Tell me about the... Z5500's

snowdog

snowdog

snowdog

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Had my B'day yesterday and that came with a lump of €€€.
I'm considering buying these Z5500's, but I'm woundering, how they would sound on different types of music, so a few questions:

Will it sound okay on an sb audigy SE ( or onb. soundmax hd audio) ?
I have no doubt the bassy songs will be fine, but how are normall songs like rock music, wich I mostly listen to ?
Are they worth 260€ or is there anything better for the cash ?
How long will they last ( I want speakers for at least 5 years prefferably 10 or so...) ?
Coming from a cheap total 24W RMS 5.1 set, with a 3'' sub, how big will the difference be ?
My room is about 5 by 4 metres, is the Z5500 enough for my room?
I want massive thundering house shaking bass on house and hiphop/rap music, but I want normall middle tones on my massive collection of rock music too.

Hope to get some awnsers, I can't seem to decide wether it's worth buying em, it's still a lot of cash for me.
Neighbors don't matter, they can go to hell ;), my neighbors blast loud hip hop music often anyways.

please reply if you can and thx in advance ;).
 
Can answer a few.

Will it sound okay on an sb audigy SE

- Sounds awesome on mine, for movies, gaming and music.

Coming from a cheap total 24W RMS 5.1 set, with a 3'' sub, how big will the difference be ?

- Noticed a huge difference from my old Creative 5.1's that cost about £50, the quality is fantastic and they go ridicously loud

My room is about 5 by 4 metres, is the Z5500 enough for my room?

- Sounds similar to my room, if anything they are too much! But can't complain. :D
 
It'll be a upgrade over your existing set. However the Logitech speakers are satellites, which for music isn't ideal (lack of midrange). Also the Logitech subwoofer is a bit boomy and treble is a bit harsh. IMO if I only had £200 to spend on speakers, I'd just get some used Hi-Fi gear. Something like a budget Rotel or NAD amplifer and a pair of Kef Q15 or B&W 601's.

If you want house shaking bass you'll need to spend fair bit more. At least £600 on subwoofer alone.
 
Hmmm, so an upgrade, but not great ?
It's not only for (mp3/wma/flac/ogg) music, it's also mainly for games and (in a lesser extent) for films and some DTS music ( Pink Floyd dsotm DTS and wish you were here DTS)...
I listen to all kinds of music from house to hip hop to R&B to rock but my current sub is a bit too poor with midtones and overdoes bass in rock songs, while the bass is too poor when I want it in bassy songs.

600 quid isn't really an option to me: I'm jobless atm and I'm doing exams in May so till then I doubt I'll look for work.

Why I don't want an amp is, I'm used to 5.1 in games A lot, I play CoD4 by hearing, it really helps and I don't want to lose the effects.
I don't think I'll be able to really afford a full amped 5.1 set...
Wouldn't the z5500's sub get my room shaking a bit ?


Are the sats full range of the logi or don't they support bassy stuff like most sats ? Is there any better 5.1 set for 280 € than the Z5500's or should I just upgrade from what I have now your recon.


Sorry for my questions again, I just don't want to be disappointed with spending 80% of my money on speakers that will sound ****...
 
No the Logitech satellites aren't full range, how can they be? They've just got a 3"? driver, in similar speaker system they will reach down to 80hz-120hz, depending on the design. A full range speaker is one that's 20-20khz. Do a search for JM Lab Grand Utopias. Those are full range speakers, cost about £25K. Cheaper full range speakers are around £2000-£3000. Even my fairly good floorstanders which aren't full range, they go down to about 40hz.

Although the Logitech's are 5.1 so for movies and games it's more immersive, a higher quality stereo system will sound better albeit not being 5.1. If you can have a demo, visit a Hi-Fi shop and get a demo of a £200 stereo, then demo those Logitech 5500 (unlikely unless you know someone with a set)
 
I cant help buy listning in media player I hear loads of distortion with the Z5500's now on some songs, would this actually be the speaker system or just music, I have never noticed it before.

I'd say get the Z5500's though, Excellent good for the money and thats the truth.
 
could be any of them, could be a combination. the first thing to do is start iliminating them. try a different mdeai player first and play those says songs. make sure windows and your soundcard drivers dont have any equalisers on or levels too high ect
 
badbob said:
Could be anything, from soundcard fault (the X-Fi problem) Sound levels too high, mp3gained into distortion, excessive EQ, loose /faulty cable, loose speaker cable, damanged drivers.

If you want quality, I'd recommend this

http://www.qacoustics.co.uk/surround_package/

with this

http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-cyl-plpow2.cfm
or this
http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-plus1.cfm
Click to expand...

Yea I think I'll go take my big wad of cash I has out today and order some SVS subs and speakers eh, come on not many people can splash out like that lol, and snowdog aint going to too! My idea of quality is quite abit less than that, a monolith sub is what I'd have a max spend on a sub for my first Hi-Fi build, thats £400. :p
 
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Jihad said:
- Noticed a huge difference from my old Creative 5.1's that cost about £50, the quality is fantastic and they go ridicously loud
Click to expand...

same here, went from a £100 creative 6.1 set to these, i thought my creatives were 'awesome' until i had these beasts, my z5500's were £180 i think, been a while now
 
okay I guess I'll '' Upgrade'' my speakers to the Z5500's today or tomoz then :D.
The ones I have now are trust 35€ speakers, rubbish as you may imagine.

180 quid is a bit less than I'm going to buy, but I'm picking up and in the end it'll be cheaper than posting the speakers from ocuk to the Netherlands, and I'll be able to use em the day i bought em not like 2 or 3 days after.
 
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Well I got them and I quite like em but I duno what settings to use:
6 channel direct or Dobly pro logic II music
Direct analog input or coax digital or optical digital ( I can't seem to find the digital outs on my soundblaster audigy SE either, while the audio console of it has digital options like ''digital only'', anybody know where this digital plug on my audigy is located ?) ?
CMSS 3D or stereo surround ( stereo surround sounded better on my old speakers, on this I can't seem to figure out wich one I like most)?

And finally should I stick to my audigy SE or plug it into my soundmax HD audio ( wich had both a coax digital out and optical digital out) ?


Anybody care to tell me where the digital output is on my audigy or if I should use the digital ones on my soundmax instead?
Please gimme your settings wich you use if possible.
 
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turn off stereo surround and CMSS 3D, just play music in stereo its much better imo, so use 6CH Direct. You dont need to use coax or optical tbh.
 
On quality gear, it sounds better with CMSD 3D, Crystiliser, EQ, and stereo expand off. I use the mode switcher, in Entertainment mode it's set to 2 speakers, everything disable. And for gaming 5.1, EAX enabled.
 
it is true that if music sounds better with cmss, surround or the crystalizer switched on, that it only servers as indication of the limited capabilities of the speakers you are using.


^^ that sounded all technical like, didnt it? :p
 
With my SB Audigy 2 ZS I always use when i can CMSD 3D with Stereo Surround selected and the focus about -20 so the back speakers come through nicely. I turn the volume high for the backs and the fronts about 70%. For EAX i use "small room" setting, it gives it a nice sound to music like it gives it more character to it. I duno about crystalizer or stereo expanded off or entertainment mode. Maybe thats for the X5500 only as i have x-530 set.which i think sounds awsome for my small room anything expensive would be a waste due to the flat im in and the old guy upstairs from me complaining when i have it loud.
 
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