Logitech Z-5500 5.1 Speaker System

Still great after almost 3 yrs of use.

Strengths: Deep, powerful bass and clear mids and highs.

Weakness: The version I got has the cable hard-wired to the back of the satellites but that's not the case w/ the newer version.

I got this set on Nov. 6, 04 so it makes it almost 3 yrs old and so far I have not had any type of issues with it (not a one) even though I use it almost everyday for music and gaming. In fact, I can say that *to my ears* they sound even better now than when I first got them and that could be because they're well broken in by now. In the 3 yrs I've had them, I've never gone beyond 3/4 of the...
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I got this set on Nov. 6, 04 so it makes it almost 3 yrs old and so far I have not had any type of issues with it (not a one) even though I use it almost everyday for music and gaming. In fact, I can say that *to my ears* they sound even better now than when I first got them and that could be because they're well broken in by now.

In the 3 yrs I've had them, I've never gone beyond 3/4 of the volume because at that level, the sound is already WAY too loud. I usually set it to 1/3 to 1/2 volume when using it.

The bass is STILL wall rattling and earth shaking, esp when playing games or bass heavy music and the highs are still very clear. I don't really use this system for movies as I have a separate HT setup in my living room for that. I use this strictly for PC only.

Bottom line: I LOVE these speakers and if anything should happen to them, I would not hesitate to purchase another one just like it.

By pagasa - Aug 21, 2007

after alot of use i have come to...

Strengths: great low/mid/high quality.

Weakness: none to speak of

after alot of use i have come to much preffer these over my old Z-680 set. There is alot of changes (it is not just the woofer like some people claim... check the site) the mid range is alot clearer and the woofer is no longer "boomy" but can still output thunderous shakes that rock my mirror on the wall. the woofer along with its increase in size has gained alot of clarity in its bass frequency...
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after alot of use i have come to much preffer these over my old Z-680 set.

There is alot of changes (it is not just the woofer like some people claim... check the site) the mid range is alot clearer and the woofer is no longer "boomy" but can still output thunderous shakes that rock my mirror on the wall. the woofer along with its increase in size has gained alot of clarity in its bass frequency output aswell, alot more defined i would say :)

The added support of DTS 24/96 means i can play games/dvds that support it which is nice, and yes there quite a few poping up although i have only 3 titles so far

speaker wire is just composite cable from your local radio shack, so cheap and easy to extend... and if you like voiding your warrenty the wire is very easy to completely replace.

just like the 680's however you can notice a small amount of extra clarity if you remove the grills... however i would only do this if you have them wall mounted and have no issues with things being thrown around :)

connectivity is just as simple and easy, 3 stero minijack inputs for direct 6 channel sound, or you can switch to 3x2 stereo inputs if you preffer. the set does not come with any digital cabling, however Coax digital cable is just composite cable... cheap and easy to hook up. and of course you have the option of optical

the SPL on these are rated at >115db and using my own SPL rating tools i have a reading of 108db and thats not at max volume... to put it simply, these speakers do output some grunt in great quality... they are by no means the best speakers you can get for your home theater/pc but for there price range... they certaintly are :)

By dmwhitedragon - Dec 12, 2004

The first thing I noticed when I...

Strengths: Incredible sound, great sound output options, window-rattling bass, excellent control console.

Weakness: Speakers are connected to wire--some may find it preferable to attach speakers to their own speaker wire.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was that the subwoofer was much larger than I would have expected. It is easily as large as the subwoofers found on premium home theater setups. Looking at the subwoofer, satellites, and console, it was clear that this was as serious as a computer speaker setup gets. It was not going to disappoint, either. I logged onto Napster, and the first song I...
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The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was that the subwoofer was much larger than I would have expected. It is easily as large as the subwoofers found on premium home theater setups. Looking at the subwoofer, satellites, and console, it was clear that this was as serious as a computer speaker setup gets. It was not going to disappoint, either.

I logged onto Napster, and the first song I played was "In the Club" by Blur. I am not a huge Blur fan, but heard the song recently and recalled it had quite a bit of bass. At the volume around 40%, and the subwoofer at 30%, the whole place was shaking. Shaking, but the sound was impeccable.

Next, I threw in Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon," switched the speaker output to Dolby ProII Music, and was then treated to a real show. It really seemed like I was at a PF concert. The vocals were coming from the front speakers and the sound effects were swirling throughout the room. No musical detail was hidden. Every sound was distinct, sharp and clear. I have never heard music sound better than this.

This speaker system does not come cheap, but I will tell you it is worth every penny. Listening to music through it is bliss. If you are looking for a new set of speakers, and these cost as much as $150 more than you would be ordinarily willing to pay, make the investment. You'll be happy that you did.

By cbrooker - Nov 10, 2004

Price grabber is a very nice site...

Strengths: Okay These things are insane the base in them is just crystal clear among with everything else the surround sounds just awsome, i can't recomend these things enough to anyone a definite buy.

Weakness: I Cant seem to find any weekness everything about these speakers are awsome bout the only weekness would be that they don't have removable speaker wire.

Price grabber is a very nice site i use it all the time for finding the best prices on everything the nicest part about them is that they automatically caculate the shipping for you on all the products your searchging for

By sampson2269 - Jan 31, 2005

WOW!!

Strengths: 10 years ago this sound quality would have cost you at least $1200

Weakness: Wall Mounting. Its goofy... The main controller is the size of a brick.

These things sound great!! The box it comes in is the size of a large dorm room refrigerator. (~60 lbs) I believe I read that the wires are permanently fixed to each speaker. This is not the case. However you get about 12 to 15 feet of wire per speaker, so you may want to buy a spool of 100 feet of 16 / 18 gauge at Radio Shack or someplace before you begin. The controller is very large and sort...
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These things sound great!!

The box it comes in is the size of a large dorm room refrigerator. (~60 lbs)

I believe I read that the wires are permanently fixed to each speaker. This is not the case. However you get about 12 to 15 feet of wire per speaker, so you may want to buy a spool of 100 feet of 16 / 18 gauge at Radio Shack or someplace before you begin.

The controller is very large and sort of clumsy. It comes with a ~6 foot “pig tail” that hooks to the subwoofer, so plan on having the subwoofer near the controller. Plus you must connect the 3 way mini-jack speaker wire to it and to the computer, however an extension should work if it needs to be farther away.

The last big problem I had was with the wall mounting. If you plan on setting these on a flat surface, your in great shape.

I mounted the rear speakers on the wall, and they twist/pivot on an “equatorial” type mount that is really sort of strange. Someone in another review here mentioned, you’ll understand it when you see it and play with it. Basically if you want to mount it on the wall (without a mounting board), then I suggest you have a professional mount it (and not pay him until its done), or you have a house with the wall studs running horizontal and not vertical (not really likely). Its hard to explain in words what the problem is, but the base of each speaker is in a Y shape with the drill holes at the top two ends of the Y. Therefore you must turn the base (Y) sideways to mount it and hit the stud behind the drywall/sheetrock.

When you turn it sideways, you can’t pivot the speakers in a desirable direction. Like the other review said, you’ll see what I mean when you get them and try it.

As far as the speaker system itself, I had the volume up only 50% in my basement and I could hear the base thumping on the street outside the house. If you need louder speakers you are either deaf, or dead.

By wblackledg - Jan 11, 2006