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New Towers-BMR Philharmonic, Revel F208, or other?

tw 2022

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As far as objective performance is concerned we can go back and forth between the Revels and BMRs. As to which you prefer for looks… now that is completely subjective. Both are beautiful in their own way. To me Revels look more “high-tech” whereas BMRs are more like furniture with their amazing wood grain finishes. And even customizable if you go through SALK. Personally I like BMR but I could more than easily live with either as the last speaker I’d ever need to buy.
me too..i just like the idea of Dennis being able to compete with samsung (revel) and the unlimited research budget and in some ways kick their butts...not to mention generally a a better price.. go figure..:)
 

pdfield34

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As far as objective performance is concerned we can go back and forth between the Revels and BMRs. As to which you prefer for looks… now that is completely subjective. Both are beautiful in their own way. To me Revels look more “high-tech” whereas BMRs are more like furniture with their amazing wood grain finishes. And even customizable if you go through SALK. Personally I like BMR but I could more than easily live with either as the last speaker I’d ever need to buy.
Both (Philharmonic and Revel) are awesome and a breath of fresh air because they specifically tell you what you are getting (in terms of technical performance), and both deliver big time!
 

Spkrdctr

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Thanks everyone for the suggestions and the good discussion. I am getting closer to a decision, but thought I would add a couple of additional considerations in my selection process.
I listen to mostly bluegrass, classical, jazz, and blues, along with some rock such as Neil Young. I am not interested in HT or gaming.

Thanks!
I think the BMR speakers will be exactly what you want. Good Luck on your purchase! :)
 

Rottmannash

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Now you guys have made me think about auditioning a pair of the BMR...my poor F208's will be very disappointed.
 

tw 2022

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Now you guys have made me think about auditioning a pair of the BMR...my poor F208's will be very disappointed.
Dennis is pretty much the "go to" imo if you want great sound and good value... i have a pair of entry level speakers (emotiva b1) that he modded, they're good... i heard the bmr monitors(at the az speakerfest) , they are as good as anything i would ever want...the towers by all accounts are even better... btw , the customer service is great as well, recently they loaned an amp to a customer that bought towers locally while he waited for his amp to be delivered....no worries about the f208's they will be great secondary room speakers:);)
 

kma100

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He is also developing new speakers - "So--we have the new BMR HT. Two Purifi woofers are combined with two new BMR units and the Mundorf in an MTM configuration to provide sound that is very similar to the BMR Tower, but achieves sensitivity of 90 dB. "

(more info on AVS Forum)
 

Rottmannash

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Dennis is pretty much the "go to" imo if you want great sound and good value... i have a pair of entry level speakers (emotiva b1) that he modded, they're good... i heard the bmr monitors(at the az speakerfest) , they are as good as anything i would ever want...the towers by all accounts are even better... btw , the customer service is great as well, recently they loaned an amp to a customer that bought towers locally while he waited for his amp to be delivered....no worries about the f208's they will be great secondary room speakers:);)
...they read your comment-they're not happy being considered for bedroom duty. Are their speakers typically found in hifi shops? Or only heard at shows?
 

tw 2022

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...they read your comment-they're not happy being considered for bedroom duty. Are their speakers typically found in hifi shops? Or only heard at shows?
they are internet only ordering..based in the DC area.. they do several "shows" a year and are currently at the capital audio fest in the DC area... Dennis can be contacted at philharmonic audio "info" email through his website (philharmonic audio)..he has in the past done "road shows" where he ships his product (the monitors anyway) around to different cities so people can listen.. the recent speakerfest was a "shootout" style show with attendees choosing the winner, the bmr monitors were an easy winner (that's were i heard the monitors)...i think the kef r3's were in 2nd or 3rd iirc...
 
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Rottmannash

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they are internet only ordering..based in the DC area.. they do several "shows" a year and are currently at the capital audio fest in the DC area... Dennis can be contacted at philharmonic audio "info" email through his website (philharmonic audio)..he has in the past done "road shows" where he ships his product (the monitors anyway) around to different cities so people can listen.. the recent speakerfest was a "shootout" style show with attendees choosing the winner the bmr monitors were an easy winner (that's were i heard the monitors)...i think the kef r3's were in 2nd or 3rd iirc...
Thanks for the info! I'll see if I can contact him. Maybe he'll ship some speakers to Nashville and I can audition them.
 

Lsc

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Now you guys have made me think about auditioning a pair of the BMR...my poor F208's will be very disappointed.
I think you are good with the F208. Honestly in hindsight going thru my upgrade journey the F208/C208 was the sweet spot. All speakers are a compromise and Revel’s design choices allow for loud realistic volume listening experiences for long periods with little to no listening fatigue. This is my preference- accuracy but the speakers need to play loud and throw a huge sound.

I have spent lots of time at one point in my life listening to other speakers (brands that are/were sold at retail vs internet) and went from the F208 to F228Be to Salon2. Each was an incremental upgrade. I could have saved a lot of money just staying with the F208.

The other thing here that’s important is that there are lots of good speakers out there and there really is no one size fits all. So I’m sure the BMR is a well designed speaker but I’m glad my speaker shopping days are over and I finished while I was still able to go listen to everything before buying.

