Are Rockets An Upgrade From Klipsch Reference? (1 Viewer)

[Pete Austin]

I have a pair of Klipsch RB5 II's which have served me well over the past three years but my significant other is putting her foot down on replacing my "bachelor black" speakers with something more aesthetically pleasing. I absolutely love the look of the Onix Rockets and have heard great things about them here in the forums. My question is; Are the Rocket RS250 MKII's an upgrade in sound and performance from my Klipsch Reference bookshelves or a downgrade. My Klipsch's have larger woofers at 8" vs. the Rocket's 6.5" and of course the infamous horn tweeter but the Rockets are very close in enclosure size. What does everyone think? Are Rocket bookshelves a worthy upgrade to Klipsch Reference?

 

[Garrett Lundy]

If you really like Klipsch you could always buy a new pair in cherry

 

[DanaA]

If you really like the sound of the Klipsch RB5II's, find a pair in cherry. Of all the reference series Klipsch, those were my favorites. If you're looking for some speakers with a more laid back sound, Rockets might just be up your alley...or ACI's which, to my ears, are very neutral sounding and also have a selection of nice cabinet choices.

I do remember reading about some, I think, adhesive coverings that you could reface your speakers with, but really this is only a faint memory...perhaps from Parts Express.

 

[Pete Austin]

So, from what I'm hearing I assume that I would not notice a discernable difference in performance with Rockets vs. my present Klipschs? You are right that I could simply buy a pair of cherry Klipschs, but I'm more interested in the performance of the speakers themselves. If there are better performing speakers for the same money, that's what I'm curious about.

 

[Tony Genovese]

I think you are mis-interpreting the posts. The Rockets will sound very, very different than the Klipsch, i.e. it will be very different. Is there a qualitative difference? Only you can decide.

 

[MikeNg]

I think Tony is right. You won't get the same kind of performance from the Rocket as you will from the Klipsch. They're just different animals.

I enjoy the Klipsch sound, and find the Rockets a tad laid back. Still they are enjoyable to listen to and are quite flat and neutral (that's a good thing!).

Mike

 

[MikeLi]

You might try a post on the forum over at av123.com as there are several owners there that had Klipsch and changed to Rockets. They would probably be able to give you reasons better than anyone else that has had neither speaker could.

 

[Mark LS]

Please do let us know if we can help...

BOTH speakers are fine indeed --- and each in their own way... If I can help - drop me a line at [email protected]

All the best...

mls

 

[Pete Austin]

Thanks everyone for the posts. I do understand what you're saying about being different creatures. Ironically, I started looking at the Rockets for their build quality/price point but I really like the idea of a more neutral speaker. The Klipsch's are great speakers but I've never felt like they were the right fit in every application. Does anyone know what might be the best way to track down a local Miami Rocket owner for an audition? Perhaps the av123 forums would be best?

 

[MikeLi]

Yes just put up a post at av123 what area you are in and you should get some responses from folks that would be glad to let you come over for a listen....

 

[Shane Martin]

Pete,
That's the best way to do it. In the end, you can decide which you prefer. You could probably get 10 people in a room and literally 1/2 of them would favor the Klipsch and the other 1/2 would favor the Rockets.

 

[MikeLi]

Shane.. It would be interesting to see if that 50/50 split stayed the same after the same folks had to sit and listen for say two hours without a break... haha..

 

[Shane Martin]

Would depend on age and sensitivity to brightness. For some they are perfect. I know several friends who love the sound of Klipsch and won't go back to anything.

Tis why Baskin Robbins makes 30+ flavors of Ice cream.

FWIW, I own neither and have heard both(klipsch reference and Onix Rocket).

 

[MikeLi]

I have a friend that has a pair of old Klipsch he uses for stereo only, they must be 15 years old and they do sound good. Much better to me than the new ones. I think he even had them reconed once. Thats how much he likes them. Seems like there are times with the newer models that I really love the horns then others where they are really distracting. Great company though. I's love to hear their 20K set up...

 

[Wayne Ernst]

Yeah, but I can only eat 1 or 2 flavors at a time.

 

[MikeLi]

Yeah, well I can only afford one flavor at a time.... haha..

 

[Mark^G]

I went from rf-35s to the rs250s.

I enjoy the rs250s a lot more.

 

[Yong Chan]

Congrats,

I was pretty set on some Klipsch RF5 Towers until I auditioned some Rocket 550's. I enjoyed them so much more than the Klipsch. The biggest difference for me was the RSC 200 center channel (aka Bigfoot). What are you using for the center channel? If you can, I would recommend upgrading to that if you are going to watch a lot of movies.

YC

 

[MikeLi]

Well I wound up with Rocket as well and have to second Yongs statement above. The 200 center that we all call bigfoot is the best center channel out there for 5 times the price. No more up and down on the remote between dialog and action sceens as much if at all. I have had centers that cost more by the way. I have a pretty large assortment of different Rocket speakers by the way and saying that I will never go to the theater again. Ever!
You still out there somewhere Mark? Home yet?
Mike L

 

[Mark LS]

I'm out there...

Tonight in Singapore --- for my Russian business...

I so sincerely appreciate the comments here...

Hard for me to say more... I know what I feel, and why I feel it... (Rocket vs. Klipsch)...

Wishing you all the very best...

mls