My Rockport Saga

[Jeff Fritz]

I was just trying to avoid one of those reviews in which everything is stated as being absolutely perfect. This is the one flaw that I found and although minor I couldn't deny that it was there. Given that the Wilson would likely be an an audition list along with these I felt it important to mention this difference.

As someone that is quite familiar with the Rockport line, I can say with great confidence that their bass reproduction is quite linear. Compared with a speaker that is humped-up in the midbass the Rockports might seem to lack punch in that area. However, that should not be taken as inaccurate.

The same has been said of the Magicos when compared with humped-up speakers, when in fact my experience tells me the Magicos are, too, linear in the bass. Hmm . . . a trend?

I've had a great many listening sessions to many Rockports, and I've heard the Aquilas, too, and I've found their bass reproduction extremely deep, articulate, and accurate. I'm betting you'll find the same over time as well. Congrats on some fine speakers.

 

[AMP]

I ended up having to make the trek back up to Phoenix over the weekend and stopped into see my dealer and listen to the Aquilas again. Over the course of the week they opened up a bit and I was very pleased to hear that the bass response has deepened a bit and they were starting to take on a real sense of "effortlessness."

I had only planned on stopping in for a few minutes and ended up spinning CDs for 2.5 hours!

In other news my pair is set to ship either today or tomorrow!

If they end up on the same service as my dealer's pair I may see them by the weekend!!

 

[JackD201]

Take your dealer's pair and save yourself a week of burn in. Hehehehehe!

 

[AMP]

Take your dealer's pair and save yourself a week of burn in. Hehehehehe!

That thought had crossed my mind, but given the size and weight of these things I didn't want to risk damage in trying to re-pack them. We had originally planned to pack them back up and haul them home for a demo, but after seeing them knew that wouldn't be a good option.

 

[lasercd]

Trust me when I tell you they are a beast to move. Even beyond the price, the other reason I wouldn't upgrade to the Altair is because I could never conceive of recrating the Aquila, moving them out...and bringing in something heavier.

 

[AMP]

They're Here!!

After several screw-ups by the "logistics" company two very large and VERY heavy crates were dropped off at the house. The driver was kind enough to help get them inside as one of the screw-ups was a failure to spec inside delivery.

Crates have now taken over the living room as well as the entry way and with any luck my back will hold up and I'll be able to get the speakers unpacked and into the listening room this evening.





I'm really not looking forward to this part.... Crate in the living room will need to be emptied, then moved outside. Then crate in entry way needs to move to living room... etc.

If I survive the night without my wife shooting me all will be worth it

(she's actually a wonderful person who tolerates my obsessions... but there must be a last straw out there somewhere)

 

[LL21]

Oooof!!! good luck and take your time...dont get injured in the rush. It took 3 pros 8 hours to setup my Grand Slamms. I helped (a little)...it was brutal but done steadily much better than an injury at these backbreaking weights. And congrats!!! it is great to see them in your own room! look forward to reading more when you've got them up and running.

 

[AMP]

I'm told that I need to remove the side panel and top cover then "simply" roll the speaker out. I've seen the packing material and I'm sure that this method will work just fine... as long as I don't crush one of the cats in the process.

Getting them from the living room to the listening room is about 45 feet, but without casters on the speakers and with hard floors it's going to be interesting. Ended up buying a special dolly just for this project and hopefully it will work as intended.

At this point I'm convinced that Andy Payor is trying to kill off his dealers, or customers, or both

 

[LL21]

yeah...but you'll already be in audiophile heaven so it's ok!

 

[Gregadd]

Amazing at these prices there is no delivery and set up. Weightlifters at the local gym should help for a nominal fee. Wrap tightly in blankets to avoid scratchee. Don't tip them over on your feet.

 

[FrantzM]

Amazing at these prices there is no delivery and set up. Weightlifters at the local gym should help for a nominal fee. Wrap tightly in blankets to avoid scratchee. Don't tip them over on your feet.

So true .... So very true ...

 

[AMP]

Amazing at these prices there is no delivery and set up.

To set the record straight on this so as to not generate any bad press for Rockport...

Under normal circumstances the dealer would manage delivery, unpacking, and setup. In my case my dealer is 150 miles away and unable to arrange a trip down until the weekend. The crates MUST be out of the living room ASAP or my wife and I will go a little nutty. In other words... this is all by my choice...

 

[lasercd]

Getting them upright is not a job for one person. Once they are standing up use carpet sliders to move them around.

