The Palmer PDI 03 is a single-space rackmount unit that combines a signal splitter, DI box and power soak with an eight-ohm load circuit. In practice, it lets you take a signal from a tube amp's speaker output, load the amp safely, and send a speaker-emulated signal to a desk or interface, either instead of or alongside a real cabinet. MusicRadar's reviewer Trevor Curwen described it as "a combined power soak and speaker simulator unit" that sits between the amp and the cab1.
How it is connected and controlled
The signal is taken from your amp's speaker output into a rear jack. From there it can be passed out unattenuated to a cab via an adjacent thru jack, so the amp still drives a cabinet at full level if you want it. A further four line out jacks sit on the rear panel, with output controlled from the front1.
The speaker-emulated signal exits via a balanced XLR socket or an unbalanced jack, and its level is set by a volume knob. That output is tailored by three front panel controls: a volume knob and two three-way switches1.
Where it came from
This PDI 03 is a re-issue of the original Palmer Speaker Simulator, which first appeared in the late eighties and had not been available for a while before the re-issue1.
The PDI 03 JB signature version
Palmer also announced a Joe Bonamassa signature version, the PDI 03 JB, a Guitar Speaker Simulator DI revealed at NAMM 2015. As well as a built-in attenuator and EQ switches, the PDI 03 JB adds an exclusive JB switch2. Palmer's own page for the Palmer PDI 03 JB carries the variant, and the maker's smaller Palmer PDI-09 Junction sits in the same family of speaker simulator DIs.
What reviewers said
MusicRadar's review put the PDI 03's DI output up against a miked combo and found it held its own1:
"The DI'd sound from the Palmer compares well to the combo speakers, producing a natural sound that accurately apes a close-mic'd cab."
For players comparing rack and pedal formats, the PDI 03 belongs to the wider field of speaker simulation tools, which also includes pedal-format units such as the Two Notes Torpedo C.A.B., the Strymon Iridium and the Hughes & Kettner Red Box Classic.
Videos
Palmer
Keith Merrow
Lee Cassidy
Sources (2)
- Palmer PDI-03 Speaker Simulator review, MusicRadar, 2010-03-08
- NAMM 2015: Palmer reveals PDI 03 Joe Bonamassa Signature Guitar Speaker Simulator DI, MusicRadar, 2015-01-23
Joe Bonamassa
