[jrkong]

I'm curious, you've mentioned this a few times already. What phones were you coming from?

ASG-2.5s, Momentum On Ear, Momentum, CX300II, a bit of the I3CS. Now that I think about it most of them are a bit more on the darker then most but a lot of the curve came from giving time to listening to tracks I listen to a lot and finding out the tiny details the ROCKETS tend to make more noticeable then most. Most of my love for the ROCKETS comes from the fact that I didn't need to struggle nearly as much to enjoy the minor details most coloured gear tend to mask.

 

[Idsynchrono_24]

Ah gotcha. I kinda figured as much. I've been listening to mostly neutral-ish phones for quite some time so I'd hardly think I'd need to acclimate. Interesting to hear how someone else would have to go thru such an adjustment period

 

[jrkong]

Ah gotcha. I kinda figured as much. I've been listening to mostly neutral-ish phones for quite some time so I'd hardly think I'd need to acclimate. Interesting to hear how someone else would have to go thru such an adjustment period

I haven't used relatively neutral gear for a bit and even for things that sound similar there's always that period my ears use to adjust to the minute changes. It could just be something for me but when I talked to Dale it seems like that's the overall trend for most people so far (afaik anyways).

 

[Idsynchrono_24]

I think it's pretty interesting that they're going in this direction - towards neutrality, but I suppose it makes sense given that the intended audience for the ASG series has been musicians. Would you say that the phone retains any aspects of the AS house sound? Looking forward to getting my pair.

 

[jrkong]

I think it's pretty interesting that they're going in this direction - towards neutrality, but I suppose it makes sense given that the intended audience for the ASG series has been musicians. Would you say that the phone retains any aspects of the AS house sound? Looking forward to getting my pair.

Hmm. It's interesting you put their design philosophy that way. I view it kinda differently. Personally, I find the Aurisonics direction to be a bit like this: ASG-1 was designed with the vocalist in mind. Head-Fi'ers just managed to stumble upon it and the annoyances over the sound sig started. The ASG-2 is what I'd identify as their first step toward a more consumer friendly product by giving those highs that the ASG-1s lacked to people. The ASG-1Plus adds a bit of sparkle and retains the bass of the ASG-1 without going to teeth rattling levels like the ASG-2.
 
Now I didn't listen to the new ASG line all that much but I'll describe what I did hear over 5ish mins of testing. So no this is NOWHERE near solid impressions, much less a review, and are, quite literally, my first impressions:
 
ASG-1.5:

1. Takes a different approach toward the "vocal monitor" sound with a different approach. I'm not going to go into that and I probably can't think of a good way to describe how, but the first thing I noticed is it maintains the overall characteristics with a different approach.

ASG-1Plus:

1. Out of the three, this one arguably has the most balance, but from my brief experience it isn't close to what I would call "flat" or balanced enough to be "reference". It has roughly the ASG-1 bass with a single tweeter which tames the "vocal monitor" characteristics of the ASG-1. I'm not going to go into further detail on this as I didn't listen to it long enough to further my description.

ASG-2.5:

1. Out of the three, the ASG-2.5 is what I've given the most time to. Still not enough for me to give a detailed impressions post on but well enough for me to say that the ASG-2.5 has the darkest sound signature out of the 3. Easily the IEM you want to go to if you want bass, it's definitely got enough for me to say it's laid back. A noticeable difference I picked up even though I haven't listened to my AS-2s in a while as I sent them back is they reduced the treble on the AS(G)-2.5 to solve some of the sibilance problems some people had. The treble is still there and more then outspoken enough to keep it from being drowned out but it's notably lower then what I remember with my AS-2s.

Now the definitive characteristic I can pick out between the three is the bass the 14.2mm driver produces. That bass, while increased in the ASG-2.5, stays relatively consistent between the three IEM. The ROCKETS don't use the 5.1mm driver doesn't really put out nearly as big of a thump. The treble sparkle does feel a bit reminiscent of the AS-2 treble I heard waaaay back though.
 
TL;DR? Does it retain any of the ASG house sound? IMO nope, not really. It feels like its got a sound that's quite unique among the Aurisonics products I've heard so far and it's Aurisonics' "true" first step at targeting everyone.

 

[Sinocelt]

  Well if Aurisonics' plan is to go forward it'll have to be.

 
... or they could be like Light Harmonics and launch two more projects before finishing the first. And when the first comes out, it's dangerously buggy, but they're too busy with their two other projects to give a darn.
 
