Z-5500 Digital THX 5.1 PC Multimedia Speakers

PC Components: ASUS Crosshair IV Formula - AM3 - AMD 890FX - DDR3 - Republic of Gamers - ATX Motherboard Phenom II X4 965 Black AM3 3.4Ghz 512KB 45NM 125W 4000MHZ Corsair Air Series A70 Performance CPU Cooler CAFA70 Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 1 GB DDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card 100283-3L x2 in Crossfire mode Creative Labs SB0886 PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series Sound Card Corsair 4GB Dual Channel Corsair DDR3 Memory for Intel Core i5 Processors (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) x2, total 8gb Western Digital WD5000KSRTL/WD5000AAKS Caviar 500 GB SATA Hard Drive x2 in Raid 0 for performance Corsair CMPSU-750TX 750-Watt TX Series 80 Plus Certified Power Supply compatible with Intel Core i7 and Core i5 Samsung Blu-Ray Internal SATA Drive with Lightscribe 12x BD-ROM 16x DVD-ROM 8x DVDRW 8x DVD-/+R DL 48x CD-ROM SH-B123L/BSBP LEXA S Crafted Series Black Steel Mid Tower Chassis CS-NT-LEXA-S When I read the reviews for this system, I figured the comments were a little overboard. But once I unpacked the box I was amazed at the quality of the speakers. I also was surprised at the size of the Bass speaker. It is HUGE. Being the first Logitech component I have purchased, I was curious as to how much better this would be than the Creative products I have enjoyed in the past. Following will be a review on the individual components of this system: -Bass Speaker: Quality of sound is superb. Rich, booming Bass without distortion or any vibration noise from the case enclosure. It doesn't take much volume to vibrate the floor because of the deep sound emitted from this speaker!!! The cooling fins on the back of the speaker are of quality material. Very eye-pleasing to look at. Totally impressed. - Center Speaker: The clarity of the sound is amazing. With the individual volume control for the center speaker, I no longer have any issues with the surround drowning out a soft voice from an otherwise soft voice in a movie. Simply awesome. - Surround: The only movie I have watched so far is Avatar.. I just opened the speakers yesterday. The surround is amazing and crisp. I literally feel like I am in the theater!!! I don't have the speakers mounted yet since I am just enjoying the system right now. You know how that goes. But once I do, Logitech has made the design for an easy project. The Center and surround speakers are encased in a durable, lightweight aluminum enclosure. With or without the easily removed grill, they are very nice to look at as well. - Control Center: the control center is larger than I expected and the cable that connects to the Bass speaker could have been longer, as well as the 6-channel harness that connects to your sound card(only because it is recommended that the Bass is at least 2' from your PC or monitor due to the size of the magnet). That being said, I was able to make it work with a little re-organizing. The features are easy to use and setup was painless. I cannot comment on the Pro-Logic effects since I use my sound card software for that. - Remote: The remote is simple and easy to use... which is nice to see since most have way too many features that no one uses anyway. A nice feature to have at your fingertips, especially when the control center may not be easily reached when you need to mute the volume. This was the last component I purchased for my new system build and I am very impressed with this system so far. They are somewhat expensive for a PC, however, I have a Yamaha theater system in my living room and this system sounds better than those. That is saying a lot since I love the Yamaha system. Being a gamer.... mostly playing World of Warcraft, the total experience to the "virtual getaway" from life's aggro, the sound from this system propels the imagination and intensifies the action. Anyone that is thinking of purchasing this system should do so. You will be unexpectedly surprised once actually seeing and hearing this system. I hope this review was informative and helpful. Thanks.

i bought these babies about a month ago. i had the Logitech x-540's before these, and let me say there is a huge difference 1: there is way more bass!!! 2: the wired remote control unit is awesome 3: it has a remote 4: they are more sexy looking than the 540's. There are only a few minor set backs that i didn't like, the satalite speakers you need to screw into the wall (or if u trust 2 picture hooks), since i spent over $300 i was expecting the speaker wire to be a lil bit longer than it was(maybe 10ft), although i would guess you could use any old speaker wire. The 360degree surround sound is awesome, i can have it a lil bit more than half way up with the effect (stereo X2) and i can hear it great through out the whole house. i would recommend these speakers to anyone that wants an awesome computer surround sound system!

These are great speakers. The base is really strong and the high end is very clear with lots of power.