I don't envy you. It was a bitch getting the Aquilas into my room but the long term rewards are immense.

 

[Gregadd]

To set the record straight on this so as to not generate any bad press for Rockport...

Under normal circumstances the dealer would manage delivery, unpacking, and setup. In my case my dealer is 150 miles away and unable to arrange a trip down until the weekend. The crates MUST be out of the living room ASAP or my wife and I will go a little nutty. In other words... this is all by my choice...

Not good enough. Assuming the dealer is not the exclusive mover of the speaker, he couold arrange for some other professional to do it. SInce he left it to you it's not exclusive. You're not alone. There was no set up for the Q5 or WIlson Alexandrai. Both upper level deliveries.

 

[Bruce B]

Not good enough. Assuming the dealer is not the exclusive mover of the speaker, he couold arrange for some other professional to do it. SInce he left it to you it's not exclusive. You're not alone. There was no set up for the Q5 or WIlson Alexandrai. Both upper level deliveries.

Yeah...it's pretty sad. Customer service goes a long way at this level.

My dealer drove 150 miles to my place to help move, uncrate and set up our speakers. Shipping wt. 1900 lbs!

 

[AMP]

Not good enough. Assuming the dealer is not the exclusive mover of the speaker, he couold arrange for some other professional to do it. SInce he left it to you it's not exclusive. You're not alone. There was no set up for the Q5 or WIlson Alexandrai. Both upper level deliveries.

Yeah...it's pretty sad. Customer service goes a long way at this level.

My dealer drove 150 miles to my place to help move, uncrate and set up our speakers. Shipping wt. 1900 lbs!

Before this gets out of hand....

My dealer is a close friend and in the course of this transaction we are doing each other a favor. I'm not going into the financial specifics, but suffice it to say I know exactly what he made on these speakers and at that amount I wasn't about to press him to come down and help me unpack them.... much in the same way you wouldn't ask the friend looking after your house while you are on vacation to paint the living room. He's coming down this weekend to help get the setup dialed in.

Customer service has been exemplary and I wouldn't hesitate recommending him to anyone.

I also know that he personally sets up all of the large / heavy / expensive speakers and systems for his customers regardless of location. This is a corner case to say the least.

Stop playing armchair quarterback and criticizing someone you don't know and likely have never dealt with...

 

[Bruce B]

Stop playing armchair quarterback and criticizing someone you don't know and likely have never dealt with...

What you paid for them shouldn't have anything to do with it. I got accomodation pricing on mine and still got the dealer to drive all the way up here.

 

[AMP]

What you paid for them shouldn't have anything to do with it. I got accomodation pricing on mine and still got the dealer to drive all the way up here.

Good for you Bruce.

I, on the other hand, didn't see a point in asking him to close his store for a day in order to come down here and help me unpack the crates... especially since I couldn't even start the process until 5:30 PM. Had I been willing to wait until the weekend to unpack he would have been grunting and getting fingers smashed right next to me.

Please excuse me for wanting to play with my new toys as soon as I received them!

--- back to the point of this thread ---

They sound absolutely amazing! Visually they overpower the room (which is small), but sonically they are better than I expected.

 

[Ron Party]

They sound absolutely amazing! Visually they overpower the room (which is small), but sonically they are better than I expected.

Congratulations. Here's to many, many years of musical happiness!

 

[Gregadd]

Before this gets out of hand....

My dealer is a close friend and in the course of this transaction we are doing each other a favor. I'm not going into the financial specifics, but suffice it to say I know exactly what he made on these speakers and at that amount I wasn't about to press him to come down and help me unpack them.... much in the same way you wouldn't ask the friend looking after your house while you are on vacation to paint the living room. He's coming down this weekend to help get the setup dialed in.

Customer service has been exemplary and I wouldn't hesitate recommending him to anyone.

I also know that he personally sets up all of the large / heavy / expensive speakers and systems for his customers regardless of location. This is a corner case to say the least.

Stop playing armchair quarterback and criticizing someone you don't know and likely have never dealt with...

I will not comment on witholding facts and then accuisng others of not knowing what they are talking about. Cettainly I have received discounts in exchange for "self service." With a forty percent mark up that would allow for some "piano movers" to help with he heavy lifting. Avoidng the lawsuit from a straned back or crushed body part should be worth it. Not to metnion the good will. I only responded because it seems to be a trend not an isolated incident.