Short answer: the Philharmonic BMR Monitor, if you are buying new. The Buchardt S400 MKII ranks higher than it (#64 vs #76 of 131 bookshelf speakers, 3.8/5 vs 3.6/5) but is discontinued, so only consider it used; the Philharmonic BMR Monitor is still sold new at $2,200.
What the Buchardt S400 MKII does well: Two-way design with a 3/4” tweeter on a well-implemented aluminum waveguide (compression-driver style, letting the small tweeter cross unusually low at 1800Hz), a 6” SB Acoustics-style mid-woofer, and a tunable 5x8” passive radiator adjustable via rear weights. The catch: Sounds a bit bright and slightly boosted above about 7-8kHz on-axis, even with 30° of toe-out: benefits from about 1 inch of sidewall absorption at the first reflection points to tame it.
What the Philharmonic BMR Monitor does well: Three-way design combining a 6” SB Acoustics mid-woofer, a 2.5” Tectonic balanced-mode radiator (BMR) for the midrange, and a ribbon tweeter: premium component choices relative to the asking price. The tradeoff: A 1-2dB bump around 2-3kHz creates a “glare” on vocals, guitars, and strings that the reviewer noticed consistently across many tracks.
Buy the Philharmonic BMR Monitor, since the Buchardt S400 MKII is discontinued and only worth hunting down used.
Still deciding? The full Passive Home rankings cover every ranked option.
Specifications Side By Side
| Buchardt S400 MKII | Philharmonic BMR Monitor | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2400 per pair Discontinued | $2200 per pair |
| Ranked | #64 of 131 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers | #76 of 131 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 40Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 32Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 59Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 47Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 14.4”H x 7”W x 11”D (365.8 x 177.8 x 279.4 mm) | 20”H x 8”W x 12.5”D (508 x 203.2 x 317.5 mm) |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 4 ohms nominal (3 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured by Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 84.7dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner; 87dB manufacturer specified) | 84dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Drivers | 6.5” aluminum cone woofer, 1” soft dome tweeter | 6” Ceramic woofer, Balanced Mode Radiator 2.5” midrange, RAAL 64-10X OEM tweeter |
| Weight | 16.5 lbs (7.5 kg) each | 32 lbs (14.5 kg) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported | ported, rear |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 5.38 | 6.02 (spinorama.org) |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 7.46 | 7.67 (spinorama.org) |
| DIY Kit | No | No |
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The Two Speakers In Full
Buchardt S400 MKII: $2400 per pair Discontinued Buchardt Audio eBay
Newer model: the Buchardt S400 MK3. It’s likely to perform similarly, though we can’t confirm that yet.
Pros: Two-way design with a 3/4” tweeter on a well-implemented aluminum waveguide (compression-driver style, letting the small tweeter cross unusually low at 1800Hz), a 6” SB Acoustics-style mid-woofer, and a tunable 5x8” passive radiator adjustable via rear weights. Exceptionally flat on-axis linearity, within about ±2dB from 80Hz to 16kHz. Wide horizontal radiation for a waveguided design (about ±45-50°), notably broader than a comparable narrow-waveguide rival like the Klipsch Sevens (~±30°). Well-focused, precise imaging, aided by tight pair matching between the two speakers. Takes very well to EQ correction, letting listeners easily dial in the top end or add midrange fullness to taste. Bass extension reaches a genuine 50Hz in-room from a mellow, well-tuned rolloff rather than an artificially boosted one. Measured bass extension of 59Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 84.7dB.
Cons: Sounds a bit bright and slightly boosted above about 7-8kHz on-axis, even with 30° of toe-out: benefits from about 1 inch of sidewall absorption at the first reflection points to tame it. A mild dullness noted especially on male vocals, alongside a small dip around 300-600Hz. Vertical positioning is critical and unusually “temperamental”: sitting even slightly toward the tweeter line causes a suckout, while sitting above it adds too much energy; not well suited to multi-height home theater seating. Distortion is fine at 86dB but runs into real issues by 96dB: not a high-output speaker. Some compression-related enhancement appears around 1.2kHz (crossover-region interaction), and the tweeter shows clear compression at 102dB. The woofer can bottom out at extreme low-frequency content played very loud; crossing to a subwoofer below 60Hz caused output problems at high volume, while 80-100Hz worked well. A subwoofer isn’t strictly required to protect the speaker at moderate listening levels (80-85dB at 3 meters), but is still recommended for genuine low-octave extension. Discontinued.
