Philharmonic Audio - Dennis Murphy - Page 120

Well, it is expensive, but this:

http://www.sbacoustics.com/index.php/products/woofers/12-sb34nrxl75-8/

Sure would be an interesting choice for that SEOS-12 build :P

Touche. I just meant if I had SS10's I'd make whatever amp I had work, because I'd simply be stoke to have SS10's. But yes, in reality I'd feed those beasts with as much power as I could afford. The amp has to be dead silent and pretty too.

I love my Yamaha P5000S for driving stuff. I even think it's kinda-pretty. I just wish it wasn't manual-only on.

Now that is a ton of power! It wouldn't pass the looks test, though (my wife is a stickler for that stuff). Is it dead quiet? I imagine it has fans, no?
Edited by Nuance - 12/7/12 at 6:04am

To my knowledge the fan has never kicked on (it is possible that it has during some loud play and I've not heard it, or that it's amazingly silent in general; haven't poked around because I've been happy with the performance). The thing has been dead quiet, even in conditions where I'm shutting off the ceiling fan to remove extra noise.

The cost is pleasantly low (got that one when Best Buy was getting rid of them, paid <$500). One does need to adapt to XLR and the voltage change (or take the -6db hit), and I wish the power cable was detachable. But an amp that will go to 2ohm and give lots of clean, quiet power has been worth the little annoyances (like the cable, and the manual button).

I bought before the cheaper and lighter amps from Peavy and Crown came out.... but to be honest they are hideous trainwrecks for the eyes.

Can you purchase a 12V trigger unit and plug the amp into it? Then when your preamp or receiver powers on it'll trigger on the power amps. I use something from Niles similar to this for my two Behringer EP2500 subwoofer amps (mine is an older model and has multiple outlets):

http://www.nilesaudio.com/product.php?prodID=CS12V&recordID=Source%20Switching%20Systems&categoryID=Switching%20Systems&catcdID=10&prdcdID=FG01173

That's a nice idea. I've been drawn to some of the PDU's that offer similar functionality but they've been at a price higher than my convenience has been worth so-far.

I'll look at the one you linked. Thank you.

Dennis, sorry for the side-track into amps.

^ I got mine new on ebay for like 30 bucks each plus $5 shipping; I think they were $199 retail. They had just discontinued the version I have for the newer variation, so I jumped all over it.

Sorry for the side tracking - yeah.

It depends on the speakers you are using it with and the amps you are comparing it to.

I've had a P5000S for years to run PA equipment (Yammy S115IV's actually). I tried using them on my Boston Acoustics E100's (89db/w/m @ 8ohms) and Legacy Audio Focus SE's (95db/w/m @ 4ohms). The amps DO have fans, but only kick on if you drive them hard (or it's hot), but the amps themselves have a higher noise floor than either the Emotiva XPA-1's I'm currently using OR the Onkyo 5008's internal amps.


Max

You Bastard! Reading your review makes me even more anxious to get mine. To compare them to my dream speakers, the Salon2s (not to mention my other dream speakers, the TAD Reference One), like that is just killing me. (I've been waiting almost five months now and have yet to get an approximate ship date yet. Hopefully, Santa will deliver them in time for Christmas.

What's even worse is that I've taken my whole setup over to my dad's new house for him to audition so I don't even have my Revel F52s to hold me over. All I've got left is my MP3 player and some cheap $1.99 headphones.

LOL My bad. xD DUDE with your subs and 1.12 gigawatts, there is little reason to buy a Salon 2 over Phil, IMO.

IMO, aside from bass, all else is equal. We shall see how you feel.


LOL Sorry. I meant NOT like the Salon 2...shifty eyes..shifty eyes.


Any word on Duc's Phil 3s, Dennis?

That is the worst thing ever.

Your dad gonna steal your 52s? :O

Believe me, I'm as anxious to invoice the Duc as he is to get the speaks. I've got bills to pay. Del said he would give me an update tomorrow night. Part of the problem is that the Duc wanted a high polish black treatment on the baffles, and that involves lots of labor. I very much hope Del will give me the heads up to send out that invoice, and then I'll get Santa's helpers (I don't have any) whipped up to deliver before Merry Merry.

Look at you, writing such a nice review. And so articulate. Thanks!

Dennis, you should just invoice me now. I have no qualms about sending you the remaining balance before they're ready to be shipped. Makes it easier for me as well.

