BMR Philharmonitor vs. KEF R3

[runnah]

Hi guys!

I am looking for a pair of stereo speakers with a budget of up to $2,000. I recently was made aware of the BMR Philharmonitors' glowing reviews. Since they're a three-way design, in my mind KEF R3s are a natural competitor to the BMRs. Does anyone have a comparison of both speakers? Also, any other speakers under $2,000 you know of that can compete or even better the BMRs? My room size is approx. 9 x 11 feet.

Thanks!

 

[Steve Dallas]

I would answer this, as I own R3s and have BMRs here for a test drive. But I don't want to spoil an upcoming review I am writing.

BTW, @hardisj of Erin's Audio Corner has reviewed the BMR and has R3 review samples in his possession, so we will soon have objective reviews of both from the same source.

Short answer: go for the R3 if your environment responds better to narrower directivity speakers or would benefit from a concentric design. Otherwise, go for the BMRs.

Another speaker to consider in your price range is the Revel M106 (never pay list price for Revels). But I would still choose the BMRs.

 

[runnah]

I would answer this, as I own R3s and have BMRs here for a test drive. But I don't want to spoil an upcoming review I am writing.

BTW, @hardisj of Erin's Audio Corner has reviewed the BMR and has R3 review samples in his possession, so we will soon have objective reviews of both from the same source.

Short answer: go for the R3 if your environment responds better to narrower directivity speakers or would benefit from a concentric design. Otherwise, go for the BMRs.

Another speaker to consider in your price range is the Revel M106 (never pay list price for Revels). But I would still choose the BMRs.

Hi Steve, can you elaborate to this noob what sort of environments responds better to narrow directivity vs wide directivity? That would help me haha!

 

[Steve Dallas]

Hi Steve, can you elaborate to this noob what sort of environments responds better to narrow directivity vs wide directivity? That would help me haha!

I'm not that kind of engineer, but these should help:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?search/18643365/&q=wide+directivity&o=relevance

 

[runnah]

I'm not that kind of engineer, but these should help:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?search/18643365/&q=wide+directivity&o=relevance

Steve, in terms of just pure sonic performance between the BMRs and R3s, which are superior in your opinion?

 

[Steve Dallas]

Steve, in terms of just pure sonic performance between the BMRs and R3s, which are superior in your opinion?

The interaction between a room and a speaker is extremely important. There is no pure-sonic-performance-in-a-vacuum answer.

Otherwise, I must point to the first sentence in my first response.

 

[redboat77]

You might also consider the Ascend Sierra 2EX. At least one person found it sounded better than the Kef R3. It's also $500 less for the pair.

 

[617]

Steve, in terms of just pure sonic performance between the BMRs and R3s, which are superior in your opinion?

The R3s will probably have less variation from sitting to standing, and will work better in smaller rooms as the shape of the sound they produce is narrower and more focused. The philharmonitors disperse sound very widely. The differences are slight - one is more enveloping and one is more focused.

The KEF's are a nicely finished mass produced product, the philharmonitor's are made in small numbers. KEFs are made in China and designed in the UK; Philharmonitor drivers are made in Denmark, China and Croatia and built in the USA.

In a 9x11 room I'd personally lean towards the KEF but I'm sure I could be happy with either.

 

[Zvu]

@617 Where have you found Tectonic makes their drivers in China ? I didn't know that.

Oh, and RAAL's are designed and made in Serbia by Aleksandar Radisavljević, but that's almost the same

 

[honn]

The R3s will probably have less variation from sitting to standing, and will work better in smaller rooms as the shape of the sound they produce is narrower and more focused. The philharmonitors disperse sound very widely. The differences are slight - one is more enveloping and one is more focused.

The KEF's are a nicely finished mass produced product, the philharmonitor's are made in small numbers. KEFs are made in China and designed in the UK; Philharmonitor drivers are made in Denmark, China and Croatia and built in the USA.

In a 9x11 room I'd personally lean towards the KEF but I'm sure I could be happy with either.

You might also consider the Ascend Sierra 2EX. At least one person found it sounded better than the Kef R3. It's also $500 less for the pair.

Then it’s down to the new BMR vs. Sierra-2EX then... any thoughts? Haha

 

[Beave]

The KEF's are a nicely finished mass produced product, the philharmonitor's are made in small numbers. KEFs are made in China and designed in the UK; Philharmonitor drivers are made in Denmark, China and Croatia and built in the USA.

The current iteration of the Philharmonic BMRs are made with drivers from Indonesia, ?, and Serbia, and they are built in Taiwan.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

The current iteration of the Philharmonic BMRs are made with drivers from Indonesia, ?, and Serbia, and they are built in Taiwan.

The woofers are made in Indonesia, I assume the BMR midrange is made in China, The Raal's are from Serbia, the cabinets are made in China, and the crossovers are assembled and installed in the cabinets in Taiwan by Bennic (who also does the Revel crossovers).

 

[Kachda]

Then it’s down to the new BMR vs. Sierra-2EX then... any thoughts? Haha

Dont let one person’s experience influence you so much. Amir has spins of kef r3 and some ascend speakers, look at them before you decide to rule out one or the other

 

[somebodyelse]

Where have you found Tectonic makes their drivers in China ? I didn't know that.

