Logitech Z5500 Digital PC Multimedia Home Theatre Speaker System - 505 Watt (Total)

Before I say anything, I'd just like to note that through amazon these speakers had a frustratingly long process time (estimated at 1-2 months, but were dispatched just after 2 weeks) but I chose to go with amazon and not ebay or other seller as I wanted full confidence when spending this kind of cash. Well, my Z-5500's arrived friday morning 7AM sharp via citylink less than 15 hours after they were dispatched, and I've spent all weekend setting up my new room now that they arrived. I have my new HDTV cinema setup and ikea lounge chair with my 5.1 system perfectly configurated to my seating position. All wired up digitally to my PC and PS3. With the frankly gigantic subwoofer hidden tidily behind my HDTV far enough away to not cause any damage to nearby electricals (even at 1/3 bass output my neighbour thought I was having a party..) I have to say I am somewhat surprised how simple the z-5500 was to setup out of the box. I've watched so many video reviews and unboxing videos that I literally knew the system inside and out when I finally had it in my hands. But its all so well designed that it doesnt have the usual 'brain-storming fiddly setup' that high range systems of any media usually require. The clarity, given the right input, is staggering. Dolby really is given so much to work with in this system. All the channels, especially in games on the PS3, are perfectly balanced in Dolby Pro Logic II Movie Mode. The 96khz audio input is also a great bonus as the audio is quite clearly non-compressed and given the right acoustics sounds almost as if it's not coming out of speakers in the first place. I would note that the control pod is alot larger than the photo's seem. It is bigger in height than the satellite speakers, and I can't help but feel that it could have been smaller. When it is essentially a volume/input selector and connection pod. But you have to remember these speakers are reaching their 5th year in production now so a modern version would probably solve this. However it is quite clear that logitech do not need to update this system. Afterall what could they improve? The 500watt system has more power than any house can even handle. It has all the studio-quality inputs and outputs any audiophile could want, and it looks incredibly slick in a modern living room. Most importantly its hard to imagine this system sounding any better. Just watch the dark knight on blu-ray with this system setup via dolby digital and you'll realise just how much of a bargain this system is. So glad I decided to get them over the G51 fake-surround speakers. More than worth the price jump =)

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.

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 ^^

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!

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.

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