Logitech Z-5500 THX-Certified 5.1 Digital Surround Sound Speaker System
by Logitech
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Our Price: $962.00 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $260.00 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Z-5500 THX-Certified 5.1 Digital Surround Sound Speaker System
Customer Review: Still the Best Gaming Speaker
Summary: 5 Stars
There's no need for another positive review for this product so I won't repeat all those good things. I'd like to point out though is how to reading reviews on Amazon especially computer related products and a little help for those who can't make the final decision to purchase this product.
First, Amazon has world largest customer population and because of that, the review on certain items in certain area maybe skewed due to the review exposed to all kinds of audience. Sometimes those reviews make less accuracy and create confusion.
My point is the overall rating of 8800GTX based on customer reviews on newegg can be more accurate than Amazon since it is very likely a 36 single mom shops at Amazon buying 8800GTX and left a negative review because of the merchant's return policy and it's very unlikely a similar costumer would shop at specialized store such as newegg.
For instance, you can easily find negative review for Z-5500 stating that the warranty is void because the reviewer disassembled certain part and because that this product is 1 star. I guess everybody is entitled to have the opinion but those kind reviews won't really help people to make an intellectual decision toward this product. Button line, you have to be very careful what you're reading. Dissembling a Prius and failing put it back together has nothing to do with the performance, reliability, quality or value of that car.
The second thing I'd like to add for those who just about to buy Z-5500 but can't make final decision.
If you're one of those, I believe one major reason is Logitech recently released G51 Surround Sound Speaker System for gamers. Z-5500 is old enough to have either a refresh or a predecessor. So the timeline Logitech choose to release G51 did create confusion. Most costumers especially in gaming community, the last thing they want to do is spending money on previous generation technology. When G51 released, it worries me because I was about to make my purchase. After exchanging messages over Logitech forum with their employee, there's the fact.
1. G51 is NOT next generate nor the successor of Z-5500. It is simply just a new product targeting lower budget gamers.
2. Logitech confirms that Z-5500 has more power/better performance than G51
(you can go to Logitech forum and search G51 vs. Z-5500 to find the original transcript)
I end up purchase Z-5500 and I'm not going to write additional 3 paragraphs to tell you how amazing it is but if you're worry about G51, just go ahead buy Z-5500. Trust me.
Customer Review: Unbeatable price and quality. Easy to setup.
Summary: 5 Stars
I am all about sound quality. Whether it's the TV, iPod, or Computer. In the past, I have only used 2.1 speakers as I never had a computer that supported 5.1 or 7.1. Last fall I bought a new multimedia computer but have yet to give it much multimedia use -- until now!
My older speakers were starting to lose quality and receiving too much interference from my blackberry. When shopping, I considered the 2.1 THX Logitech speakers and similar Bose speakers. I decided for the Amazon price compared to store price, these were going to be my best value for the quality. I mean if you are going to spend $200 for 2.1 speakers why not drop the extra $100 for 5.1?
My experience so far has been great. I ordered these speakers early on a Friday morning. I was completely shocked when the FedEx truck pulled up on Saturday afternoon with the delivery! Amazing Amazon! The boxed arrived and it was quite heavy and large. The FedEx guy was annoyed he had to walk to the back door. The woofer is huge and amounted for all the weight and size. (Be sure to read the instructions on placement.) The 5 speakers are light weight and average computer side. Everything was easy to setup. Although I did make an error by plugging the L&R front speakers into the 7.1 L&R side speaker computer port. Once I had my speakers placed, everything works great.
Understand that all speakers are hard wired. They are not wireless. That was my first impression looking at the picture. What you see are the legs. They swivel around so you can put the speakers on a flat top or mount them to a wall. Logitech provide plenty of high quality cable, too. And if you are new to the 5.1 or 7.1 world, you need a sound card that will support these speakers. By that, I mean you need more than a single speaker port on standard computers. While you can still use that connection using a male to male stereo jack in the Aux port, you will not get true surround sound. 5.1 speakers will have three ports (front center, L&R front, L&R rear) while 7.1 will have four ports (the same three as 5.1 with an additional L&R side). Be sure you have the right sound card before buying these speakers. Your computer should also have driver/software for the speaker (different than the windows mixer). My computer uses Realtec HD Audio Manager. Use your program to setup corrections (volume changes and distance).
I highly recommend these speakers. However, they are so good that I am just now realizing the major difference between 96 and 256 bit rates for MP3s!
Customer Review: Very nice and recommended
Summary: 5 Stars
My sound room used to be the whole house, complete with a high vaulted ceiling and a big, open living space. The Klipsch 4.1 system worked so well for me for about four years that my husband bought me the 5.1 system two years ago, and he got the hand-me-down 4.1s. We're now in a different house, and my music room is only 12' x 15'. Although I could crank it and shake the room, the system was missing something. I kept cranking it up, but it didn't quite get it like it did before. I thought that the small size of this room had a lot to do with why the music sounded like it was missing something.