RS list China as country of origin for all the Tectonic drivers they stock, including this one:
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/speaker-drivers/8765241/

 

[Steve Dallas]

Then it’s down to the new BMR vs. Sierra-2EX then... any thoughts? Haha

I would not jump so quickly. Amir has measured several Ascend speakers and has recommended only one of them. Here is his review of the original Sierra-2:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/ascend-sierra-2-speaker-review.11813/

See also here:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?pages/SpeakerTestData/

 

[redboat77]

Here is his review of the original Sierra-2:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/ascend-sierra-2-speaker-review.11813/

See also here:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?pages/SpeakerTestData/

Ascend Sierra claims the 2EX is a significant upgrade to the sierra-2, due to the new custom woofer produced by SEAS.

I'm also in the market for new speakers and trying to make a similar decision about which ones to buy - the Philharmonic BMR and the Ascend Sierra 2EX are in the mix for me. I do think that buying speakers that are directly marketed to consumers offers a much better deal. Markups at retailers typically double what they pay wholesale. That would tend to rule out the KEF R3, although production in China certainly lowers their labor production costs. Salk's BMR Philharmonic and Ascend Sierra are both direct marketed and assembled in the US. Dennis Murphy's version of the BMRs are assembled in China (cabinets) and Taiwan (crossover). He direct markets them. The reviews have been glowing.

I received an email today from Dennis Murphy, who has also contributed to this thread above. It sounds like his speakers are well built - at least he uses good quality crossover components and good thick braced cabinets that are damped.

***********************
Hi Thanks for writing. Here are some answers to your questions:

1) We've run out of the current stock of BMR's, but will have another shipment arriving by March 1.

2) The crossovers are built by Bennic using the same quality components they use for Revel speakers. All of the capacitors are poly, including the large woofer capacitor. All of the inductors are air core except the large woofer coil, which is steel laminate to keep dcr as low as possible. All of the resistors are non-inductive. it isn't practical to change the brand of any of the components since the speakers arrive with the crossover installed. In any event, there would be no audible benefit in doing so.

3) The cabinets have a heavy cross brace and the front baffle is 1" thick. The damping material is a denim material that covers all of the cabinet walls and crossover. It's the most effective treatment I've found, and is absolutely crucial for properly damping the BMR midrange chamber. It's sold in the U.S. under various trade names, including Eco-Core.

4) The curved cabinets are only available in Taiwan.

5) Jim Salk can make either the current model BMR or the previous one. The previous BMR used ScanSpeak 8545-01 6.5" woofer instead of the SB Acoustics Ceramic, and had a 4th order acoustic crossover between the woofer and midrange instead of the current 2nd order. The new BMR is about 2 dB more sensitive than the prior model. The ScanSpeak woofer has slightly greater power handling than the SB Acoustic, but the difference is very small.

6) Once the new order of BMR's arrives, we could ship upon payment. It's 5 business days from Washington, D.C. to the West Coast. Best wishes, Dennis Murphy
**********************************

Here is a video comparing the Sierra 2EX to the much more expensive Salk Silk ($3595) and Scansonic MB-1. (Salk charges $2400-$2600 to build the BMR Philharmonics, which I want to clarify are not the same speaker as the Salk Silk.)

Hope this helps.

 

[honn]

The woofers are made in Indonesia, I assume the BMR midrange is made in China, The Raal's are from Serbia, the cabinets are made in China, and the crossovers are assembled and installed in the cabinets in Taiwan by Bennic (who also does the Revel crossovers).

When you said made in Indonesia, I just realized after a quick research of the company, since I was originally from the country, the SB in SB Acoustics stands for Sinar Baja (metal/steel light)! haha it's cool to know a reputed company is Indonesian!

 

[Kachda]

Ascend Sierra claims the 2EX is a significant upgrade to the sierra-2, due to the new custom woofer produced by SEAS.

I'm also in the market for new speakers and trying to make a similar decision about which ones to buy - the Philharmonic BMR and the Ascend Sierra 2EX are in the mix for me. I do think that buying speakers that are directly marketed to consumers offers a much better deal. Markups at retailers typically double what they pay wholesale. That would tend to rule out the KEF R3, although production in China certainly lowers their labor production costs. Salk's BMR Philharmonic and Ascend Sierra are both direct marketed and assembled in the US. Dennis Murphy's version of the BMRs are assembled in China (cabinets) and Taiwan (crossover). He direct markets them. The reviews have been glowing.

I received an email today from Dennis Murphy, who has also contributed to this thread above. It sounds like his speakers are well built - at least he uses good quality crossover components and good thick braced cabinets that are damped.

***********************
Hi Thanks for writing. Here are some answers to your questions:

1) We've run out of the current stock of BMR's, but will have another shipment arriving by March 1.

2) The crossovers are built by Bennic using the same quality components they use for Revel speakers. All of the capacitors are poly, including the large woofer capacitor. All of the inductors are air core except the large woofer coil, which is steel laminate to keep dcr as low as possible. All of the resistors are non-inductive. it isn't practical to change the brand of any of the components since the speakers arrive with the crossover installed. In any event, there would be no audible benefit in doing so.