Full Buchardt S400 MKII review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 40Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 59Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 14.4”H x 7”W x 11”D (365.8 x 177.8 x 279.4 mm) |
| Drivers | 6.5” aluminum cone woofer, 1” soft dome tweeter |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 84.7dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner; 87dB manufacturer specified) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 5.38 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 7.46 |
| Weight | 16.5 lbs (7.5 kg) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Buchardt S400 MKII vs Klipsch RP-600M II
- Buchardt S400 MKII vs ELAC DBR62
- Buchardt S400 MKII vs Dynaudio Emit 20
- Buchardt S400 MKII vs Dynaudio Special Forty
- Buchardt S400 MKII vs ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63
- Buchardt S400 MKII vs KEF Q3 Meta
- Buchardt S400 MKII vs Sonus Faber Lumina II
- Buchardt S400 MKII vs Philharmonic BMR (v1)
- See all 18 comparisons
Philharmonic BMR Monitor: $2200 per pair Philharmonic Audio eBay
Older model: the Philharmonic BMR (v1) (ranked higher, rated 4.3/5).
Pros: Three-way design combining a 6” SB Acoustics mid-woofer, a 2.5” Tectonic balanced-mode radiator (BMR) for the midrange, and a ribbon tweeter: premium component choices relative to the asking price. A clear improvement over the V1: the earlier version’s overly hot, plateauing treble has been resolved, leaving a genuinely good in-room response outside of one specific area. Extremely wide horizontal radiation of about ±70-80°, creating an enveloping, wide soundstage that illuminates the sidewalls. Well-built, attractive cabinet. Midrange and tweeter show no stress or elevated distortion even at higher output: all the compression and distortion issues trace back to the mid-woofer alone. Measured bass extension of 47Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 84dB.
Cons: A 1-2dB bump around 2-3kHz creates a “glare” on vocals, guitars, and strings that the reviewer noticed consistently across many tracks. The extremely wide radiation trades off against imaging precision: instrument placement became noticeably more diffuse and harder to pinpoint in a narrower, more reflective room, though it improved substantially in a larger, more open room with less sidewall interaction. A suspected resonance around 500Hz shows up as an imbalance in sound power and horizontal directivity measurements, loosely correlating with a vague sense of resonance the reviewer heard subjectively. Moderate sensitivity (about 84.1dB anechoic) and a mid-woofer that runs out of steam under real stress: distortion exceeds 3% even at 100Hz at 96dB, and the reviewer notes SB Acoustics’ published excursion specs tend to overstate real-world linear excursion by nearly 2x. Significant compression appears at 102dB: the woofer audibly unloads around 120Hz, and the ribbon tweeter also compresses heavily at high output. Not well suited to very loud two-channel listening (above about 90dB at 4 meters). In-room bass rolls off around 50Hz, so a subwoofer is recommended for most music. Benefits noticeably from a few bands of EQ if available.
Full Philharmonic BMR Monitor review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 32Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 47Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 20”H x 8”W x 12.5”D (508 x 203.2 x 317.5 mm) |
| Drivers | 6” Ceramic woofer, Balanced Mode Radiator 2.5” midrange, RAAL 64-10X OEM tweeter |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal (3 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured by Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 84dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 6.02 (spinorama.org) |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 7.67 (spinorama.org) |
| Weight | 32 lbs (14.5 kg) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Philharmonic BMR Monitor vs Dynaudio Emit 20
- Philharmonic BMR Monitor vs Klipsch RP-600M II
- Philharmonic BMR Monitor vs Mission LX-3 MKII
- Philharmonic BMR Monitor vs GR-Research X-LS Encore
- Philharmonic BMR Monitor vs Polk Signature Elite ES20
- Philharmonic BMR Monitor vs Dynaudio Special Forty
- Philharmonic BMR Monitor vs ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2
- Philharmonic BMR Monitor vs Ascend CBM-170 SE2
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