Studio 60s vs. Stratus Silver vs. Rocket 550s(or 750s) (1 Viewer)

[Ed Haze]

I think I have my choices narrowed down to the above, but any helpful insight would be appreciated. Prices for the Silvers and Studio 60s are comparable, but the Rockets 550s are a bit cheaper. My listening preferences are 80/20 stereo/HT, and I mainly listen to classic rock and jamband music(String Cheese, Phish, Dead, etc) although I do like some good Jazz and Bluegrass. Since I do not have a sub(but will add one down the line), the speakers must be able to put out enough low-end to make stereo music complete. Being close to Montreal, I can get the PSBs or Paradigms fairly cheap. However, even at that price point I could get the Rocket Center w/ the 550s for about the same price. There has been numerous threads about Stratus vs. Studios, but I wanted to add the Rockets for a new round of thoughts and comparisons. Hopefully I can get a better feel from your experiences before I drive up to Canada. Thanks in advance.

 

[EricHaas]

I cannot compare the 60's to the Rockets because they are too new, but I can compare them to the Divas. I find the 60's to be, not surprisingly, a touch more forward in the highs than the Divas. Then again, I do not consider the 60's bright by any standard. I actually slightly prefer the 60's to the Diva 6.1's, but many feel differently. The Rockets have composite metal/fabric tweeters as opposed to the fabric tweeters of the Divas or aluminum tweeters of the 60's. How this plays out will be up to your own ears. The Divas have been a fantastic value and the Rockets will undoubtely be at least an equal value, possibly better. Paradigm Reference is also tough to beat at Canadian prices. If you were in the states, I'd say get the Rockets even without a/bing them. But at Canadian prices, you've got a very tough choice on your hands. If you can't demo the Rockets, you could well make a reasonable choice based upon esthetics as both are great sonic values.

I haven't heard the Silvers. I have heard the Golds and thought they were great but felt the Studio 100's were a bit better for that price range. Good luck.

 

[Allan F]

It doesn't sound like you can really go wrong with any of those choices. I was in the market for a new front sound stage about two years ago and had narrowed it down to the 60's and the Silver i's. Both were about the right size, great aesthetics, etc. I felt the the studio 60's were a great sounding speaker and I could not find anything offensive about them, however, I ended up choosing the Silver's. I felt that they were a bit more detailed and painted a better sound stage. It would be a tough call as to how they would compare to the Rocket's as there is not any (to my knowledge) information available on them yet.

Should you decide on the Rocket's, please post your impressions. Should you decide on the PSB Silvers, consider the piano black finish (looks killer). Good luck, and have fun. Choosing speakers is undeniably the most subjective choice you can make in audio, so let your ears make the decision.

Allan

 

[John A. Casler]

Prices for the Silvers and Studio 60s are comparable, but the Rockets 550s are a bit cheaper

Ed,
Anyone considering these three speakers should seriously consider the "20th Anniversary Tower II" by VMPS.
In my personal opinion, this speaker is without a doubt the biggest "audiophile value" in speakerdom.
Just check out the specs and look
http://www.vmpsaudio.com/20thAnvDoc.htm
Link Removed
You say no sub? No Problem!! Who needs a sub when the main speakers can hit 22HZ???
For $1298 list, it comes in "Piano Black" finish. You want a "rich, quality looking speaker?" You got it.
And will with minimal amplification and a reasonable "front end" throw a deep, perfectly imaged soundstage that will astound you.
I have the "old" Tower IIs (for sale by the way ) and they beat 95% of the speakers out there in this regard. (and I mean 95% of every speaker made)
If you want to queue one up, sit down, close your eyes and actually have your walls dissapear and be transported to the live perfromance. Don't look any farther.
The tragedy is most do not know how to set their speakers up to attain this "PsychoAcoustic Phenomena" and only enjoy a small portion of the incredible sonic bliss their speakers can deliver. But I digress.
If you are in this market. VMPS Tower II or the newer Ribbon Monitor One, should be on your short list.
Best regards,
John Casler

 

[Ed Haze]

Thanks for the reply John. When, and if, I have room for something like that I would jump on that in a heartbeat. However, one of the main purposes of revamping my fronts and center are to go to a smaller floorstander. The VMPS look great and have some incredibly impressive specs, but are almost 6" taller and quite a bit wider than any of the aforementioned. The VMPS are about the same size as my Infinity Reference Six fronts which have become a bit too large for my living room. I am headed to Montreal this weekend, does anyone know a good dealer for Paradigm and/or PSB? Dealers are available online, but I was hoping someone had a particular dealer which they had a good experience with. Thanks again.

 

[Alex Prosak]

Ed,
Check out the avsforum for more info on the Rockets, some of their beta testers have posted their impressions and a few pictures. There's 3 main threads there that seem to be following the intro of the new line. The pics on the AV123 website do not do those speakers justice. They are absolutely gorgeous!
Good luck! If you do go with the Rockets, please post your thoughts.
Alex

 

[Chip E]

Ed,
While speaker shopping a little over a year ago, i auditioned the Paradigm Ref 60's and found them a little harsh at the top for my taste. Detailed, yes but bright too my ears. I then listened to the PSB Stratus Silveri 's and absolutely fell in love with them. Speakers are a pretty personal choice but, you might like them
I ended up with the Stratus Silveri 's (in high gloss black ), Stratus C6i CC and Image 10S bipolor surround's. Would've got the Stratus Mini's but had room constraints and needed a surround speaker that would easily mount to the wall. Good luck auditioning.

 

[Ed Haze]

I actually had the Studio 60s in my living for a weekend, and overall I was pleased. The highs were detailed w/o being harsh, but what I was not 100% happy with was the bass. Granted, for (2) 6 1/2" drivers the low end was great. However, I found it a tad on the boomy side and in instances seemed to drown out the mids. This could have been due to speaker placement though. All in all, until I find something better for anywhere near the price(maybe the Silvers, Bronzes, or Rockets) these still hold the top spot. Thanks for the inoput.

 

[Bruce Chang]

Out of the Box the studio 60s sounded better then my PSB goldi's soundstage wise. Then I did some phasing on the mids and I felt that the PSBs do a much better job overall then the studio 60s. It's hard to beat PSBs. The silvers can be found used for around $800.