3) The cabinets have a heavy cross brace and the front baffle is 1" thick. The damping material is a denim material that covers all of the cabinet walls and crossover. It's the most effective treatment I've found, and is absolutely crucial for properly damping the BMR midrange chamber. It's sold in the U.S. under various trade names, including Eco-Core.

4) The curved cabinets are only available in Taiwan.

5) Jim Salk can make either the current model BMR or the previous one. The previous BMR used ScanSpeak 8545-01 6.5" woofer instead of the SB Acoustics Ceramic, and had a 4th order acoustic crossover between the woofer and midrange instead of the current 2nd order. The new BMR is about 2 dB more sensitive than the prior model. The ScanSpeak woofer has slightly greater power handling than the SB Acoustic, but the difference is very small.

6) Once the new order of BMR's arrives, we could ship upon payment. It's 5 business days from Washington, D.C. to the West Coast. Best wishes, Dennis Murphy
**********************************

Here is a video comparing the Sierra 2EX to the much more expensive Salk Silk ($3595) and Scansonic MB-1. (Salk charges $2400-$2600 to build the BMR Philharmonics.)

Hope this helps.

While I do not disagree with you regarding markups, keep in mind that large manufacturers also have economies of scale; they can spread out their research dollars over thousands of units as compared to more botique manufacturers who rely on drivers from SB, Scanspeak, peerless etc. Note that I’m not implying either mass produced or boutique is better, just that making a definitive conclusion that one is worse value than the other isn’t straightforward.

 

[redboat77]

While I do not disagree with you regarding markups, keep in mind that large manufacturers also have economies of scale; they can spread out their research dollars over thousands of units as compared to more botique manufacturers who rely on drivers from SB, Scanspeak, peerless etc. Note that I’m not implying either mass produced or boutique is better, just that making a definitive conclusion that one is worse value than the other isn’t straightforward.

I don't disagree. However, I'm finding that dealing with the direct-to-market group much easier during the acquisition process. When I emailed Dennis Murphy about the BMR Philharmonics, he wrote back that same day with a detailed and responsive reply. Same thing happened with Jim at Salk Sound. However, when I asked similar questions to the Revel representatives, they hid behind "proprietary" information and would not answer my questions. I learned more about Revel from Dennis Murphy, one of their competitors, than I did from the Revel reps.

 

[honn]

Ascend Sierra claims the 2EX is a significant upgrade to the sierra-2, due to the new custom woofer produced by SEAS.

I'm also in the market for new speakers and trying to make a similar decision about which ones to buy - the Philharmonic BMR and the Ascend Sierra 2EX are in the mix for me. I do think that buying speakers that are directly marketed to consumers offers a much better deal. Markups at retailers typically double what they pay wholesale. That would tend to rule out the KEF R3, although production in China certainly lowers their labor production costs. Salk's BMR Philharmonic and Ascend Sierra are both direct marketed and assembled in the US. Dennis Murphy's version of the BMRs are assembled in China (cabinets) and Taiwan (crossover). He direct markets them. The reviews have been glowing.

I received an email today from Dennis Murphy, who has also contributed to this thread above. It sounds like his speakers are well built - at least he uses good quality crossover components and good thick braced cabinets that are damped.

***********************
Hi Thanks for writing. Here are some answers to your questions:

1) We've run out of the current stock of BMR's, but will have another shipment arriving by March 1.

2) The crossovers are built by Bennic using the same quality components they use for Revel speakers. All of the capacitors are poly, including the large woofer capacitor. All of the inductors are air core except the large woofer coil, which is steel laminate to keep dcr as low as possible. All of the resistors are non-inductive. it isn't practical to change the brand of any of the components since the speakers arrive with the crossover installed. In any event, there would be no audible benefit in doing so.

3) The cabinets have a heavy cross brace and the front baffle is 1" thick. The damping material is a denim material that covers all of the cabinet walls and crossover. It's the most effective treatment I've found, and is absolutely crucial for properly damping the BMR midrange chamber. It's sold in the U.S. under various trade names, including Eco-Core.

4) The curved cabinets are only available in Taiwan.

5) Jim Salk can make either the current model BMR or the previous one. The previous BMR used ScanSpeak 8545-01 6.5" woofer instead of the SB Acoustics Ceramic, and had a 4th order acoustic crossover between the woofer and midrange instead of the current 2nd order. The new BMR is about 2 dB more sensitive than the prior model. The ScanSpeak woofer has slightly greater power handling than the SB Acoustic, but the difference is very small.

6) Once the new order of BMR's arrives, we could ship upon payment. It's 5 business days from Washington, D.C. to the West Coast. Best wishes, Dennis Murphy
**********************************

Here is a video comparing the Sierra 2EX to the much more expensive Salk Silk ($3595) and Scansonic MB-1. (Salk charges $2400-$2600 to build the BMR Philharmonics.)

Hope this helps.

Are you getting the new BMRs? It'd be interesting to compare it with the Sierra-2EX.