Philharmonic Audio - Dennis Murphy - Page 17

lol!

CONGRATS DENNIS ON THE RAPID SUCCESS! Lol =)

Dennis is a great person, honest, etc., but beyond, that my experience is that he is one of the best speaker designers around today. I have had lots of contact with others but Dennis is one of those rare people who does it for love and not for the money. That being said, he should flourish so BUY HIS SPEAKERS.

I have to add something to this. Jim Salk is also one of the true "good guys" in this business so BUY HIS SPEAKERS TOO and I would want to buy his SALK stream media server when he comes out with a price. Jim and Dennis are the best people in this biz that I have dealt with and I am really old (without being dead) with lots of experience.

My 2 cents.

P.S. I did not intend on buying Dennis Phil 2's but when I visited him, I realized, how can you do better for the price (IMHO you can't)?

Truer words were never spoken here.....hope you live long enough to enjoy the 2s as they are really special!

Of course I have been saying that all along.

Congrats! on your new Philharmonic 2s!!!

Without being dead? LOL - too funny.

Randy, I am glad you decided to check out Dennis' speakers, and ultimately ended up buying them. I suspected you might. Enjoy them my friend.

Dennis what is the wait time on a set of Phil 2's now?

"Cotton candy! Popcorn! Snow cones! Soda pop! Hot dogs!" "Right this way, Ladies and Gentlemen, right this way! Don't be afraid to step right up!" "Get your Philharmonics here! Buy 'em while they last!" "Souvenirs! Balloons!" "Peanuts! Hot roasted peanuts! Get 'em right here!" "Ladies and Gentlemen, and Children of all Ages, the circus has begun!"

Couldn't resist

Thanks!

Thanks for all the kind words. It's really getting to know people like Randy, Nuance, and Woodsart that make the speaker design biz worthwhile. As for wait times, the 2's are running about 2 weeks.

OK, Thanks.

Right back at you buddy, but instead of using the phrase "makes the speaker design biz worthwhile" I'll say "makes this hobby worthwhile."

+ 1

You're welcome Big "D", What you have offered us is far greater than the money we paid and I really appreciate the creativity you have shared and allowed all of us to enjoy.

Again, the RAALs really displayed the amazing clarity they are famous for. A trumpet floating around the higher register just wanted me to listen to the "Trumpet Concerto No. 1 in B Flat (I think), over and over again. Just to think that this is just the beginning of what I have dreamed about for sometime.

We support you DM!!!

completely agree!

I ordered the Phil 2's and a center today...will post about them in a couple weeks or so.

Congratulations, your WON the Lottery!!!!!

Congrats!!! Perhaps another review??

Looks like solid speakers for the money.

The look reminds me of the Wilson Watt Puppies.

Del just completed the cabinets of my Phil3. Still dusty.

Just stunning!!

Congratulations!

I'm so torn between Phil 2/3 and Sierra Tower I dunno what to do!

Has anyone had a chance to heard BOTH.

I'd like to hear opinion/comparatives between the two.

Dave's "Sierra Tower Center" is a natural to use as a center if using Phil2/3 for home theater as it can be purchased with Raal over the NrT dome.

What center did you get? I'm going to get Ascend Acoustics Sierra Tower Center for my setup.

Soooo nice! So it shouldn't be too long now, eh?

The Tower Center certainly looks interesting, but I couldn't find it listed on the Ascend site. Do you have a link for details, pricing? Thanks (I do offer a center, but it uses the Fountek ribbon, not a RAAL.)

I'm just guessing, but I'd imagine The Ascends will give you more of a "They are here in the room" perspective and the Philharmonics will give you more of a "You are there" perspective.

So based on that total guess... if you listen to more studio/close mic etc recordings you might be more inclined towards the more studio style speakers, and if you listen to more "live" recordings you might see yourself gravitating towards the Philharmonics.

...or maybe not. *shrug*

Eternal Velocity thanks for the response. Yeah I'd have to agree with my experience with the Neo8 down low.

It's really my only concern about these speakers.

I think what you're trying to say is the Sierra Towers are more "dynamic" or that the Phil's have a larger soundstage?

In my experience the more dynamic and sensitive a loudspeaker the more "You are there" ya get.

I'm basically worried about the mid range "slam" on the neo8 because it's driven down so low in the design. If it's "airy" without much "slam" then the classical music crowd will love it.

This is my concern... LOL

How padded are the other drivers to get the Neo8 to match SPL? Perhaps there is a lot more to that top cabinet than meets the eyes!

I'm most certain they are the two best loudspeakers in the entire industry right now under $4000-5000 grand.

PS no question the MLTL for bass will blow away Dave's mineral filled 5" ported midwoofers.

I'm very cornfused here. Why to you think the Neo8 is crossed low in this design? They're crossed with steep 4th order acoustic slopes a little above 600 Hz. That's well within their operating range, and distortion averages .2% or below. And why do you think the other drivers are severely padded to match the Neo 8? First, the only driver that could be padded is the tweeter. You don't pad woofers. And the Neo 8 is very sensitive--just as sensitive as the tweeter. In truth, both the Neo 8 and the RAAL are padded down to match the woofer, just as they would be in any design. Finally, I think you're reading things into EV's comments that aren't there. I think he's talking about basic voicing, not dynamic limitations. But perhaps he can elaborate further.

Interesting. High sensitivity and dynamic generally indicates a Klipsh or a similiar speaker with a compression driver/horn? If that is important to you and is "most important", I suggest Earl Geddes speakers, Procella speakers, or Klipsch THX speakers. I have heard/ownedEarl's and Procella speaker and have heard the Klipsch vs. Procella and they have dynamic range to spare. They will play very clear at high levels!

I really love Dennis as a designer and his speakers (and that is why I bought his 2"s) and David at Ascend is a very brilliant designer making speakers that are great for the money (and I have owned his original speakers as well as the Sierras). My experience suggest that David can take average to very good drivers and make a very good to great speaker out of them. That said, the "two best loudspeakers in the industry" without qualification is a little bit over the top IMO. There are some very good designers out there who build cost no object speakers (some with proprietary drivers) and I really believe it sometimes depends on what is important to you and how you are going to use the speakers. Just my opinion.

Thanks for both responses. I'm learning guys! I guess my concerns about the Neo8 are way off...

I'll be placing an order soon Dennis!

YAY!

I guess your right about my surpurlatives Randy but I wasn't saying they are the "best" but are absolute stunners at $2-$3k.

Dave has a matching Sierra Tower Center cabinet for the Phil2s so I'm about to pull the trigger!

PS Now I just need to find a deal on an ATI AT2007 and wait for MDS/Emo to finish the XMC

Understood! For ATI 7, I don't know who the sales manager is now but when I bought ATI, the national sales manager was very helpful.