Thanks for starting this thread tgx78 - some really great information here! Thanks also to gnarl for the tip (in the ER4S thread) about the Rockets.
Well, since you ask, I do have a few comments and a couple of questions (at the end)...
For a few weeks now I've been comparing the Rockets against my two favorite IEMs, which are 1) ER-4S/ER-4P with red filters and Shure Olive tips and 2) Monster Turbine Copper Pro (late edition model without the driver flex), but with the original (spherical) gel supertips.
Rockets Pros:
1) Relatively clear sound and good isolation, with the right tips (see later).
2) Bass impact is slightly better than that of the ER-4P.
3) Unbelievably solid build. No need to worry what would happen if somebody took a 200 lb hammer to your IEM
Just one point of curiosity - Aurisonics state the Rockets have a lifetime guarantee AND a 5 year warranty. So what happens if they break in year 6??
4) Useful indented grip on the 3.5mm jack plug.
5) They're very tiny and could easily be worn while lying down, if you were so inclined (lame pun intended). It's an amazing form factor that sets the bar, IMHO, for all future IEMs.
6) They stay well sealed in the ears, even without the tri-tabs (which were totally unnecessary for me).
7) Well-designed cable slider that actually stays where you leave it.
8) Thoughtful set of peripherals (eartips, anti-loops - any maybe somebody will even find the tri-tabs useful?)
9) Very reasonably priced, given the build and sound quality.
As with all IEMs, there are some Cons:
1) You will learn the true meaning of the word "microphonics". (I know, I know - I just don't like wearing wires behind my ears.)
2) Although the bass is fractionally stronger than that of the ER-4P, it doesn't have the full impact of top-tier dynamic-driver earphones, like the Monster Turbine Copper.
3) Treble doesn't quite have the clarity of the best balanced armature drivers, like the ER-4S. To my ears, it also doesn't have the treble clarity of the Monster Turbine Copper. I saw another reviewer that talked about some "graininess" in the Rockets' sound. That's what I hear too. It's close, but just not quite as clear and as smooth as the ER-4 or Monster Turbine Pro Copper. It would be interesting to see measurements of total harmonic distortion for these things.
4) YMMV, but the SureSeal tips didn't work for me at all. With these on, the earbuds were difficult to insert and when I finally succeeded, they irritated my ear canals. They'll sometimes create a vacuum in your ears and they don't isolate that well. They're rated at a 26 dB NRR. Compare that to a 42+ dB NRR with the Etys and Shure tips. That's roughly a factor of four difference in the levels of background noise being blocked (or not). However, you can do better with aftermarket tips. Sony hybrid tips fit great on the Rockets. (It's like they were made for each other!) ME Electronic DF-50 and DF-35 bi-flanges work great too and offer better isolation than the Sony hybrids. The DF-50s maintain the same diameter opening as the SureSeal tips. My favorite tips in terms of sound and isolation for the Rockets are the Monster foam supertips. (The gel supertips don't adhere well to the posts on the Rockets.) Comply TX-400 tips also work well, but need replacing regularly (and they're not cheap). I'm generally not a fan of very wide posts as it limits the amount of foam (or other sound-absorbing material) you can fit between the post and your ear canal. Narrower posts would have given us more options for third-party eartips. I'm hoping Rockets 2 have narrower, or at least tapered, posts.
6) With any of the eartips mentioned above, Rockets have quite noticeable occlusion effects. (If you try to talk while wearing these, it creates a low-frequency booming resonance in your ears.) For this reason, I wouldn't recommend buying the version with the inline microphone.
7) For 16 Ohm headphones, they're not very sensitive, so you'll need to crank the volume up a bit. That might not be a disadvantage to those using them at home with an amp - it might be an issue for those using portable music players with weaker internal amps. The other reason I'm listing this as a negative is that Rockets need a little power to sound good. At low volumes on an iPod/iPhone, their bass tends to disappear. I usually prefer (and you should too, if you value your hearing) to listen at lower volumes.
8) There's no option to buy these with an inline volume control/remote. (The mic version in pre-order stage has no volume controls.) The ER-4's don't come with these either, but you can at least buy Apple cable assemblies for them (about $70 on eBay). Rockets' cables aren't replacable, so aftermarket cables aren't an option
So in summary, they're very, very good and excellent value for the price. Just not perfect. In order of preference I'd rate my IEMs in terms of sound quality as: 1) Monster Turbine Pro Copper with spherical gel supertips. 2) ER-4S with red filters and Shure Olive tips. 3) Rockets. If I was forced to choose only one pair of IEMs, I'd have to go with number 2, only because I value sound isolation very highly. In an ideal, quiet environment, I'd go with 1). I'm still searching for an IEM that can sound like the Turbine Coppers, with the isolation of the ER4s, no occlusion effects and an inline mic/remote. I'm going to persevere for a couple more weeks, testing different tips, amps, EQ settings, etc., before deciding whether to sell my Rockets, but for sure, I will be buying Rockets version 2
Questions:
1) Gnarl, I think you have (or have heard) multiple pairs of Rockets? Is there any audible difference amongst them or is their QC good enough that they all sound identical? I'm always concerned I might have received a slightly defective pair.
2) Does anybody out there know of any Shure-Olive-type eartips for the Rockets? I actually did manage to get a pair of Olives to fit on the Rockets, but it wasn't a great day for those Shure tips. That experiment didn't have a happy conclusion