Need help deciding - JBL Eseries vs Rocket ELT (1 Viewer)

[Kevin Silence]

OK, I am building a new house. Room measures 20x19. I will prewire through the walls. Going with 5.1 at this time. Surrounds will be mounted from ceiling or from wall.

I'm looking at JBL e10 for $99 a pair, E30 for $150pr and E35 center for $150. I would put this with a Dayton 10" sub for $130ish. Total $530ish.

But, I see the rockets for sale at $129pr. What about two pairs of these plus a B-Stock Rocket ELT center for $129. Plus a 10" Rocket ELT B-Stock sub for $179. Total $570ish before shipping.

I would appreciate comments in regards to anticipated sound quality. 95% of time used for HT. I would also appreciate any comments in regards to in wall wiring for surrounds. Thanks in advance.

 

[MikeyWeitz]

I have no experience with the Rockets myself. Many praise on on the forums.

I can tell you that I REALLY enjoy my JBL setup for the $$ I paid.

E80 mains, ec35 center, e10 side surrounds, n24 rear surrounds (new for $69.50 delivered cold not be beat).
My Dayton 10 is on the way to replace my dinky HK 8".

I am certainly a big JBL fan @ this price point.

Of course, tough to make a decision without listening to the rockets, which helped me make my decision a bit easier with the JBL's.

 

[Herb Michelli]

I have the rocket elts and I love them. They look great and sound even better. I have my speakers matched up with the UFW-10. Good Luck

 

[BrentCook]

I'm currently demoing the JBL Northridge E20 small bookshelf speakers in my home. I am A/B'ing them with a pair of Polk Monitor 30s.

Right now, the JBLs are winning by a small amount. They seem less harsh and more even sounding than the Polks. However, someone could also call them "muffled" compared with the Polks. To each their own. In a week, I will have some Ascend HTM-200s arriving to duke it out with the Polks and JBLs.

If I *do* end up going with the JBLs, it will be 7 E20s all around the room. I compared the E10s to the E20s, and found the difference in sound to be huge. They are supposed to be timbre matched, but I thought the E10s were a not the same in the midrange and lower.

The E20s can be found for $65 each online. Those HTM-200s are gonna have to be damn good to be worth twice as much! I can't wait to find out.

 

[MikeLi]

I am another that says you should try the Rockets even if it costs a bit (they are not that big so shipping should no be all that bad) before you make a final decision. I bet you won't be sending them back..... Good luck.