New addition at AV123: Rocket Speakers (1 Viewer)

[felix_suwarno]

are b&w going to sue kef as well? i mean, for the top mounted tweeter?

 

[Arron H]

I like the look of the Rockets without a top mounted tweeter much more than the look of the Divas. It will be interesting to hear some reviews about how they sound.

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

should it be that far surperior I feel totally jobbed

Greg, you have no reasong to feel "jobbed." The Divas are, as you have no doubt discovered, great speakers. With this new line falling into the same price range as the Divas, I doubt that they will sound far superior. Perhaps they will be a bit more refined, but not worlds different. Of course that's just speculation on my part. I won't know anything for certain until I hear them for myself.

 

[rodneyH]

Felix, I think it is a matter of if Tannoy is breaking the patent and how specific the patent is. Don't blame this on B&W, they are the smart bussiness men who got the patent to begin with, instead get made at the Diva attorneys for not looking into any patent violations, that is the first thing I would have looked at when ending up with a product that looks so similar, As much as I would like to feel sorry for Diva, it really might be thier own fault?

 

[rodneyH]

Felix, the other option maybe that Kef (i screwed up and said tannoy earlier) may pay B&W royalties for the design.

 

[SkiingNinja]

Hey guys...I just wanted to clear something up...this is not a patent issue, it's a trade dress issue. B & W is pursuing *any* company that has a top mounted tweeter.
Since this is not a patent issue, there is nothing we could have done to 'check up' on. They have just up and decdied that it's infringes on their "unique" design.
Do I think they would win against us and the rest of the companies named?
No.
Is it worth persuing when taking into account the other issues Mark mentioned in his letter?
Nope.
I hope that helps.
Sean

 

[rodneyH]

Sean, thanks for the clearification. So what your saying is that you guys probably are "OK" and it may be a non-issue if it ever went to court, but just to be safe, you changed. I think that that is reasonable enough. I would probably be a little on the cautious side as well, especially when it effects your livelyhood (and anyone knows that our legal system can't always be "counted on")

 

[felix_suwarno]

hmm. i got a feeling that b&w has been trying to stop swan from making divas since last year. how long does it take to design new speakers?

the company should have warned customers wannabee that their divas would be history soon. i feel sorry for people who wanted to upgrade with another pair of divas to prevent timbre matching problem.

 

[Steve Zimmerman]

This trade dress issue is part of the equation, to be sure. But in my opinion it's only a small part of it and the Rocket line would still have come out regardless. The bigger issues were (again, *my* opinion) Swans and wanting to redesign something from the ground up with the help of guys like Dick Pierce and Mr. Pu.

--Steve

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

As one of the Beta testers for the Rocket line, I can assure you that they are superior to Diva in every way except price.

Steve;
I just noticed your first post in this thread.
This is not the kind of thing I want to be hearing from you, my friend! Don't you know how difficult it is for someone like me to resist a speaker upgrade?
To be honest, I'm still completely satisfied with my Divas and have no intention of replacing them any time soon. Now that they're being discontinued, I think I might hold onto them a little more tightly than I would have before, knowing that they could in fact become collector's items somewhere down the road. However, I may have to look into buying another set of 2.1s in case I decide to bring my system up to 7.1 surround sound. It would be much easier (and less costly) to do that now than to replace all of my speakers yet again.

 

[rodneyH]

Do speakers realy become collectors items?? I just got rid of a gorgous pair of late 1960s Bozak speakers that some would consider "collectors" items. Retail was between $350-400 back then, I just got about $400 for them on ebay. So I am not sure about the "collectors item" theory, can someone explain??

 

[george king]

Rodney,

Some speakers are considered "classics" and are highly sought after, and maintain their value over time. For example, you can still find people paying up to $2K for a pair of mint 1980's Kef 104.2. These speakers went for that much, or a little more back when they were new.

So yes, some speakers do become "collector's" items.

 

[felix_suwarno]

i have seen people collect stamps, egg beaters, hats, etc etc.

but speaker collector? hmmm that is interesting! i always wanted to learn the history of speakers. what the current big names had from 40 years ago until now, etc etc.

 

[DavidRT]

I'm amazed at the price some vintage audio equipment brings, especially just about any tube gear, but I doubt if there are many newer model speakers that have become more valuable just because they aren't made anymore. Maybe the Divas will. They certainly are sought after now.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

in the collector's market.

Phil

 

[Ted Todorov]

I think the Divas will be a collector's item because of their unique looks, if nothing else. The Rockets may or may not sound better, but the Divas sure LOOK better. They also look better than B&Ws now that I've checked them out.

I know I absolutely treasure my 10 year old Celestion 9s. I probably wouldn't have bought Divas if I could have found two more pairs of those. But believe me, they ain't for sale on eBay. People who have them treasure them and hang on to them. I think this will go double for the Divas.

Ted

 

[Cam S]

I think the DIva's may end up to be a collector's item, simply because they weren't sold in big number's and only online. The Klipsch Heritage Series are some of the most sought after speakers as well as the Altec VOT's.

 

[Steve Zimmerman]

The Rockets may or may not sound better, but the Divas sure LOOK better.

Not to me they don't. I really like(d) the look of the Divas, but when my Rockets arrived I found that I much preferred the darker color of the Rockets as well as the slimmer look. The RS750 makes the Diva 6.1 look downright boxy.

--Steve

 

[Mark LS]

Sheesh, they look like long lost brothers or something. Are they made by the same company or what? If not I'm surprised Swans didn't sue them for some design copyright infringement or something like that...

Good comment / question?

The actual shape and design of the DIVA cabinet is made in the factory where we are building Rocket Loudspeakers...

FYI...

Thanks... and all the best...

mls

 

[Mark LS]

The new line seems to use metal woofers. I haven't heard anything with the Vifa ring tweeter, but it is possible that AV123 wanted a brighter-sounding line to appeal to those who don't like the sound of the Divas, which as I understand it, are more laid-back. I'd certainly like to hear what someone from AV123 has to say if they're prowling around this forum...

This is important stuff...

The VIFA Ring Radiator (XT 25 series) is a SENSATIONAL tweeter with tons of "body"... stringed instruments are just out of this world with this tweeter... One thing for sure... the XT Tweeter is not "bright" per say...

We used a hybrid silk / metal dome for the surrounds to give the rear channel(s) a bit more lift (or "air" if you will) for a very positive effect. Please note... I did not say bright... just a bit more "air" at the tippy top...

The combination is just wonderful...

ATB...

mls