rockport altair any informed opinions?

Trust me, it is worth every mile of a 5-6 hour drive and, at least for my preferences, one of the few ultra high end mega-buck speakers actualy worth the price of admission. Even if you don't end up likng them (unlikely IMHO if you love music), you will have peace of mind and that is priceless at this price point! Just my $.02

I have not heard the Altair, but I have heard two other Rockport speakers, the Antares (an incredible full range speaker, and my personal favorite), and the Mira Grand (a incredible almost full ranges speaker, only missing the lower half an octave). Both are excellent speakers, and if I could afford either, I would gladly buy either one.

My opinion is if you can afford the Altair, and want to have speakers from one of the premier speaker manufacturers in the world, you should take the time to go and listen.

I don't know where you live. But if practical, you might consider a vacation trip to mid-coast Maine. You could listen to all the Rockport speakers at the Rockport factory in Rockport, Maine, a pretty town between the larger, nearby cities of Rockland and Camden (those two cities are about 15 miles apart). I would recommend Camden as the place to stay, although Rockland has a splendid art museum. In any case, you would have an opportunity to enjoy the coast of Maine as well as hear the speakers.

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 listened to the rockport Arrakis

And well it was great in a way but finally very boring

I don't believe anymore in speakers that need more than 20W to work well

It does not exist an amplifier mega watt that is musical to my hears

So whatever speaker you put after it will sound poor and disapointing

If you really want to go this way, the only speaker that require power AND is musical is the Avalon Isis

the rest is just SO boring (verity audio, wilson , magico etc)