Rockport Cygnus at CES

[Ritmo]

They look great Phil! Congrats!

[ctop]

Congrats Phil! Exciting times ahead...

[the professor]

Looking great!

[cmalak]

Phil...congrats. Here are the pics you posted:

[mauidan]

Looks great!

Does anyone know how much Rockport charges for colors other than black?

[philb7777]

Looks great!

Does anyone know how much Rockport charges for colors other than black?

I think around $5,000, but I could certainly be wrong. I think they only offer color upgrades beyond black on the Altair II and Arrakis models. I would think in time, they will also offer color upgrades on the Cygnus as well.

[mauidan]

I think around $5,000, but I could certainly be wrong. I think they only offer color upgrades beyond black on the Altair II and Arrakis models. I would think in time, they will also offer color upgrades on the Cygnus as well.

Wow, I hope that's not true.

[mauidan]

I think around $5,000, but I could certainly be wrong. I think they only offer color upgrades beyond black on the Altair II and Arrakis models. I would think in time, they will also offer color upgrades on the Cygnus as well.

Good news, thats not true.

[philb7777]

Good news, thats not true.

Dan, what info did you find out?

[Ritmo]

How are they sounding after a couple of weeks?

[philb7777]

Ritmo, here is my review thus far:

After two weeks with the Rockport Cygnus loudspeakers in my room, I feel prepared to give an initial review on the newest Andy Payor creation. As a background, my room is 15.5 feet wide x 21 feet long x 9 feet high. My analog front end is a TW Acustics AC-1 table with TW 10.5 tonearm and Dynavector XV-1t cart. My electronics include a ARC Ref 2se Phono pre, ARC Ref 5se preamp, and ARC Ref 250 monoblocks. All are connected with Cardas Golden Reference cables. A Cardas power strip is connected to a 20 amp dedicated circuit and my Ref 250’s are plugged directly into the wall outlets which are dedicated 20 amp circuits.

The Rockport Cygnus weigh 285 lbs each. Although they are over 50 inches tall and have a depth of 27 inches, the footprint and visual appearance of these loudspeakers is not at all that large. The fit and finish of the Cygnus are similar to other Andy Payor creations – incredibly inert, incredibly engineered and built with a perfect black lacquer finish. The feet are two four inch discs with a one inch diameter bolt screw attached that screws into the speaker around 2 inches. This makes for a very stable base and coupling with the floor. Furniture sliders have been used to move the speakers into various positions while searching for a final home. This allows the speakers to be moved easily despite their weight and size.

Set up: The Cygnus are moderately difficult to set up in my room. One can quickly determine side wall distance and toe-in degree, but placement from the front wall behind the speakers is tricky to dial in the perfect bass response. To close to the back wall and the bass is -0.5dB at 20-25 Hz but the soundstage somewhat collapses in its air around images and texture of images. Too far out into the room and the lower bass unsurprisingly gets a tad anemic but mid bass impact improves and the soundstage is saturated with detail, air and texture of images. I am still searching for just the right placement and I am close. Right now I have the Cygnus toe-in at around five feet or so intersecting behind the listening position, the side wall distance is around 40 inches, and the back wall distance right now is around 93 inches from the front of the woofer. Somewhere between 81 – 93 inches is the perfect position and my goal for the upcoming week. At least in my room, moving the Cygnus ¼ - ½ inch increments in sidewall or frontwall distance makes easily noticeable audible changes.
Sound:
The first thing I noticed when initial listening began was just how open the speaker sounds and how life-sized the images were. The Cygnus is an effortless speaker – at low or louder listening levels, the soundstage is always very open, with air around dense images. The images are very life-like – this speaker truly brings the performers into the room with you. Realism is very remarkable and suspends belief. Now a breakdown of some sonic categories:

Background – very black backgrounds and images ‘pop’ and emerge effortlessly.

Ambient Retrieval – air around images has its own acoustic space and things are very coherent. A sense of space in recordings is natural and very real at times.
Imaging – The Cygnus are imaging champs, images are very dense and discretely surrounded by their own natural space. What I found very noticeable was that even images in the far back of the soundstage had their own space as well and were ‘three-dimensional.’ This quality makes sonic realism even more appreciated.

