Palmer Monicon XL

When I was researching monitor controllers, I really couldn't find many reviews for this unit. I bought this based on the huge range of features, and the styling doesn't hurt. I think it's a really well thought out design that reminds me of the 70's for some reason. Form factor is excellent, meter and correlation meters are incredibly helpful, buttons are great quality and the volume knob is perfect. Being able to quickly compare and combine monitor playback as efficiently as this unit does, has been invaluable. Also, a small detail, but the fact that the LEDs beneath the button glow a deeper "streetlight" orange, is actually really pleasant in low light when mixing into the night.

A couple of small downsides to be aware of: On my unit, the talkback signal is way too hot. Even at the lowest volume, it is barely tolerable. I contacted Palmer regarding this and they acknowledged it was an issue they were trying to fix, and if I shipped my unit to them they would repair it, but it wasn't worth the hassle to me as I don't use this feature too much. Another small detail is at the lowest audible volume, there is audio in my right speaker and none in my left. Unless mixing at barely audible volumes, I can't see this being an issue, but it is an observation. Final point is not a problem, but more of a feature I think would make this a perfect unit in my eyes; Optical ADAT connection. There is a S/PDIF stereo input, but the ability to link more analog devices through this unit would be amazing.

Still, these issues aside, it is an excellent monitor controller and even more so when factoring in the price.

Bought to replace a second hand Mackie Big Knob that went bang and this ticks all the boxes that did in a smaller, better looking package.

Works perfectly for me in my home setup, switching between Recording PC, Work PC and a Yamaha MusicCast WXAD-10 I use to listen to music from my phone and output to my KRK Rokit 5s and Avantone Mix Cube.

I have seen some comments on the sound and if I really turn things up there's a slight electrical buzz audible but it hasn't affected anything I do on a day to day basis in the slightest so for most home/amateur users I can't see any issues.

All the important features are there - talkback, dim, mute, mono, monitor/input switching and a couple of headphone outs. It's a really versatile unit for the price with a lot of flexibility, I'm pretty impressed and would definitely recommend this unit!

i was looking for a monitor controller for my little studio i was just building up and tried that one for the setup. my wish was to control my two different setups for monitoring. it is doing it's job very well. The main task is accomplished very well. the device is very high quality build. good and handy knobs let the device control very well. the best feature is the ability to connect two different headphones with separate monitoring control. my previous device could'nt do that - so from now on the artist and me can control separately the volume of the headphones. i really appreciate that. so another cool thing about that device is, that you can check the mono mix on the fly. just pressing a knob build in the device is letting me check the mix in mono. this is a very good feature!
i would recommend the device for everybody who is looking for a payable monitor controller for their new studio oder homesetup!
lovely, thanks palmer!