Phil-BMR (Dennis Murphy design)
Driver composition: 7 inch scanspeak woofer, 2 inch BMR midrange and RAAL ribbon tweeter
Cabinet: Parts Express Dayton Audio cabinet in Piano black
Impression, heavy, these speaker weigh about 40 lbs. and are not small bookshelves. The PE cabinet is solid and well braced. While Piano black isn’t my favorite finish, these look very good and the “Murphy modifications” are professionally done, as you would expect. These were “B” stock, so a couple subtle blemishes, but overall and very sturdy and very beautiful speaker.
Specifications: excellent base, the 7” scanspeak is supposedto be flat down to 32 Hz and the RAAL tweeter play up to or even past 38Khz,Dennis did some measurement and it looks to me like you can say +/- 2 db 40hz-40Khz (and beyond, the graph cuts off at 40khz). The BMR is similar to the one used in the Cambridge Audio minx and Aero 2 speaker and has a wider dispersionpattern than most traditional cone mids- they also will be more recessed and not as forward as some traditional cone mids. Dennis did tell me the BMR plays really flat up to 5 KHz, and then gets a bit “off”, so he crossed it at 4 KHz. Not sure how much overlaps there is, but the advantage of the BMR as a mid is that it can play higher than the traditional mid and allow for a slightly higher cross over point with the tweeter, not at the point where the human ear is the most sensitive like many speakers. Not sure the sensitivity, but these get plenty loud w/o a ton of power, so they must be pretty sensitive (I would guess87db, much like the Philharmonitor). The crossovers and internal electronics are all quality Philharmonic designs and parts.
Sound Quality: First, my musical tastes included classic Rock, Classical, some jazz and some weird genres (Cajun Creole folk, Irish folk). Second, I have had a music only set up that has been substandard for the past year or so, have been using low end JBls (JBL130s) so the bar isn’t terribly high.
Really, the thing that just jumps out at you about the Phil-BMR is the highs and the lows (ironically, opposite of most Bose speakers,but I digress). These speakers are capable of very accurate bass down to 40 Hz and maybe lower (I have done no measurements). My Def Tech SM450s are supposed to be able to hit 40 Hz, but I really doubt they get close to that…maybe closerto 50! The Phil-BMR hits much lower and are much more accurate! For Rock, the woofer really sings and gives songs greater depth and feel, but also clarity at thelow end!
For Classical, the Ribbon tweeter really sings and allows you to pick out distinct string plucks and allows the instruments to separate. Absolutely stunning clarity and detail on the high end and I now know that the hype about the RAAL ribbon tweeter is well deserved! The only downside of the ribbon tweeter is can really point out flaws in recordings. Much of the same for Jazz- I am not a huge jazz fan and really cannot even name more than a few artist, most 70/early 80stuff. However, the horns sound crystal clear and very distinct! For Rock, well for most recordings, the woofer will get your attention more than the tweeter. You do hear some really stunning detail in some vocals. The clarity of some of the added affects in Pink Floyd’s music is impressive!
Now, a bunch of speakers have great woofers and more than few have very good ribbon tweeters. What sets this speaker apart from other three way speaker designs is the use of a BMR driver as a mid. I think this is the only speaker made with this driver configuration! For me, the BMR just disappears, which I assume means it is doing its thing without call attention to itself. You don’t listen to this speaker and say “boy, those mids are excellent”…but you sure don’tseem to find anything lacking with the speaker either and the measurements indicate that the BMR is doing its’ thing exceptionally well! I am use to EMPtek speakers, which tend to run a little midrange hot, so I am still getting use to the BMR’s more recessed and subtle midrange.
Okay, so I am a scientist and always look at things through reductionist eyes, but the big picture is that this speaker sounds fantastic. It has been awhile since I have heard a truly flat freq response speaker! I have heard Philharmonic speakers before; my brother owns a pair of second hand PhilSlims. The Ribbon tweeter in those is fantastic, but I would say the one in the Phil-BMR is just as good (might be identical) and the woofer in the Phil-BMR might be better! Is the BMR driver the midrange of the future? Not sure, but itsure makes for one smooth and clear sound in this speaker! Kudos to DennisMurphy!