Perlisten and other brands are popping up and I’m sure many brands of speakers will pass up my Revels as technology doesn’t stand still. But I turn my system on every day and enjoy listening to music and don’t feel I need to spend more money for incremental upgrades.
 

Everett T

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I think you are good with the F208. Honestly in hindsight going thru my upgrade journey the F208/C208 was the sweet spot. All speakers are a compromise and Revel’s design choices allow for loud realistic volume listening experiences for long periods with little to no listening fatigue. This is my preference- accuracy but the speakers need to play loud and throw a huge sound.

I have spent lots of time at one point in my life listening to other speakers (brands that are/were sold at retail vs mail order) and went from the F208 to F228Be to Salon2. Each was an incremental upgrade. I could have saved a lot of money just staying with the F208.

The other thing here that’s important is that there are lots of good speakers out there and there really is no one size fits all. So I’m sure the BMR is a well designed speaker but I’m glad my speaker shopping days are over and I finished while I was still able to go listen to everything before buying.

Perlisten and other brands are popping up and I’m sure many brands of speakers will pass up my Revels as technology doesn’t stand still. But I turn my system on every day and enjoy listening to music and don’t feel I need to spend more money for incremental upgrades.
I don't think anyone is arguing your points, FWIW, we're just pointing out the differences. For his musical tastes I'm guessing he isn't a 90db plus guy except swing passages in classical recordings.

For unamplied live music and his acoustic preferences, the BMR is just as, if not more, capable of producing his preference, and the horizontal response is especially good with classical music.
 

Lsc

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I don't think anyone is arguing your points, FWIW, we're just pointing out the differences. For his musical tastes I'm guessing he isn't a 90db plus guy except swing passages in classical recordings.

For unamplied live music and his acoustic preferences, the BMR is just as, if not more, capable of producing his preference, and the horizontal response is especially good with classical music.
I was just putting my 2 cents in on that the grass is not always greener on the other side whether it’s the value gained from within the same brand or going to a different brand and mainly saying how good the F208 is.

If BMR is at Axpona next year, I live in the Chicago burbs and will definitely check them out as I’m curious as well.
 

tw 2022

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I was just putting my 2 cents in on that the grass is not always greener on the other side whether it’s the value gained from within the same brand or going to a different brand and mainly saying how good the F208 is.

If BMR is at Axpona next year, I live in the Chicago burbs and will definitely check them out as I’m curious as well.
I agree with the "grass isn't always greener" thought..."side grades" are the all time waste of time ...the bmr's imo *should* be an upgrade though.... Of course my opinion and $5 will get ya a mediocre cup of coffee...
 

Everett T

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I was just putting my 2 cents in on that the grass is not always greener on the other side whether it’s the value gained from within the same brand or going to a different brand and mainly saying how good the F208 is.

If BMR is at Axpona next year, I live in the Chicago burbs and will definitely check them out as I’m curious as well.
I wasn't implying anything else, that's why I worded it as I did. No bad options here...
 
OP
T

Taiga

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Anyone know if the sale price on Revel F206 and F208 is typical for the company? I’m wondering if they are being discontinued for refreshed models. Both have been around for many years.
 

Lsc

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Anyone know if the sale price on Revel F206 and F208 is typical for the company? I’m wondering if they are being discontinued for refreshed models. Both have been around for many years.
Yes I remember when I bought the F208/C208 right away in 2013 so 9 years old. It’s time for a replacement for sure. I’m not sure if Samsung is going to update the ultima2 line since it’s low volume but performa4 would be nice as it will give me something to buy.

This is the first time that I’ve heard of a public sale vs an incentive given to dealers for speakers that aren’t selling due ti color etc. ie a quiet sale.

30% is a solid discount though.
 

samysound

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Anyone know if the sale price on Revel F206 and F208 is typical for the company? I’m wondering if they are being discontinued for refreshed models. Both have been around for many years.
I’m guessing sales are slow and there is excess inventory hence the sale prices to help move some speakers
 
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Looneybomber

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Let me throw in a wild card apparently. Paradigm Founder 100f.

When auditioning speakers, both my gf and I liked the paradigm 80f more than the revel f208. Sure the revel has more bass, but I thought the paradigm was better in the midrange and treble. To me, the f208 is a fine speaker that anyone would be happy with but it did not wow me at all.

I currently have the f206s and they’re fine. They absolutely need a sub if listening to EDM or rap. I mostly listen to jazz, classic rock, etc. Not bass heavy music.
 

AlexanderM

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Let me throw in a wild card apparently. Paradigm Founder 100f.

When auditioning speakers, both my gf and I liked the paradigm 80f more than the revel f208. Sure the revel has more bass, but I thought the paradigm was better in the midrange and treble. To me, the f208 is a fine speaker that anyone would be happy with but it did not wow me at all.

I currently have the f206s and they’re fine. They absolutely need a sub if listening to EDM or rap. I mostly listen to jazz, classic rock, etc. Not bass heavy music.
I also listened to the Founder, it was either the 80 or 100, and liked them even more than the MA Silver 500 7G, but of course more expensive.
 
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