Palmer Orbit 11 Monitor Review

[Mort]

It's a 2 way passive, apples and oranges

I hear you. But I want the best measuring system not the coolest sounding one. Measurements are apples to apples.

 

[sidechain]

I hear you. But I want the best measuring system not the coolest sounding one. Measurements are apples to apples.

You do you, I want a small 3 way system, again use case sometimes is the most important aspect of a purchase decision.

 

[olieb]

Measurements are apples to apples.

Not if you look at the spinorama, not by a long shot.
And with an amp the C6B is priced similarly to the Orbit.
And then there is IMD for which we don't have a measurement yet.
But the C6B is a competent speaker, too.

 

[Bwaslo]

I have C6Bs, very very good, but you also need subs with them.

 

[CB89]

How would one quantify the measurable differences between the Orbit 11 and the KH120 II? The KH120's measurements are outstanding, and anyone is free to use them as a benchmark. Frankly, I find it difficult to quantify. I primarily focus on tonal balance and whether it's present. A tonally balanced loudspeaker with solid dispersion is, for me, an indicator that one can enjoy music at a high level. The Orbit offers excellent depth of field that the KH120(a) doesn't quite match. Despite its inferior measurements, the Orbit is, in my opinion, no worse than the KH120. If Neumann could offer me this same depth of field, I would switch. Provided the price is...acceptable.

I assume that the measurably superior systems are set up and adjusted appropriately, and that the room acoustics are of a certain standard. Otherwise, of the 100% that could be achieved, only a portion will ultimately reach the listening position.

 

[capslock]

Quite the contrary. As @thewas already implied, most so designated cardioid designs offer the advantage that the beamwidth control remains controlled down to (or well into) the modal range.

This ensures a spectral similarity between the direct and the reflected sounds in an area where we can most definitely perceive it. In the modal range it is the steady-state room response which dominates and it matters less if you plan on using a measurement microphone. For the Palmer it's quite easy now that we have the full anechoic data. For far field approach set the bass to -4dB on the on-board filters and you'll have an excellent starting point for further EQ.

Standard forward firing cone/dome systems more often than not feature an obvious step in the polar response, which is related to the baffle step. While not always obvious from the spinorama it can be perceived as coloration, especially for those that have to place speaker closer to sidewalls than ideal.

Estimates for the Schroeder frequency in my living room are between 140 and 180 Hz. So with the Orbits, I have the region between 300 and ~ 160 Hz to worry about.

 

[Bwaslo]

geez .. how big is your living room?

 

[sidechain]

Are you still trying to convince yourselves this is living room hi-fi speakers!? You guys...

 

[TimVG]

Estimates for the Schroeder frequency in my living room are between 140 and 180 Hz. So with the Orbits, I have the region between 300 and ~ 160 Hz to worry about.

Transition often starts a good octave above schroeder though. It's not a brickwall point. But for sake of argument, let's say that is the case - then chances are there's better options for you out there as the switch from controlled to omni is severe. There is also floor bounce to consider, the Orbit's woofers location can be problematic in this regard as well (should be closer to floor).
Then there is also possible rear wall interference to consider..

As pointed out by others, the Orbits have a number of qualities that really make it stand out at this price point. And it's going to be a fantastic solution for some, regardless of price. But for others, not as much unfortunately.

 

[F1308]

I think it’s time to clearly include self‑noise/hiss measurements in all powered monitor reviews. I honestly don’t understand why this isn’t already part of the standard test suite, just like SINAD and the rest of the usual metrics. For nearfield use, hiss is a critical parameter, and subjective comments alone aren’t enough. Could you add an objective hiss measurement for this model?

Thank you...

 

[amirm]

I think it’s time to clearly include self‑noise/hiss measurements in all powered monitor reviews. I honestly don’t understand why this isn’t already part of the standard test suite, just like SINAD and the rest of the usual metrics.

Because you need an ultra quiet room. You can put the mic closer to the tweeter to compensate but then slight differences in distance creates error. And you have directivity issues to worry about. Even if you have measurements, interpreting by eye what is annoying/audible is not easy. For this reason, I use my ears and report on that.

 

[F1308]

Because you need an ultra quiet room. You can put the mic closer to the tweeter to compensate but then slight differences in distance creates error. And you have directivity issues to worry about. Even if you have measurements, interpreting by eye what is annoying/audible is not easy. For this reason, I use my ears and report on that.

Thanks, Amir.

I understand the challenges — quiet room, distance sensitivity, directivity, etc. Still, even an approximate near‑field self‑noise measurement (for example at 10 cm with the mic fixed on‑axis) would be extremely useful for powered monitors. Many users work at 40–80 cm, and hiss is one of the few parameters that can be a deal‑breaker even when everything else measures great. Your subjective impressions help, but having at least a standardized close‑mic noise floor number would make comparisons much clearer.

 

[Karmacoma]

Are you still trying to convince yourselves this is living room hi-fi speakers!? You guys...

It definitely looks like they can be with a dsp box and a sub.

 

[Waxx]

The hifi version still will need a bigger box for the woofer, so it relies less on xmax and dsp to get bass. Even above 100Hz this speaker suffers on higher volume. And i would also use bigger woofers, like 10" so you can have real subbass at decent volume.

 

[sidechain]

It definitely looks like they can be with a dsp box and a sub.

Plenty of better options for this but again I can’t find a better 3 way studio monitor in that price range.

 

[Flaesh]

geez .. how big is your living room?

Or how little T60 is in his living room?

 

[fritobugger]

I assume it is acceptable as a nearfield monitor but not for anything beyond that.

 

[90sNintendoKid]

I assume it is acceptable as a nearfield monitor but not for anything beyond that.

I am going to be testing this and I plan to do REW measurements pre and post Dirac ART

 

[Karmacoma]

Plenty of better options for this but again I can’t find a better 3 way studio monitor in that price range.

Probably better options but that's not what I was answering to. They definitely can be living room hifi speakers if you're ready for a bit of tweaking.

 

[IamJF]

I think you are extra critical about off axis behaviour here - and I'm very picky about that topic.
The widening at 6-7kHz comes from the on axis dip - typical for a coax driver. Don't put them directly at your listening position, get 10-15° off. When you use the 15° off response as your reference the graphs will look different.
Getting directivity down to 300Hz is a great thing for many rooms! And will give a little boost in bass response what most people prefer anyways. (Boost starts a little to high - I would reduce from 100-300Hz with an EQ 2dB. Or 2,35dB )

But the SPL levels ... are a pity. Hoped this would be a nice speaker for budget home cinema. Nope. Cardioid with half open back volume often results in higher THD (more come movement) and the LF drivers ... seem to be strongly corrected. You get such THD curves when you have bass drivers in way to small volumes and put a lot of gain under their resonance frequency. As we have a THD minimum around 100Hz I would say that's the natural resonance frequency?
In my tests you can expand maybe an octave but everything more as 10-12dB boosting resulted in lot's of THD to the point that bass sounds distorted.

Still a very interesting speaker at a great price point!