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Bear123
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Room and boundary gain will improve bass extension, so you will have more than enough bass to cross to sub/subs. I opted for F36 over F206 due to 3x bass drivers vs 2, and higher sensitivity. Maybe I'm giving up something around crossover due to not having a dedicated mid range, I dunno. The ability to play loud and clean without a lot of power were important to me though. I also prefer the clean baffle of the F36 aesthetically. Like you, I'm drawn to the superb measurements of the F208 but they are too large for my tastes in my current room, and don't have the desire to spend $3500 at the moment.
Bear123
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I'd venture to take a guess that the sound quality disparity will be bigger than what even those graphs suggest due to vastly superior off axis response. Many of the B&W's I've seen are a train wreck off axis.
Steve Dallas
Major Contributor
Keep in mind Soundstage! publishes a disclaimer that the NRC's chamber is anechoic down to 200Hz. So, you cannot directly accept their bass measurements, but you can use them as a relative measure against other NRC measured speakers.
As an aside, I think the BMR should be on your short list if its aesthetics appeal to you: 3 way, wide directivity, relatively flat response, low distortion, deep bass.
As an aside, I think the BMR should be on your short list if its aesthetics appeal to you: 3 way, wide directivity, relatively flat response, low distortion, deep bass.
Oh god yes! It's so beautiful in white. It's really a shame they didn't do the f208 in white.
I did find that the BMR were the most live sounding speaker I have ever heard. It really sounds like there's a person standing in the room with you. The wide dispersion made for a really incredible sounding speaker. The soundstage was larger than life, and if found the speaker thoroughly enjoyable, I just wish the tonal balance was a bit closer to the harman curve. It pretty much butchered all the old classic rock recordings. For example, old Beatles and Rolling Stones albums are unlistenable. Again I have an untreated large room, so YMMV. All said and done, I wish I could try them again, using some room correction. Or even just adding a tilt to correct for this:
https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/philharmonic_bmr/
As an aside, I have a pair of speakers designed by Rick Craig.. and the in room response is remarkably similar. After a low Q adjustment they sound right. Something to be said for wide dispersion speakers. I get why the Salons beat the M2. I think the ultimate speaker is a 180deg wide dispersion following the harman target.
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Steve Dallas
Major Contributor
I did find that the BMR were the most live sounding speaker I have ever heard. It really sounds like there's a person standing in the room with you. The wide dispersion made for a really incredible sounding speaker. The soundstage was larger than life, and if found the speaker thoroughly enjoyable, I just wish the tonal balance was a bit closer to the harman curve. It pretty much butchered all the old classic rock recordings. For example, old Beatles and Rolling Stones albums are unlistenable. Again I have an untreated large room, so YMMV. All said and done, I wish I could try them again, using some room correction. Or even just adding a tilt to correct for this:
https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/philharmonic_bmr/
As an aside, I have a pair of speakers designed by Rick Craig.. and the in room response is remarkably similar. After a low Q adjustment they sound right. Something to be said for wide dispersion speakers. I get why the Salons beat the M2. I think the ultimate speaker is a 180deg wide dispersion following the harman target.
Interesting. I have been avoiding reading reviews or examining measurements until I finish testing the samples I have. (Dammit!!!) I did not know about the above "hot" PIR as measured by Erin. That overall slope does not match my results in my rooms.
I did not find them overly bright in my rooms, although I did pull down 2.3K by -1dB in my office and 2K by -3dB in my media room. I did find ideal listening position to be somewhat tricky in the vertical domain, which causes me to wonder if there is a directivity issue between the midrange and tweeter. I definitely preferred to have my ears slightly above or below the tweeter.
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I had mine at ear height and it was damn near unlistenable for some recordings. I have a fairly large room with lots of bare surfaces, so this could very well be the issue. I did measure the BMR when I had them, and my response was similar to yours... Nothing like Erin's. I think my room just reflects too much energy. I have yet to use a single speaker in this room that doesn't sound irritating with at least some recordings.
Alice of Old Vincennes
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You also need to negotiate price with dealer. Call other dealers even if much further away. You can purchase under list.
Steve Dallas
Major Contributor
With a speaker capable of monitor level accuracy, some recordings should be unlistenable. Some productions are terrible, and monitors will reveal the flaws. Some of these recordings are popular songs that sound fine in the car or wherever. The trick is to know when that is true.
But, your room may work better with narrow directivity speakers.
I think I am ready to attribute the vertical directivity questions I had in my office to environmental factors. This has not arisen at all in my media room, which is better treated and is carpeted. Stand height is standard, seating height is normal, and there is desk in front of me.
Anyway, back to the F206s...
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Martin Takamine
Active Member
Room is 27' (~8m) x 13' (~4m) x 8' (~2.5m) L x W x H
I've had the F206 pair almost 2 years, listen to and enjoy daily.
As currently setup there's enough bass, the rest of the FR sounds correct with good source material and if EW&F is playing I'm moving to the beat.
I've had the F206 pair almost 2 years, listen to and enjoy daily.
As currently setup there's enough bass, the rest of the FR sounds correct with good source material and if EW&F is playing I'm moving to the beat.
OP
typericey
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Update: speakers came in today. (Yeah, not in the color I wanted. Dealer hiccup but will spare you the details.)
Hopefully I can post initial impressions here soon, but will let them break in for a while (my ears, that is).
So far, so good though.
Hopefully I can post initial impressions here soon, but will let them break in for a while (my ears, that is).
So far, so good though. 
They got “Piano” part right...Update: speakers came in today. (Yeah, not in the color I wanted. Dealer hiccup but will spare you the details.)
Hopefully I can post initial impressions here soon, but will let them break in for a while (my ears, that is).
View attachment 103369
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Congrats on the new baby! I still have the plastic on mine 7 months on... I honestly can't bring myself to unwrap them. Too precious, haha.Update: speakers came in today. (Yeah, not in the color I wanted. Dealer hiccup but will spare you the details.)
Hopefully I can post initial impressions here soon, but will let them break in for a while (my ears, that is).
View attachment 103369
OP
typericey
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Thanks. I am also thinking of preserving the plastic as long as I can. But I fear it may do more harm than good. I removed some already and may remove everything soon.
I was hoping to post a first impressions (subjective) review here but I haven't gotten around to doing so. Hopefully sometime soon. But loving the speakers so far. They just sound right.
I couldn't get it off fast enough. On a practical note, how can you be sure your speaker's finish is flawless?
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On the converse practical side, a demo set is probably not flawless, but with the plastic on I don’t know that yet!
Steve Dallas
Major Contributor
After removing the plastic, mine looked like there was finish bubbling/peeling around a few areas at the edges of the drivers. I was fully ready to call the dealer guy for an exchange, until I wielded a damp Q-Tip and realized it was leftover polish. At this price point, that should not exist, but it also took less than 5 minutes to correct.
Ignoring that digression, your point is fully valid!
Sugarbubble
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sonically well designed but ugly and made in China? I only buy from democracies. Your mileage may vary. My son thinks I am nuts paying 500 bucks for American made flatware when you can buy Chinese flatware for under 80 bucks. i apply this personal philosophy to every purchase if possible. But even without consideration of the global socioeconomic Cold War, they are just not to my aesthetic liking. The new revel subwoofer coming out soon may cause me to eat my words. It is beautiful.
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