Palmer Monicon Reviews

Does what it needs to do, control volume, in a sleek and beautiful way

Beautiful device, sits nicely on the desk.

Volume button is smooth and big.

Only downside is that it does not have a headphone jack.

Decent enough for this price point. Volume knob did get a little scratchy noise after few years of use

Feels surprisingly high-end

First impressions as this only arrived yesterday......

This is quite small but heavy. Way heavier than I expected. Connections feel like they are good quality. Mute and mono switches do their job and there is no clicking or any other unwanted sound when pressed. The rubber feet are grippy so it doesn't slide around. The metal work and wooden end-cheeks look and feel good.

The volume knob feels nice. Not loose, not tight, but comfortably in the middle. I would prefer a little tighter but that is not a criticism.

There is absolutely no hum, colouration or anything else that you don't want to hear. I haven't yet calibrated my speaker volume in order to use the entire range of the knob but just using the first 30% and teasing it up, I know it's good.

If you don't need the added features of other monitor controllers, don't let the low price trick you into thinking this one is low-end. My speakers are big ME Geithains and I don't think this controller is in any way a weak link.

I genuinely don't know how they can make this for so little money.

good product

good product, and look nice too ,heavy and sturdy

Do not know what to say. Convenient monitor control device with pleasant potentiometer rotation.

Time Saver

I've got this hooked up to my monitors and matching sub, makes controlling the volume a breeze without having to adjust the DAW or spend a while messing with the gains of the monitors to match

It's nice and smooth and would definitely buy another if the need arises

Love it

very handy, sturdy, no power needed

I am delighted

I once owned a tc electronic Level Pilot X, and one day got disappointed because the stereo balance seemed offset a low volume levels.

Since then I had got rid of it, and doubted passive controllers for a long time, until recently when I decided to try again.

This thing is sturdy, heavy, looks good, and works flawlessly.

We'll see if it works in the long run, but in the meantime…

Go for it!

Solid and dependable

I've had this a few years now, so that helps in terms of review. It has been consistent, and reliable. Feels solid in use, although make sure it is on a not sliding surface if the cables attached are of the heavy duty kind. Oh, and doesn't impart its own sound. Top that with mute and mono... What's left to say aside from thoroughly recommended!

Entry level controller

I have a small recording studio where I use this gear. As far as I've tested other controllers, this may be quite limiting for professionals, due to small amount of ins and outs. However, you should own one in your small, home studio.

Excellent choice

Have been using it for 5 years now. Excellent product, offers what it says. Robust and stable and very useful.

Im using it in my studio and i love it, the only sad thing is that it does not have headphone output :(

Great Monitor Controller

Use:

I needed a monitor control in my studio as my audio interface is located too far away from my mix position.

Pros:

Strong and solid construction. Mute and Mono buttons are unbelievably useful features when monitoring. The large attenuation knob is really good quality and feels smooth. The 3.5mm Stereo-jack input on the back is handy for plugging in your phone or other portable devices for listening to reference tracks.

Cons:

Missing some extra features other products have such as talkback etc but at this price point you can't go wrong.

Conclusions:

Nice functional product and I use it everyday. Ultimately makes mixing and monitoring easier, effectively improving my workflow in the studio. Highly recommend!

Excellent

I use this between my Turntable (Audio technica lp120) and my powered monitors (2x JBL 205) and it works great

Fantastic build quality, smooth volume adjustment, cant recommend enough for a turntable/powered speaker setup

useful and robust

Design is good. Pretty solid box and nice smooth dial.

Buttons feel a little flimsy.

Stereo imaging is not that great until you turn the dial to 12 o'clock or further.

The mono button creates some phasing issues and does not actually render the signal truly mono. I tested this a number of times - the circuitry is problematic.

The mute button is ok - it causes a slight crackle before muting the signal, so not entirely smooth.

Inputs and outputs are clearly marked, although their orientation is slightly annoying - you end up having to cross your speaker output cables over one another due to the position of the left and right outputs - something I'm always keen to avoid.

Good value for money if you need a cheap and quick controller that's passive and easy to use.

Good monitor controller

I'm using it with Neumann KH120A monitors. Construction is very good and sturdy , perfect size, sound uncoloured and image stable (big plus, being passive). Mute and mono buttons are very handy. Volume knob and buttons works buttery smooth. Everything is good and worth the money.

Cons: nothing so far.

Nice feel, bad sound

So I tried the Monicon.

Out of the box I was impressed as it feels sturdy and heavy for its size. Good expectations.

Connecting to my BLA 002 and my PSI a17M. Sending some music and my face completely changed. Too much low-end, not enough high-end, phase problems leading to uncorrelated 3D image. What a disappointment. Was expecting more from a passive monitor controller.

Conclusion? I'll stick with my SM PRO M-Patch that feels cheaper but it sounds much much more expensive than the Palmer Monicon.

passive monitor controller

I use Palmer Monicon passive monitor controller for controlling the sound level for pair of JBL LSR305 active studio speakers which are hooked up to PC.

Build quality and design are great. Maybe I would like these product to be just a little bit smaller, but that's not a major drawback because it looks good as is designed.

These product offers all input and output solution for everybody's needs.

After four months of use I haven't encountered any problem with these product.

flawless monitor controller

A Very heavy & sturdy build Monitor controller.

Nice big smooth volume knob.

Mute & mono buttons are super handy & silent in operation (no pops or clicks).

The cover of the mute button did pop out the first time but that's no biggie, just pop it back in.

the stereo-in allows me to easily connect & control an aux along side the main inputs & the out allows for a 2nd set of small monitors to be connected, widening your options.

Overall a great monitor controller!

Fantastic product at a great price

It's quite a basic product but has great utility if, like me, you have to keep reaching for the output level of your interface to make master level changes. I, like many home producers, are limited by space so the possibility of including a dedicated mixer isn't always the most efficient use of space, especially as many/most of us do our mixing in the DAW anyway.

This takes up very little space in my work space and the XLR connections ensure that everything is securely fastened (and balanced, of course!) and there is a good weight to the unit to keep it from sliding around the desk. The attenuator has a silky smooth action and level adjustments are very linear with no surprises in the way of jumps up/down in level. The mute button has it's obvious use but the mono function is very helpful when wanting to quickly check your mix works in mono and it's difficult to believe that some other units of this type don't include this function.

The unit looks fantastic with a 'vintage' styling and the build quality matches the appearance too. There is no noticeable colouration to the sound as it is a passive unit and the biggest compliment I can pay is that I forget it is there even though I use it constantly.

In short, if you are considering this unit or any other at this price point then you will definitely not be disappointed with this