best 5.1 channel speakers???

hi guys, i want to buy a 5.1 channel speakers with sub woofer. i dont have a sound card. pls tell me which one is the best with highest rms....
budget is around 10k. i know only logitech z5300 fits intothis catagory. but that was way long ago.
now which is the best pls tell me with comparison.....

P

Still z5300 is the leader.

Go for it..

Hey if u can stretch the budget u can get Logitech Z5500 which is THE BEST 5.1 in any catagory.

P

Hai, you may check up ALtekLAnsing FX 5051 (Internationally best in 5.1speaker system), which may cost around Rs 11,500. Go through "www.Alteklansing.com" for more details.

check logitech.

P

Anyone, whats the latest price for logitech Z-5500

Hi, I got them for around 22K in May. BTW you need a good sound card as well for such Hi quality speakers. Go for X-Fi range sound cards for them if you are going for them else go for Z5300 which is its smaller sibling.

mayneu said:
hi guys, i want to buy a 5.1 channel speakers with sub woofer. i dont have a sound card. pls tell me which one is the best with highest rms....
budget is around 10k. i know only logitech z5300 fits intothis catagory. but that was way long ago.
now which is the best pls tell me with comparison.....

What is the model number of your motherboard. Does it support 5.1 speaker setup?

Check Creative Inspire T6060. It's price is around 4k and is good.

Get Audigy based soundcard and the total price will be inside 10k.

you can also try X-Fi Xtreme sound card. I think this costs somewhere around 7-8k.

P

nightcrawler said:
Hi, I got them for around 22K in May. BTW you need a good sound card as well for such Hi quality speakers. Go for X-Fi range sound cards for them if you are going for them else go for Z5300 which is its smaller sibling.

Thanks for your reply

i went to a dealer here in Chandigarh and he said that Z5300 are no more available and Z5500 for 24K. I researched more and decided to go for Z5300, any idea what they are going to cost me.

Thanks again

sam9s said:
Another vote for ALTECH LANSING....all the way...just give it a try you will forget everything.......

...unless you have been listening on Z5500 :mrgreen:

P

If we compare ALtekLAnsing FX 5051 with Logitech Z - 5300, Which one is better?

ALtekLAnsing FX 5051 has only 90w rms

S

there is no point buying a 10k + 5.1 speaker if you dont have a proper sound card like the x-fi or audigy... cause ull not get proper 5.1 output in anything...
and as for the speakers.. go for the z5300's with ur eyes closed man these speakers rockss..a$$ ...

Z5300 ... AL speakers don't come close to this one .. Z5500 if u wanna blow someone's house

... But with a 5.1 speaker setup , a good sound card is highly recommended ..

P

Thanks a lot for your support guys,

I contacted two dealers here and they both confirmed that Z - 5300 is not available any more. Only Z 5500 is available for approx 20 K. I am planning to go for this. However, can some one tell me what should i be paying for soundcard like X -FI or Audigy.

Also, i have on board 5.1 audio, will that not help?

... sad to hear that ...

Am currently using a T6060 with an Audigy 4 ZS .. for starters i'd suggest u get a XFi Xtreme Music , and the T6060 till the prices of the 5.1 speakers drop , or till the Z5300 is available ...

And about onboard audio .. it always comes down to the cpu finally .. so u'll have to stay away from "quality" audio

... and by "Quality" audio , i mean using KX (which is not available for the XFi's sadly

)

.... me happy with my sound card

.. EAX5 can wait !!!!

P

Thanks again,

I have decided that i will wait and go for Z5500. First i will try it with onboard audio and will purchase audio card later.

H

I am using z5500 for more than a year . WOW is the only word for these. Brought mine around 13 k from US. Make sure that you use good tuning for these and first start with zero bass from subwoofer and then gradually increase it to your test. For the very first time they will sound boomy but with little twiking with eqilizers (max 10 - 15 mins ) they are the best..

B

I have an old(7year) mercury 2.1 speaker now and it works.......
What would you do if you are in my place now?

bigdaddy486 said:
I have an old(7year) mercury 2.1 speaker now and it works.......
What would you do if you are in my place now?

Dump the shitty speakers and get myself a REAL speaker set. No offense meant but I hate that brand.

