Please help me make a choice for my home studio. I have a modest setup where I mix mostly in mono on one Avantone Mixcube and on one or two sets of headphones. Occasionally I switch to Tannoy Active nearfields (the old, blue ones). 99 % of the time I listen to the output from my RME soundcard, very rarely I listen to output from a minimixer.

So far I have been using an SM Pro Audio M-Patch (the original, blue design, not the current JBL offering). Now, the speaker select switch is starting to act up and I will need to replace my unit.

I am aware of the issues with passive controllers and stereo imaging at low volumes. As I do most of my mixing either in mono or on headphones, this doesn't bother me overly.

As I see it, my choices are:

1) Drawmer MC 2.1. This is a very expensive unit, possibly overkill for my purposes.

2) NOS McOne. Also rather pricey, but my main objection is that ins and outs are TRS, not XLR. So I would have to get new cabling for everything.

3) Palmer Monicon L. The price is right here, but I have seen it getting flac from people here on Gearslutz and elsewhere for various reasons, mainly centering on stereo imaging and sound colouration.

So please help me make a decision. Which way should I go? I want quality, but I obviously don't need professional studio performance.

/Magnus

Hello,

I have the Monicon. With the volume set between -18 et -5, i have not probleme with stereo imaging.
The sound coloration : i don't find the sound colorful.

Please guys, some more comments...

Specifically: Would it make sense for me to go for the Drawmer? Or is this pricepoint overkill for my monitoring situation? I like the inclusion of mic pres that are probably a good deal better than those on the Behringen minimixer I currently use for headphones.

And: Is the McOne so much better than the Monicon L that the price difference is warranted? As I already said, I do not like that the McOne uses TRS, not XLR for ins and outs. Also, the unit is obviously unbalanced internally.

Please chime in and help me make a decision.

/Magnus

I got the passive McOne directly from the builder in Israel. I had him convert the "mute" switch to a stereo reverse switch, meaning the left and right moves to the right and left. I also use the mono switch sometimes. The stereo reverse switch was worth the price of the unit (and there was no extra charge for the mod.) I have not noticed any shifting of the stereo image when changing volume and I do that a lot. On cabling, couldn't you just get some adapters, or go with unbalanced? For short runs it shouldn't be an issue.

Have you considered opening up your SM unit? For the price of a soldering iron and a new switch, you might be able to fix it.

SPL MTC could be a good option.

After much deliberation I think I will go for the Palmer Monicon L. It seems to bring the best bang for the buck in the EU at this price level. It has all the functions I need.

uncle duncan: the McOne is indeed tempting. However, seeing that it retails for as many dollars in the USD as the Palmer Monicon L, which is much less expensive than the McOne in the EU, this is a further incentive to me to settle for the Palmer. I do have both soldering iron and skills, but I my M-Patch has served its time: I've had it for over ten years.

a.beck: The SPL is too costly for what I can justify. The Drawmer is the upper limit for me, and probably overkill, given my requirements.

/Magnus

Central station is pretty good too.

SPL Crimson. A very good interface and monitor controller.

Have one since they were released and still love it. The headphone amps are very good as are the mic-pres etc. A well thought of unit. Got rid of a mixer. Love that it works as a standalone unit, too without a pc or mac. Works well with ipads and iphones, too.
Has two independant headphone amps and two outs for speakers, talkbalk, digital outs etc.

Interesting, I seem to remember mine being around $500 Australian, but either the price has more than doubled in the past 5 years or I completely mis-remembered!

Whoops.

To sum things up: I ordered a Monicon L from Thomann yesterday. The price was right, the feature set sufficient for my needs - and I can get back to building a little mic collection, now that I've got the controller situation sorted in a rather affordable way.

It's funny that the Monicon L and McOne cost the same in the US (about 250 USD), but the McOne is 100 EUR more expensive than the Monicon L in Europe. Very weird.

/Magnus

A final report. I received the Monicon L and am quite happy with it. It is a definite improvement upon my old M-Patch: my audio is now much clearer, with better stereo balancing on my nearfields. And the headphone amp is 100 steps up from the headphone out on the Behringer mini mixer I used for headphone duties before.

However, the so-called PFL switch on this unit surprised me. After having been in contact with Palmer support, I now know that this switch is no more than an input selector for the headphone amp.

So, I am happy with this as a project studio controller. If I ever get at treated room for monitoring, I would definitely buy a more professional monitor controller - like the Drawmer. But for my situation and purposes, the Monicon L is just fine.

/Magnus

Thanks for the mini review, I think I'm getting this one soon too

Can you please PM me where you bought it? I bought it from a NYC retailer who sent me one with a German plug. The "pro" audio rep promised he'd sort it out, and they sent me a second one... with a German plug again.