LOL I always tell my Professors I am only articulate on the weekends... I'm not sure why, but they still fail my papers...

I'd be careful around Dennis "Baby face" Murphy!

Well done, kid.

Ha Ha, Brandon, we are all kids, just some with more years!!!!

Good job J!!!

Just got back from his house. He decided, with my recommendation, to stick with the Infinity Primus P363s for his setup. We both heard a definite improvement with the F52s, but not enough to justify the price premium. This is a testament to two things. 1. The extreme bang for the buck the Primus line is and 2. How much room interactions affect the sound of speakers.

Even after many hours of setup, I couldn't make the F52's sound move me like they do in my room. They still sounded good, but not to the point of bliss that I'm so used to. I blame the open layout and lack of any acoustic treatments for that. When I have some time, I'll have to go bring them back to my place. My room is so empty without them.

No worries there. I have a friend named Guido who loves to travel with his two buddies Smith & Wesson. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to go collect on any missing funds for me.

Ya hear that, Dennis?

Better be wary of Duc "Capone" 135

I just invoiced his sorry derriere. I'll wait a couple of weeks before bringing the full force of Philharmonic Audio down on him.

Uh, oh. Good thing I've got a four month stockpile of food and water here. Just need to board up the windows and doors and I think I should be able to survive the siege. Even have a generator and fuel to run my stereo if need be. I'm hoping by then, you'll have bored of me or have gotten other speakers to build.

Then again if you're sending your dog, I may have to take him hostage.

Now that is the type of dedication I expect from all of you! xD

If anyone's interested, Crown XLS2500 amps at the Big River site for the lowest prices I've ever seen. Not many available though.


Max

NICE! Thanks for the link!

Hi Anyone interested in a pair of Phil 2's in the original black cabinets should contact me. The owner was using them while he waited for his 3's to be built. I understand them to be in mint condition--$1900/pr. Just write me at info@philharmonicaudio.com

Hope not too many folks took advantage of that heads up.

I bought a pair of them, and while they have a lower noise floor than the P5000S, I can't recommend the XLS2500 for audiophile music use without EQ/room correction.

I've been using Emotiva XPA-1's across the front for a while now, first paired with Boston Acoustics E100's and then Legacy Audio Focus SE's and they measure very well and sound great in my room (so tempted to take this pair of Phil 2's that Dennis is offering, but I don't want to end up with a speaker collection like ADTG's).

Anyway, the XPA-1 and Focus SE combo measures appreciably flat in my room even without EQ or Audyssey, but I still use Audyssey for the tightening up of the bass. I swapped in one XLS2500 on the left side and level matched it to the right side and played some of my regular audition music that I've listened to a lot. Imagine my disappointment when the soundstage collapsed to the right speaker. Haven't measured with REW to see what's happening, but from what I can hear, the XLS2500 is rolling off the mids and highs.

I even tried adjusting the gain so the meter read louder for the Left side but the soundstage still collapsed to the right. If I had connected both L&R to the XLS2500 I might have thought it was just my imagination or that I was tired, but with the left speaker hooked up to the XLS2500 and the right to the XPA-1, there was no question, it was plain as day.

I doublechecked to make sure I didn't have the crossover/LPF setting inadvertently turned on on the Crown and I didn't. I even tried bridging the Crown to the left speaker to rule out the possibility that the Emo's 1000watt rating gave it an edge over the Crown's 775watts (level matched to 75db at the MLP, the Crown's gain knob was 100% when using one channel and about 55-60% when bridged).

As I said, I even tried turning the gain up on the Crown so it read 1-2 db louder at the MLP, but the soundstage still collapsed to the right XPA-1 powered speaker.

I finally disconnected the Crown and reconnected the left XPA-1 and bam, the imaging was back, with the vocalist dead center and the image sounding 3-dimensional. Nope, the tweeters in the Left speaker weren't damaged or blown, it was the XLS2500.

If you're going to use this amp with something like Audyssey XT32, the calibration will flatten the FR for you, but if you plan to go with a 'purist' approach with no EQ, going by the measurements the Phils produce, the XLS2500 will be masking what the Phils are capable of. You'd be doing the Phils an injustice pairing them with an XLS2500 un'EQd.


Max

That sure doesn't sound like my crown to me... sounds like a defective product. Mine sound very 3D and neutral.

Challenge Accepted!!!


Looks fine to me

blue is quasi red is LP