I don't know where this thread has reached, but if you are planning on the Z5500, DO NOT plug them into onboard sound. Intel HD audio is horrible! Not that the Audigy 2 was good, but when that got busted, I stepped down to onboard audio. Horrible. Currently getting an Auzentech X-plosion soundcard.... till then I will not watch movies...

goobimama said:
I don't know where this thread has reached, but if you are planning on the Z5500, DO NOT plug them into onboard sound. Intel HD audio is horrible! Not that the Audigy 2 was good, but when that got busted, I stepped down to onboard audio. Horrible. Currently getting an Auzentech X-plosion soundcard.... till then I will not watch movies...

Totally Agree. If you have decided to go for Z5500 you need to extend your budget by atleast 10k More for a good sound card.

In any case, if you are going to use SPDIF for DD/DTS then the processor on the soundcard doesn't even matter. So even an Audigy 2/4 should be fine.

goobimama said:
In any case, if you are going to use SPDIF for DD/DTS then the processor on the soundcard doesn't even matter. So even an Audigy 2/4 should be fine.

I am sorry, I didn't get you on that one. Why would a dsp on sound card not matter for DD/DTS using SPDIF ? Shouldn't it matter if it supporting DTS decoding? Correct me on this one plz.

If you are going to decode the UNTOUCHED DD/DTS signal coming through from the video, to the processor, through the SPDIF on the soundcard, to the Logitech Z5500 Control Center, then where does the DSP come into play? The signal is untouched. And if it does get decoded by the soundcard, then it no longer is digital and has to be sent via the 6-channel analog cables (in which case the soundcard's DSP would matter)

P

goobimama said:
If you are going to decode the UNTOUCHED DD/DTS signal coming through from the video, to the processor, through the SPDIF on the soundcard, to the Logitech Z5500 Control Center, then where does the DSP come into play? The signal is untouched. And if it does get decoded by the soundcard, then it no longer is digital and has to be sent via the 6-channel analog cables (in which case the soundcard's DSP would matter)

^ I agree, and i read some where that Logitech's preamp (decoder) is very gud.

Yep. It's decoder kicks the Audigy 2's azz any day! Especially when you put through a 1.5Mbps DTS track from an HD DVDrip source...

P

Another question for you regarding this:

Which soundcard supports SPDIF out?

@goobimama
how bout conecting Z5500 to the optical out if there is an onboard optical out?
The decoding is done in Speaker decoder or system?

SPDIF is either through COAX or Optical. Both are digital formats. So if your decoder is showing "Dolby Digital" or "Dts Digital", then it is being decoded by the control center and not the computer. If not, then you will see either stereox2 or ProLogic II or some other effect.

Most midrange+ soundcards support SPDIF. The low end do not support SPDIF like the Creative SB Live! series. Audigy 2 onwards are SPDIF enabled (Coaxial though, not optical).

Hmm... I find using the logitech's decoder to be far better than the soundcard or the Cyberlink's software decoder. Much better channel separation, SNR, and LFEs..

sam9s said:
Software decoaders do nothing except add effects or mutate sound. Actuall decoading is done by the sound cards, and a dedicated high end sound card would always perform better (sounds logical as well coz its a dedicated piece of hardware designed to do what its suppose to do). Pick any high end spk setup, it would always have dedicated piece of hardware for their jobs. A DVD/HD player (or a computer) just to play the DVDs/HDs + A preamp (amplify/modify and decode, though it does a lot more than that) + spks (to give the out put). All three should be good at their respective jobs to give the perfect ballance of quality and quantity.

Finally Happy that my X-Fi Pro is of some use...goobi had be believe for a while that my sound card was just passing the signals to my speaker which were then decoding them.

I didn't have you believe anything. I said if you are using SPDIF. If you are using the soundcard decoder, then it's your soundcard that's doing the job.

Btw, if you have 6 channel selected in PowerDVD for audio output, then it's powerDVD doing the decoding and not your soundcard....better change that to the soundcard...

goobimama said:
I didn't have you believe anything. I said if you are using SPDIF. If you are using the soundcard decoder, then it's your soundcard that's doing the job.

Btw, if you have 6 channel selected in PowerDVD for audio output, then it's powerDVD doing the decoding and not your soundcard....better change that to the soundcard...

I quoted that wrongly..I should have said what you said got me confused and then I started thinking that My card is not getting used

Anyways thanks for the suggestion will check it in PowerDVD options.

Btw, while you are using your card, you are sure as hell not using that deadly decoder on the logitech! And I can tell you it's better than the X-Fi at decoding DD/DTS signals. Much cleaner sound. The control center is big for a reason...

