AudioQuest Rocket 11 review

What Hi-Fi? Awards 2022 winner. Excellent speaker cable for the money Tested at £12.50

AudioQuest Rocket 11 review

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

If you’re looking to optimise the performance of your hi-fi system, the AudioQuest Rocket 11 speaker cable will lend a helping hand

Pros

  • +

    Flexible build

  • +

    Clean, precise and fluid sound

  • +

    Excellent compatibility

Cons

  • -

    Nothing of note

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Love your hi-fi system but feel the need to give it a bit of a lift? If you haven’t already, you might want to invest in a better quality of speaker cable.

AudioQuest’s Rocket 11 – on the budget end of its Rocket range – could just be the thing to give your system a new lease of life.

Build & Compatibility

The first thing we like about the Rocket 11 is how flexible it is. Much like AudioQuest’s previous Award-winning FLX-SLiP 14/4, it’s easy to bend the malleable cable around tight corners to reach your kit without worrying about it breaking or getting damaged.

The cables are handily labelled, too. Not only are the left and right cables marked, AudioQuest has helpfully noted which end goes into the amplifier and which end plugs into the speaker – it’s these little touches that make the Rocket 11 all the more easy and appealing to use.

They’re also designed so that you can use them in a single-wired or bi-wired configuration if your system demands it, with the option to terminate them in banana plugs or spade connectors in store. Our review sample has banana plugs and comes in a smart white finish, though you can get the Rocket 11 in black too.

AudioQuest has taken a lot of care with the configuration and quality of the conductors used inside the Rocket 11. It uses semi-solid true-concentric conductors and long-grain copper – all to improve performance and reduce any interference that might degrade the sound.

Sound

Of course, none of this would make a jot of difference if the Rocket 11 cable didn’t have a positive impact on your system’s performance.

We connect the cable into our main reference system (a formidable ATC SCM 50 speakers, Burmester 088/911 MkIII amplifier and Naim ND555/555PS DR streamer combination) as well as in a more modest system comprising KEF LS50 Meta speakers, Rega Brio amp and Marantz CD6007 CD player – and the effect on our assembled systems is immediate.

There’s a perceptible improvement in the way the systems perform when the Rocket 11 is plugged in, compared with rival speaker cables from Atlas and Chord Company.

AudioQuest Rocket 11 tech specs

Termination banana plugs

Single wired yes

Bi-wirable yes

Finishes black, white

We play In The Cold, Cold Night by The White Stripes, and our system sounds stunningly clear, controlled and detailed. Guitar strings are pulled taut, leading edges are wonderfully crisp and clean, and the precise timing propels the song forward with a driving momentum.

Vocals are packed with nuance and emotion, too. The precision of Meg White’s diction comes through with sparkling clarity.

The Rocket 11s also guide our system into performing with a pleasing and punchy sense of dynamism that’s a joy to listen to. Stevie Nicks’s Edge Of Seventeen is delivered with the full, raw power of an air-punching power ballad, with while the playful clubbing rhythm of SBTRKT’s New Dorp New York charges along merrily.

Listening with competitors such as the Chord Company ClearwayX speaker cable (which is slightly cheaper), our system sounds a bit richer, with a weightier emphasis on the basslines. But with the Rocket 11, our system knits musical elements together with more confidence and alacrity. We get a better sense of spaciousness, too.

Verdict

As we said in our review of the FLX-SLiP 14/4 a few years ago, the best thing this AudioQuest cable does is get out of the way and simply let you enjoy the music.

For the money, it might sound a bit steep when you add up how many cables, the length, and the terminations you’ll need. But if you’ve put a lot of care into your hi-fi system, it’s well worth investing in good quality speaker cables that will optimise its performance.

And the Rocket 11 speaker cable is well worth that investment.

SCORES

  • Sound 5
  • Compatibility 5
  • Build 5

MORE:

See all our AudioQuest reviews

See all the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2022 winners

Buying advice: How to choose the right speakers

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.


Read more about how we test

  • zeroID
    Now which cable sounds better, the Rocket 11 or the 22?
    Reply
  • JennaChaplin
    The article says "tested at £12.50", i.e. about $20 Cdn. So, how come in Canada these are almost $400 on Amazon ????
    Reply
  • Rhaziel
    JennaChaplin said:
    The article says "tested at £12.50", i.e. about $20 Cdn. So, how come in Canada these are almost $400 on Amazon ????
    https://www.futureshop.co.uk/audioquest-rocket-11-speaker-cable-custom-length(y)
    Reply
  • Johnnyringo
    "The article says "tested at £12.50", i.e. about $20 Cdn. So, how come in Canada these are almost $400 on Amazon ????"


    Because whathifi is incorrect- and so are the rest of these cable articles- inaccurate and misleading. Avoid. Whathifi has been poop_emoji for the last few years
    Reply
  • 12th Monkey
    Johnnyringo said:
    "The article says "tested at £12.50", i.e. about $20 Cdn. So, how come in Canada these are almost $400 on Amazon ????"


    Because whathifi is incorrect- and so are the rest of these cable articles- inaccurate and misleading. Avoid. Whathifi has been poop_emoji for the last few years
    Feel free to disagree, but keep it civil please.
    Reply
  • mwinter
    JennaChaplin said:
    The article says "tested at £12.50", i.e. about $20 Cdn. So, how come in Canada these are almost $400 on Amazon ????
    £12.50 per metre and unterminated! (Although since the price has gone up.)
    Reply