[naschbac]

Howdy,


I've alluded to this topic in a different thread, but I thought I'd make one specifically for my questions.


First let me say that there isn't a person within 300 miles of me who has a set of Rockets speakers for me to audition


I'm very intrigued by the Rockets speakers. They appear to be well built, intuitive in design and implementation, and they're quite the lookers as well


Currently I am using Def Tech BP8-B's all around except for a ProCenter C2 center channel. I'd like to keep the BP8's for surround speakers as on their own they are a very capable and full sounding speaker, and their bipolar design works very well for surround fields. However I'm looking to get a more full range speaker to match to my SVS 20-39 PC+ for front mains and music listening. I listen to largely Punk such as Virus Nine, Dropkick Murphy's, and Minor Threat... as well as some Hip-Hop/Funk like Aesop Rock, Deltron 3030, Blackalicious, and Jurassic 5.


My three concerns are really how much of an improvement the Rockets would be over my current Def Techs, which of the 750's or 550's would work best for what I need (as in how are they characteristically different from eachother), and ultimately how well would Rockets across the front match up with using Def Tech towers for surrounds.


Being that I can't really have a chance to listen to these before buying them and trying them I was hoping to get some experienced response from current Rockets owners as well as prospective owners like myself.


On a bit of a side note I'm also curious about the matching of Rockets center channels to the Rockets towers. The 550's seem like they'd match better to the larger 200 series center channel whereas the 750's seem like they'd match better to the smaller 100 series center channels.


Thanks,

-Nathan

 

[MRL]

I would email Sean over at ********** and ask him the same questions. He's a straight up guy and wont try to push you into buying Rockets just to make a sale... They know there stuff about speakers.

 

[naschbac]

I might just go ahead and do that, but I'd also enjoy hearing from other people who have compared Def Tech non-powered speakers to Rockets, and those have compared Rocket 550's to 750's, and those who are using Rockets in a mixed environment.


Come on Mike I know you have an opinion on the matter. I might be coming down for the Oregon vs. Michigan game this coming weekend, and I'll for sure be in Portland the following weekend for my father's 50th B-day. Any chance you'd let me check out your Rockets if some time opens up for me?


-Nathan

 

[MRL]

I'd be glad to let you check out my Rockets but I have not got them yet. Still on the assembly line.. (long kind of private story).. Anyway it will be a month or so before they arrive. There is one person in Beaverton, forgot his name here that has a 750 set up. Try leaving a message over at ********** and see if you get a response. I almost bought the powered Def. Tech. big boys but changed my mind. I think then they called them the 2002TL's or something like that. I just did not like having every speaker powered. Too many things to go wrong. They were very good for HT though I will say that but I did not care that much for music from them. Plus its hard to find a deal on them. I did find a dealer that would give me an under the table so to speak discount of 10% but stated that def tech would pull their right to sell if they found out. Dont know if thats true or not but anyway. I still think one should try out speakers in their own environment and heck with shipping costs... These are ones you will be living with for along time. I currently have NHT towers and its just time for a change. I am looking forward to bigfoot the most as most of my use is HT. Good luck and let us know what shakes....

 

[JohnR_IN_LA]

I used my Rocket fronts with Boston Acoustics in the Rear at one point, as well as Infinitys in the rear at another point.


It worked fine, as long as i kept my rear channels at a lower volume than the fronts.This was often achievable without lowering the rear volume, since the Rockets completely dominated my rear speakers, and I only used the rears for HT, not music. As effect and ambience speakers the Def Techs may work out fine.


As soon as you get into multi-channel audio, or have a desire to play the rears as loud as the fronts, then you will notice the difference, and probably begin to plan to replace rears, at least I did.


Now that I have timber matched speakers all the way around, I can use soundfields and processing that boosts the rears to play as loud as the fronts ,all the time, if I like. And often ..... I like

 

[wuhoo]

how do rockets sound in general terms? are they better for movies or music

 

[Lew Crippen]

Quote:

how do rockets sound in general terms? are they better for movies or music

It depends somewhat on the model, but overall Rockets are not a bright nor a forward speaker. Warm is an adjective chosen by many to describe the sound.


The two floorstanding models are somewhat different: the 750s are rolled off just a bit on the high end, although they are now being shipped with a crossover that allows for a bit more treble energy (I have not heard this model), while the 550s (same tweeter) have a bit more in the high end (remember they are in the same family, so I am making comparative statements). The 550s do not have as tight bass response as the 750s, so you may find the 750s more suitable for music than the 550s.


The Rocket center speaker, the RSC200 is one of the best center speakers you will find in its price range (the best of which I am aware). It is very easy to pick out quiet dialogue, even with a lot of other loud noise in the soundtrack.


They also make a couple of bookshelves, the 250 and 150—the 250 is a smaller 550 and sounds much the same—I have not heard the 150 often enough to comment accurately. They also make a dipole for those interested.


The ELT line is voiced differently than the Rockets and is quite a bit more forward (IMO) than the other Rockets.


I think that they are very fine HT speakers, that also work very well for 2-channel music, although they would not be my choice for a music-only environement. If you like strong wood grain the rosewood cabinets are striking and very well made (they also make ebony cabinets, but I’ve not seen them in person).


I own Rockets, so take that into account.

 

[Dreamaster]

First off, Rocket 750's you buy today are going to be more forward than guys who bought them a month ago because Mark reduced the padding in the tweet... therefore, there are very few people who can accurately answer the question of how they compare to the 550 model.


Also, I bet $100 the ELT's are "more forward" because of their lack of low bass extension. From building my own speakers and measuring and listening to changes at the same time, I found that a lack of low end bass makes a speaker seem "thin" even though it might be flat all the way down to 200Hz.

 

[Gordon Groff]

Once you hear the 750's and 200 across the front for HT, you'll never look back! Awesome sound. Beautiful speakers! For HT, I personally feel that the front (and sub) is 90%+ of the fun. IMO, I believe you'd be satisfied with mis-matched sides/rears until you can upgrade later. For multi-channel music, it would be not be as good a solution - get a package if you can.

Gordon