I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on the best 5.1 surround systems for a PC at the moment? I'd like to use it with my Xbox too... (which connects via hdmi to my dell 2709w at the moment). I also quite fancy some wireless rears, tho not necessarily essential... Cost not an issue (within reason!) Thanks UPDATE: I have decided to scrap wireless ideas... now need info on whether separates or all in one solution is best
i've been eyeing this Logitech X-540 up, pretty cheap for a 5.1. the best 5.1 PC speaker i've been told is Logitech Z-5500
Logitech do a version of the Z-5500s with wireless rears, cant remember what its called. Both they and the Z-5500s have digital coaxial and optical in, and are probably the best the pc world has to offer before venturing into the magical world of hifi AV
I can find the 5450 which is wireless, but that seems to be a version of the 5400... Has anyone got experience of wireless rears? Worthwhile?!
I have a pair of 3 year old Z-5450 and they are a blast They are really good for my 7.5 by 3.5 meter room Although they have now been replaced by a Yamaha 596, 2x JBL LX40 and a CV LW-12X .. And yes, that makes it a TAD better
I'm more of an audiophile and, from that perspective, I would suggest avoiding wireless rears for now. The tech just isn't up to scratch and won't come close, in quality, to wired ones...but I appreciate that convenience may be a factor.
According to a number of reviews, the wireless speakers work fairly well, and without interference from local wireless networks, however as a few reviews suggested, the wireless speakers infact interfere with wireless networks with folks noticing a substantial drop in connection speed over wireless. The Z5500's are a good bit of kit however, got a pair of these and the 5400's myself
So, I've decided to scrap the idea of wireless now... I'm torn between getting Z5500's or getting an AV receiver (with HDMI passthrough for my xbox), and then some surround speakers separately. I estimate that the separate solution will cost me an extra ~£150 on top of the Z5500's... is it worth it? Or should I just get the Z5500's!??!
5500s are very loud, and give pretty good sound. If you like really good sound, you'll notice the 5500s harsh treble, boomy bass and verry little in the way of mids. (most people dont notice it though). AV reciever and seperates are mre expensive, but can sound amazing... go to your nearest Richer Sounds and have a listen - thats the best way to choose
This is the thing - i'm not convinced that i'd notice the difference! I would like to listen to some 5500's... my old housemate had an older model and they seemed good... I currently have some 'cheap' creatives that are around 8 years old, they do the job and I don't hate them, I just want to get some digital inputs for my xbox etc... Edit: I guess something like this: http://www.richersounds.com/product/1-box-home-cinema-systems/onkyo/hts3305/onky-hts3305-blk# is the alternative?
In that case, i'd imagine you'd have no problems with the Z-5500s. Hearing them is the only way to really judge... your not in southampton are you? If there is a Richer Sounds (or any AV shop really - i just know richer sounds are nice and helpful) near you, its probably worth asking to listen to a couple of sets.
I had a set of Z-5500s a while back. Amazing sound quality for the price. Unfortunately, I went through 2 replacements over a year or so before demanding a refund. Initially, fuses just blew for no reason, but easy enough to replace. Then the actual control pod ended up locking up for each unit. Failed to recognise inputs and did various other crazy things, forcing me to get in touch with Logitech support. I hope they have fixed these issues for others now - really a brilliant set, marred by what I imagine were mostly firmware issues...
Mine have been running fine for the three years i've had them. They've had a few parties too. I did have the fuse blow the second time i ever turned them on, but put a slightly bigger fuse in there (5A i think) and no problems since.