Tonal Character – I have heard some say Rockports sounded bright at times. I have not had this, even in the early break in period. The treble is smooth and effortless and gives the Cygnus a very ‘rich’ sound without sacrificing detail. The midrange is special and this new driver from Andy’s design is likely where much of the Cygnus magic lies. The combination of the tweeter and midrange give the Cygnus the open effortless sound while giving a degree of soundstage illumination that allows the listener to not have to ‘strain’ to hear subtle imaging cues all the while having no brightness or edge at all. Male and female vocals bring the performer into your room. Dense with great body. Horns are particularly natural and smooth with great dynamics and detail and absolutely no edge.

Dynamics – Macro and micro dynamics are all here and more. Dynamic passages occur naturally within the soundstage, not call extra attention itself but always having a purpose. Microdynamics are the best I have ever heard with a loudspeaker, including horn –loaded ones.

Bass – bass is tight and tuneful. Extension is excellent. In my room, I can easily get the bass to 20-25 cycles. The only drawback being the difficulty in finding a final ‘best placement’ which is likely due more to my room than the loudspeaker.

Soundstage – As mentioned above, the Cygnus has life sized images within their own space. The soundstage is vast and open. Depth is incredible and images seem to appear from well behind the front wall. Layering of the soundstage is natural and realistic. Soundstage width is well beyond my sidewalls. Images are dense and easily discernable 3- 4 feet beyond each speaker laterally.

Transparency – The Cygnus, despite their size, disappear. One of the best disappearing acts a loudspeaker has done in my room.

Overall the Rockport Cygnus is a real winner. I am elated to own a pair. I cannot at this time even find something to criticize as I can find no real fault with any aspect of the Cygnus’ performance. As I finalize placement and get over 100 hours on the speakers, I will update everyone on any changes I have noticed.

[Ritmo]

Glad you are happy! They look terrific in your room.

[Mike]

Good write up. Congrats on a wonderful pair of speakers.

[mauidan]

Phil,

Did you get any assistance from your Rockport dealer with the set up?

[cmalak]

Phil...great review. I am surprised that some folks have called Rockports bright. The typical comment on them is that they are dark sounding and typically bass heavy, which I don't agree with either. Tonally, the are just right to my ear. Big fan here. Glad you are enjoying the Cygnus so much. I know you were initially going to get the Aviors and so I am assuming you still have a sense for what the Aviors sounded like. Any comparisons to the Cygnus would be much appreciated. Thanks,

Cyril

[philb7777]

Phil,

Did you get any assistance from your Rockport dealer with the set up?

Dan, my dealer for the Rockports is around 300 miles away. He offered set up service via the phone, but I know the nuances of my room probably better than almost anyone. Its a tedious process, but I am getting closer. My hope is to have things completed by tomorrow night.

Phil

[philb7777]

Phil...great review. I am surprised that some folks have called Rockports bright. The typical comment on them is that they are dark sounding and typically bass heavy, which I don't agree with either. Tonally, the are just right to my ear. Big fan here. Glad you are enjoying the Cygnus so much. I know you were initially going to get the Aviors and so I am assuming you still have a sense for what the Aviors sounded like. Any comparisons to the Cygnus would be much appreciated. Thanks,

Cyril

Thanks for the kind words Cyril.

I should have clarified that I have seen others state the Rockports may seem a tad bright out of the crates during break-in. I did not experience this at all out of the crates. From the first music played, they have sounded open, extended, effortless and liquid without any etch or grain.

As far as a comparison to the Aviors, the Cygnus sounded much more open and extended to me. There appears to be more density of images from the midrange. The soundstage is deeper and has more of a 'wrap around' effect laterally. The bass seems to go deeper but as you know bass response is depended much on the room environment too. They Aviors are a fantastic loudspeaker, but I am glad I waited for the Cygnus to go into production!

Thanks again,

Phil

[mauidan]

Dan, my dealer for the Rockports is around 300 miles away. He offered set up service via the phone, but I know the nuances of my room probably better than almost anyone. Its a tedious process, but I am getting closer. My hope is to have things completed by tomorrow night.

