I really Want to Hear Rockport Speakers

MDP

MDP

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I was surfing their website today, it's a great website, and I really want to hear a pair of Aviors. I'll wait until I make a trip to Boston with my wife and go to Goodwins.

Has anybody really had a chance to listen to the Rockport brand. I'm wondering how they compare to my Revel Salon 2's in sound quality. They certainly look like their built like a tank. And very beautiful !! How would you describe their "House Sound" ??
 
Haha, alot of Rockport love being shown on the forum! And for good reason, they are excellent speakers! If you do audition them, definitely go to Goodwins! They are a world class store with the nicest guys in the business! I'm sure I'll do business with them at some point as they have a lot brands I'm interested in and don't have the attitude either! A winning combo in my book.

Anyway, I did hear the Aviors at Goodwins withe Constellation amplification and some version of the DCS stack. They were amazing! Detailed and liquid sounding at the same time. I could have listened all day and not have listening fatigue. I would have liked a little more weight in the images, but I think that's the light and lithe Constellation gear at play. I didn't get a chance to hear how they soundstage as they were placed along the long wall, and close to it, but from what I've read, they are have an immersive soundstage.

I need to hear the Aviors one more time. I brought my (non-audiophile) friend and that kind of interrupted things. But what I did hear I really, really liked a lot!:audiophile:
 
socfan12 said:
Haha, alot of Rockport love being shown on the forum! And for good reason, they are excellent speakers! If you do audition them, definitely go to Goodwins! They are a world class store with the nicest guys in the business! I'm sure I'll do business with them at some point as they have a lot brands I'm interested in and don't have the attitude either! A winning combo in my book.

Anyway, I did hear the Aviors at Goodwins withe Constellation amplification and some version of the DCS stack. They were amazing! Detailed and liquid sounding at the same time. I could have listened all day and not have listening fatigue. I would have liked a little more weight in the images, but I think that's the light and lithe Constellation gear at play. I didn't get a chance to hear how they soundstage as they were placed along the long wall, and close to it, but from what I've read, they are have an immersive soundstage.

I need to hear the Aviors one more time. I brought my (non-audiophile) friend and that kind of interrupted things. But what I did hear I really, really liked a lot!:audiophile:
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Allen, when you hear them again, tell me how they compare to our Salon 2's !!! I'm very interested :woot:
 
Mark...here are snippets from various posts and threads on Rockports that I have made on various sites. I hope this helps:

Jacques...I know this is an old thread but I have some experience with Rockports (most specifically the Mira although I have also listened to the Ankaa and Aquila models as well). I have a local dealer that has the entire line up to the Altairs (one below the top of the line Arrakis which was featured in Robert Harley's AVG blog mentioned above by Stillone). This blog generated such a ruccus seemingly because many readers felt that the editors at TAS have been applying the adjective "best" much too frequently to pieces of gear that they review:yes:.

Anyway, here were my comments from that blog on Rockport: "pissing contest aside about RH's use of the word 'best,' I for one have heard Mr. Payor's Mira, Ankaa, and Aquila offerings both at Goodwins High End and at his facility, and I think there ought to be much more coverage of his offerings in the audiophile community. His speakers are phenomenal, with enveloping dynamics, deep subterranean bass, a pure midrange, and non-fatigueing highs and are tonally balanced across the frequency spectrum. They do not overly accentuate audiophile traits (whether imaging or hyper resolution or whatever other trait floats your boat) to score initial bonus points with the uninitiated, rather they are 'a music lover's' speaker because they are emotionally engaging and pay their dividends over the long haul without any listening fatigue. Furthermore, the Rockport house sound is preserved across Mr. Payor's entire line of speakers, all cut from the same sonic cloth, so that going up the speaker line (along with $ you have to shell out) gets you more of that sound, which is more than I can say for some other speaker manufacturers."

The blog by the way in case you are interested can be found here (although believe me it became a pissing contest about the use of the word "best" so I would not waste much time on all the readers' comments and just focus on Robert Harley's comments about his actual experience at Rockport's facilities and his listening time with the Arrakis): The Best Stereo System I've Ever Heard | AVguide

Other links you may find useful:
UltraAudio.com TWBAS - TWBAS 2009: The Event (4/2009)
SoundStage! Network Ultra Audio -- Archived Article
UltraAudio.com Equipment Review - Rockport Technologies Ankaa Loudspeakers (6/2009)
StereoTimes --

I hope this helps and as you can see I am a huge fan of these speakers. :)
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Another post:

I actually disagree with Peter's take. I Have heard the Mira 1 (many times), Ankaa and Acquila and the V2/V3 at Goodwins and personally the Magicos (either model) are sterile and analytical sounding and for me the Rockport Miras sounded very musical. Also the bass is very different: Magico has sealed enclosures which give you quick, punchy but dry bass, whereas the Rockports will go deeper, still have great control and articulation but are much more textured in the bass. I have not heard the Mira 2s yet but talking to the folks at Goodwins, they say they are a material improvement over the original versions. If that is the case, for me, there is no contest. If you want hifi artifacts then Magico is the one to go with, if you want musical and emotional engagement than Rockport is the one for me. Of course, that is my opinion and Peter clearly had a diametrically opposed take on the comparison, so I would say the only real way to make a decision is to seek out an audition of both. As peter said, Goodwins in Boston carries both, so if you can get on a plane and arrange for a comparative audition, that will be your best way of deciding which way to go.

Good luck.
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Mark...I made more comments on the Rockports in the thread than just the summary above, so if you want more in-depth, you can check out the thread here and just look at my entries if you are interested: AudiogoN Forums: Used Magico V3 or Rockport Mira 2

I commented on a comparison of Rockport Mira vs. Verity Parsifal Ovation here: AudiogoN Forums: Rockport Mira VS Verity Parsifal Ovation

Windowsx...I have heard both extensively at my dealer. They are cut from somewhat different sonic cloths. But they are both excellent speakers. At the end of the day, it will come down to preference, associated gear and the room you plan on using them in. My choice between the two is the Rockport Mira. It's midrange is beguiling. It's bass is textured and full, yet still punchy and articulate. It's treble is smooth and grain free but not super extended. I give the Parsifals higher marks in the treble region. Also, I would say the Rockports image well and throw a decent soundstage but they are bettered in these arenas by the Parsifal which are amazing in both these traits. Finally where the Rockports clinch it for me is the dynamic range of the speaker and its propulsive quality. It is a more exciting and rythmically engaging speaker for me (not that the Parsifals are boring...just a relative thing). As I said, it's what attributes that draw you into the music that will make you chose one speaker over the other. They are both gorgeous sounding speakers...they just emphasize slightly different things.

The final consideration is amplification. The Verity speakers generally tend to be fairly tube friendly. The Parsifals are rated at 89dB sensitivity and 8ohm nominal (4ohm min) impedance which are not too difficult to drive but probably within the Verity family of speakers present a bu\it more difficult load than its brethren. Compare it to the newly launched Leonore which is rated at 93 dB sensitivity and which presents a relatively stable 8ohm impedance across the frequency spectrum for example (another contender for you by the way to listen to). The Rockport Miras by comparison do like a fair amount of high quality power and are often mated with well endowed SS amps. They are rated at 88dB sensitivity and 4ohm nominal impedance. I am not sure if they dip below 4 ohms at some point but I suspect they do. So if you plan on using tubes with the Rockports, it will be expensive because you will need a fair amount of tube power put out through the amp's 4ohm tap. If you are a solid state guy, then that opens up a lot of possibilities for you with the Rockports.

Ultimately please make sure to go and listen to them with gear as similar to what you are likely to use them with before making your choice. They are both excellent but at the end of the day it will be a matter of personal preference which of these pulls you into the music more. Good luck and enjoy the auditions.
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I'l stop here but hopefully this is helpful in some way
 
cmalak said:
Mark...here are snippets from various posts and threads on Rockports that I have made on various sites. I hope this helps:



Another post:



Mark...I made more comments on the Rockports in the thread than just the summary above, so if you want more in-depth, you can check out the thread here and just look at my entries if you are interested: AudiogoN Forums: Used Magico V3 or Rockport Mira 2

I commented on a comparison of Rockport Mira vs. Verity Parsifal Ovation here: AudiogoN Forums: Rockport Mira VS Verity Parsifal Ovation



I'l stop here but hopefully this is helpful in some way
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Thanks Cyril, You don't know it but I've been reading your posts for years, all over the web. That's why we're so lucky that you're a member here :heart:

I've got to get up to Goodwins and hear these speakers !!
 
Mark...hope it was helpfu;. Let me know when you are ready to do it and I will let Paul (manager of the store) know and I am sure he will take good care of you. Thx

Cyril
 
cmalak said:
Mark...hope it was helpfu;. Let me know when you are ready to do it and I will let Paul (manager of the store) know and I am sure he will take good care of you. Thx

Cyril
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I sure will, Mike and I talked about it,he may fly up whenever I make it up to Boston.
 
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