Thinking about upgrading to an AV123 Rocket system

[audion3wb]

I just got done talking with AV123 about what my total out the door cost for the Rocket 5.0 deal. (850sigs fronts, 450 surrounds and the 200 center).

Now obviously I am interested yet a little hesitant. My main problem is that living in Fairbanks AK I really don't get the option of listening to speakers before I purchase (thats how I wound up with the polk system I have). I have read some really good things about the Rocket system but you can find good reviews out there over just about any product these days.

After offloading my current speakers the upgrade should probably cost me about $500 ish. So the question is would you pay 500 bucks to upgrade from a Polk RTI system to a Rocket system?

Some of the things I have heard that are good about the Rockets were things like "having to check to see if the center channel was turned on or not". I set my Polks up well enough that their soundstage will fool you into thinking the center channel is on too.

BUT, and this is a big but. I do find the highs on my polks to be, almost.... piercing. Sometime a good snappy snare drum almost makes me flinch when listening to music or some certain high points in movies are almost painful from my surrounds. I listened to some B&W 700 towers the other day and I was not blown away, but I did feel I could listen to music on them all day and not get worn out. Depending on the material my Rti setup would definitely wear on you after extended listening.

Anyhoooo. Please chime in Rocket owners or anyone who has heard them for that matter.

 

[jamie2112]

I have listened to thr rockets and IMO they sound much better to my ear then the polks.....thats my 2 cents

 

[TheFactor]

I've heard and read good things about The Rockets to before I bought my Digms. But have never actualy heard a Rocket system myself either . They sure look sexy though from the pics

 

[BoB/335]

I have heard a lot of good things about the Rockets. I was looking into the 850's myself. I have heard that they are easy to listen to for long periods of time without ear fatigue.
I decided against AV123 because of all the drama on their forum concerning how the business is run. There may or may not be anything to all that but something you should be made aware of.

 

[penpitt]

I have the Rocket 850/200/300 setup and can say they are a great speaker. Of course the only thing I had to compare them to was a pair of JBL Northridge speakers and center so take that for what it's worth.
The drama seems mainly about how for some sales they require you to pay up front even if it is a few months before they may ship to you. Granted they have had some delays that were probably beyond their control and given delivery estimates that were optimistic, but overall I think the Rockets are a solid product.
If you don't mind forking over the $1700 + shipping upfront for the Rockets, I think you won't regret it.

 

[calnbs]

The dramas at AV123 is extremely over-rated. You got to understand...out of hundreds of post. There are a few people screaming from the top of their lungs. Those are few. Biggest complaint is not getting speakers on time....Damn...I don't understand why people will buy something knowing that it is backed order and that further delays may occurred and yet biietch about it. If you going to buy from AV123, know their history and know what you are getting yourself into. Wait time can be long at times....if you don't have patience, go elsewhere.

With that said, I definately pick Rockets over Polk RTi..(which I did). Would I pick the Polk LSi over the Rockets if both prices were equal? Now, that's debatable and depending on personal taste. But the LSi aren't cheap. I really liked the Polk LSi15 but the cost was what I wasn't willing to pay for. Biggest factor for me was BUDGET.

 

[audion3wb]

Yea, I know the drama of the long waits and all that. I can handle the wait easy enough. I have actually heard some people say that the 850s sound better than anything Polk has to offer. Of course sound is subjective so its all opinion, but I have started to notice that my least favorite attribute of a speaker is being overly bright. Its uncomfortable to listen to my Polks at times as I said originally. I hear the Rockets don't suffer from being bright which would be great for me.

Im really stoked about getting the Rocket system, I just wondered how much improvment I was looking at between my current speakers. I think that the 850s would blow my RTI A7s away and I hope that is the case

 

[BoB/335]

"The dramas at AV123 is extremely over-rated."

Personally I don't think so. I have seen issues raised in just about every area of that forum.


3% of MFW-15's are found to be defective. I got that straight from the horses mouth. So it is more than just wait times. AND many of theses problems have been going on way longer than should be without correction.

I have not heard any problems with the Rocket line as far as reliability goes so I would think that you will be very happy once they're it the house.

 

[audion3wb]

I have not heard any problems with the Rocket line as far as reliability goes so I would think that you will be very happy once they're it the house.

When I was talking to the AV123 Rep and asked about shipping damage he said that since I would be getting them shipped as freight they would get palletized all together and forklifted on a truck. So nobody is going to pick up my 450LB pallet and mis handle it. That is probably the reason why they don't get shipping damage is because people arent picking them up manually and dropping/throwing/kicking them like UPS/FEDEX does with all our other gear.

 

[TheFactor]

"The dramas at AV123 is extremely over-rated."

Personally I don't think so. I have seen issues raised in just about every area of that forum.


3% of MFW-15's are found to be defective. I got that straight from the horses mouth. So it is more than just wait times. AND many of theses problems have been going on way longer than should be without correction.

I have not heard any problems with the Rocket line as far as reliability goes so I would think that you will be very happy once they're it the house.