While the build quality is definitely there. These just weren't quite as good as I was expecting after all the soaring reviews I had read. But overall they are a very good setup if you are looking for a nice 5.1 sound system.

I bought this originally for my computer setup to listen to my music, play games in surround sound, as well as watch DVD's in full 5.1 surround sound. The sub on this system is UNBELIEVABLE!!! This system is so good I've transferred it to my TV and use it as a home theater system and I plan on buying a second system for the computer. This is as loud as you will ever need out of a system. The loudest I've taken it is maybe 60-70% power and TRUST ME that was loud as all hell and shook all the glassware in my kitchen upstairs. Unless you have your own house and got this system in the basement you will never set it louder or even that loud without the cops coming to your door. I have never said this about any electronic purchase I've done, but for the first time ever I've found a product that I will NEVER have to replace or upgrade. This system serves ALL my movie, game, and music needs. I am happy with this purchase for the rest of my life and I am quite the audiophile. I will only buy another speaker system if this one breaks, and I would replace it with the same system. That's saying a lot as there is pretty much no electronic device out there that you can say you'll never have to upgrade to a better one. This set comes with a control box that has all the volume controls and inputs. From here you control the volume individually to the center, surround, and sub speakers. It has a direct line in (Front, center, surround, and sub) as well as a digital line in and even a optical. I have the direct and the digital lines used. For DVD's I switch over to digital input and the control box does the audio decoding itself in THX surround sound. I've found that this produces the best quality sound and is much better than using the software decoder on your computer. Just set the computer as "pass-thru" no decoding. For music for some reason I've found that it works better as a direct connection. Maybe this has something to do with the audio card decoding and processing the music. It just seems fuller, louder, and generally clearer in direct connect with music. Also you can set it at direct, stereo, stereo x 2 (uses front and rear speakers) this stereo X2 is my personal favorite for music. It also has a Dolby Prologic Movie and Music setting. I never use the Music setting, it's useless in my mind, it tries to process the music into 5.1 sound and that just doesn't fly. The Pro Logic Movie setting I've never used until just recently (I've had these speakers for 2-3 years.) I never saw the benefit of the Pro Logic movie setting as I just watched the DVD in the control box's THX setting. I did however recently find he use for the Pro logic movie setting. If you are watching a move that has been downloaded off the internet and only has the Stereo audio then the Pro Logic actually does a pretty good Job at turning it into 5.1 surround. I watched a few movies using this setting and it did an amazing job and turning the audio into surround. Not sure how it can do this, but give it a try on video with only a stereo track and it does a great job. I discovered this by accident watching "Imax Magnificent Desolation" a DVD about the Apollo moon landings and for some reason I had it on Pro Logic Movie. When the spacecraft was landing on the moon it kicked up a bunch of dust and I got startled for a minute because I heard the dust and sound coming from behind me. The system was able to accurately surround sound this event. I watched it again in regular stereo mode and I was astonished at how well the PL made it surround. I cannot watch any video now without the PL Movie setting (unless it's a DVD with authentic 5.1 sound). So to conclude this system rocks, it's as loud as you'll ever need it and is very multipurpose. Yes I know there will be people saying that this system sucks when it comes to a home theater setup and that you need to buy a $2000 home theater speaker set up. Well perhaps these $2000 systems are better, but I've compared this to those and honestly my ear can barely tell any difference at all, and when you look at the price difference then it's a no brainer to get this system. Oh yeah and the Sub is Huge and gives you all the bass you can handle and then some. I know having a great Sub and bass is what makes a system and to a point this is true as the sub is what makes you "feel" the music and this sub definitely kicks you. I have it about 3 feet away from me and it vibrates my pants when it's set on a pleasant "Metallica" volume '

Bitter sweet review. I bought this system in 2006 for $500. Do not pay more than that. Besides this point. The speaker system is incredible and I still use them to this day.

