How well does the Rocketfish work overall is it comparable to a wired one?
I like it, no real complaints.
It doesn't get the loudest, and I'm sure it would be great to use very sensitive speakers on it and mine aren't. It is 4ohm stable though and I'm using 6ohm on it with no problems. I can't remember for sure, but I think it's something like 40W RMS (I think divided by 2 channels but don't remember off top of my head. I'm only using 1 channel per receiver).
It works, and most important to me, I don't get any interference, even with my wireless router in the same room, about 4 feet away. You would definitely want to use some room correction to set the speaker distances, as my system thinks they are about 35 feet away (not realistic distance). However, that compensates for any lag on the Rocketfish by sending that signal first. Obviously, not as good as running wires, but in my house it was gonna be a b**ch to do it right. Maybe not the best for multi-channel music. I'm 2 ch music first and movies/games second. Just to get the movie surround effects or to know when someone is behind me in FPS games, it works great. Also, it has auto off and signal-sensing on.
Just to nitpick a little. Sometimes (but not all the time?) I get a pop only on the rocketfish when I turn the system on or off. Not bad, just a little annoying. The lights on the front of the units are kinda bright. Some people may not mind, but it is kind of one of my pet-peeves to have bright LEDs in my theater rig. I used the classic fix--a piece of electrical tape over the offending lights.
I didn't pay MSRP, got mine off ebay. I paid maybe $150 for transmitter and 2 receivers. Just note, there is an older model out there and I am using the newer HD models.
All in all, it isn't perfect, but it works fine for me. If you want the highest quality sound and power, then run the wires. If that is difficult and/ or you aren't OCD about your surrounds, then this is a good product for you.
