Palmer Orbit 11 Active Coaxial 3-Way Studio Monitor (Black)

Absolutely Stunning

The best thing about the Orbit 11 is that they sound organic and real, not sterile and 101% flat. Almost like a hybrid between studio monitor and hifi speaker. The coaxial design presents a very big natural soundstage. The enhancement in the lows coming from the 8" woofers feels almost like a sub woofer since it's not directional towards the listening position. It seems like the aluminum body is helping these really stretch what's possible from a speaker this small regarding frequency range and loudness. For low to medium listening volumes up to around 95db these speakers are really enjoyable while also being accurate. And then there's the onboard eq, pad and proximity adjustments if you're close to a wall or on a desk. My room has decent response so I found the extra filters unnecessary but I do prefer using the pad for 3db of attenuation. (plenty of power in the orbits amps, I might settle on 6db attenuation) I don't notice any hiss when no sound is transmitting, they are quiet unless you crank the volume to what would be crazy loud if you're using this as a near field. A small amount of hiss can be heard at max volume but I don't know anyone who works at that level. These are clearly meant to thrive at near and mid field distance, and it's so nice to hear the deep bass audibly and clearly at low volumes in a near field. The highs are so natural sounding as are the mids. I work in two studios that have 3 different monitors in each room, I bought these for my home setup and couldn't be happier. For this price, they are outstanding, and I already prefer them over some of the monitors at my studios (which cost 2 times more) If I have to nitpick I'll say it's possible they could be perceived as hyped in the low end in your room if you don't use the correction filters built in to the speakers, and they may not be quite as articulate in the mid range as some 3 way speakers. But I think they are closer to what most listeners will hear verses some hyper detailed 3 way studio monitor, and I think any competent mix engineer can learn to adapt to what the Orbits provide sonically. If you're looking for a reasonably priced near field monitor, these absolutely deserve your consideration. Props to Palmer for making a splash in the studio monitor market, these are remarkable speakers.