I'll post my question in this thread (rather than the Selah thread) since it may be of interest to other BMR owners.


To clarify, is the center channel you mention going to be designed to go with the BMRs? I have a pair of BMRs, and may want a center channel in the future, so I'm curious.


And for anyone else wondering about BMR centers, @jsalk confirmed in the Salk thread that he can do BMR center channels. I don't know what the design would be, though.

I'll post my question in this thread (rather than the Selah thread) since it may be of interest to other BMR owners.


To clarify, is the center channel you mention going to be designed to go with the BMRs? I have a pair of BMRs, and may want a center channel in the future, so I'm curious.


And for anyone else wondering about BMR centers, @jsalk confirmed in the Salk thread that he can do BMR center channels. I don't know what the design would be, though.

I'll post my question in this thread (rather than the Selah thread) since it may be of interest to other BMR owners.


To clarify, is the center channel you mention going to be designed to go with the BMRs? I have a pair of BMRs, and may want a center channel in the future, so I'm curious.


And for anyone else wondering about BMR centers, @jsalk confirmed in the Salk thread that he can do BMR center channels. I don't know what the design would be, though.

Edit: I'm supposedly on the list with Dennis to get a pair of his remaining stock and did request to get a 3rd with the rotated tweeter. I'm thinking/hoping it'll make for an awesome 5.1 system!

I felt, and do believe the same! I'll be subbing my front BMRs with Phil 3s, though. But wouldn't it be grand having 2 more at the rear for 7.1!

Jim, if you're there, I'll be there! Always wanted to hear your speakers since @Nuance enlightened me/many of us years ago.

I had the Forte's for 3 weeks now. I use this in my analog setup using Rega Planar 6 with Ania MC, Fono MC and Yaqin MC-13s Tube Amp.


I've been using my TT before with my Emotiva T1 and can tell that the ribbon tweeter is more airy, detailed and laid back than the horn tweeters. I like how the clarity of the ribbon tweeter produces and the trebles are pretty nice as well. But the AMT is laid back as it is sweet sounding but hearing the horns from the Forte made the ribbons tweeter for me boring.


The forte is really engaging and fun to listen to. As now I kinda understand the differences of the two speakers that I have. I mostly listen to jazz and those big bands, soundstage is pretty awesome. The bass from the forte's are fast and tight. The dynamics are powerful and has impact even in lower volumes! It is amazing as I had it setup in my bedroom and treated my back walls with Auralex acoustic foams only.



I have yet to roll some tubes soon and do some upgrades to the amp as well. So far, I am very pleased with the Klipsch and suprised by it.


I am not by any means expert as this is just an initial impression of the Forte iii's. I will need to give it more time but everyday it keeps getting better.

that amt tweeter is really underrated in the emo's , imo, but those higher end klipsch must be lots of fun...at emo prices they(t1) are tough to beat ,i'm not even sure if some of the "better" entry level speakers from dynaudio or revel and others is "enough" better to justify the price jump from the t1 (at $500)...

I have ordered the S400s. With the BMR Philharmonitor ascending the ladder a bit, the S400 may now be the speaker to beat under $2k.

Let us know how the Fortes work out.

Yes, designed to match the BMR. The midrange and tweeter are the same. The woofers (SB Acoustics aluminum cones) in the first design are different as I gave that as a lower cost option. The SB drivers are actually more linear around the crossover point than the Scan-Speak used in the BMR. The Scan-Speak cone material is an older style back from the 90's. If you look close at the SB cone you'll see it being used by company "R" in their well-regarded speakers. The Scan-Speak woofers could be used in an alternate version if a BMR owner asks for that and increases the cost by a small amount. With a sealed box the bass blends well with subwoofers.

Matching entails keeping the same neutrality of the original design. With the additional woofer sensitivity will be a little higher plus the crossover parts will be upgraded versus the current BMR's that have been sold. With a horizontal center the coverage will be much closer to an upright BMR than placing the BMR horizontally and rotating the tweeter.

I WISH I could convince my wife to let me pick up the Phil 3's that @canyoncreek is selling (if they're even still available), but finishes aside, she hates how they look. Oh well, what can you do. I imagine they'll be awesome for L/R duty for movies though!

Funny you mention 7.1 though. I'm in talks with Jim to have him make a pair of BMR's. It's a bit more than I was planning on spending originally, but I think the handmade-in-the-usa and the quality of his work will be worth it.

