Hey guys. I wanted to add some more info of the experiences of the guy who came over to my house and auditioned my rocket set.
He ended up going with Package 0 from AV123 which is 750s up front, 550s for rears, and a 200 center.
I told him a little about your situation and wanted to get in writing his experiences auditioning other speakers.
Here's what he had to say:
"Concerning speakers, these are what I have auditioned and what my impressions are:
Energy Veritas 2.3i - They were nice but the midrange was a little thin. And at 2k for just the fronts, I would have picked the RS850s over them any day.
Monitor Audio s6 - These were fairly neutral speakers, but nothing really impressed me. They could be compared fairly well to the Paradigm studio 60's which also were fairly neutral but not quite as detailed. The RS550s blow them both away!
B&W 703 and 704 - The 703s were very nice but run 3K. The 704's cost 2200 and were overly bright. The detail was nice but would have cost a major headache if listened to for too long. Also there bass was thin. For $2200, there is much better.
Vandersteen 1c - Very nice for the price. The bass was lacking some, but that is where the step up comes into place, being the 2CE Sigs.
Vandersteen 2CE Signature. For $1675, there isn't a better speaker in my opinion. They are Slightly laid back when the tweeter level on the back is set to 0, but sound perfect when it is set to 2. These are the speakers I would have purchased if I had not purchased the rockets. However looks play an important role for me and the Vandees are just plain ugly (my wife agrees). Also there is a simple cloth covering them which would not provide adequate protection against curious young children.
In comparison to the 2CE Sigs, the rockets are a little more laid back, only lacking that crisp top end. This can be fixed with a slight adjustment to the treble decibel (if the receiver allows for it) however. Overall I would say that the Vandersteen 2CE sigs are a nicer speaker than the RS750s, but for a few hundred more dollars I got the RS750s, 550MKIIs, and the bigfoot center. It was a no brainer for me!
As far as the ref series goes, they are brighter than the rockets. Some would say more detailed, but the rockets are very detailed, they just won't give you listening fatigue. I have never heard Athenas so I can't say, but I do know they are highly recommend on many forums. I would go with the Refs myself, but I am a little bias
"
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