Phil

Phil,

My Rockport dealer is 100 miles away, but it requires a roundtrip plane ride.

If I buy a pair of Rockports, I hope he offers me more than just phone set up service.

[Vapor1]

Dan, my dealer for the Rockports is around 300 miles away. He offered set up service via the phone, but I know the nuances of my room probably better than almost anyone. Its a tedious process, but I am getting closer. My hope is to have things completed by tomorrow night.

Phil

I'm in St Louis, and come close to Tulsa often. I'd be happy to collect data in your room and help with setup sometime if you'd like.

[Alpinist]

Phil,

Great review on the Cygnus and a beautiful room setup. Enjoy those wonderful new speakers!!

Best,
Ken

[Joe P]

D

i'm in st louis, and come close to tulsa often. I'd be happy to collect data in your room and help with setup sometime if you'd like.

lol!

[cmalak]

Thanks for the kind words Cyril.

I should have clarified that I have seen others state the Rockports may seem a tad bright out of the crates during break-in. I did not experience this at all out of the crates. From the first music played, they have sounded open, extended, effortless and liquid without any etch or grain.

As far as a comparison to the Aviors, the Cygnus sounded much more open and extended to me. There appears to be more density of images from the midrange. The soundstage is deeper and has more of a 'wrap around' effect laterally. The bass seems to go deeper but as you know bass response is depended much on the room environment too. They Aviors are a fantastic loudspeaker, but I am glad I waited for the Cygnus to go into production!

Thanks again,

Phil

Phil...thanks for the compare to the Aviors

[cmalak]

Thanks for the kind words Cyril.

I should have clarified that I have seen others state the Rockports may seem a tad bright out of the crates during break-in. I did not experience this at all out of the crates. From the first music played, they have sounded open, extended, effortless and liquid without any etch or grain.

As far as a comparison to the Aviors, the Cygnus sounded much more open and extended to me. There appears to be more density of images from the midrange. The soundstage is deeper and has more of a 'wrap around' effect laterally. The bass seems to go deeper but as you know bass response is depended much on the room environment too. They Aviors are a fantastic loudspeaker, but I am glad I waited for the Cygnus to go into production!

Thanks again,

Phil

Phil...thanks for the comparison to the Aviors

[Vapor1]

D
lol!

Why is that funny?

[philb7777]

I'm in St Louis, and come close to Tulsa often. I'd be happy to collect data in your room and help with setup sometime if you'd like.

Anytime you are in Tulsa, please notify me a few days before and I would more than welcome another set of experienced ears to off suggestions. Lunch or dinner on me!

[philb7777]

Phil,

Great review on the Cygnus and a beautiful room setup. Enjoy those wonderful new speakers!!

Best,
Ken

Thanks Ken!

[Vapor1]

Anytime you are in Tulsa, please notify me a few days before and I would more than welcome another set of experienced ears to off suggestions. Lunch or dinner on me!

I will, might be around Thanksgiving. If I do head that way I'll make sure to bring my measurement gear. A proper set of data to begin make the job much easier.

[bpw]

Phil,

My Rockport dealer is 100 miles away, but it requires a roundtrip plane ride.

If I buy a pair of Rockports, I hope he offers me more than just phone set up service.

+1

If he doesn't, what's he doing to earn his commission?

Old school.

[philb7777]

I will, might be around Thanksgiving. If I do head that way I'll make sure to bring my measurement gear. A proper set of data to begin make the job much easier.

Sounds great, please keep me posted if it looks like things would work out. Thanks again!

[philb7777]

+1

If he doesn't, what's he doing to earn his commission?

Old school.

I frankly agree with you. I didn't push very hard for him to come up though. He probably would have if I made that contingent on my purchase. I really like the journey of setting up speakers myself, as frustrating as it can be sometimes. I don't think there is a better teacher than the loudspeakers themselves and probably not a better way to learn. No pain, no gain!

[vagabundo]

Hi gents,
I have some questions for you.
1. Do you have maybe some official owner manual or something like that for Rocport Cygnus speakers? On the website there is still no info about this model.
2. Any Rockports owners who are matching these speakers with Pass amps?