I have this system in my livingroom and loving it.. Im using sony satellite speakers though.. Best sound ever had my neighbor banging on the walls and my response was go LOUDER... Best advise get a good HDMI and OPTICAL for better sound

Je crois qu'il n'y a pas grand-chose à jeter dans ce 5.1 signé Logitech! Le son convient pour toutes les utilisations, dans les domaines de la musique, du cinéma ou du jeu vidéo. Je ne dis pas que c'est le kit parfait mais sérieusement, pour les 230€ déboursés, je dirais presque que le prix est sous-estimé, on en a vraiment pour son argent. Seuls les tatillons trouveront peut-être quelque chose à critiquer! Dans les points positifs, donc, je soulignerai la qualité sonore, où puissance et précision sont au rendez-vous, nous permettant alors de savourer et même de redécouvrir des CD, de se sentir au coeur de la bataille de Minas Tirith dans le Seigneur des Anneaux ou encore d'angoisser complètement dans un Dead Space transmettant parfaitement son potentiel de frousse au travers de nos chères enceintes! Les 500 Watts et le sérieux de Logitech sont ainsi réellement appréciés. Le décodeur fourni est efficace et les différents formats audio supportés en font un kit polyvalent et peu de personnes n'y trouveront pas leur bonheur. En bidouillant en parallèle les niveaux sonores à partir du décodeur et ceux des pilotes de la carte son, vous devriez trouver ceux qui correspondent à votre environnement sonore et apprécier sans retenue les qualités du kit, le choix des règlages étant assez exhaustif. On apprécie également la télécommande qui va bien et rassemble tous les paramètres règlables à partir du décodeur même. Sympa! Ce qui nous fait arriver aux quelques points négatifs (si si# que j'ai pu noter: peut-être un manque de connectique sur le décodeur #une seconde sortie optique aurait été appréciée, ce qui est le cas sur le décodeur du Z-5400, indisponible lors de ma commande ^^#; peut-être également un léger bruit de fond du sub lorsqu'il est sous-tension #je n'avais pas ce "problème" sur le premier kit commandé que j'ai dû renvoyer au SAV Amazon, très efficace au passage, il faut le souligner!) mais de toutes façons, lors de l'utilisation du kit, ce son est masqué; et, le plus gros défaut, à mon avis, est le casse-tête posé lors de l'installation des enceintes! Les socles des satellites ont en effet un angle de rotation limité (180° et dans un seul sens), cela donne déjà des possibilités de manoeuvre mais les personnes qui, comme moi, ont des poutres dans tous les sens, risquent de s'arracher les cheveux en tentant de diriger convenablement les satellites vers la position souhaitée (j'ai été sauvé de justesse de la calvitie). Cette marge de manoeuvre limitée devient également embêtante lorsqu'on passe à la fixation des socles au mur: comme l'axe de rotation n'est pas orientable dans toutes les directions, il vaut mieux être légèrement contorsionniste sur les bords ou, à fortiori, avoir un bon outillage! Des défauts mineurs compte tenu des qualités du produit, mais il fallait les noter. Pas grand-chose à remarquer à part cela, le kit m'a entièrement satisfait et est vraiment polyvalent. Dans sa catégorie, il est difficile à battre donc si vous voulez une ambiance sonore de qualité, jettez-vous dessus, c'est du bonheur pour les oreilles! Son prix est, je le répète, plus que raisonnable. Je finirai mon p'tit commentaire en vous faisant remarquer que la probabilité que les voisins râlent pour cause de tapage sonore sont proches de 1 et que si vous voulez encore plus profiter de votre kit, n'hésitez pas à acquérir des câbles plus sérieux! Non pas que les câbles Logitech soient mauvais mais des câbles de meilleure qualité améliorent vraiment l'écoute. Ce sont souvent les grands oubliés alors que c'est grâce à eux qu'on peut entendre quelque chose au bout des enceintes! ^^ Un peu à l'image des alimentations de PC, pourtant importantes mais dont on ne parle pas forcément... Je mets 18/20 mais comme la notation se fait avec 5 étoiles, j'arrondis à la note maximale :P Le Z-5500 est une bonne référence en matière de kit 5.1 polyvalent, n'hésitez pas! En espérant que mon commentaire ne vous ait pas ennuyé mais, au contraire, apporté quelques précisions sur le produit ^^

