Palmer ORBIT 11 Cardioid Coaxial 3-way studio monitor (MSRP 799€/899$)

[DschayAge]

I call it GPT

This worries me because if I read between the lines correctly then the sound is less detailed /analytical than Genelec and more "musical" which I don't like

Well, according to measurements, almost all studio monitors are designed to be as linear as possible — so in the end, it becomes a question of dispersion characteristics and a thousand other factors.

With the 3-way system, I clearly hear more detail than with many other 2-way speakers. The NuVero 60 from Nubert is also a 3-way speaker and offers a very detailed sound.

And just because the Orbit 11 from Palmer doesn’t sound sharp or piercing in the treble — which Genelec speakers tend to do, even if only slightly — doesn’t mean it lacks detail.

So how is “analytical” actually defined?

• Lack of bass?
• Thin mids?
• Harsh, cutting highs?
• A small soundstage with no sense of immersion?

For me, “analytical” means a flat frequency response where I can hear everything — and, more importantly, truly experience the spatial information in the sound.

Sure, a smaller monitor with less bass can help when mixing and mastering — but that always comes at a price. In the end, it all depends on what you want to achieve with the speaker you choose.

As I said, I’ve had many speakers here. For me, in the passive category, the ultimate all-in-one speaker without a subwoofer is the NuVero 60 from Nubert. In the active category, it’s now the Orbit 11 from Palmer.

Of course, I can’t speak for everyone. Many people may not like this speaker or may not be able to unlock its full potential due to their room, electronics, or other limitations. But for me, this complete package is absolutely mind-blowing — I honestly didn’t expect something like this to come out of such a speaker.

 

[RT.]

Well, according to measurements, almost all studio monitors are designed to be as linear as possible — so in the end, it becomes a question of dispersion characteristics and a thousand other factors.

With the 3-way system, I clearly hear more detail than with many other 2-way speakers. The NuVero 60 from Nubert is also a 3-way speaker and offers a very detailed sound.

And just because the Orbit 11 from Palmer doesn’t sound sharp or piercing in the treble — which Genelec speakers tend to do, even if only slightly — doesn’t mean it lacks detail.

So how is “analytical” actually defined?

• Lack of bass?
• Thin mids?
• Harsh, cutting highs?
• A small soundstage with no sense of immersion?

For me, “analytical” means a flat frequency response where I can hear everything — and, more importantly, truly experience the spatial information in the sound.

Sure, a smaller monitor with less bass can help when mixing and mastering — but that always comes at a price. In the end, it all depends on what you want to achieve with the speaker you choose.

As I said, I’ve had many speakers here. For me, in the passive category, the ultimate all-in-one speaker without a subwoofer is the NuVero 60 from Nubert. In the active category, it’s now the Orbit 11 from Palmer.

Of course, I can’t speak for everyone. Many people may not like this speaker or may not be able to unlock its full potential due to their room, electronics, or other limitations. But for me, this complete package is absolutely mind-blowing — I honestly didn’t expect something like this to come out of such a speaker.

Very well spoken/written.

By the way, I never had the feeling that Genelec’s sound sharp or piercing. Every single person does have a different hearing. My personal assumption is only that one should compare a real acoustic instrument with speakers in the same room at more or less the same time. If this is a match for the listener it is kind of perfect. And in my experience this works best with very neutral loudspeakers (most of the time well done studio monitors with excellent measurement results).

 

[Liftro]

Well, according to measurements, almost all studio monitors are designed to be as linear as possible — so in the end, it becomes a question of dispersion characteristics and a thousand other factors.

With the 3-way system, I clearly hear more detail than with many other 2-way speakers. The NuVero 60 from Nubert is also a 3-way speaker and offers a very detailed sound.

And just because the Orbit 11 from Palmer doesn’t sound sharp or piercing in the treble — which Genelec speakers tend to do, even if only slightly — doesn’t mean it lacks detail.

So how is “analytical” actually defined?

• Lack of bass?
• Thin mids?
• Harsh, cutting highs?
• A small soundstage with no sense of immersion?

For me, “analytical” means a flat frequency response where I can hear everything — and, more importantly, truly experience the spatial information in the sound.

Sure, a smaller monitor with less bass can help when mixing and mastering — but that always comes at a price. In the end, it all depends on what you want to achieve with the speaker you choose.

As I said, I’ve had many speakers here. For me, in the passive category, the ultimate all-in-one speaker without a subwoofer is the NuVero 60 from Nubert. In the active category, it’s now the Orbit 11 from Palmer.

Of course, I can’t speak for everyone. Many people may not like this speaker or may not be able to unlock its full potential due to their room, electronics, or other limitations. But for me, this complete package is absolutely mind-blowing — I honestly didn’t expect something like this to come out of such a speaker.

The speakers should be the best and most neutral possible to start with. You can't polish a turd. The rest is dealing with the problems of your own room. Then each person knows the commitments they are willing to accept.

 

[MrBlueSky4470]

I call it GPT

This worries me because if I read between the lines correctly then the sound is less detailed /analytical than Genelec and more "musical" which I don't like

I've owned Genelec One speakers for a few years now. Before that, I had Neumanns. While the Genelec One speakers are very accurate and I love their coaxial design (which is an absolute must in the nearfield), they really lack character/soul. So, unless you're specifically producing, mixing or mastering, in my opinion, precision isn't everything.

