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- Jul 22, 2011
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Introduction
In audio circles, the word "endgame" generally refers to a headphone or audio chain component that is practically without fault, and performs at a high enough level to render future purchases relatively redundant. In my case, I've owned my pair of Rockets since September of last year, and I've had absolutely zero desire to spend a single cent on another IEM since then. What I'll attempt to do with this review is to explain why this is the case, and hopefully by the end of it you'll find my endgame label justified.
My first encounter with the Aurisonics Rockets came during a tour put on by member @Idsynchrono_24 last year. I remember not being able to remove them from my ears, and I'd end up spending the entire night rediscovering my library. I knew immediately that the sound I was hearing was one of the best, if not the very best, I'd heard to that point. Still, the sound is only a part of why I consider the Rockets my endgame phones. I'll get to the sound quality later, but I want to start with a quick description of the Rockets.
Build
The release date of the Rockets got pushed back several times, by almost a year in total. The guys at Aurisonics went back to the drawing board several times to ensure the final product was up to spec. Most of us backers got quite anxious during the process, but I have to say the wait was worth having the build quality.
The shell is made from 100% solid titanium. Titanium. All of it. Furthermore, the cable is made from ballistics grade aramid fibers. The result is an iem that has proven near indestructible. I've put my pair through near hell this last year. I've left it at the bottom of a backpack that contains medical books that weigh over 5 pounds each. I've left it in my car during Louisiana summers, where you could leave a raw chicken in your car in the morning and have rotisserie for dinner at the end of the day. I've taken showers while wearing the Rockets...hot showers. Yet, they work like the day they came in the mail and there's hardly a scratch on them, like you can see in the photos above. This is for an IEM that costs $250 retail, and under $200 on the used markets. That's less than a quarter of what other "top tier" IEMs cost nowadays, and you still have to baby those things.
Furthermore, the Rockets themselves are tiny. Crazy tiny. As shown above, it's a fraction of the size of a quarter-dollar (US currency). In theory, this should make fit fairly effortless. The Rockets are also sealed, so isolation is insane. I've been doing a lot of driving this summer, but my car has an older V6 engine that is merciless with gas. I've been driving with the windows slightly down to avoid using the AC and save some gas. At 80mph, the wind noise should be intolerable, but with the Rockets in I can barely hear a thing. Airplane rides have become so smooth. If it weren't for the seat vibrations, I'd forget I was sitting next to a screaming jet engine at 35,000 ft. That is how good the isolation is.
The cable of the Rockets is sturdy, to say the least. If there's any damage to it, it definitely wouldn't be accidental. There are youtube videos of people using the Rockets to pull cars. The downside of this is that the cable itself is relatively heavy. This, when combined with the light weight of the shells, could create problems if you wear them straight down without a very good seal when moving around. The cables are heavy enough to pull the Rockets from your ears. At least that's been my experience.
Overall, the build of the Rockets give me confidence they'll last as long as I want them around.
Sound
There are two very important, practically critical, considerations that must be made when discussing the sound of the Rockets.The first is that the Rockets are far from sensitive. My ideal listening level on my iPhone 6 with most IEMs is around 35% volume. With the Rockets, that jumps to near 70% to achieve the same "loudness".
The most important consideration to make when evaluating the Rockets is its physical design. The Rockets are very small sealed IEMs. There's literally nowhere for air to escape when inserted, and the titanium shell doesn't allow for any expansion of the housing to accommodate the extra pressure. The design of the ear can accommodate for this by allowing the pressure to equalize via the Eustachian Tube, which is located behind the eardrum. The equalization of pressure is a very necessary process for IEMs to sound "right" This is because of the nature of our eardrums. The eardrum needs to be able to vibrate freely in order for us to interpret the vibrations in the air as sound. Faster vibrations are interpreted as treble, and the slower vibrations come across as bass and mids. When the internal pressure of the ear canal is uneven, this impairs the ability of the eardrum to vibrate, and treble and bass will be affected as a result.
Exhibit A
If, for whatever reason, one's Eustachian Tube cannot compensate for the large amount of pressure placed on the eardrum by the Rockets, then you really won't be able to hear what the Rockets can do. Especially, you'll hear the Rockets as bass light and the treble will be very laid back.
