Onix Rockets....The Real Deal??? (1 Viewer)

[Peter $ Jay]

Only recently have I read about these speakers. The few things I have read suggest that they are a fantastic value and an absolute "must have" for anyone in the market for new speakers. They certainly look beautiful, but are these things for real or would I be setting myself for major disappointment if I bought a set for HT use?

Thanks.....Peter

 

[Donald_Spry]

I think anytime you purchase a product without any actual hands-on exposure you may be setting yourself up for disappointment. This is especially true with speakers because of individual's subjective tastes.

However, I don't think anyone will deny the Rockets are a great product with great performance.

I however, having made the mistake of purchasing without auditioning, would suggest you try and listen to a setup. If that is not possible listen to as many speakers as you possibly can and pick out your favorite ones. This will give as idea of what sort of sound you like. You can use that as a baseline for the Rockets. This way you will be more comfortable when it does come time to drop that kind of cash and more pleased with your purchase.

There are tons of speakers great speakers at their price point to listen to. That's half the fun!

DJ

 

[BradJudy]

While I personally think the Rockets are very good, Donald is right - auditioning is the best answer.

Audioenvy.com lets you get in touch with some Rocket owners who allow auditions. It looks like the closest listing to you is 110 miles away - maybe worth the trip some Saturday if you're in the market.

 

[ernie.bin]

I'll throw in agreement to the audition first idea.

I almost bought dahlquists unheard based on reviews, but found a place to hear them first (at the last moment) and realized their particular sound really wasn't for me. Not bad speakers, just not my type of sound. I don't think I'd be all that happy if I had made that blind purchase.

 

[JimC_A]

I'll add this then...I auditioned...auditioned some more, then bought Axioms unheard...Re-auditioned those from the beginning to validate my Axiom purchase and stayed completely satisfied. I guess it's a crap shoot.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

I can't say for sure how good the Rockets are but the speakers I built use the same tweeter and a slightly larger version of the woofer they use and they're stellar. Providing they did justice to the crossover the Rockets should be very nice sounding speakers.

 

[BobAlbano]

I have a Rocket package 0 and I can tell you first hand that they are everything that people talk about. I switched from Klipsch Reference 3 series speakers to the Rockets. The biggest difference that I noticed right off the bat was the more laid back sound of the Rockets, I would almost call it soothing. I'm able to listen to the Rockets at loud volumes for a long period of time without my ears becoming fatigued. The 200 center channel is amazing to say the least. My roommate and I were watching Band of Brothers the other night and we were hearing things like crystal clear rain drops hitting the ground or the sound of the dirt crunching on the ground when they walked through the field. We are both really familiar with the movie and we simply just didn't hear that detail with the Klipsch. To be fair, I have recently switched from a Sherwood Newcastle AM9080 to a Parasound 2205a however the Rotel RSP-1066 remained the same. My Roommate made the coment pre-Rocket that I was crazy to spend that much on new speakers when the ones that I had sounded great. He has since recanted that statement and is thinking about Rockets for his HT in his new house. The finish on the speakers is simply amazing for a speaker in this price range. For my needs the Rockets are the perfect fit and will have a home with me for years to come. Thanks Sean, Steve, Mark and the rest of the people at AV123 for giving us a great bag for the buck product!

 

[Russell _T]

I think that these days considering the amazing offerings from Internet direct companies like AV123 and others it is hard to resist taking a chance on this stuff sight unheard. Some of the old taboos are being rethought. If you look carefully at the specs, and get a feel for the sound from dozens or even hundreds of end user reviews you will have a pretty good idea before you buy whether from your own past experiences that sound is for you. In the end you could be wrong, but the chances are excellent you will be more than happy. The Rocket, SVS etc crowd didn't get to be so loyal to those products because of any herd mentality but because of the performance/build quality/service that they rarely get from a B&M retailer. How many times have you auditioned a pair of speakers only to get them home and find out they aren't for you? It's happened to me too many times. Of course you can always throw them in the car and take them back to the store whereas you have to ship the Rockets back, but even including return shipping, they are far less than their B&M peers such as B&W or Vienna Acoustics or a Velo HGS 15 for example.
Two years ago now I clicked on AV123 for a set of Divas after months of frustrating local auditions, and two sets of speakers I ended up not caring for. I've never looked back. The experience has been overwhelmingly positive prompting me to buy almost all my gear over the Internet, and I have been very happy with all the results.
Good Luck,

 

[Lew Crippen]

Understating that everyone on this company forum is already predisposed to love the products, you might findthis site to be helpful.

 

[jad]

The rockets and others speakers like Dahlquist appear to have been designed to have a warm, laid back, soothing sound, as this is what a lot of people prefer. I don't. Warm, soothing, non-fatiquing are all euphuisms for boring. And as I see it; boring is not much better than irritating. There are plenty of electronics with these traits if one needs to warm up the sound. By saying one can listen all day to their speakers and not get fatigued, is this really a compliment? Don't you think if you listened to your favorite artist perform "live" all day, you would get fatiqued? I'd rather have an emotional hour of listening than 6 hours of bland. Just my opinion.

 

[Terry St]

I've heard some describe rockets as laid back and others describe them as bright. It really depends on where you're coming from. You pretty much have to listen to a speaker yourself to see what you like.

