Philharmonic BMR Speaker Review

[Ricardojoa]

Looking at the on axis response with a shelving down a 2 db from 300hz, wouldn’t the bmr benefit from a dual woofers or a more sensitive woofer, considering so much is spread out above that?

 

[Zvu]

Integration with dual woofers could be a real problem since the bass/mid crossover is relatively high.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Looking at the on axis response with a shelving down a 2 db from 300hz, wouldn’t the bmr benefit from a dual woofers or a more sensitive woofer, considering so much is spread out above that?

Two woofers would require a cabinet with twice the volume. And higher sensitivity would sacrifice bass extension. Actually, the new BMR has higher sensitivity, but mainly because I switched to a smoother woofer that allowed 2nd order acoustic slopes with the mid, and more bandpass gain as a result.

 

[therobin]

Dennis, what are your thoughts on a four way to extend low end in a tower design? Do you feel this is pointless over a 3 way tower, too complicated to bother with or maybe too expensive to persue?

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Dennis, what are your thoughts on a four way to extend low end in a tower design? Do you feel this is pointless over a 3 way tower, too complicated to bother with or maybe too expensive to persue?

The tower will make it down to 25 Hz, and that should be good enough for dedicated music listening. Adding another woofer to grab another 5-6 hz would be very expensive because of the added cabinet volume, and you would end up with a shipping nightmare. That's why Ben Franklin invented subwoofers.

 

[therobin]

The tower will make it down to 25 Hz, and that should be good enough for dedicated music listening. Adding another woofer to grab another 5-6 hz would be very expensive because of the added cabinet volume, and you would end up with a shipping nightmare. That's why Ben Franklin invented subwoofers.

What is the finished weight of the towers? And when would be a the right time time to contact you about ordering a pair?

 

[snaimpally]

With the introduction of the BMR towers, those with upgradeitis are selling off their BMR monitors. I got a decent deal on a pair of lightly used BMR monitors. The BMR monitors are phenomenal sounding speakers. The Raal tweeters provide a level of detail I have yet to hear from conventional (non-ribbon) tweeters. While playing material I was familiar with I kept hearing subtle details that I had not heard before. The bass extension is such that, for a lot of material, a subwoofer is not needed. What Dennis charges for these makes them a ridiculous bargain.

 

[alexis]

With the introduction of the BMR towers, those with upgradeitis are selling off their BMR monitors. I got a decent deal on a pair of lightly used BMR monitors. The BMR monitors are phenomenal sounding speakers. The Raal tweeters provide a level of detail I have yet to hear from conventional (non-ribbon) tweeters. While playing material I was familiar with I kept hearing subtle details that I had not heard before. The bass extension is such that, for a lot of material, a subwoofer is not needed. What Dennis charges for these makes them a ridiculous bargain.

Welcome to our beloved BMR speakers. I think the BMR Monitors is has the highest C/P. However, after having BMR Monitor, the temptation to upgrade to BMR Tower is also not easy to resist.

 

[JEarle]

I couldn't resist, waiting for my towers to arrive

 

[Dennis Murphy]

I couldn't resist, waiting for my towers to arrive

And we're waiting for the woofers to arrive from New Jersey. I gotta tell you--being a government economist was a lot easier than running a Covid-era business.

 

[alexis]

I couldn't resist, waiting for my towers to arrive

Yep - I've printed your shipping label.

 

[JEarle]

Yep - I've printed your shipping label.

I saw an email from FedEx saying that. Had hoped the woofers had arrived already . It'll be worth the wait im sure.

 

[alexis]

I saw an email from FedEx saying that. Had hoped the woofers had arrived already . It'll be worth the wait im sure.

Absolutely. And I have the pleasure to see your White towers first.

 

[JEarle]

Absolutely. And I have the pleasure to see your White towers first.

I have a question as im looking (drooling) at pictures online. What screw size are the feet? I'll probably need to find some spikes for my carpeted floor, correct?

 

[alexis]

I have a question as im looking (drooling) at pictures online. What screw size are the feet? I'll probably need to find some spikes for my carpeted floor, correct?

View attachment 166545

Where did you find this picture? These are M8.

 

[JEarle]

https://everydayaudiophile.com/2021/10/23/review-philharmonic-audio-bmr-tower/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=review-philharmonic-audio-bmr-tower

Where did you find this picture? These are M8.

 

[sychan]

I gotta tell you--being a government economist was a lot easier than running a Covid-era business.

We appreciate your policy of maximizing consumer surplus.

With the introduction of the BMR towers, those with upgradeitis are selling off their BMR monitors.

Upgradeitis indeed. I was innocently waiting for the new AAM, and ended up upgrading to BMRs before the AAM crossovers even got out of the factory.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

I know the Absolute Sound doesn't have much credibility around here, but I have a very enjoyable encounter with one of their two reviewers assigned to the Capital Audio Fest--Andrew Quint https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/capital-audio-fest-2021-andrew-quint
I cringed a little when he introduced himself--I thought he would take one look at my Crutchfield $6.99 wires and interconnects and Onkyo CD player and walk out. But he proved to be very knowledgeable about classical music (I believe he was a classical trombone player) and spent a good bit of time listening to some excellent Stravinsky and Shostakovitch CD's he brought with him. He ended up giving my designs 2 of his 3 Best in Show awards--best bargain for the BMR towers and Best New Product for the MMT tower I did for Jim Salk using two Purifi 6.5" woofers and a SB Acoustics Be tweeter. The Pufifi's are the real deal, but you need a big old port.

 

[maty]

Hummm, amplifier?

[ Philharmonic Audio is a DC-area company but definitely not one of the “tinkerers” that Alan referred to above. The brand doesn’t have a dealer network but has a worldwide constituency for its speakers. The new BMR Tower ($3700) is a transmission-line design employing a Revelator woofer to produce a reported in-room response down to 25Hz. In a system including a Topping DAC and preamp and a Hypex SMPS1200A400 power amplifier, the speakers fared extremely well on both large-scale orchestral and chamber music. On the basis of sonics alone, the speakers are a bargain; add in the exquisite carpentry and finish and they become an incredible bargain. ]

 

[alexis]

Hummm, amplifier?

[ Philharmonic Audio is a DC-area company but definitely not one of the “tinkerers” that Alan referred to above. The brand doesn’t have a dealer network but has a worldwide constituency for its speakers. The new BMR Tower ($3700) is a transmission-line design employing a Revelator woofer to produce a reported in-room response down to 25Hz. In a system including a Topping DAC and preamp and a Hypex SMPS1200A400 power amplifier, the speakers fared extremely well on both large-scale orchestral and chamber music. On the basis of sonics alone, the speakers are a bargain; add in the exquisite carpentry and finish and they become an incredible bargain. ]

It should be Hypex NC400 Stereo power amp. The SMPS1200A400 is the power supply in it. Topping is the DAC and preamp. We intentionally use "affordable" electronics to show case what the speakers are capable of. Many people asked about the amp and dac, only very few recognized right away, because most other rooms has something much much more expensive. I usually told them these two devices measured really well in ASR. I also provided the link for people who are interested to build NC400 themselves.