC-0.75CH made by Dayton Audio and sold on the Parts Express website. The price/performance ratio compared to other speakers at the similar cost is phenomenal. Of course, you can always upgrade to cabinets made by Jim Salk that are $1600/pair and come with straight-sided cabinet walls and a slightly larger size.

 

[Roen]

I wonder if we can get a comparison to the 2-way Sierra-2?

 

[KEW]

I wonder if we can get a comparison to the 2-way Sierra-2?

I would say the New Philharmonitor is fairer competition for the Sierra 2 based on drivers, design, and specifications.

 

[Roen]

What about price?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[KEW]

What about price?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Well yes, the BMR price is close, but a little less depending on what the shipping cost is for the BMR.
But they have comparable tweeters, the BMR digs 16Hz deeper (actually more since the BMR spec is +/-2dB), and if you have any faith that Dennis knows what he is doing, you can presume there is a reason he used the unconventional BMR midrange to make a more expensive speaker than the New Philharmonitor!
The BMR mid is about dispersion, so I suspect that the effect of that incredible dispersion is what would distinguish the BMR from the Sierra (aside from the extra bass).
But I would like to hear a description of the BMR with the amazing dispersion compared to a more conventional design such as the Sierra 2.

 

[charmerci]

I wonder how much busier Dennis is since this report came out.

 

[agarwalro]

I wonder if we can get a comparison to the 2-way Sierra-2?

In 2.0 use, I'd recommend the BMR Monitor for its deeper bass capabilities. In 2.1 use, we have a good fight. Tough to call it without listening to both setups back to back.

The rest of this post is my speculation, so, salt it.

The highs should be identical or nearly so. The mids and mid-bass a toss up based on music preference and the bass no contest to BMR. Having a 3 way design, the BMR overall distortion could be lower when cranked.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

In 2.0 use, I'd recommend the BMR Monitor for its deeper bass capabilities. In 2.1 use, we have a good fight. Tough to call it without listening to both setups back to back.

The rest of this post is my speculation, so, salt it.

The highs should be identical or nearly so. The mids and mid-bass a toss up based on music preference and the bass no contest to BMR. Having a 3 way design, the BMR overall distortion could be lower when cranked.

All I can tell you is that the two sound quite different due mostly, I think, to different radiation patterns. It's definitely one of those instances where an on-axis frequency response plot (above the bass region) won't tell you much about comparative sound characteristics. The same comment holds for the BMR vs the Philharmonitor and, to a lesser extent, AA monitor.

 

[psbfan9]

What gear did Kevin use to drive these? Are they rear ported?

Nice to see Dennis' speakers get a review.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hey Dennis, if you read this, can you tell me about that midrange diaphragm? Most diaphragms are conical to help with stiffness, as you know, but that one is a flat surface. Can you tell me why the manufacturer decided to go with a flat diaphragm instead of a cone?

These interesting flat diaphragm speakers are produced by an innovative company located in Bedford UK.

Here is the data sheet for that driver. Note that it is relatively high Q with an Fs of 170 Hz. So the driver would need to be well down at that point. It has a spectacular midrange response to 10 KHz.
Its real only downside is limited power handling capacity coupled with a relative insensitivity.

These drivers look suspiciously like the little units being developed by Peter Walker at the end of his life. His patents on this passed though a lot of hands after his death. I'm pretty sure they have ended up in Tectonics hands.

You will also note exciters on the website. This was further allied research of Peter's. He came to the conclusion that a membrane driven by these units could do as good a job as an electrostatic panel at less cost and with greater reliability. Sadly this was work in progress when his lung disease made it impossible for him to continue work on this interesting idea.

So all this has a much greater pedigree than you might imagine.

For any tinkerers they are available from Parts Express.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

What gear did Kevin use to drive these? Are they rear ported?

Nice to see Dennis' speakers get a review.

I don't remember what Kevin used on these. They were rear ported--all of the versions with the PE cabinets have to be rear ported. As for the power handling point TLS raised, I suspect that's based on a much lower crossover than I use, or no crossover at all. My operating range is about 600 Hz to 3800 Hz, with steep slopes on either end, and that doesn't impose a very high excursion or thermal demand. This unit is often used full range despite it's Fs of 120 Hz.

 

[cat_man]

Hi all,

I am new here , but I am an audiophile long time a go , to long ...I am very interested to buy these loudspeakers and need some help regarding amplification . On www.philharmonicaudio.com I can't find information about max power and recommended amplification , therfore can somebody recommend good partnering amp for these loudspeakers ? It will be used in small room without too loud usage ... intention is to get good detailed sound on low volume level ...
I live in the building and the quality of sound insulation in the United States is ...you already know ... very , very bad