 

[DschayAge]

Very well spoken/written.

By the way, I never had the feeling that Genelec’s sound sharp or piercing. Every single person does have a different hearing. My personal assumption is only that one should compare a real acoustic instrument with speakers in the same room at more or less the same time. If this is a match for the listener it is kind of perfect. And in my experience this works best with very neutral loudspeakers (most of the time well done studio monitors with excellent measurement results).

The speakers should be the best and most neutral possible to start with. You can't polish a turd. The rest is dealing with the problems of your own room. Then each person knows the commitments they are willing to accept.

You’re absolutely right — no one can speak for someone else, and of course acoustic measurements are a good point of reference.

In the end, the only thing that really helps is testing for yourself — that’s clear.

But even if the measurements might not be that impressive, I’d still like to show one or two people that this speaker may nevertheless have the potential to be the right choice for them.

I ordered the speakers on a bit of a whim myself. My expectations were high, and before that I had only seen all the marketing talk and didn’t really believe what was written there — technical specifications that almost seemed too good to be true.

But well, we’ll see — time will tell.

In the end, I personally don’t care that much how they measure. Still, I would of course hope for good results, because for many people only the measurements matter — and if a speaker doesn’t reach a certain reference level, they won’t even consider testing it in the first place.

 

[RT.]

The speakers should be the best and most neutral possible to start with. You can't polish a turd. The rest is dealing with the problems of your own room. Then each person knows the commitments they are willing to accept.

Fully agreed. So far this worked best for me with Genelec’s and Neumann’s in combination with subs. If the Orbit 11 is somewhere near to those at the delivered pricepoint it will allow a lot of people to have this experience on a budget. This would be something really great.

 

[Liftro]

I've owned Genelec One speakers for a few years now. Before that, I had Neumanns. While the Genelec One speakers are very accurate and I love their coaxial design (which is an absolute must in the nearfield), they really lack character/soul. So, unless you're specifically producing, mixing or mastering, in my opinion, precision isn't everything.

Many producers also mention "fun speakers" for producing. I'm not exactly sure what they mean by that. I suppose it's some kind of personal preference.

 

[G|force]

Many producers also mention "fun speakers" for producing. I'm not exactly sure what they mean by that. I suppose it's some kind of personal preference.

The fabled "showroom sound".

 

[Paffi]

@DschayAge did you happen to listen to some Mofis (Sourcepoint 8)?

 

[DschayAge]

@DschayAge did you happen to listen to some Mofis (Sourcepoint 8)?

No i didn‘t

 

[RexrothPigeon]

which I don't like

does it matter? are you actually shopping for speakers finally?

 

[TimVG]

With all the attention given by Palmer to something potentially fantastic I'd be surprised if they messed up the subsequent 'easy' part.

 

[Pearljam5000]

does it matter? are you actually shopping for speakers finally?

At this price it's a possibility
I guess it's either this one or KH120 II

 

[G|force]

At this price it's a possibility
I guess it's either this one or KH120 II

The KH120 II has been available for almost 3 years, so...

 

[Grotti]

At this price it's a possibility
I guess it's either this one or KH120 II

You are here since October 2020...a possibility is not enough anymore: please order something!

 

[Purité Audio]

You are here since October 2020...a possibility is not enough anymore: please order something!

Let me know if you find a way to make people buy audio equipment!
Keith

 

[sharock]

You are here since October 2020...a possibility is not enough anymore: please order something!

Could definitely afford some Ones by now if saving each month since then.

 

[Mnyb]

Let me know if you find a way to make people buy audio equipment!
Keith

Start selling shoes or something audiophiles are the ultimate tire kickers. These o soo important decisions has to take time

 

[Oboreal]

Actually, I get the feeling that the biggest adversary of the Palmer Orbits will be the rooms they’re placed in. The paradox with these speakers is that, on paper, they can function as "compact main monitors” in the Barefoot style — except Barefoots are priced in a way that assumes they’ll be used in a properly treated studio. Here, the Palmers extend low enough that any studio, even a relatively large one, will have its room modes heavily excited by that low‑end extension.

For example, in my own room I have several modes around 40 Hz. With my Focal Shape 65s, that’s not a big issue because they don’t put out much energy down there, so the resonances stay limited. With speakers like the Orbits, it’s a whole different story: while acoustic treatment to manage my modes around 80 Hz is still perfectly doable, keeping a reverberation time that doesn’t smear everything below 40 Hz is impossible without membrane resonators or active absorption like PSI’s solutions — which are vastly more expensive than the speakers themselves.

So despite the incredible price‑to‑performance ratio of these monitors, it’s likely that I’ll go for an upgrade to the KH150 instead, which will let me mix all acoustic and electric instruments without any issues, and then add one or two subs for movies and to check the infra‑bass on certain electronic tracks.

 

[BeeKay]

does it matter? are you actually shopping for speakers finally?

You will be patient until he has at least a hundred thousand posts and the cows actually came home to see this happening.