rockport altair any informed opinions?

The Altairs are the best speakers I’ve ever heard. I’ve listened to them on a couple of occasions and they represent the best audio experiences I’ve ever had. They just sound like music. It is also the most beautifully built speaker I’ve seen. These are my dream speakers. You’re very lucky!

I have heard all of the above mentioned equipment at different times and in many different systems. There is no doubt that the JL products are exceptional, but with a properly engineered speaker, like a Rockport, they can often times take away from the overall articulation and resolution of the bass. I had two Fathoms in my system with a pair of Mira's and found that my bass performance was superior without the Fathoms in the mix. Is that the case for every room and every speaker? Probably not, but with a speaker like the Altair, which has a 15" woofer and an 8" mid-bass driver, more low-end headroom isnt always better. Really depends on what your musical tastes are, but for 99% of the people out there, what the Altair can provide standing on its own feet is more than enough. I would put the Altair up against any loudspeaker in the world, regardless of price, its really that special.

That same reviewer has since come to the conclusion that the Altair's bass is superior in quality to that produced by the Gothams. The sound may not be as linear but the slight loss of articulation and coherence was not a compromise he was prepared to make.

Also, the quality of the the Aquila's low end is quite spectacular. It uses the same type of driver as the Altair however it is a few inches smaller. By all accounts, the Rockport room at CES was one of the top rooms at this years show. Of course, the larger the woofer the more low end traction the speaker will be able to reproduce. But then again, depends on the size of the room. More low end capability isnt always better, especially if the result is a coloring of the sound.