Driver composition: 7 inch scanspeak woofer, 2 inch BMR midrange and RAAL ribbon tweeter
Cabinet: Parts Express Dayton Audio cabinet in Piano black
Impression, heavy, these speaker weigh about 40 lbs. and are not small bookshelves. The PE cabinet is solid and well braced. While Piano black isn’t my favorite finish, these look very good and the “Murphy modifications” are professionally done, as you would expect. These were “B” stock, so a couple subtle blemishes, but overall and very sturdy and very beautiful speaker.
Specifications: excellent base, the 7” scanspeak is supposedto be flat down to 32 Hz and the RAAL tweeter play up to or even past 38Khz,Dennis did some measurement and it looks to me like you can say +/- 2 db 40hz-40Khz (and beyond, the graph cuts off at 40khz). The BMR is similar to the one used in the Cambridge Audio minx and Aero 2 speaker and has a wider dispersionpattern than most traditional cone mids- they also will be more recessed and not as forward as some traditional cone mids. Dennis did tell me the BMR plays really flat up to 5 KHz, and then gets a bit “off”, so he crossed it at 4 KHz. Not sure how much overlaps there is, but the advantage of the BMR as a mid is that it can play higher than the traditional mid and allow for a slightly higher cross over point with the tweeter, not at the point where the human ear is the most sensitive like many speakers. Not sure the sensitivity, but these get plenty loud w/o a ton of power, so they must be pretty sensitive (I would guess87db, much like the Philharmonitor). The crossovers and internal electronics are all quality Philharmonic designs and parts.
Sound Quality: First, my musical tastes included classic Rock, Classical, some jazz and some weird genres (Cajun Creole folk, Irish folk). Second, I have had a music only set up that has been substandard for the past year or so, have been using low end JBls (JBL130s) so the bar isn’t terribly high.
Really, the thing that just jumps out at you about the Phil-BMR is the highs and the lows (ironically, opposite of most Bose speakers,but I digress). These speakers are capable of very accurate bass down to 40 Hz and maybe lower (I have done no measurements). My Def Tech SM450s are supposed to be able to hit 40 Hz, but I really doubt they get close to that…maybe closerto 50! The Phil-BMR hits much lower and are much more accurate! For Rock, the woofer really sings and gives songs greater depth and feel, but also clarity at thelow end!
For Classical, the Ribbon tweeter really sings and allows you to pick out distinct string plucks and allows the instruments to separate. Absolutely stunning clarity and detail on the high end and I now know that the hype about the RAAL ribbon tweeter is well deserved! The only downside of the ribbon tweeter is can really point out flaws in recordings. Much of the same for Jazz- I am not a huge jazz fan and really cannot even name more than a few artist, most 70/early 80stuff. However, the horns sound crystal clear and very distinct! For Rock, well for most recordings, the woofer will get your attention more than the tweeter. You do hear some really stunning detail in some vocals. The clarity of some of the added affects in Pink Floyd’s music is impressive!
Now, a bunch of speakers have great woofers and more than few have very good ribbon tweeters. What sets this speaker apart from other three way speaker designs is the use of a BMR driver as a mid. I think this is the only speaker made with this driver configuration! For me, the BMR just disappears, which I assume means it is doing its thing without call attention to itself. You don’t listen to this speaker and say “boy, those mids are excellent”…but you sure don’tseem to find anything lacking with the speaker either and the measurements indicate that the BMR is doing its’ thing exceptionally well! I am use to EMPtek speakers, which tend to run a little midrange hot, so I am still getting use to the BMR’s more recessed and subtle midrange.
Okay, so I am a scientist and always look at things through reductionist eyes, but the big picture is that this speaker sounds fantastic. It has been awhile since I have heard a truly flat freq response speaker! I have heard Philharmonic speakers before; my brother owns a pair of second hand PhilSlims. The Ribbon tweeter in those is fantastic, but I would say the one in the Phil-BMR is just as good (might be identical) and the woofer in the Phil-BMR might be better! Is the BMR driver the midrange of the future? Not sure, but itsure makes for one smooth and clear sound in this speaker! Kudos to DennisMurphy!