Antec Soundscience Rockus 2.1 - Best mp3 speakers site, right here

By 

J. Morris “photo_jeff” (Englewood, CO United States) –

  

After an exhaustive search for a computer speaker system that offered regular speaker connections (rather than proprietary connectors and always-too-short cords), I had given up. I just wanted a simple 2.1 system where I could choose what type and length of speaker wire to use. Is that so much to ask?

Then I stumbled across Rockus, a cute little speaker system by a brand known for its PC cases (of which I own one, and love dearly). Hesitent to plunk down $200 on a newcomer to the speaker market, I ran through the gamut of online review sites. Unfortunately, due to the newness of this product the most comprehensive reviews I could find were from customers. 5-star after 5-star convinced me to try these out, and I’m glad I did.

Form:

First, I’ll say that the subwoofer is larger than the pictures make it out to be. And the whole set is heavier than I would assume given the size, which means they probably are using beefy magnets. Second, the satellites have a single RCA connector in back. I don’t know why Antec didn’t use standard terminal posts, but at least RCA is easy enough to deal with. Third, the satellites are mounted to a basic metal hoof. The angle isn’t adjustable, nor do the speakers have any sort of wall mount option. So you’re kind of stuck with the placement & angle of the speakers. Bummer.

Function:

As mentioned above, your placement options for the satellites are limited due to the nonarticulating stands. The good news is that these speakers (in my opinion) sound better off-axis. If you listen directly on-axis, especially at close range, the highs can get a bit… crispy. However, as you back off the mid-range really comes in and fills out the sound nicely.

The subwoofer doesn’t seem like anything special, but it feels solidly built nevertheless. There are three loudness settings, and even at 3 the bass isn’t exactly overwhelming. However, it doesn’t disappoint either. It just does its job without blowing out the windows. It is advertised that 10Hz can be achieved, but I believe I’d have to crank the volume to feel even a whisper at that frequency. 10Hz is mighty low, and it takes power to push that kind of wavelength fast enough to be audible.

I tried the 3D function momentarily while listening to music, and it sounded awful. But as this function is supposed to be for movies, I’ll reserve judgement until I can plug it in to old Blu.

Oh, one more thing. This speaker system is touted as being built tough, and I believe it. I stupidly opened the box as it sat on its side — on a dining room table — and as soon as I pulled out the styrofoam, out rolled the speakers, bounced off the table, and hit the floor with a thud. No dents, no scratches, and they sounded perfect upon hookup. *whew*

Worth $170 on Amazon? Probably. However, if you’re an audiophile I’d wait until a pro review comes out with a frequency response chart before you make your decision. Just because the speakers are punchy and tight doesn’t mean there isn’t a Q gap somewhere that will disappoint the hardcore listeners. These are by no means reference speakers, but they are fun to listen to.

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 Comments (3)

Wow, do these speakers sound great. I absolutely love these speakers. Everything from the build quality, to the sound, to the option to select modes between music and their “3D” mode.

I can’t say enough about them. The build quality is great. They’re actually made out of aluminum. I thought only a smart part would be, but the whole satellite is made out of the material. I like how they did not skimp on the quality.

I originally bought these speakers as a replacement for my broken bose companion 5. but since i was a bit short on money, i decided to buy something a bit less expensive. I was really amazed at the sound quality, and i have to say, they’re comparable, if not better than the Bose! After using them on my desk for a bit, i decided to move them to my TV stand so that i can use it with my xbox 360 and make use of the optical input. I connected them to the speakers and they sound great! The best part is, i can stream my netflix movies from my xbox and now i have a set of great sounding theater speakers!!

I’m really happy with my purchase and highly recommend giving these a try. I’m positive you wont be disappointed.

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Background: I’m no audio expert, but when I buy new A/V equipment, I usually scour the internet looking for reviews because I want the BEST product (that fits within my budget). These SoundScience speakers had a number of positive reviews from some smaller blogs. I also saw a few mixed reviews on other blogs. However, the Rockus scored an “Editor’s Choice” from PCMag. According to their “Lead Analyst, “it sounds so magnificent, we can’t believe it costs just $200″.

With that in mind, I decided to give the Rockus a shot — especially given the current $100 price point. My first set arrived with a bad satellite speaker. Fortunately, Amazon is very good at returns. The second set had no problems. I promptly compared them side-by-side with my Klipsch Promedia (which have long been a standard for desktop audio). The Rockus seem to put an emphasis on clarity — in comparison, the Klipsch seemed a little muffled.

In my research, there seem to be two main objections to these speakers: lack of bass and tinny highs. Regarding the supposed lack of bass: I think many (most?) desktop speakers artificially boost the bass to cover poor sound. That includes the Klipsch: I always found the recommended bass level really high, but I always left it at the recommended setting because, well, it was “recommended” (kind of dumb now that I think about it).

After spending a couple of weeks with the Rockus, I can definitely say the bass is NOT lacking (I have the subwoofer switch set to 3). It’s enough to shake my desk on certain songs. IMPORTANT: the speaker on the Rockus subwoofer is on the BACK of the unit. The front of the subwoofer is basically a hole (a “passive radiator”). My first inclination was to put the subwoofer right against the wall under my desk — don’t do that! That will block the “active” portion of the subwoofer and leave you listening to the “passive” output. I have the back of the subwoofer about 1 foot away from the wall, which gives it enough room to reflect the sound. Anyway, now that I’ve given these speakers a thorough test, the bass sounds perfect. By contrast, the bass on my Klipsch seems over the top and boomy (and not in a good way).

One reason I’ve been wanting to swap out the Klipsch Promedias is that they have a constant, annoying hum whenever the power is on. So I had to put them on their own power strip so I could turn them on and off without getting down on my hands and knees to flip the switch on the subwoofer. I was very pleased to learn that the Rockus have absolutely NO background hum/hiss — I love the sound of silence The only thing you’ll hear from the Rockus when you’re not playing music is a slight “click” when the system powers itself down (after a period of inactivity).

Regarding the so-called “tinny” highs on these speakers, all I can say is that I find the highs very clear and pleasant. Like other users have mentioned, you’re free to tweak the sound using an equalizer (Mac iTunes users: choose Window > Equalizer). I personally have the lows SLIGHTLY boosted and the highs SLIGHTLY reduced.

As for the other components of the system: the satellites have that silver ring around them that pick up a lot of reflections (I might paint mine black). But the satellites look cool (especially with their honeycomb grills) and are VERY solidly built. The speaker angles are perfect for flanking a computer screen. The cables ARE a little short, but they work for my setup (and are easily replaced if longer ones are needed). And I’m liking the wired remote.

To sum up, the more I use the Rockus, the more I like them. Very happy with these speakers so far.

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