I bought a Palmer ADIG-LB from a German retailer a decade ago and paid the tariffs and shipping, so I'm not opposed to that -- I just want one that works on U.S. mains.

Thanks!

M-Patch2 here. Always on, always worked...

I use this and love it

Monitor ST - Dangerous Music

here is a link to tons of them

Search results for: 'monitor controller' - Vintage King Audio

NOS McOne here. I think this little passive unit is not just for home studios. Well worth the price.

Sorry, but I live in Sweden. I bought mine from Thomann. Kind of stupid that they can't deliver it with the correct US plug in the US.

/Magnus

Agreed. Thanks anyway.

I've been using the Radial MC3 for years, and it has proven to be a great solution.

Hi Magnus, thank you very much for your review. I'm exactly in the situation you described, choosing from Monicon L and MCone.
I am more for the Monicon L, but I don't know if it fits well my needs. I would like to switch from two stereo pairs of monitor and an avantone mono cube. I saw that Monicon Palmer L has mono summed button, but mono output is related to channel 2, so i cannot really switch between tre sets of output because a pair of monitors will play simultaneously with avantone mix cube, is it right?
There is a way to swutch between two pairs and a mono cube on Monicon Palmer L?
Hope you could help me in my decision!
Thank you

I've had the Drawmer since they came out. Absolutely transparent with all the features I need. Very happy camper.

I've decided that all the cheap ones are basically bad. The Drawmer by all appearances is a good entry point into reliability and transparency. What I personally use is the volume control on my DACs (both are good) combined with I/O switching from some boxes I built myself in my garage. I'm just missing talkback, a mono switch, stuff I never really use anyway.

Hi Jack,

Glad to hear that you had some use of my mini-review. I am afraid that you are correct about the number of speakers that the Monicon L can handle: the mono output for channel 2 is really intended for a sub on that channel, if I remember correctly. It can of course be used for a Mixcube. But adding another speaker pair to that channel will, as you say, make the Mixcube play together with the 2nd speaker pair.

If you can at all afford it, I would recommend something a bit more expensive, like the Drawmer. The Monicon gets the job done for me, but it is far from a professional option. It is ok for the price, as most things that are made in China.

/Magnus

I'm a little late to the party here but I thought I'd share my recent experience with the Palmer Monicon L, in a nut shell I'm not that happy.

Firstly it comes squeezed into a box that's just not big enough for it and has no padding around it, the result being the first unit I received the volume knob had taken plenty of pressure in transit and was scratched, I sent it back.

The replacement unit arrived yesterday, again there are scuff marks on the main volume knob but I thought they're too faint to bother going through that again, just a bit annoying.

It wasn't until I got it home and plugged it in I realised there's no power button. I should have noticed this before I ordered but I assumed it would. I could just leave it on the whole time and waste an admittedly small amount of power but I don't want its lights permanently on. I don't fancy constantly plugging and unplugging it round the back when I want to use headphones.

My other two gripes are that the "wooden" sides are the most plasticy wood I've ever encountered, and finally the rubber feet on the bottom are not all at the correct heights, so it has that wobble like a table in a cheap cafe. I could probably get a knife and shave it down but it just added to my disappointment. The first unit was the same.

I only got round to hooking up one of my monitors so I can't attest to the stereo image, but I didn't bother as I think by that point I'd decided to send it back.

Now I'm thinking seriously about the nos McOne-B. Like Magnus_N originally said it's a shame it's TRS connections, xlr adapters would look pretty chunky coming out the back. Also I'd like it if I could send the output to two pairs of monitors at the same time instead of just switching. Finally it also means I'll need to get a separate headphone amp. Eugh, I wish there was an ideal solution.

Hi Rikrok,

Sorry to hear about your negative experience with the Monicon L. The packaging may not be fantastic, but my unit (bought from Thomann) arrived very well packed in an outer box, with interior padding.

I can corroborate the feet not being level. I corrected that easily. I'm not sure I agree about the wood being plasticky, this bothers me less than the HUGE stenciled text on the unit, which looks tacky, if you ask me.

To get around having to plug-unplug the unit, I got myself an extension chord with a power on/off button. Not ideal, but...

Overall, 6 months into the unit, I am happy with it. The headphone amp is fine, the other functions do what they say. The Monicon L is made in China, so I guess we get what we pay for: it is not highend stuff, but useful low-budget gear.

For my untreated monitoring room it is sufficient. If I ever can afford a treated room, with reliable bottom-end, I will definitely get something more pro. Until then, I can live with this.

Again, I am sorry to hear that you didn't want to keep your unit(s), and I wish you luck in finding a suitable controller.

Best,

Magnus