[Mike]

[philb7777]

My Cygnus did not come with a manual. My understanding is that none of the current Rockports come with a manual. I think Andy Payor is so accessible (he answers the company phone) that there is probably little need for one.

With the characteristic Pass sound authoritative and liquid, I can't imagine how some of the larger Pass amps would not be a wonderful match.

If you have questions you should give Andy a call at Rockport. He is very approachable and infinitely helpful.

[vagabundo]

If you have questions you should give Andy a call at Rockport. He is very approachable and infinitely helpful.

Thank you. Yeah who knows better these speakers than their maker? I will call him soon. But I'm sure he will give one advice - if you want the best then go to Gryphon

[Douger]

Congratulations, Phil! I heard Cygnus speakers last night in a home theater setup, next week they will be in a two channel configuration. Very exciting, excellent quality!

[Musicfirst]

Hi Phil

Well its been over 6 months since the Cygnus graced your listening room. Any update on the sonic qualities and fine tuning the listening position? Were you able to reconcile the bass response and the imaging and response in the upper octaves? I read another review from a Cygnus owner who elected to optimize the main speaker placement for imaging and linear response in the top octaves and added subs to improve bass response in the lowest octave.

Memory Player - Devialet D400s - Entreq Grounding Boxes - Nordost Valhalla V2 Cabling - Speakers TBD.

[philb7777]

I have had the Cygnus is the same location now for over three months and I think they have settled in to a final position. Ironically, in my room, pulling them out farther from the front wall improved bass response with a more linear mid bass and much lower extension between 20-40 cycles. I'm sure this is very room dependent. I can see how in some rooms, optimal positioning for imaging and upper octaves may require subs. Luckily so far, I am in no need of subwoofers as I have tried with a REL Gibraltar and without, and i prefer without in my room in the current Cygnus position.

As far as sound quality, I have never had a speaker sound more realistic and natural. Recreation of images and sonics suspend belief, and that is a quality I strongly desire. A rare trait - a speaker that gives me all the detail yet sounds natural and real.

[KeithR]

Stunning looking speakers- glad they have worked out well for you.

[Musicfirst]

I have had the Cygnus is the same location now for over three months and I think they have settled in to a final position. Ironically, in my room, pulling them out farther from the front wall improved bass response with a more linear mid bass and much lower extension between 20-40 cycles. I'm sure this is very room dependent. I can see how in some rooms, optimal positioning for imaging and upper octaves may require subs. Luckily so far, I am in no need of subwoofers as I have tried with a REL Gibraltar and without, and i prefer without in my room in the current Cygnus position.

As far as sound quality, I have never had a speaker sound more realistic and natural. Recreation of images and sonics suspend belief, and that is a quality I strongly desire. A rare trait - a speaker that gives me all the detail yet sounds natural and real.

Hi Phil

What other speakers did you audition or own prior to choosing the Cygnus's?

Kerry

[philb7777]

Kerry, I auditioned loudspeakers for over 18 months prior to making my decision to purchase the Cygnus. Loudspeakers I listened to include Avalon Compas, Rockport Aviors, Avantgarde Duos, Lansche Audio 5.1, Magico S5, Q3 and Q5, Wilson Alexia, Vandersteen 7 are to name a few. Of course, I went to a few audio shows and heard tons of loudspeakers, but the ones I listed gave me a lasting impression.

Loudspeakers I have owned in the past include Thiel 3.6, Hales Transcendence 8, Avalon Eidolons and Avalon Eidolon Diamonds.

[Musicfirst]

Thanks Phil

What were your personal 'Silver Medalists'?

Kerry

[philb7777]

It really came down to my sonic preferences - realism, sound staging and imaging, detail without being etched or bright. That being said, here is what i thought about the ones I listed previously (and please - no flame wars anyone, all loudspeakers have a sonic signature that some prefer and others don't; the following are just my opinions based on my listening preferences.......)