I visited a friend who knows how much I appreciate quality sound, and his Soundblaster Live! card (same as mine at the time) and lesser Klipsch speaker system sounded far better than mine, which bothered me because I missed the big, spacious sound. He kept suggesting that I upgrade to the Soundblaster X-Fi card, which I eventually did. However, in the meantime, the Klipsch 5.1 speakers died (probably the subwoofer - wasn't a fuse). Although the Klipsch 4.1s are still working well, albeit with a short in the volume control, after having the 5.1s die and reading several reviews from people whose 5.1s did the same thing, I didn't want to go with Klipsch again. I'm loyal to a brand, but only until the quality starts to deteriorate.
I went with the Logitech 5500s, because I want to hear crisp sound above a healthy bass that doesn't overpower the highs. I want the full, spacious midrange too. There's far more sound than I hoped for. I really did take a chance, and until I heard them I was afraid the Klipsch 4.1 hand-me-downs I gave to my husband would sound better than the Logitech 5500s system. Luckily, these kick butt, and I don't at all regret the purchase or paying the price for what I got. Phew!
The highs are crisp and full and not at all harsh or shrill. The bass is capable of wall-pounding, but at a lower volume supports the music quite well. The control tower, which is about the size of the satellite speakers, is convenient and has several functions to affect the sound of the music without opening software. If you have a 5.1 speaker system, set the Effect to "6 Ch Direct." We got all the software settings right but didn't have sound until I played with the Effect choice on the control module.
Highly recommended are the Logitechs with the Soundblaster X-Fi MusicXtreme sound card. Awesome.
Customer Review: Sweet , Sweet , Sweet. Some minor issues though.
Summary: 5 Stars
I was very sketchy about buying this system. i thought wow, 400.00. i could buy a better system for that price. But i did some research and found it for 280. i took the deal. And man , this sound system kicks. I put it in my basement which is a pretty big area. I am here to say it gets the job done. i have it hooked up to my HD DVD Player, my HD Cable Box, and my Xbox 360. Now this is one problem. The dvd,cable box, and xbox 360 require Optical cables to run surround sound. So when i have to unplug my optical cable and plug it into what ever unit i want to use. There are switchers out on the market i understand where you can just buy 4 optical cables which could be exspensive and just push a switch to what ever optical cable you want to use. Id suggest that.
Bass is good if you are close up to it. I think it is a little underpowered for my basement. THe bass would be really good in a smaller room. BUt dont get my wrong it is stilll really nice for a big room. But i had to turn down the center speaker to about 25% or lower soo i can hear the other speakers and the bass.. This is no problem to do. STill sounds amazing. This system is loud. Dont let the 505RMS fool you. Its really loud.
The control panel is really easy to use. Pretty big. but looks cool. Also the woofer is HUGE. IT gets down pretty low too.
I watched tokyo drift the other night and the first street race with the viper and that muscle car where crashig into each other. Parts were flying everywhere and i heard a whooosh sound on teh side of me. IT was parts flying by. IT sounded soo real. IM telling you, Dont pay 500 or more on a system. Computer speakers are the same quailty. Logitech rocks. I also have the z-2300 and ill tell you. those are just as nice too. Logitech hasn't let me down yet and im sure they wont let you down. I really liked how you can adjust each speaker volume. Cool feature. LIke i said before if you want more bass just turn down the center speaker because its really loud and will drown out the bass if you are in a big room. Also in regular tv you can set it to the Prologitech movie mode and will get surround sound on regular tv. Another great feature. But i hav Digital cable so im not sure if that matters. i could go on and on abou this system but i think you guys get the point.
Customer Review: Simply Stunning
Summary: 5 Stars
I was able to finally get this system this year. The install took about 30 minutes. Living in a dorm room, I mounted the satellites to the ceiling using 4 large 3M Command Strips/speaker (as we are not allowed to drill holes in the walls/ceiling).
I connected the system via the optical connection to my computer, and I used one of the 3 analog inputs for the feed from my laptop's docking station.
Just in stereo, this makes music sound amazing. The Dolby Digital Pro Logic II encoding capabilities that this system utilizes is flawless. It is simply awesome listening to stereo music and movies in surround sound.
It took a little bit of trial and error, but I was finally able to configure my computer's sound card to allow the DTS and Dolby 5.1 audio signals to be passed through to the speaker system.
The DTS and Dolby Digital decoding is also amazing. I work as a projectionist at a movie theater. The DTS and the Dolby Digital sound from movies that I own sounds exactly what I would expect from the theatre.
Hooking up a game console (play station 2) or playing a computer game is also fun. With surround sound (be it Dolby Digital, DTS or Pro Logic), it adds a whole new level of feeling like you are in the game.
Overall, I am highly impressed with this system. If I would have to choose one drawback, it is the satellite speaker joint design. Since the speakers only swivel one way, it can create a problem if you need them to face the other direction.
I found that the system by itself is easy to set-up. However, configuring the other devices (i.e. computers/game consoles) to work properly may be troublesome if you don't know what to do.
Being in a dorm setting, I typically have to keep the bass down so that my whole floor isn't feeling the vibrations from my sound system. Others may run into this situation when living in situations similiar to dorm life (apartments). However, the sound is still awe-inspiring with the bass down.
In forums that I have seen across the internet, people have commented that the speaker system uses RCA plugs for the speaker connections. Logitech must have re-designed this, as my speakers connect to the sub via standard speaker connections.
I did purchase monster cables to connect the center and satellites to the subwoofer.