Luckily, this problem is easily sidestepped, as I've done for the last year. Simply pop off those silicone tips and replace them with foams. The was foam tips create a seal is fundamentally different from the way silicone tips do. Silicone tips seal by creating a vacuum, compounding the pressure effect I discussed earlier. Foam tips simply use bulk to block off the ear canal. That's why you compress them before insertion so they can they fill up and occlude the ear canal. They're also porous, allows the free movement of air and a lack of any direct pressure. I also trim down the excess foam to avoid those stereotypical foam side effects. What's left after this is the pure, beautiful sound of the Aurisonics Rockets that has made me pretty much stay out of other IEM threads.
With all that out of the way, I'll try to describe how I hear the Rockets sound.
On a macroscopic level, the Rockets are fairly linear sounding, with extra energy in the upper mids, smooth treble, and bass that is linear until about 40Hz where it starts to roll off. It's when you start to look at the quality of each of the parts that you truly begin to appreciate the way this thing sounds.
When I first listened to the Rockets, I was instantly transported to an experience I had a couple of years ago when I first heard the Stax SR-009. I was struck by the SR-009's incredible transparency. It was like getting Lasik eye surgery and realizing just how bad your vision was before. When I closed my eyes and sat back, I felt like the music came alive around me. Everything was so clean, so present , so alive. It was truly an experience. This is how the Rockets are, only on an IEM scale.
First, the Rockets are incredibly transparent. There's zero bloat. Zero glare. Just a drink a cool water on a summer day. The microdriver used here is among the quickest I've ever come across, which contributes to the cleanliness of the sound. This is an absolute treat when listening to the intricate melodies in genres like Hip Hop, Drum and Bass, EDM, and Metal.
The second most remarkable thing about the Rockets its imaging prowess. The combination of driver speed and transparency allows the listener to effortlessly pick out every sound cue in space with pin point accuracy. The effect is particularly stunning when listening to a track like Miles Davis' "So What?". Close your eyes, and you'll be transported to Columbia Studios and you'll be tempted to reach out and pluck the bass yourself. That's how tangible the images are.
Next is the Rockets' impeccable timbre. As an amateur musician myself, I'm kind of a sticker for my gear to represent instruments and vocals like they would in person. The Rockets excel at this, especially in the treble. Listening to "Hold On" by The Alabama Shakes, everything is how it should be, even the delicious thud of the kick drum.
Breaking down the individual frequency groups, we'll start with
Bass
The most surprising thing about the Rockets' bass in the sheer amount of impact its capable of, given the clean nature of the overall signature. I've never listened to a song and thought the Rockets could do with more bass. Not even with the infamous Whisper song from the Ying Yang Twins.
Otherwise, the bass is extremely clean and beautifully quick. Intricate hip hop beats are done full justice here. There are even rapid fire section to my favorite songs I was never able to pick up prior to the rockets. Sadly, the Rockets quickly start to lose energy below 40Hz. However, not a lot of music actually uses any information below this point. Unless you truly want a head banging experience, the Rockets will be more than enough on the low end. (A-)
Midrange
Wow. Just...wow. Hands down, best vocals I've heard from an IEM...and I've heard a lot. I'd write more, but the rest of the paragraph would just be a list of synonyms for the word Amazing. (A+++)
Treble
Weighty. Refined. A total lack of glare. Timbre is also fantastic here. Sometimes I wonder if a bit more sparkle would be welcome, but I can't see how they could have integrated it without throwing off the total balance. I personally like it as it is. Listening to "Crystals" from the new Of Monsters and Men album, cymbals are prominent in the second half of the track, and the Rockets convey them with the weighty metalic goodness I'd expect in real life. (A-)
Conclusion
I've procrastinated writing this for a while, partly because I haven't had time and also because I knew I wanted to make sure I fleshed out my thoughts well enough.The Rockets are pretty amazing for my uses. It's not completely perfect, though. Physically, the cable is heavy enough to affect fit if you don't have a good enough seal. Also the soundstage, while having amazing imaging, isn't as tall as I'm used to coming from the custom-shaped universals like the ASG-2, UERM, etc. I'm not sure if there's anything they could do, as I've found that soundstage height is a quality of these custom shaped IEMs.
Still, the Rockets tick almost every single box. They're indestructible. They sound great. And you can get them for under $200. There's truly nothing else I could ask for. Plus, it's freed up a bunch of money for other wallet-burning hobbies.
The only thing problem is that the best phone I've heard looks kinda like an anal probe and is named "Rocket", not Project XKR437847. And it wasn't marketed to us audiophiles lol. Sigh.