Fortunately, Aurisonics isn't Light Harmonics. Aurisonics has proven they actually care about their products.

 

[Theogenes]

jrkong, I don't think I've thanked you for sharing all your info with us! This is actually pretty nice-- usually it's just we end users spitballin' instead of actually knowing what design goals were, etc. 
 
As an update: yep, these suckers work PERFECTLY for sleeping in. They go deep enough to allow you to lay on your side (I had to change to the small tips, but they worked great after that), and the smoother sound signature suits relaxation really well (versus the ER-4PT I've been using recently). 
 
I think these are going to fill a lot of empty niches in the IEM market, and as such I think they're going to be pretty successful... I plan on using these as my out-and-about daily driver IEMs, and I can definitely see others doing the same. I had recommended to a few of my friends that they pick up a pair during the KS campaign, and I now think they have really missed out by not doing so, as I can't imagine them ever needing more than what this IEM offers. 
 
OT: jrkong, I've been intrigued by the Auris project since they had the KS teaser about it a while back. I'll be setting a calendar alert for September 4th . Anything else you can share on these? There isn't a dedicated Auris thread yet, so this is probably going to be the best place to post, unless you (or whomever) starts an Auris thread. 

 

[vwinter]

I think it's pretty interesting that they're going in this direction - towards neutrality, but I suppose it makes sense given that the intended audience for the ASG series has been musicians. Would you say that the phone retains any aspects of the AS house sound? Looking forward to getting my pair.

I'd say there's a sliiiight midrange throwback to the original ASG-1. The midrange can be very forward (which is more or a soundstage and imaging item IMO) and I hear a sliiiight and thin bump centered around the whereabouts of 1.5k. This gives the sound a unique character but not a tonally unrealistic one. Realistic is actually a word I would definitely use to describe the Rockets. Also, bass guitar is prodigious on them.

Theogenes when you mentioned guitar, were you talking about acoustic or electric?

I heard an acoustic guitar song last night and you could almost place the outer limits of the strings vibrating and that lovely sound that's almost an echo of the pick striking the strings. It was fantastic.

 

[crushnburn46]

@vwinter. Do you prefer the rockets over as2?

 

[Theogenes]

Electric almost exclusively thus far. I'll check out acoustic guitars pretty soon too, I'm sure, but I like what I'm hearing with electric guitars this far. New Opeth sounds really good with these babies!

 

[vwinter]

@vwinter. Do you prefer the rockets over as2?

I only have the ASG-2, but they really hit different preferences and it's way early for any comparisons for me. Personally, I can say that the Rockets will get more use. But on sound alone, I can tell you that most of my non-headfi friends would probably take the G-2 cuz they like that there bass.

 

[jrkong]

   
... or they could be like Light Harmonics and launch two more projects before finishing the first. And when the first comes out, it's dangerously buggy, but they're too busy with their two other projects to give a darn.
 
Fortunately, Aurisonics isn't Light Harmonics. Aurisonics has proven they actually care about their products.

Well as far as I know, Aurisonics plans to use Kickstarter and I'm pretty sure Kickstarter requires you to complete a previous crowdfunder before beginning another.

  jrkong, I don't think I've thanked you for sharing all your info with us! This is actually pretty nice-- usually it's just we end users spitballin' instead of actually knowing what design goals were, etc. 
 
As an update: yep, these suckers work PERFECTLY for sleeping in. They go deep enough to allow you to lay on your side (I had to change to the small tips, but they worked great after that), and the smoother sound signature suits relaxation really well (versus the ER-4PT I've been using recently).
 
OT: jrkong, I've been intrigued by the Auris project since they had the KS teaser about it a while back. I'll be setting a calendar alert for September 4th . Anything else you can share on these? There isn't a dedicated Auris thread yet, so this is probably going to be the best place to post, unless you (or whomever) starts an Auris thread. 

Well if you dig around, you will find posts Dale makes about the various products which is where most people originally get the info from. The problem starts when people misinterpret the information or leave things out (broken telephone anyone?). Anyways, I'm just saying what I know.
 
The ROCKETS actually don't work as well for me as my ears canals head upward so the ROCKETS go in at an angle. They still work well enough so that they stay in but I'm really excited to see if the antilloops will fix this.
 
Hmmm I think the picture is all I'm allowed to show for now. It may or may not hold some hints as to how it might work.

