Philharmonic BMR Monitor Semi-Objective Review - Road Show Stop 1

[Ricardojoa]

I see the 'ribs' in Amir's picture. I can't see any detail at all in the ad on usaudiomart.

Me too. Pretty sure i saw the ceramics revel driver having different basket than Sb acoustic and are made in china instead of indonisia.
I think some people have been assuming the ceramics revel were usig SB drivers since the performa uses SB drivers.

 

[Steve Dallas]

Yes, the same piano finish. Difficult to capture all the glossy surface. This is the one being reviewed in the roadshow.

The walnut finish is beyond glossy and into mirror territory. When I unpacked the roadshow speakers and saw the finish, I actually said, "WHOA!" I took some [poor] vanity photos and will post them this weekend, after I finish writing the 2nd review.

BTW, I sadly received the shipping labels this afternoon, so the speakers will be on their way to the next stop tomorrow.

 

[xarkkon]

For your reference, here are two black woofer BMRs. One rectangle and one curved.

View attachment 102314
View attachment 102315

Oh man, this is so sexy! I've been waiting to see the new version of the BMR and this review seems to show a nice improvement over the prior! (assuming I'm reading the measurements right)

Is there any way someone from Singapore can purchase from your company in Taiwan? If possible, I'd like to get a DIY kit. That white woofer with a white satin paint job

 

[alexis]

Oh man, this is so sexy! I've been waiting to see the new version of the BMR and this review seems to show a nice improvement over the prior! (assuming I'm reading the measurements right)

Is there any way someone from Singapore can purchase from your company in Taiwan? If possible, I'd like to get a DIY kit. That white woofer with a white satin paint job

Hi, we have shipped a few pairs of BMR and Mini to countries in Asia. We are planning the Feb 2021 release of BMR. There will be piano white, black, walnut and curved (Sold out w/ upgrades). If you want a piano white, I believe there are 1-2 pairs left of white. The shipping to Singapore from Taiwan is just a bit more from US East coast to West Coast so it's manageable. For every pair shipped out of Taiwan, we'll assemble it to ensure no QC issues (vs. DIY kit). Just PM me.

If you can "decipher" Mandarin, welcome to my Mandarin pages where you can find many BMR / Mini Taiwan users: https://www.facebook.com/parodielinaudio

I think Steve Dallas comment is correct. These piano finish is way beyond glossy, it's mirror level...

 

[bigredrobotninja]

Are these available in the US in black?

 

[alexis]

Are these available in the US in black?

There will be a few piano black BMR available in March. You can contact Dennis to reserve one.

 

[Ericglo]

I went to the facebook link and perused the pictures. Let me say WOW!

 

[amper42]

What is the price on the BMR Towers? Is shipping extra to USA?

 

[Dennis Murphy]

I went to the facebook link and perused the pictures. Let me say WOW!

And just so we don't start 2021 off on a grill discussion--those pics are computer renditions. Hopefully the finish will actually come out that nicely, but the grills have been changed. The woofer grill is similar, but not that wide. And the mid-tweet grill has straight sides and a rounded top and bottom. Pricing in the U.S. is targeted at $3,500/pair plus shipping. The last time I checked, they were still on schedule for an early March delivery.

 

[amper42]

And just so we don't start 2021 off on a grill discussion--those pics are computer renditions. Hopefully the finish will actually come out that nicely, but the grills have been changed. The woofer grill is similar, but not that wide. And the mid-tweet grill has straight sides and a rounded top and bottom. Pricing in the U.S. is targeted at $3,500/pair plus shipping. The last time I checked, they were still on schedule for an early March delivery.

Any idea on frequency response for the BMR Towers?

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Any idea on frequency response for the BMR Towers?

I think you're referring to bass response. I'll be publishing detailed full-range measurements closer to the release date.
Here's a nearfield combined measurement of the woofer and port for the tower. It tracks Paul Kittinger's modeling, so I think it's accurate. The box alignment is a mass loaded transmission line tuned to 24 Hz, which corresponds to the F6 point with no room gain. Based just on listening tests, the response is quite full at 25 Hz. At 20 Hz--not so much. (Ignore the absolute dB scale reading--I futzed around with the Offset scaling to make the F3 and F6 points easier to see. The overall system sensitivity for the tower is around 87 dB.)

 

[richard12511]

And just so we don't start 2021 off on a grill discussion--those pics are computer renditions. Hopefully the finish will actually come out that nicely, but the grills have been changed. The woofer grill is similar, but not that wide. And the mid-tweet grill has straight sides and a rounded top and bottom. Pricing in the U.S. is targeted at $3,500/pair plus shipping. The last time I checked, they were still on schedule for an early March delivery.

Wow! Much cheaper than I expected for a speaker that digs down to mid 20s and has dispersion that wide and consistent. That's only a few dB off the Salon2, with even wider dispersion (and comparably flat).

 

[Ericglo]

And just so we don't start 2021 off on a grill discussion--those pics are computer renditions. Hopefully the finish will actually come out that nicely, but the grills have been changed. The woofer grill is similar, but not that wide. And the mid-tweet grill has straight sides and a rounded top and bottom. Pricing in the U.S. is targeted at $3,500/pair plus shipping. The last time I checked, they were still on schedule for an early March delivery.

If the finish comes out like the red one, then I think customers will be ecstatic. I really like the white one.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

If the finish comes out like the red one, then I think customers will be ecstatic. I really like the white one.

If the finish comes out like the red one, then I think customers will be ecstatic. I really like the white one.

That's another computer simulation. We'll only be getting the walnut burl state-side.

 

[amper42]

That's another computer simulation. We'll only be getting the walnut burl state-side.

1. Any thoughts on a center channel?
2. Will the regular BMRs be available in a matching walnut burl as surrounds?
3. Dimensions on the BMR Towers?
Thanks!

 

[Chromatischism]

Philharmonic BMR Monitor vs. Dynaudio Excite X18

X18 stereo uncorrected vs target:
View attachment 101941

I thought this would be a fair fight, since both speakers are "bookshelves" in the same list price range. It was not a fair fight at all--especially after minimal EQ was applied. The BMRs easily bested the X18s. The BMRs effortlessly extend lower and naturally have the right amount of presence in the critical vocal range with no BBC dip type nonsense.

When I switched from BMR to X18, I thought I must have entered a honeymoon period, and my impressions of improvement must be overblown. I did acclimate to the BMRs and lost the initial WOW! factor, but I never lost the sense of overall improvement. Swtiching back to the X18s was a greater letdown than I imagined. Days later, I miss the BMRs every time I turn on music. The scale is greater. The bass is deeper. Perceived clarity (more appropriate presence and lower distortion?) is greater with the BMRs. They quite simply are better speakers.

To ignore some differences and summarize: The BMR performs like a midsize 3 way floorstander with flat on-axis response, wheras the X18 performs like a midsize bookshelf with a BBC dip.

To be fair, this is an in-room measurement so is more of a sound power measurement. It may not have a "BBC dip" in its direct, on-axis sound, but a dip at the crossover from tweeter to woofer off-axis, which is reflecting off the walls and reaching your ears. It's a natural consequence of the design and can actually be beneficial to some who find extra energy there irritating, especially if boosting this region in such a speaker.

 

[akarma]

X18 does't looks so good. More cheaper DM 2/7/Emit is much better...

 

[Steve Dallas]

Now that I have written my conclusions for the 2nd review (to be posted this evening), I have started reading other reviews and examining measurements.

It is uncanny how closely my thoughts about the BMRs track with @hardisj 's. We do have some divergence on the in-room measurements however. Erin's PIR is much brighter than what I measured in either of my rooms. In both rooms, the BMRs generally tracked a generic Harman-type -10dB target.

Erin's PIR:

My office MIR:

My media room MIR:

These are stereo measurements, but the individual left and right measurements show the same trends.

Bass extension is difficult to accurately measure in something approaching anechoic conditions, as we all should well know, so there is no reason to harp on this difference, but it is worth noting that the BMRs were able to reach ~30Hz at the intersection of the trend line at ~76dB in both of my setups. Erin's PIR shows significantly less bass.

A potentially significant difference in our listening tests is that I listen uncorrected for an hour or so to get a sense of the speakers, then I do all my critical listening with simple PEQ correction--mostly under the Schroeder frequency. I am sure many people will line up to tell me I'm doing it wrong, but it is a real world situation for some percentage of the population. I also have terrible listening rooms, and I feel applying some correction is required to do the speakers justice. Sixteen dB of extra BOOM at 43Hz is not a pleasant thing. Erin notes that his critical listening is done uncorrected, which I believe is the standard.

 

[amper42]

Now that I have written my conclusions for the 2nd review (to be posted this evening), I have started reading other reviews and examining measurements.

It is uncanny how closely my thoughts about the BMRs track with @hardisj 's. We do have some divergence on the in-room measurements however. Erin's PIR is much brighter than what I measured in either of my rooms. In both rooms, the BMRs generally tracked a generic Harman-type -10dB target.

Erin's PIR:

My office MIR:
View attachment 102852

My media room MIR:
View attachment 102853
These are stereo measurements, but the individual left and right measurements show the same trends.

Bass extension is difficult to accurately measure in something approaching anechoic conditions, as we all should well know, so there is no reason to harp on this difference, but it is worth noting that the BMRs were able to reach ~30Hz at the intersection of the trend line at ~76dB in both of my setups. Erin's PIR shows significantly less bass.

A potentially significant difference in our listening tests is that I listen uncorrected for an hour or so to get a sense of the speakers, then I do all my critical listening with simple PEQ correction--mostly under the Schroeder frequency. I am sure many people will line up to tell me I'm doing it wrong, but it is a real world situation for some percentage of the population. I also have terrible listening rooms, and I feel applying some correction is required to do the speakers justice. Sixteen dB of extra BOOM at 43Hz is not a pleasant thing. Erin notes that his critical listening is done uncorrected, which I believe is the standard.

Steve,
I would not be concerned about your BMR measurements not exactly matching Erin's. The reason is Erin reviewed an older version (about 2 years older) of the BMR that has a different woofer and a completely different box. Your measurements will be more reliable for those looking to purchase a new set of BMRs ($1700 version).

 

[aarons915]

Now that I have written my conclusions for the 2nd review (to be posted this evening), I have started reading other reviews and examining measurements.

It is uncanny how closely my thoughts about the BMRs track with @hardisj 's. We do have some divergence on the in-room measurements however. Erin's PIR is much brighter than what I measured in either of my rooms. In both rooms, the BMRs generally tracked a generic Harman-type -10dB target.

Did you happen to do any MMM measurements? I find they are much more reliable as a room curve since it's basically just a spatial average of many measurements around the area you measure, usually your listening position.