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

[tifune]

I see no mention of sleep/standby function in the manual, safe to assume there isn't one?

Anyone know what mounts are recommended?

 

[Ktacos]

I'd wanted to buy coaxial monitors for a long time because they offer a much wider sweet spot compared to the LYD 7s which are great but even a slight head movement changes the music perception a lot.

While I haven't tried coax myself, I have heard imaging can be better but I think in this case, it's because Dynaudio has the xover points way too high on their LYD series. 4300hz is just too high for that driver combo.

 

[Ogremic]

While I haven't tried coax myself, I have heard imaging can be better but I think in this case, it's because Dynaudio has the xover points way too high on their LYD series. 4300hz is just too high for that driver combo.

It's not, I have the LYD 5 and I very much enjoy the lack of crossover freq in the mid band, they are very very nice to mix on, except the lack of bass, which can be achieved somewhat with the - 10Hz setting at the expense of volume.

 

[MGJ]

FYI: for those concerned with the power light and trying to block or dim it, Amazon has many "LED blocking stickers" available. I use them to dim a blue power light.

 

[Liftro]

I appreciate all the people who take the plunge and buy them without waiting for Amirm data.

 

[Liftro]

It's not, I have the LYD 5 and I very much enjoy the lack of crossover freq in the mid band, they are very very nice to mix on, except the lack of bass, which can be achieved somewhat with the - 10Hz setting at the expense of volume.

I'm still amazed at how they get 8.9 on Spinorama with perfect sub and EQ score.

 

[3125b]

The center seems to have a mind of its own and struggles to connect with the rest of the stereo image

That might be because the A77X are deeply flawed speakers; the MTM layout does not work, it gives you terrible horizontal directivity which becomes even more problematic the closer you sit (not to mention comb filtering issues). I don't know what posesses companies that should know better to make speakers like this.

 

[Ktacos]

It's not, I have the LYD 5 and I very much enjoy the lack of crossover freq in the mid band, they are very very nice to mix on, except the lack of bass, which can be achieved somewhat with the - 10Hz setting at the expense of volume.

?

The high xover point leading to pretty audible changes with head movements is probably their most common complaint amongst the series. Are you suggesting the speakers have dispersion issues unrelated to the xover?

The whole idea of "critical midrange" and avoiding xovers in certain points is all just made up junk from old days. Some of the most performant speakers we have today have the xover right where some people would say is a bad idea. My speakers have their xover 1khz and my word they sound incredible.

 

[Caldera]

The Palmer Orbit 11 speakers seem like a perfect choice for my home office. However, I’m unsure about the best way to manage the connection from my computer’s USB port to the active speakers.

What would be the most suitable option?

1. A USB-to-XLR DAC with analog volume control, connected to the speakers’ analog XLR inputs? Could the speakers’ additional internal A/D and D/A conversion be a potential disadvantage?
2. A USB input to AES3 output interface using the volume control of the computer connected to the speakers’ digital input?
3. A USB input to AES3 output interface with intergrated digital volume control, connected to the speakers’ digital input? Does such an interface with up/down-sampling to 96 kHz and 24 bit exist? Maybe RME Adi 2 Pro SE or RME ADI 2/4 Pro SE?
4. Indepedent of the computer: An Eversolo T8 streaming transport with AES 3 output connected to the speakers’ digital input? If so, can the audio format for AES3 output be adjusted to 96 kHz and 24 bit, and can the volume be controlled directly from the T8 without loss of sound quality?
   I would be very grateful for any advice, as I am not a sound engineer—especially since the Orbit 11s are not specifically designed for domestic use.

 

[Liftro]

?

The high xover point leading to pretty audible changes with head movements is probably their most common complaint amongst the series. Are you suggesting the speakers have dispersion issues unrelated to the xover?

The whole idea of "critical midrange" and avoiding xovers in certain points is all just made up junk from old days. Some of the most performant speakers we have today have the xover right where some people would say is a bad idea. My speakers have their xover 1khz and my word they sound incredible.

Shouldn't the xover point be dictated by the type of woofer and tweeter used and then the exact point to be chosen in the most optimal location? Besides, the LYDs barely have waveguide which I don't think is entirely good.

 

[Ktacos]

Shouldn't the xover point be dictated by the type of woofer and tweeter used and then the exact point to be chosen in the most optimal location? Besides, the LYDs barely have waveguide which I don't think is entirely good.

Yes and having a 4300hz xover point on those drivers as far apart as they are is not a good idea. Dynaudio attempted to improve dispersion here by crossing the woofer high enough to avoid the tweeter getting too wide, but downside is pretty bad verticals and a speaker that is more likely to have it's drivers sound like separate units.

 

[GavriloD]

The Palmer Orbit 11 speakers seem like a perfect choice for my home office. However, I’m unsure about the best way to manage the connection from my computer’s USB port to the active speakers.

What would be the most suitable option?

1. A USB-to-XLR DAC with analog volume control, connected to the speakers’ analog XLR inputs? Could the speakers’ additional internal A/D and D/A conversion be a potential disadvantage?
2. A USB input to AES3 output interface using the volume control of the computer connected to the speakers’ digital input?
3. A USB input to AES3 output interface with intergrated digital volume control, connected to the speakers’ digital input? Does such an interface with up/down-sampling to 96 kHz and 24 bit exist? Maybe RME Adi 2 Pro SE or RME ADI 2/4 Pro SE?
4. Indepedent of the computer: An Eversolo T8 streaming transport with AES 3 output connected to the speakers’ digital input? If so, can the audio format for AES3 output be adjusted to 96 kHz and 24 bit, and can the volume be controlled directly from the T8 without loss of sound quality?
   I would be very grateful for any advice, as I am not a sound engineer—especially since the Orbit 11s are not specifically designed for domestic use.