Hey I will try it. But how can a speaker's decoding be better than that of a dedicated sound card ? if it is then my x-fi is really of no use...at least for DD/DTS decoding

Well you would always want your sound to be transmitted digitally, that is, with no signal loss till the very end. Now if you decode it at the soundcard level, then you transmit the audio from soundcard to logitech decoder, to the speakers. That is the sound is analog from the soundcard. But if you go through with the decoder, you are cutting off that one extra step for signal loss. Till the decoder there will be no signal loss. Only from decoder to speakers will it be analog. It is called the Z5500-D isn't it!

Also there's less cables, just one going from the soundcard to the decoder, so it becomes cleaner.

And for the last, this might be subjective, I'm no expert, but I found that the decoder gives a better channel separation, and cleaner output than the Creative decoder. Both are THX certified though so you can't really say.

Your X-Fi is not useless. For gaming, you will need the 6channel direct. It also improves the sound output of Mp3s and other audio files which are not transmitted by the SPDIF.

SPDIF can only transmit 5.1 compressed audio in the form of a DD or DTS signal. Otherwise, for PCM, it is restricted to 2.0. So which one is it? Cause if it is decoded by the soundcard, then it CANNOT be transmitted over SPDIF in it's full 6 channels. It can only be transmitted via the analog cables (6 channel analog) in which case there is signal loss, the amount which is determined by the interconnects on the soundcard and the quality of the cables. In case of SPDIF, there is NO SIGNAL LOSS up until it is decoded.

The extra step is, when the audio is decoded in the soundcard, it is passed through analog to the logitech receiver, and then to the sub and then to the speakers. But if there is SPDIF, then it goes digitally to the receiver, from thereon to the sub to satellites.

I'm sure this extra step is not necessary in case of regular 5.1 channel speakers, where they only have 6 channel analog, but when an external decoder is involved (and cannot be bypassed in case of logitechz5500), this step becomes necessary...

U

sorry to be off topic here but i have a sony dav dz 100 home theater. It has 5.1 output though 2 channel input! I want to connect it to my pc. But my pc too has 2 channel output! So is it possible to get a soundcard and use the speakers directly with the card i.e. can they be connected directly?

D

Just listened to 300(The Movie) on my z5500 and let me tell u the 1.5 mbps DTS track is one of the best things I have heard on these speakers.That too on an analog connection!!

^^ You got to try the Digital connection then! The 300 track is awesome! One movie which sets a benchmark for audio. I'm waiting for the Transformers track though...supposed to be pretty darn good.

@upendra_gp: If your speakers can decode DD/DTS, then yes, you can get a soundcard, use the COAX or Optical whichever is acceptable by your system.

Actually technically speaking it all depends upon DAC

When we are connecting optical/coax out from soundcard to optical/coax in of Logitech z-5500d decoder then Logitech decoder would do digital to analog conversion i.e. logitech decoders DAC would be used.

Else when we connect sound card & Logitech by analog way then soundcards DAC would come into play.

But I bet the DAC on even audigy(think of xi-fi or m-audio) soundcards is definitely better than the DAC on the Logitech decoder. Unless we have a high end digital receiver there is no point in using the digital connection.

P

Off topic: Can some one confirm if Logitech Z 5300 are still available.

One of my friend is going to Delhi next week and If Z 5300 are available then i will ask him to buy a set for me.

pawsingh said:
Off topic: Can some one confirm if Logitech Z 5300 are still available.

One of my friend is going to Delhi next week and If Z 5300 are available then i will ask him to buy a set for me.

what do u want z 5300 for????? music ,dobly digital 5.1 movies or gaming...

P

vivekbabbudelhi said:
what do u want z 5300 for????? music ,dobly digital 5.1 movies or gaming...

5.1 movies and games.

last time I remember z5300 were available with smc international for 12000rs in june 07

btw. even with a 5.1 speakers we just have 2 ears to listen to them. I have both 5.1 inspire T6060 & Altec lansing MX5021 and what I feel is a quality 2.1 is much better than a mediocre 5.1 for anything.

Anyways which soundcard do u plan to use with z5300.

Yeah, you'd be amazed at nature's engineering skills that even with two ears we can pretty much do some amazing sound mapping. Those ear canals do come in handy don't they!

For Movies, the 2.1 experience doesn't even come close to 5.1. I'd say go for the Z5300. They are not mediocre, much better than those Creative inspire series. 250Watts RMS can pretty much shake a room down...

^^have u listened to z5300's...

If u can't differentiate between surround sound and traditional 2.1 then its not the speakers fault .. ur ears are the problem , or most importantly u didn't setup ur speakers properly ...

Infact ... if u have a headphone ,,, google for some binaural sound sample's and see how u'll be amazed at what ur headphone's can do , and ur speakers won't reproduce the same effects ...

And about T6060 and MX5021 ... ur comparing a mediocre 5.1 system with a system at the zenith of the 2.1 ... Then again , consider how "loud" u actually listen , and what are the prices .. .. coupled that with the certain features u get only with 5.1 systems , and considering surround sound to be a part of almost everything right now ...

While I haven't listened to the Z5300, I know that the Inspire series are a bunch of bazunga (word invented by me). I also know what the Z stands for. It's the high end speakers by Logitech Z2300, 5300 and 5500. All are THX certified and are amazing performers according to many reviews. The Z5300 has a 8" sub for gods sake. Comparing that to a 23Watt RMS subwoofer of the inspire series and you are in over yourself.

I've listened to the Altec Lansing MX5021. Decent sound, but nowhere near what the Logitech Z5500 can output. And for movies then definitely 5.1. Although I can see where why you think that way, cause i had an Inspire 4.1 and didn't feel any 'surround' effect as such...

I feel surround to be much impressive in games than in movies. maybe the reason is that all DVDs that i get are that crappy 100 bucks one, which has gud video quality but not sure bout sound. Those DVDs has some lil bit of surround but only rarely in movies. Will try if i get ny original DVD.
But in games, ull easily notice the amazing surround effect even if u dun listed to sound keenly. HL2 and some other games has gud surround.

Last point bout 5300.
Z 5300 has paper diaphram, so might get distorted at high volumes and can't match upto the performance of fibre/plastic diaphrams of Z5500.
But Z5300's paper diaphram is the best among other paper based woofers and is of gud quality.

How can one compare T6060 with MX 5021?
MX 5021[90] is a THX one and even if its a 2.1, it has much higher total rms than T6060[73].
But setting the rear speaker are real proble. The cables has to be stretched around the walls to the rear of the room, but T6060's cable are not dat long.

Before getting Z5300, make sure it has gud cable length for rear speakers. If u extend the length the quality is suffered much.

Hmm…..
I have myself listened z5300 on revo 5.1. With just 9-10 tracks I was able to make it out that those speakers don’t have clarity in them in comparison to mx 5021 plus lower mids were hollow ….

If Any speakers doesn’t have clarity in them then they are mediocre.. ..if a person is accustomed to listening just bhuum.. bhuuuum….bhuuuuuumfrom sub….then I’m afraid I cant help. When I have myself compared both mx5021 & z5300 how can I suggest z5300 to anyone?

For a 5.1 I can suggest z5500d if u have budget for it or else start with 2.1 mx5021 then move on to passive spks. & amps. AL MX5021 IS just a starting towards closest original sound at a very decent price.

“More is better” is just a syndrome. I have gone through it. People consider 7.1 better than 5.1 then 4.1 than 2.1 blah blah blah. Then take about rms syndrome, driver size ……oh I’m sick of it

Sony/samsung sell hts of 1000w rms but people fail to realize it just has a horrible eq in it and nothing else, no fidelity at all . Even just well balanced drivers of about RMS of 50W x 2 are more than enough to make u dance.

THX just means a guaranteed equipment quality but it doesn’t means that equipment is well balanced…or would sound like a charm….look at z 2300…. oh horrible…

Anything in pc spks except z5500d,AL mx 5021, klipsh gmx 2.1 are oh..

Btw. Z 5300 has 6.5”sub driver not 8” ….oh sorry it’s a syndrome &T6060 are entry level spk.meant for TV or something like that where u don’t need fidelity , z5300 mediocre….

A

Off topic ,
To get sound off my PC , I am using my Sony 5000W music system which has 4 speakers . Now I want to add 2 more speakers which are just lying around ..

How do i go about adding em to my setup ?

D

Hey I bought the digital optical fibre cable today for 300 bucks and connected it with my z5500.It says NO DIGITAL DATA in the Control Dock of the speakers.I have connected it to onboard sound(asus a8n-e)

I feel your explaination to be vague at times. Who said SPDIF can only transmit 5.1 audio. If its 5.1 DTS SPDIF sends DTS signals other wise its plays 2.0 spread across all channels. Second if the signals are decoaded at the soundcard level who said they canot be transmitted over SPDIF in it's full 6 channels and can only be transfered via analog cables. I use a coaxial cable to transmit full 6 channels over to my altec through SPDIF on my sound card, presumably without any signal loss.
__________________

I'm telling you that you cannot transmit 6 channel PCM audio over SPDIF. Now you may be using the DD ProLogic upmixing and getting 5.1 sound out of that but it's not true 5.1. Only the new HDMI standard can transmit full uncompressed audio over 6 channels.