Ich denke es wurde so viel zu dem Soundsystem geschrieben da halte ich mich einfach mal etwas kürzer. Erhalt: - Sobald man das Paket erhält und es Vorfreude aufmacht, denkt man nur WoW, was für ein schweres Paket und was für ein Inhalt. Der Subwoofer ist einfach Gigantisch und die Boxen haben eine schöne Optik. Aufbau: - Man kann die Boxen entweder an die Wand hängen oder hinstellen, leider lassen die Boxen sich nicht nach links und rechts drehen, wo wir auch am ersten Kritikpunkt angelangt sind. Bei der Wandmontur muss man ein bisschen tricksen in dem man den Ständer nicht ganz dreht sondern nur ein bisschen mehr als halb. Ist schwer zu beschreiben, aber das funktioniert wunderbar. Anschließen: - Das anschließen geht relativ schnell, die Kabel hätten etwas länger und dicker sein können, so sind 2x 7,5m und 3x 3,5m Kabel dabei. Aber warum zur Hölle sind die Kabel an beiden Ende mit Lötzinn überzogen, das macht doch kein Mensch -.- . Das anschließen an dem PC über 6channel direct kann ich nicht empfehlen, da beim Musik hören nicht alle Boxen unterstüzt werden und man auch nicht PLII Music als Effect auswählen kann. Habe mir nen digital Kabel gekauft, und es mit dem PC verbunden. Übern Coax Kabel ist das System zeitgleich noch mit meinem DVD-Player verbunden. Übrigens dachte ich das man für jede Box nen zustäztliches Stromkabel braucht, aber so ist das ja gar nicht =) Musik, Filme, Spiele: - Musik einfach toll, schöne Klänge, schöne Bässe, einfach wunderbar. - Filme die 5.1 unterstüzten sind ein Traum, man fühlt sich wie mitten drin. Nimmt man dann noch ein Blueray Film (Habe kein Bluerayplayer,einfach am PC getestet) mit DTS, komm das Kino feeling hoch. Man fühlt sich wie live dabei. - Zu Spielen muss ich wohl nicht viel sagen, einfach top. Lautstärke: - Ich habe alle Einstellungsmöglichkeiten auf 4 von 10, denn sonst wackelt der Schrank neben Subwoofer zu sehr xD. Das Gerät hat viel Power, aber die Nachbarn würden sich darüber wohl nicht freuen;) Pro: - Verarbeitung - Anschlussmöglichkeiten - Subwoofer - Steuergerät - DTS 96/24, THX, Dolby Digital Pro Logic II - Schöne Klänge und Bässe - Mitten drin Gefühl bei Filmen - Speichert die eingestellen Settings (Anfangs nicht, aber dann plötzlich doch immer xD) - Studioqualität - Per Fernbedinung oder Steuergerät lässt sich alles Bequem Bedienen und Einstellen (Input, Effect, Settings, Level, Mute) Contra: - Wandmontage/Boxen nicht nach links-rechts drehbar - Kabel könnte länger und etwas dicker sein und nicht an den Enden gelötet! - Keine Digital/Coaxial Kabel dabei (nur 6Chanell direkt Kabel fürn PC) - Keine Einstellungsmöglichkeit der Entfernung der Boxen Fazit: - Ich würde mir das System sofort wieder holen. Es ist einfach ein Genuss. Am selben Tag an dem ich es angeschlossen habe kamen noch Freunde vorbei, einer war so begeistert, der hat sich dieses sofort bestellt. Im Vergleich zu meinem alten Soundsystem und dem Z-5500 liegen Welten. Es macht so viel Spaß damit Filme anzuschauen oder einfach Musik zu hören. Für Spiele nutze ich es eher weniger, da ich meist mit Headset spiele. Es wäre zwar schön, wenn die Contrapunkte nicht wären, aber diese kann man mit wenigen Klicks bzw. Zügen auch umgehen. Bis auf den letzten Punkt, aber der stört überhaupt nicht! Von mir eine ganz klare Kaufempfehlung, mit dem Z-5500 kann man nichts falsch machen.

The product itself is of a very high quality build. The most notable feature is of course the massive subwoofer, for a PC speaker system you will struggle to find a more beasty (its the only word to be used) unit. This is not however what defines this system, you are given 5 very high quality speakers, which when played even at extreme volumes will produce undistorted sound, which I was very impressed with, my old 5.1 system was quite the opposite. The system also has added compatability. For instance it has a digital optical input, coax, 3.5mm additional jack on the side and the traditional three 3.5mm jacks for connecting to a sound card. This added compatability turns the system into a home theatre system, though perhaps not as effective as one. For example once mounted the speakers cannot have their direction adjusted they will point where they were designed to and nothing more. But we must remember that these are PC speakers after all, such power isn't needed for watching movies or standard television. The system proves itself as extremely high quality for PC speakers, and the added compatability is indeed very impressive. They would perhaps not compare to a home theatre system of a similar price, but neither would that home theatre system perform well if it was used with a PC. The control panel itself, can tramsmit any input into several effects: Dolby pro logic II movie, Dolby pro logic II music, stereo, stereo x2 (through front and surround speakers), or simply direct which allows external hardware to dictate the process (my sound card which cost nearly as much as the speakers :)) The control panel also allows you to adjust the surround delay, which I find very useful it makes the rear speakers more apparent when listening to music if you have a large delay, though when watching tv it is intolerable as any delay in speech can be. I've read of interference with windows media centre computers, I can only put this down to the hardware that such PC uses. My laptop for example has a built in infra-red sensor which to my suprise I discovered while using an infr-red keyboard on another computer. The remote does not interfere at all, which suggests that its hardware related. If you are unlucky enough to have such interference then perhaps you could look into disabling the infrared device in the device manager or else simply adjust the volume by hand. Something to note also, you may expect the speakers to have phono plugs, but with this system you simply get two wires (colour coded) the ends of these wires are exposed contacts twisted with a factory finish. These contacts slide into the speakers and subwoofer (also colour coded)and are locked in place by a spring loaded system. Which also means, you can buy standard speaker wire from your local hardware store, in order to extend the reach of the speakers, no room is too big if you purchase extra wire which is mostly quite cheap. In conclusion this system is of the best quality I have thus far observed in PC speakers, my only complain perhaps is that the remote is infrared and with my layout the control panel is often out of sight, a bluetooth remote would be much preferred but even the most expensive TV's don't have such remotes. I think as a solution I should simply stop being lazy and adjust the volume myself.

I've had the Logitech Z560 ( 4.1 Analogue) system for years which for the price is simply amazing, so I decided to try out the the Z5500, mainly for its digital surround and the larger sub. The Z5500 satellites use the same drivers as the Z560 but they differ in that the reflex ports open at the back not the front. Having them wall mounted, I was not happy with the sound at all, no stereo imagery and poor sound in general. I replaced the front L and R pods with two of the old Z560 ones which improved things a bit. I also replaced the long 18 AWG wires with some fancy shorter 16 Gauge wire since I had some sitting around. I general I'd say my set up now is quite sensitive to signal quality but the Digital pro-logic is very good. It's perfectly good enough quality for gaming / movies and TV. I have the Z5500 set up in a small room ( my 2nd bedroom used as an office/ games room ) so need to keep the Sub. well turned down or it drowns out the rest. I have a B&W set up downstairs and the Z5500 is not as good in terms of sound quality, ( I actually thought it might be ) My B&W sub is a similar size for example but sounds so much better , MUCH MUCH DEEPER ! In terms of sound 'Quantity' I can't see any one having any complaints. The surround processing is also very convincing and sounds zip around the room with DTS games ( GT 5 ) and Avatar Bluray. Despite the large size of the sub, this system is still in fact better suited to a desk mount set up , I have the fronts either side of my 42" Plasma on the wall and I just think they used to sound better when they could be precisely positioned on the desk, nearer to the listener. It's a great sounding system considering and the whole lot costs about half the price of a decent set of HIFI speakers. On the down side there is only one optical input, the satellites loose too much mid range power if wall mounted too far from the listening position. I'm sure this system will /eventually/ get replaced and there will be bargains to be had , however it's still a pretty good system at this price, especially if you intend to put the speakers on your desk. 7/1/11 I have put the original speakers back at I decided the old z560 sounded a bit boxy. It all seems to have bedded in a bit now and the sound is superb ! Just a shame the price 20% hike !

Logitech - Z-5500 5.1 Speaker System Mixed feelings really : when it worked, the sound was great for the price and it was very versatile in terms of connectivity options. The great weakness seems to be the controller, which worked without problem for about 6 months, then started to malfunction (it would turn itself off, or it would suddenly start recognising and only outputting to headphones that weren't actually there). The on/off button in the centre of the controller seemed a particularly weak link. Mostly, a complete power down and unplug from the mains would sort it out, but that can be qute distracting in the middle of a movie, or whilst battling some monster on your XBox. Finally after about a year the controller has packed up altogether. It's then that the fun really begins. You find the guarantee no longer covers you, that Logitech don't have the controller units available as spares and that you are faced with junking the speakers and enormous subwoofer. This is very disappointing.