T8 looks like an ideal pairing for active speakers with AES input. You can, but don't need to adjust anything on T8 side, dac in the speakers will take care of the sampling rate.
Yes, volume will be controlled by T8. I am not sure if you can use USB inputs on T8 to connect to your computer. You will be able to stream from it via a network connection. You also have the option of installing SSD in the T8 and rip FLAC files directly from an external USB drive.

I really like this T8/Orbit 11 combo.

 

[Ratterbass]

The Palmer Orbit 11 speakers seem like a perfect choice for my home office. However, I’m unsure about the best way to manage the connection from my computer’s USB port to the active speakers.

What would be the most suitable option?

1. A USB-to-XLR DAC with analog volume control, connected to the speakers’ analog XLR inputs? Could the speakers’ additional internal A/D and D/A conversion be a potential disadvantage?
2. A USB input to AES3 output interface using the volume control of the computer connected to the speakers’ digital input?
3. A USB input to AES3 output interface with intergrated digital volume control, connected to the speakers’ digital input? Does such an interface with up/down-sampling to 96 kHz and 24 bit exist? Maybe RME Adi 2 Pro SE or RME ADI 2/4 Pro SE?
4. Indepedent of the computer: An Eversolo T8 streaming transport with AES 3 output connected to the speakers’ digital input? If so, can the audio format for AES3 output be adjusted to 96 kHz and 24 bit, and can the volume be controlled directly from the T8 without loss of sound quality?
   I would be very grateful for any advice, as I am not a sound engineer—especially since the Orbit 11s are not specifically designed for domestic use.

You don't need specifically AES. SPDIF will work as well if you're not running long cables. You just need a XLR to RCA adapter. Getting an ADI line device purely for sending USB audio over AES seems overkill. T8 will work. But so will a Wiim pro if you only need it for streaming and digital output.

 

[Ogremic]

I'm still amazed at how they get 8.9 on Spinorama with perfect sub and EQ score.

Because they sound good? I like their sound very much, hiss is audible only in the vicinity (15cm to the ear)

 

[Ogremic]

?

The high xover point leading to pretty audible changes with head movements is probably their most common complaint amongst the series. Are you suggesting the speakers have dispersion issues unrelated to the xover?

The whole idea of "critical midrange" and avoiding xovers in certain points is all just made up junk from old days. Some of the most performant speakers we have today have the xover right where some people would say is a bad idea. My speakers have their xover 1khz and my word they sound incredible.

I don't know about the bigger LYD speakers, but the small one is really great. I'm speaking as an owner, not from showroom quick listening.

pretty bad verticals and a speaker that is more likely to have it's drivers sound like separate units.

It's a speaker that's intended to be used in nearfield. No need to move head up and down, when mixing I don't move my head vertically more than 10cm and I haven't detected anything bothersome. I've mixed on them and there's nowhere of that behavior you're pointing. They sound very nice and coherent, I can say the mids on them are nicer than those on my main HEDD Type 07 speakers and they are no slouches, I mix on them all day. Very sweet and non fatiguing speaker (LYD), used them for 5 weeks as main monitors when the HEDDs were out and about. Most of the time they reside as a TV speakers mounted on the wall with a SVS-1000 Pro Sub and they do a wonderful job there, they will never be replaced unless die of old age, I like listening music and watching movies on that combo.

I was thinking of replacing Hedds with something better, but the only real big step would have been a 3way, unfortunately all are massive or expensive.... but now Orbit 11 showed up and I'm seriously considering buying them... Wife said they look nice so that's also a huge advantage. Will see how things go.

 

[kemmler3D]

Pretty interesting how we're already hearing "don't need a sub with these" from some of the owners. The bass extension will be a big selling point of these if they don't have terrible compression in testing, but if the bass was bad in normal listening I guess we would have heard about it by now...

 

[Breeze98]

Only trade off : the only 3 points EQ. That's pretty poor and not up to the excellent level of the other parameters).
Please Palmer, as you follow this thread, may I suggest you to release a quick update by implementing a 10 band EQ and/or a calibration ?

Sure, but many will instead be using EQ upstream, such as Wiim and EQ apo presumably?

 

[Caldera]

You don't need specifically AES. SPDIF will work as well if you're not running long cables. You just need a XLR to RCA adapter. Getting an ADI line device purely for sending USB audio over AES seems overkill. T8 will work. But so will a Wiim pro if you only need it for streaming and digital output.

Does Wiim room correction and volume adjustment work with SPDIF output?

 

[Matt_Holland]

Does Wiim room correction and volume adjustment work with SPDIF output?

Yes. One of the selling points of their platform In my opinion.

 

[Torin Krell]

Not an issue for many using EQ upstream, such as Wiim and EQ apo?

Good point, however some digital upstream EQ solutions can add significant latency which may make it challenging to comfortably play instruments through the system in real time. For listening to recorded sources and mixing the latency created would not be an issue, although sync issues may need amelioration with video.