 

[vwinter]

Yep, as was said, cable down is a kinda microphonic.

 

[kilgoretrout]

  A couple of random (and way too early) notes: 
 
Disclaimer: if burn-in is real, then these haven't even been warmed in the microwave yet. I just picked them up this afternoon and have barely an hour of listening on them. As such, my impressions below are of only the most limited utility. I post 'em because I'd want somebody to post something if I didn't have mine-- but don't think they're in any way comprehensive. Which means I fully reserve the right to completely contradict anything and everything I've written below. 
 

 

---

1. As a reminder, I have the blue TiN, black cable, no mic. 
2. I dig the small, simple, but quality presentation of the tin, leather pouch, Otter Box, and tips (all in the same 'Made in the USA' baggies that came with the ASG-2). Says "well done," but not "overdone." 
3. The silicone tips that come on the Rockets stock are definitely different, material-wise, than any tips I've encountered before. They seem to make a real seal with the ear, to the point that the flange will actually pull inside out sometimes if you aren't careful on removal. (I think if they both got pulled out at once my eyeballs would probably be sucked four inches back into my skull). Thus far, they've been exceptionally comfortable, and I'm guessing I'll end up needing the smaller tips (as I always do, because apparently I have baby ear canals or something), but they're still comfortable with the standard size. Impressive. 
4. The 3.5mm plug seems a bit big, but it definitely inspires confidence in the build. 
5. The cable has a nice feel to it, but has that dark grayish, not-quite-black coloration some black rubbery materials have. Not a big deal to me, just an observation. 
6. The cable is waaay to microphonic to be worn straight down IMO. Switched to around-the-ear and it's much better thus far. 
7. I've been primarily listening to the ER-4PT recently, as I just got a set, and I have been pretty much floored by how much I'm loving them thus far. This also means that the ER-4PT will color my experience with the Rockets. Initially, I found the treble to be a slightly damped, but I think this is only in comparison to the ER-4PT, which is known for having a treble-happy sound. After listening a bit more, cymbals have a nice tone to them (which is one of the ways I differentiate good treble from bad-- a lot of IEMs seem to have really splashy, static-y cymbals, which sound pretty cruddy). The more I listen, the more I like 'em. 
8. The sound does seem to be well-balanced, but not in that HD650/Harrison Bergeron "nothing stands out because everything is held back" kind of way. (I don't care for the HD650). 
9. Bass seems punchy when in the vicinity of rock-n-roll kickdrums. Seems a bit rolled-off with the sub-bass as I listen to Badbadnotgood III from the Lynx Hilo's HPA, but I suppose that could change with time/burn-in/whatever.
10. Guitar texture seems above average, but not on par with the ASG-2, unsurprisingly. (The ASG-2 is probably the best I've ever heard in that regard). Still, good!
11. Isolation seems pretty good-- haven't compared it to the Etys yet, but so far, I'm pleased. 
12. The little plastic collars that identify the right and left channels aren't held in place and just kind of slide up and down the cable, which could be better implemented I think. Not a deal-breaker by any means. 
13. I'm not much on soundstage, but I will say these sound impressively out-of-the-head when the music calls for it. I'd be interested to hear what others (who value soundstage more highly) have to say about it. 
14. It seems to strike a really nice balance between detail and a smooth sound signature. I personally gravitate towards a lot of detail and texture, but I don't find the sound of these objectionable at all-- kind of the opposite, at least thus far. 
15. Tonality seems really good, and that's one of my biggest concerns, so I'm pretty happy thus far here. 
16. Drums sound really good on this...  You can easily hear where each drum is located in reference to the others. 
17. Both the Otter Box and the leather case seem a bit on the small side... Haven't had a chance to really use them yet, obviously, and they may very well be perfectly fine, but that's my initial impression. 
18. The blue color looks pretty good! 

 
Overall? As I said, it's waaaaay too early to be making any definitive statements... But at this juncture, at least, daddy's happy!
 

---

 
(Before anybody takes anything here too seriously, make sure you go back and read this disclaimer-- these are impressions for the sake of impressions, and more for fun than anything conclusive about the Rockets themselves. In other words, I reserve the right to weasel out of anything I've said here. Ha!)

 
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]

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.

ER4 has better isolation if that's your only criteria. Rockets isolation is solid but not at the ER4 level, but they also don't tickle your brain, so... :blink: