Compare to isolation to your Etys please and let me know what you think. I need a pair of IEMs with top notch isolation and I'm wondering whether the rockets will do it all for me.
Vwinter basically nailed it. The Etys still isolate better than anything I've ever heard, and this is no exception. After a bit more listening time, I have noticed that it seems that the isolation is a bit more frequency-dependent with the Rockets-- and that is actually not a bad thing. I tend to use my IEMs in my car a lot (lot of road noise, as I spend my money on audio goobletygook instead of my car), and the Rockets tend to isolate
almost as well there as my Etys. However, if I snap my fingers near my ear with my IEMs in, I can hear it more easily with the Rockets than with the Etys. The practical effect of this (to me, anyway) is the impression of excellent isolation with the ability to still hear some things more easily. I hope this makes sense! It should also be mentioned that I tend to listen at significantly lower levels than most people, so the effect of the isolation tends to be more pronounced with me, so tack on all the YMMV-ish qualifiers you can think of.
To anyone at Aurisonics:
I recommend you guys send Joker (head-fi / innerfidelity / theheadphonelist) a review unit when u guys get the chance. It will greatly help with exposure on these forums and solidify the Rockets as one of the best options for in-ear headphones. I honestly think these top the famed Audio Techinica CK10 (my past favorite iem) and may as well bump some customs off their spot on Joker's list. It seems silly to care about a list when sound is quite subjective to each reviewer, but that list does wonders for those first starting off on this site. That chart will show how much of a complete package the Rockets are in terms of build, accessories, sound, and value.
Oh yea, and someone get mochill on this thread. He has mastered the art of the "hype."
Honestly, once the other orders start shipping out, I don't have a problem loaning him mine for a while (as I'll have another pair to use). I read Joker's massive review thread religiously when trying to determine which way to go with IEMs, and I ended up picking up a couple sets based on his recommendations. The only potential concern I would have about his review is that he tends (in my opinion) to equate elevated and/or peaky treble with higher levels of detail, almost to a fault, which could lead him to see the Rockets as less detailed-- although they really aren't. I tend to prefer a slightly lit-up treble myself, but he seems to really go for the aggressively treble-centric IEMs (the DBA-02 comes to mind) that even tend to be too much for me. Again, JMO, etc.
Ultimately, though, you're right: more reviews and data points are a good thing, and Joker should get a chance to listen and tell us what he thinks (as he may be the most experienced IEM listener on the planet right now, no kidding). My note above is just a brief moment of hesitation based on what I perceive as his preference versus the sound signature of the Rockets, and considering how much I dig Aurisonics as a company and the Rockets themselves, I wouldn't want someone with different listening priorities to miss out on them based on a review that might not cater to their strengths.
Just to be clear: this is not
in any way a criticism of Joker at all-- all reviewers have preferences, and having some idea of what they are can help readers to locate reviewers who tend to align more closely with their listening priorities. Just like I absolutely respect Tyll's opinion on basically anything, but still read his stuff through the lens of his different priorities (he prefers a more laid-back, less treble-tipped sound than I do; he values soundstaging much more highly than I do, while I value tonality and texture more highly than he does, etc). And hey, if what I've said isn't an accurate reading of his preferences, then I'd be happy to be corrected.
Man, that seems like a lot of words over a minor point... Damn us literature majors