Avalon Compas - great sound staging and imaging, but images felt etched and not natural or continuous with the soundstage and recreation of realism; dynamics still a bit lacking as with many Avalon loudspeakers

Wilson Alexia - great build quality; dynamics and bass slam; didn't sound like real instruments and natural to me, bordered on the bright side of things

Magico S5, Q3 and Q5 - more great build quality, but very uninvolving to me; almost 2D sounding and poor micro dynamics; unnatural

Avantgarde Duos - huge soundstage, but 2D; very dynamic, but could point- source horns and didn't involve me

The Silver medalists are as follows:

Vandersteen 7 - incredible soundstage by this unassuming cabinet size, images very dense and solid; bass bloated however but very extended; I have heard very difficult to set up, but for an average to smaller room, these would be hard to beat

Lancshe 5.1 - incredible top end with the ion tweeter; best top end I have ever heard, very natural sound and detailed, very detailed basis, great sound staging; ion tweeters estimated to last 5,000 hours and then $7.5K to replace

If I didn't own the Rockports, the Vandersteens or Lancshes would be the loudspeakers next in line.

[Musicfirst]

Well guys, I hope my brand new Rockport Cygni will arrive next week, together with a six pack of Rel Acoustics Gibralter G1s (to 'fill out' the bottom end!)

Awefreakinsome!

[cmalak]

Musicfirst...congrats! Great speakers

[Musicfirst]

Thanks Cyril, I'm pumped!

[philb7777]

Well guys, I hope my brand new Rockport Cygni will arrive next week, together with a six pack of Rel Acoustics Gibralter G1s (to 'fill out' the bottom end!)

Awefreakinsome!

Congrats!!!! You will LOVE the Cygnus. Fabulous fabulous speakers. I dig mine more everyday! Six G1's! Good golly you gonna have some bass!!

[Musicfirst]

Congrats!!!! You will LOVE the Cygnus. Fabulous fabulous speakers. I dig mine more everyday! Six G1's! Good golly you gonna have some bass!!

So will my Neighbours!!

[Alectiong]

It really came down to my sonic preferences - realism, sound staging and imaging, detail without being etched or bright. That being said, here is what i thought about the ones I listed previously (and please - no flame wars anyone, all loudspeakers have a sonic signature that some prefer and others don't; the following are just my opinions based on my listening preferences.......)

Avalon Compas - great sound staging and imaging, but images felt etched and not natural or continuous with the soundstage and recreation of realism; dynamics still a bit lacking as with many Avalon loudspeakers

Wilson Alexia - great build quality; dynamics and bass slam; didn't sound like real instruments and natural to me, bordered on the bright side of things

Magico S5, Q3 and Q5 - more great build quality, but very uninvolving to me; almost 2D sounding and poor micro dynamics; unnatural

Avantgarde Duos - huge soundstage, but 2D; very dynamic, but could point- source horns and didn't involve me

The Silver medalists are as follows:

Vandersteen 7 - incredible soundstage by this unassuming cabinet size, images very dense and solid; bass bloated however but very extended; I have heard very difficult to set up, but for an average to smaller room, these would be hard to beat

Lancshe 5.1 - incredible top end with the ion tweeter; best top end I have ever heard, very natural sound and detailed, very detailed basis, great sound staging; ion tweeters estimated to last 5,000 hours and then $7.5K to replace

If I didn't own the Rockports, the Vandersteens or Lancshes would be the loudspeakers next in line.

Hi philb7777, I am considering some of the same speakers on your list and have greatly enjoyed reading your experience with the Cygnus. (Of your list, you were quite un-impressed by the Magico's. They are more analytical speakers perhaps, but "2 D"? I wonder if something was wrong with the sets ups.) Please continue to share your Cygnus experience with us.

[joeinid]

Welcome Alectiong, thank you for joining.

[Rhapsody]

Hi philb7777, I am considering some of the same speakers on your list and have greatly enjoyed reading your experience with the Cygnus. (Of your list, you were quite un-impressed by the Magico's. They are more analytical speakers perhaps, but "2 D"? I wonder if something was wrong with the sets ups.) Please continue to share your Cygnus experience with us.

If the Magico demos were 2D, there definitely was something wrong with the set up.

Philb777, congrats on the new Cygnus, great speakers, wishing you many years of musical enjoyment with them.