I have ordered the S400s. With the BMR Philharmonitor ascending the ladder a bit, the S400 may now be the speaker to beat under $2k.

Let us know how the Fortes work out.

Those look pretty interesting. Congrats...when will they arrive?

Look forward to hearing your impressions. I don't recall, did you participate in the "road show"? If so, that will be enlightening, though audio memory is extremely SHORT, but our memories of our impressions should not be as much.

...but finishes aside, she hates how they look. Oh well, what can you do.

Put up a full sized photo of it up. Maybe she'll grow to like them.

Haha, I can just see it now: wife comes home to life-size photos of speakers glued to cardboard flanking the TV

Happy to be of assistance!

I’d say skip the cardboard and show her this photo of the type of finish she could allow you to order.

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.ph...msg1739925#new

The Gray dye with burst edges might be one of the sexiest finishes! I'm having the Phil 3s done in Midnight Blue on curly maple. (the photo is quilted maple)


(Dennis talked me out of the burst edges with the chamfered cabinets.)


I definitely like the idea of a cardboard mock up! And letting her pick the finish! (I'm kind of in love with the Zebra Wood Veneer, myself. That Spalted Birch is pretty cool too!)

But I will say, the cabinets will cost a chunk more than they used to. For all the conversation about the BMRs lately, the Phil 3 cabinet is his most complex build.
Frankly, though, after my hour and a half with Dennis' old Phil 3 customer doing my audition there... I can't imagine what speakers would compete with these.

I started my search for new speakers a few months ago and, based on comments here, I was lusting for the Phil 3. It was a little above my price point, however, and is no longer available, so I am back to ground zero. I have auditioned a few Maggies and ML ESLs, and I do like their sound, and am hoping any conventional speaker with RAAL tweeters would also satisfy me. So, the speakers I am now considering are:
BMR sold now by Salk - $2400
SongTowerRT, also Salk - $2900
Ascend Acoustics Sierra Tower - $2700 (with RAAL upgrade)
Magnepan 1.7i - $2000 (hard to find the retail price on line)
Martin Logan ESL - $2500

I know of no way to audition any of the first three on my list anywhere in the NE.
Any comments? I do think a tower speaker is more attractive than a bookshelf (both visually and sonically).

Put up a full sized photo of it up. Maybe she'll grow to like them. I know I did. Initially, neither I nor my wife didn't like the looks of them either. Eventually we've grown to like them mostly. Mine are not nearly as nice looking either.

This is the design Rick and I discussed, so I guess I'm the guinea pig. There are some valid reasons why a BMR on it's side with the tweeter rotated is not the BEST option, and that a WTMW with the T and M in an horizontal array is superior. Is it audible? Not sure, but that is what I went with, including the SB drivers rather than scan speak, and sealed rather than ported. I'm excited to get started on the build.

I started my search for new speakers a few months ago and, based on comments here, I was lusting for the Phil 3. It was a little above my price point, however, and is no longer available, so I am back to ground zero. I have auditioned a few Maggies and ML ESLs, and I do like their sound, and am hoping any conventional speaker with RAAL tweeters would also satisfy me. So, the speakers I am now considering are:
BMR sold now by Salk - $2400
SongTowerRT, also Salk - $2900
Ascend Acoustics Sierra Tower - $2700 (with RAAL upgrade)
Magnepan 1.7i - $2000 (hard to find the retail price on line)
Martin Logan ESL - $2500

I know of no way to audition any of the first three on my list anywhere in the NE.
Any comments? I do think a tower speaker is more attractive than a bookshelf (both visually and sonically).

With the more recent BMR design (having the T, M, and W aligned), how would WTMW make a difference when compared to the TMW aligned on its side with the T rotated?

And @BluesDaddy56 , I wouldn't say that she "gets it", just that she knows it makes me happy So she allows me a lot of leeway. I kinda get it with kids though. Our son is about to turn a year old in May... I have a feeling that after this I won't be able to do much for a long while.

With a BMR on it's side, the T and M are side by side. With the WMTW, the Tweeter is above the Mid-range as in the BMR standing straight. Rick can speak to the advantages of this far better than I and why it is a superior approach. Will I hear the difference? Maybe not, but I like the look as well.