New Philharmonic HT Centers are Here!

[Godataloss]

I was unaware of Philharmonic. Looks like some exceptional offerings. Anyone running the BMR Monitors?

 

[amper42]

I used to have BMR Towers for my desktop listening. I now have HT Tower. The switch started with an attempt to see how the HT Towers would perform in a near field listening. But the HT Towers ends up staying. There are a few reasons:

- The slim profile matches my desk better.
- I don't think I missed any lower notes the BMR Tower offers. On my desktop duty, I listen to Tidel, YouTube, as computer speakers. They are jack of all trades.
- The mid-bass at HT Tower is awesome. From the design and measurement, BMR Tower and HT Tower both transmission line aligned, tuned by the same expert (Paul Kittinger), there is 1 dB measurable difference between them - they "shouldn't" be audible. But I can hear it and in my opinion, they are a bit prevalent than the notes in the 20-30Hz. Because lots of music / movies / songs have big output in the mid-bass, not necessary 20-30Hz notes.

I also think my personal bias was influenced by the slimmer profile and the fantastic Ebony Piano finish. Yep, I have a mental weakness of what I can see although I have all "scientific" tools.

My desktop HT Towers have an open back space. They are not close to any walls. So there is no close wall reinforcement of the HT ports on the back for my setting. From Paul's modeling exercise, front and rear port location, as long as they are at the same location, would generate the same result.

Say what? You use the Tower for Desktop listening? You have them standing on your desk? Or XX feet away? Never heard of towers being ideal for desktop setup. Show me a picture of the room if possible? Thanks!

 

[alexis]

Say what? You use the Tower for Desktop listening? You have them standing on your desk? Or XX feet away? Never heard of towers being ideal for desktop setup. Show me a picture of the room if possible? Thanks!

Yes. They are standing like this, on both sides of the LCD monitor (38"). Due to the space, the left speaker is behind a bit. I'm about 12" away. These two places used to be the BMR Towers. Both work in a near field like this. I use them everyday. Way more than my theater system.

 

[ryanosaur]

I was unaware of Philharmonic. Looks like some exceptional offerings. Anyone running the BMR Monitors?

I have 5.
They are great.
I would have more, but sprung for Phil 3s back in the day when I bought my first 3 BMR Monitors.

 

[ryanosaur]

right, so you agree with my statement completely.
I never said driver size is what allows deeper extension.

As the poster stated that the 8 inch driver was the reason for greater base output vs the smaller 6.5 inch driver, wherein I pointed out that technically 2 x 6.5 inch drivers are "bigger" effectively. Also referenced the additional xmax of the Purifi effectively countering the posters supposition based on size of the revelator..Perhaps I should have made that clearer.
you will also notice I referenced box volume and overall tuning as needed for different drivers with different goals. And I did it all without having to get deeply technical as I figure that most folks do not digest, test and analyze raw drivers and their white papers as I do for fun

It was partly a reply to what you said... some of the phrasing left room for potential misunderstanding by some. Beyond that, it is just a slightly educated response to any such questions.

 

[jlx]

that is fair enough, I should have put my points forth in a clearer manner

 

[ryanosaur]

that is fair enough, I should have put my points forth in a clearer manner

I know you've seen these questions pop up over at that other site too... and everywhere I hang out, so 3 forums. Every time there is a review or introduction thread, it becomes a game of second-guess the designer. (Or ask for other items that are only of interest to the person asking for it. )

 

[Dennis Murphy]

The BMR HT Tower doesn't offer the same amazing bass as the BMR tower. Does placing the port on the front of the HT cabinet reduce the amount of bass generated by the rear wall with the HT Tower?

I have the BMR Towers and the bass capability is huge due to the 8" ScanSpeak Revelator driver. With the reduced bass of the Purifi 6.5" I would think the rear HT port would be helpful within 18" of a wall for reinforcing bass?

Do you notice a difference in sound with BMR HT Tower Transmission line port on the rear versus on the front like the BMR Tower?

There is another recent thread on this forum addressing the bass characteristics of front and rear ported speakers as a function of distance from the wall. The conclusion is that there isn't any difference until the distance is less than 2-3 times the diameter of the port. So at one foot, port location makes no difference.

 

[jlx]

I know you've seen these questions pop up over at that other site too... and everywhere I hang out, so 3 forums. Every time there is a review or introduction thread, it becomes a game of second-guess the designer. (Or ask for other items that are only of interest to the person asking for it. )

For sure, and generally folks asking questions is a good thing , I certainly have more questions than I have answers.
When they make statements that are fundamentally flawed, such as this recent one regarding the 8 inch being the reason the Tower has more base, thus implying the inferiority of the 6.5" Purifi, a simple explanation can often enlighten, so that is fine as well
When folks go out of their way to "educate" the actual speaker designer telling him that this and that is wrong, because they of course know better.....generally they are shockingly clueless. Does anyone remember the fool that attempted to teach Dennis how to design a 3 way, in a forum discussing the fantastic ceramic mini 2 way no less.
If I am not in error you were recently "educated" by an audiophool that some subs in fact are faster and have more speed with some link to reviews that had nothing to do with the statement being rebuffed (other than maybe using the term a few times as vague descriptors) I hope you learned your lesson, cause you know, he's an audiophile...

back to the subject at hand:
This center is fantastic, if you have listened to a BMR Tower, an HT Tower, or a BMR than you know what this center sounds like. The consistent voicing throughout the product range is remarkable. Especially since this is acheived with different drivers used in various configurations
It is made with superb drivers with dynamics that the BMR (when used as a center) simply can not reach.. Mind you we are talking VERY high SPLs, north of 100db @ 1 meter
I am also of the opinion that this is the prettiest speaker in their lineup, I do not use a grill

I know of nothing anywhere near its price that equals its performance and/or its beauty. Never mind the superb drivers used in this work of art (I have always admired Scan Speak drivers in general, and the revelators in particular, and I now admire this AMT tweeter)

 

[amper42]

There is another recent thread on this forum addressing the bass characteristics of front and rear ported speakers as a function of distance from the wall. The conclusion is that there isn't any difference until the distance is less than 2-3 times the diameter of the port. So at one foot, port location makes no difference.

Dennis - since that's the case what pushed you to place the BMR HT Towers in a smaller rectangular enclosure instead of using the same design as the original streamlined BMR Tower enclosures? Were you trying to reduce the weight? Or were the HT cabinets cheaper to build? Just curious. I really like the streamline BMR Tower enclosure but I imagine it's a bit more complicated to pack and probably costs a few more dollars to ship?

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Dennis - since that's the case what pushed you to place the BMR HT Towers in a smaller rectangular enclosure instead of using the same design as the original streamlined BMR Tower enclosures? Were you trying to reduce the weight? Or were the HT cabinets cheaper to build? Just curious. I really like the streamline BMR Tower enclosure but I imagine it's a bit more complicated to pack and probably costs a few more dollars to ship?

We were trying to keep the HT's as affordable as possible. As it is, the price is higher than I would like. Four Purifi woofers tend to break the bank.

 

[groovybassist]

We were trying to keep the HT's as affordable as possible. As it is, the price is higher than I would like. Four Purifi woofers tend to break the bank.

As a very happy BMR HT Tower owner, that approach is very much appreciated!

 

[lewdish]

We were trying to keep the HT's as affordable as possible. As it is, the price is higher than I would like. Four Purifi woofers tend to break the bank.

Would you also consider making a BMR HT center and HT Monitor all using w/ matching components for the right price? I love all the BMR products, but aesthetically I wish they all matched in the HT room.