A question to ROCKET owners (1 Viewer)

[Mike Sloan]

I recently purchased the Rocket RS750 system and am conducting a speaker shootout in Dallas, TX. I love the Rockets from an aesthetic standpoint and feel the BIG center channel (big foot) is the "jewel" of the system.The finishing detail of these speakers can only be appreciated first hand! Even after reading the glowing reviews my expectations were exceeded upon opening the boxes! The finishing detail of these speakers is on par with my B&W 803's. I am currently auditioning Rocket RS750, B&W 803's, definitive Technology BP3000's, and Polk Audio LSi25's.None of the speakers,except the 803's, have had any extensive break-in period. That said, my first impression regarding the Rockets is that they are a tad on the bright side. For those fortunate enough to have extensive time with these speakers,did you too experience this? Do the highs mellow with break-in? My experience with the B&W's was that the top end actually opened up with time. What are your findings regarding this...I truly want to keep the Rockets...they are a wonderful addition to our home.
Thanks
Mike Sloan
[email protected]
(817)430-4035

 

[John Kotches]

Mike,

I can't speak for the vifa tweeter based model.

I have the entry level setup (RS-100s for front and surround left/right, and the RSC-150). The setup arrived Tuesday afternoon , but the RS-100/RSC-150 setup I'm using has been running constantly since I received them Tuesday afternoon.

In the ~100 Hours, I've seen them calm down quite nicely, from "Auugggh.... Help me. Me ears are going to die!" to "This is brighter than I like...." to (this morning) "That's more like it".

I'll be running them in through the rest of the weekend before I get serious about some listening sessions. I suspect that with a little more break in they'll be very nice indeed.

At the moment I'm running the Rockets with an (approximately) $800 receiver but at some point I will put them in System A (my reference setup) to see what happens.

I'd say at least 100 hours on the Vifa as well -- maybe even 200 Hours.

Regards,

 

[Angelo_Petralba]

The Rockets 750 will definitely calm down after about 80-100 hours of use. My friend just got his complete set 2 weeks ago and it did take a little bit of time but eventually they mellowed down quite a bit and sound FANTASTIC. They are warm yet not laid back. There is still a little bit of forwardness on the tweeter but this is definitely a good thing! The sweet spot is quite wide.

We have the Rockets mated with a Harman AVR 210 and a Parasound 855 Amp. Excellent Mate for the rockets if I may say so myself.

Good luck with your break-in.


Angelo

 

[PomingF]

Mike, if you spend much time at all over @ AVS you would have read about the break-in some of us betas encountered and that is with the first run models. I believe the upgraded production model is a tad tamer on the highs so rest assure it should come out alright. Have fun.

PF

 

[Paul_Scott]

what about break-in on the center channel?

people across the board seem to like it right out of the box, but won't some of the qualities of this speaker change a little over time also?

 

[John Kotches]

Paul,

I've been running a mixture of 5.1 content and "All Channel Stereo", and the RSC-100 has the same "zing" to it that the RS-150s do.

I can't speak to the Vifa based models.

Regards,

 

[Josh Lowe]

Mike - Not to get off topic but how do you like those Polks? If you don't want this thread contaminated with off-topic stuff then could you please send me a PM or an email? I am very, very curious about those Polks after all the praise I have been reading about them.

 

[rodneyH]

Mike, I am a bit confused. Do you OWN the 803s as well, or have you just been auditioning them?

 

[Paul_Scott]

John,
is that 'zing' as in
-"full of vim, vip, & vigour"
or 'zing' as in
-"arrggh, where's the advil?"

all the speakers that i've heard and seem to like the best have turned out to be soft domed, otherwise i would be interested to give your set-up a try.

 

[Russell _T]

I can't answer for JK about the "zing" part, but the tweeter in his Rockets is a hybrid with a metal dome and fabric surround. I find it to lively and easy to listen to. It's quite detailed, and I especially like the way it treats female vocals like LeeAnn Rimes and Joan Baez.

 

[Mike Sloan]

Yes I own the 803's and have included them in the shootout as sort of a reference...a know entity.

 

[John Kotches]

Paul:
As the burnin gets farther and farther along the zing decreases dramatically.
Zing was used negatively. The speakers are just now crossing the 100hour mark -- and I imagine my neighbors are getting quite ticked off with me
I sat down and listened to some recordings that will bring out zing tonight(which is a way of describing sibilance without using those words).
I am now down to the point where I will not know until I move the Rockets into the main system whether the slight remaining HF emphasis is receiver induced. It might also be as I pile up more time, that it disappears entirely.
As a gentle reminder, I've had the speakers less than 1 week.
Regards,

 

[rodneyH]

Mike, thanks for the clearification (I guess the E-mail you sent me then I replied to was fairly worthless then, since you already have experience with B&W and "break in")

When the Rockets tame a bit, it would be interesting to compare the 2 speakers.

 

[Lew Crippen]

I’m pretty interested to learn how you feel about the Rockets. I like the look, which BTW would go a long way to keeping my wife happy. I’ve not heard them and have not read from many who have been able to make any A/B comparisons. Everyone seems to be quite happy, but it would be nice to hear from someone who could compare.

Thanks

 

[John Kotches]

Today I hit the 1 week mark on my Rocket setup (RS-150s for front and surround L/R, RSC-100 for the CC).
I've been listening and hearing the zing/harshness/brightness lessen with each passing day and tonight I put on some of my "torture" material -- Lyle Lovett's Joshua Judges Ruth tracks 3, She's Already Made Up Her Mind, and 8, Baltimore (DTS CD).
Both of these tracks have a substantial level of sibilance in the lead vocal, so if the speaker is bright, the sibilance cuts through and is highly distracting.
Finally tonight, the sibilance is down to a normal level.
So I'm quite pleased with the Rockets, especially since they are currently being driven by a $700 receiver. I'm sure at some point they will be given time in my main system, but they will remain as my speakers for System B.
Regards,

 

[Bolivar G]

Are rockets magnecticly shielded?? One of the speakers im considering buying are rockets, but I will have to place one tower right next to a HDTV RPTV.

 

[Russell _T]

The Rockets aren't shielded except for the centers, and even the tweeter in Bigfoot is unshielded. However as long as you are using an RPTV, you should be ok. I have mine sitting on top of a 65" Mits, and no distortion. When I put my speakers alongside the TV to try it out, also no distortion. It's apparently only Direct view TV's where you run into problems with placing the Rockets too close.