I have to agree with you Bob and thats what steered me away from there subwoofer "MFW 15" THAT AND ALL THE BAD AMPS and now I think they even shut down there forum for a while anyway for what reason I dont , they did post why somewhere but I didnt bother looking since its no concern of mine ; ) but like I said there speakers seem to have good results . Now imo if you have a forum directly related to your product you better make sure you have all your ducks in a roll including shipping, dependability of your product/performance or your opening up a big can of worms because not only are you goiung to have a percentage of people in your forum that no matter what you cant make them happy AND the ordinary folks that have there beefs and if the combination is hi enough your going to have issues including a lot of unhappy people posting on your Forum . Now it may be just me but everytime I tryed talking myself into there MFW15 and then I would go on there forum and search it would almost make me sick to my stomach because of all the bad amps and other issues. Why not improve the amp and not keep installing the same one in there . Who am I to judge I guess but I didnt like what I was reading between the lines even though there sub got excellent performance rating it doesnt appeart the dependability is there . Now there speakers seem to be a different story. Well maybe I shouldnt of but theres my 2 cents

 

[calnbs]

With a 3% faliure on the MFW 15 amp is a little concerning...My MFW 15 was one of them. It was easily replaced a week later with a new amp. How long will the new amp last? I don't know. Price wise, MFW 15 is a great bargain subwoofer when it's onsale. But they do need better quality on the subwoofer.

BUT as far as Rocket speakers....Hands down, an excellent bargain...it's highway robbery for the price they are selling now (IMHO). You are not going to find anything from any B&M that will come close in this price range with what the Rocket packages offers. I do wish that B&M have some awesome price like this....so far, I only saw the KEFs clearance at onecall and vanns that was worth mentioning.

I would buy Rockets again in a heart beat. I don't care if 3 people out of 100 people screaming their heads off because the shipment was late. Shipping late is one thing...and not getting anything and AV123 running off with customers' money is another thing. So far, AV123 has always delivered their speakers (though late sometimes).

 

[Soundman]

Rocket clarification

There have been a lot of posts on this thread about late deliveries, pre-paying for the product, etc. Let me explain this concept. For the most part, it's called supply and demand. If the product is back-ordered, it's usually a pretty good sign that the product is selling well. As far as the delays in shipment go, there have been some upset people on the forums complaining about their shipment not getting there in time. Many of them failed to realize what ETA means. It's called "estimated time of arrival" Many of these products are shipped in from another county such as China and parts of South America. Due to custom's, there have been delays in getting some of their products in. They have absolutely no control over this. Again, this is why they are able to deliver products such as the Rocket's for that price. The prices they are currently running is insane. I remember when I got mine. They were actually selling them for less then it costs to build, so they were taking a loss on it, a small one, but still, an insane deal. The reason for this is because they needed to clear out inventory. That's just an example. They run different specials for different reasons to try to generate sells. Sometimes Mark is able to cut deals with some of his contacts, but many times the cost involved has to be paid up front. This is the reason for the prepayments for some of their pre-orders. You are pre-paying, but getting it at a reduced price. In order for them to offer such a great price, they have expenses that have to be done up front. i think it's pretty fair considering.

So to the OP, if you aren't willing to wait and need it ASAP, then don't order from them. If you can, you will be getting one of the best deals out there. They really are a great value. I have the 850's, 200, and 450's. They are excellent for HT, VERY GOOD DYNAMICS. THEY REALLY KICK YOU IN THE CHEST! For the high end, yes, they will be much easier on the ears then the Polks. If you do not like the harshness, then this may be the right speaker for you. Because they are more laid back, they are much easier to listen to. Keep in mind, laid pack does not mean less detailed, just easier on the ears, IMO. For the record, I have listened to Polks so I have a general idea of the difference in the type of sound.I have nothing against Polk. But I have demo'd the LSI's. They were a good sounding speaker, but I did prefer the Rockets. So, for whatever it's worth, there you go. I found my customer service experience to be fantastic with AV123.

 

[TheFactor]

SoundMan well said and great description of the Rockets you had me almost sold and ready to buy Seriously great review and its very nice to see another satisfied Rockets customer

 

[Soundman]

SoundMan well said and great description of the Rockets you had me almost sold and ready to buy Seriously great review and its very nice to see another satisfied Rockets customer

Thanks and nice Paradigm setup. BTW, i think there's a dead polar bear on your couch.

 

[Adam]

BTW, i think there's a dead polar bear on your couch.

Stupid global warming.

 

[TheFactor]

Thanks and nice Paradigm setup. BTW, i think there's a dead polar bear on your couch.

Thankyou I really like my Digms but I'd luv to setup some Rockets IN Another HT room in my house because they are so beautiful I really like that rosewood and the looks of that speaker and there definately performers to !!! LMAO about the PoLAR Bear The funny part is I didnt want to put it on the floor afraid that my cat would take over ownership well guess what now the top of the couch is his new home he loves laying on that poor dead polar bear lol

 

[TheFactor]

Stupid global warming.

LOL I hate when that happens but my cat will be happy

 

[Soundman]

Stupid global warming.

Poor guy. ................................................

 

[abboudc]

I really like my Rockets. They sound great for HT and are also decent for two channel. The only thing i didn't like about them was they're rather tippy, so i bought custom outriggers for the bottom to make the base wider so my daughter doesn't knock them over.

However, before you order Rockets, be prepared for long waits, numerous delays, and non-response to emails that you send. I ordered something in stock and received it relatively quickly, however, there was an issue and it took a good 7+ months to come to a resolution. In the end it was resolved to my satisfaction, but the length of time that passed and "effort" makes me question if it was the great value i thought it was. No doubt they're a good product, but if you don't have the patience of a Buddhist-monk, i'd look elsewhere...

 

[BoB/335]

A little tippy? At 100 lbs each that's a lot of weight to tip over. First time I've heard that complaint.

The initial wait along with hearing of them taking a long time to rectify problems really hurts them. That is one heck of a blow-out deal he's got going right now!


btw Where are all the "Prfessional" Reviews on this speaker. Having a really hard time finding anything besides some forum enthusiasts from over 3 years ago.