If you can't find someone who will let you listen to their rockets then you can always take advantage of av123's return policy. You get to try them out in your home for a month. If you don't like them you can return them and escape with everything but the shipping. While that might be a fair bit, depending on where you live, it's not as if you're stuck with them the moment you sign on the dotted line.

 

[Shane Martin]

The problem I see with buying speakers unheard is you are setting yourself up to like them even though you may not and thats mainly because now that you have spent the $$ on the speakers you are less likely to return them and eat the shipping. I have a friend who did that on an Outlaw piece.

Personally I'd use the audioenvy site and find someone close.

 

[Alex Prosak]

Just because a speaker is laid back in its presentation doesn't mean that it lacks detail and good character. I recently brought home some Thiel 1.6s for an audition and they have incredible detail. So much that I had to turn them off after half an hour and my ears were ringing for several hours afterward. I don't consider that a good trait. When given the opportunity, I like to be able to listen to music for several hours. The current speakers in my system, Maggies, do not have that detail but I can very happily listen to them all day. Not that they lack in detail, they just present a much different sound.
Consider what you hear at a concert and then what you hear with bright, detailed speakers such as the Thiels or B&W Nautilus and they are not the same thing. The bright and detailed speakers allow you to hear many things that you will never hear in a concert, no matter how good the acoustics. Sure, all of the detail can initially be an alluring trait but I personally find all of those little extras the speakers reveal to be tiring. Of course this is just all my opinion too.
Peter, FWIW, I'm going to be putting my HT together shortly and I've read every page of the Rocket thread on AVS and spoken with Mark, the president of AV123. I will definitely be getting Rockets for my HT. Although I have never heard them personally, I've heard soooo many good things about them and I see the support that AV123 provides and I feel very confident in my future purchase. In reading into the reviews you can get a good impression of whether the listener has similar likes and dislikes to your own. Also, Mark, Sean, and Steve provide better support and service over the net and phone than any B&M dealer I have ever dealt with. For the same reason, I'll be getting an SVS, although I have heard them.

 

[ernie.bin]

I think shane has a good point.

I went into audition dahlquists thinking I would walk out with a pair. Once I heard them though, I knew I couldn't own those happily.

By auditioning, you have that chance to back out based on your own observations. Reviews are a great way to get pointed in the right direction, but we all have different tastes and you gotta go with what really makes your ears happy regardless of how well regarded some speakers are.

I don't think I want my speakers to reproduce a concert setting, as most concerts I've been to sound pretty bad (compared to a studio album) due to various environmental factors. I want my speakers to sound like a little personal concert where I can actually hear all the details.

 

[Michael R Price]

Alex P,

You're right. We shouldn't confuse detail with harshness or an overemphasized top end. One of my ultimate goals is to have a system that can reproduce every detail precisely, and overwhelm me with sound without hurting my ears. (A far-out goal for sure.)

The Rockets, apparently, have good detail without the fatigue. Their drivers are of excellent quality and this many reviews can't all be wrong.

As for auditioning, I think you just have to be careful. The luxury of listening before you buy could cost hundreds of dollars relative to the price you could get online for a similar quality speaker. If you're willing to make that tradeoff (I'm not) and think it's really important to know what you're getting, stick to your dealer.

 

[Bob Goodrich]

I agree with Shane; you really need to audition speakers. After reading all the great reviews on Paradigm Studio 100's, I was ready to buy, even had a pair in real wood lined up. When I spent an afternoon with them I knew they weren't my cup of beer; in fact I liked the Studio 60's with a quick sub better. Since then I signed up with audio envy and spent a Sunday afternoon listening to Rocket's full-on package including HSU sub and was very impressed. Even so, before I make a final decision I'm going to check out some PSB's, Energy's, and Polk's Lsi line. I've learned my lesson and would never buy without a first hand audition. Good luck and please give us a followup.

 

[Alex Prosak]

I completely agree that if you have the opportunity to do an audition, go for it. I initially though the Thiels would be my next speaker. However, in Alaska there are very limited options and I believe, unless someone beats me to it, I'll be the first Rocket owner in the state. This will be my first time purchasing any stereo equipment without hearing it first. While I'm not 100% confident in my decision, I am quite comfortable that I'm making the right decision. Sometimes in life you just have to say what the f**k and take a chance. Speaking with Mark the other week really helped.

If my local dealers weren't such complete and total a**holes, I'd consider giving them my business. You'll be lucky to get help if you walk in holding a credit card in the air and yelling that you want to spend $50k that day. Sometimes I have no choice but doing so makes me feel the need to take a shower immediately afterward.

Ernie,

I agree many concerts can sound like crap. I was thinking more along the lines of a performance in the Sydney Opera House or some other similar environment where acoustics are known to be very good. No matter where you sit, you're not going to hear a performers fingers gently move across the strings of an instrument or a brush circle on a cymbal unless your in their lap. I do like to pick enough detail from the speakers to know what they're doing and to be able to visualize it. I guess I just don't care for speakers that are brutally honest. Granted, when I feel like rocking I'd rather listen to an AC/DC studio album than a bootleg of one of their concerts.