As for the poster who gets the no digital output, what motherboard are you using? Most probably, even if it has digital output, it won't have Optical output. You need to get a RCA to 1/8" converter and then an RCA COAX cable.

@sam9s

[FONT=&quot]to be precise DAC is most important element of sound card/processing.DAC processes the sound exiting the soundcard into frequencies the human ear can hear and understand. if DAC is not efficient then whole audio goes coming out of soundcard goes crap.

[/FONT]

what really differentiates sound quality is better DAC. M-AUDIO revo sounds better than most XI-FI's primarily because of better DAC's in m-audio.

professionals better use soundcards digital out to a external DAC ...

better google out for more links

*en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital-to-analog_converter

*en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_card

goobimama said:
I'm telling you that you cannot transmit 6 channel PCM audio over SPDIF. Now you may be using the DD ProLogic upmixing and getting 5.1 sound out of that but it's not true 5.1. Only the new HDMI standard can transmit full uncompressed audio over 6 channels.

As for the poster who gets the no digital output, what motherboard are you using? Most probably, even if it has digital output, it won't have Optical output. You need to get a RCA to 1/8" converter and then an RCA COAX cable.

Well After doing a bit of research and enabling dignostic mode over my logitech z5500 control dock. I found out that unless I bypass the decoding signal from speaker to soundcard I get only stereo. And I did a bit of research on that and found that in order to get 5.1 through optical you need to have a card that can upmix the sound to 5.1 in digital optical...currently atleast all creative cards can do this only over analog and not over digital. If you wish to have 5.1 over TOSLINK or COAX you need to buy a card that supports this upmixing. Some cards that do this are
Blue Gears X-Mystique or Turtle Beach Montenegro. So goobimama is perfectly correct in his statement. (Guess I have to bypass the digital signal to z-5500 in order to get 5.1...btw i tried bypassing signal directly to the speaker to decode and x-fi doing the decoding...for dts...there was'nt much of a difference over the quality of the output.)

^ What's so confusing to you? You yourself are decoding your DD/DTS using your Altec. So there will be absolutely no difference using an ultra high end card or a cheapest of the cheap card as long as you are using SPDIF passthrough.

Btw, I'm getting an Auzentech X-Plosion which has realtime DD/DTS upmixing...am really excited about it! 4 days to go!

hey at 4k creative inspire is the best na?i dont have sound card...my config is in my signature.

T

Okey heres my 2 cents on the topic

Z5500 -> close eyes and buy !

I've had this system for over an year and theres not 1 instance where i am dissapointed . Ive been in the sound business for over 5 years and ive come across a gazillion systems .... the Z5500 rocks ! Ive even used it for recording and mastering tracks and its worth the dime and very close to profesional monitors in that range .

i've had it paired up with an Audigy 2ZS platinum pro and after the setup its just beautiful ... it beats (in terms of tonality) even the Home Theater reciever systems worth more than 50k , i own a Sony DAV-DZ750K system which is twice the power of the Z5500 and still i find the Z5500 killing it in terms of tone .

As far as the SPDIF war going on , The control center / reciever on the Z5500 is just great .. and on the creative decoding side the problem is the cables .. get a good set of cables -> monster perfered and the quality improves round 20 - 30% not more .... verdict -> control center rules !

Now that's something I wanted to hear....control center rules! (even I got monster thx cables)

Hey the 3 RCA wires that come with Z5500 are not that bad either...besides their points are gold plated

^^ Well you make one fundamental error there: You haven't heard the Z5500.

T

if u have ears to tune ur setup ... u can make it work better anyday .

(when i got it)

Z5500 + audigy 2ZS platinum pro = 28k + 16k = 44k ...... not so cheap either ...

+ cables (5k)

@gobimama ....... nice to hear people using monster cables . U got any soundproofing over at ur place ?

ps : heres a little info

just dont go by the power ouput of the systems , its the combination of power and proper sound reproduction that the system comes out on top .

thrash_metal said:
i've had it paired up with an Audigy 2ZS platinum pro and after the setup its just beautiful ... it beats (in terms of tonality) even the Home Theater reciever systems worth more than 50k , i own a Sony DAV-DZ750K system which is twice the power of the Z5500 and still i find the Z5500 killing it in terms of tone .

50k....50k...true only if u compare z 5500 with roadside equipment like sony /samsung/panasonic...............

T

^^ yep

sam9s said:
I respect your enthu on 5500, must be good, as I said I havent heard 5500. But you went little too far saying it would even beat a 50 K system. z5500 or any comercial audio system does not even come close or I would say is MILES behind to a professional audiophile setup like DENON or HARMAN KADRON you can get for 50K.(which BTW is the entry level for a decent audio setup from these brands.)

exactly sam...

a jamo+ Marantz PM4001 beats the crap out of any pc speaker for much less than 50k....

Even I agree that Z5500 is not in the class of professional audio systems some of the stereo pro systems start at 50K. And I have heard some at an expo in Mumbai and they were really amazing. Though I must say Z5500 is the best one for PC/XBox/PS2/3 systems.

thrash_metal said:
just dont go by the power ouput of the systems , its the combination of power and proper sound reproduction that the system comes out on top .

true........but still people have rms syndrome .40w power per channel is more than enough.

btw. THD for rms also means a lot...

J

What about Altec lansing 251 speakers
they are available for 3300 Rs.
I think they are the most vfm speakers available

Whatever dude. Don't you think it's a little wrong to judge by which brand makes the speakers? You haven't heard the Z5500, then it ends there. My friend has got a 38 lakh worth home theatre system (Thiel floorstanders, denon amps, CD transports, stuff like that), surely it has impressive sound, but I get the same effect while watching a movie on the Logitech. Surely not the same, but it is somewhere there. Even my other friends say the same and not just to please me.

10% THD. Didn't you just say numbers don't mean everything?

Hmm. I was planning on Klipsch Promedia 2.1 for my Mac (not the GMX, that sucks). But then are a lot of mixed reviews for those speakers and the Promedia Ultra are said to fail very quickly (1 year and then kaput). Still undecided on what to get for the mac (using the internal speakers. Amazing!)

Just watched Transformers with 1.5Mbps DTS track using the Logitech Decoder (SPDIF). Out of this world!

Forgot to mention, I got this Auzentech X-plosion card with DD Live and DTS interative. The sound quality is amazing. Blows the Audigy 2 ZS out of the water. It takes any audio and converts it to 1.5Mbps DTS or 640kbps DD in realtime. Passed on to the Logitech Decoder via Optical TOSLINK cable. MP3s sound full and clear much like a DD/DTS track. It does not however have a decoder onboard so I have to use either a software decoder like Cyberlink, or my personal favourite, Logitech Control Center.

Setup was real easy, and while the software doesn't look as good as Creative's, it's configuration was super easy. I used to take hours to figure out how to get the SPDIF thing working properly....

I really don’t understand what this digital fuss is all about

Digital connection is good:

Until we have to transmit audio over a distance

Until we have a high end receiver….Most good receivers start with 500$ & above

How are we expecting Logitech to pack up every good component in z 5500 when a decent entry level audiophile amp from Marantz retails for somewhat 18-20k

As a matter of fact digital inputs on z 5500 were not even designed to be used with decent pc soundcards. Digital inputs on z 5500 were designed to be used with DVD players, HTS, consoles where quality of DAC over analog is susceptible….

If a person has anything better than audigy like revo, xplosion, prodigy 7.1, xifi then he must use analog connections with z5500 as there is no chance that DAC on z5500 receiver is better ……

Another thing..people around the globe with decent audiophile setups like jamo+NAD+EMU0404 find it really difficult to differentiate between a 320kbps MP3 & a cd track so what is the question of 640kbps over digital and all….

Now coming to so called “loss” over analog .

Until cable wires are small there is no loss of signal that a “consumer equipment can ever discover”

Until u have a decent consumer equipment don’t expect it to pick up interference from PCI bus…

The X-Plosion cannot decode DD/DTS signals. It can only encode DD/DTS. And since it is a PC soundcard, you can see where this is going. I don't know why it makes a difference, but it does. I'm guessing it's because the Logitech decoder knows what speakers it is powering and does a good job at that.

Also there far less wires to deal with. In a world plagued by wires, it becomes much more comfortable to have one wire instead of three.

As for movie soundtracks being 1.5mbps, you see, it makes a difference because that 1.5mbps is split over 6 channels unlike a CD which is just 2 channels. So in high action scenes, if you use a 448kbps DD track against a 1.5mbps DTS track, the difference is obvious.

if altec lansing is in budget buy them, or else go for creative

goobimama said:
The X-Plosion cannot decode DD/DTS signals. It can only encode DD/DTS. And since it is a PC soundcard, you can see where this is going. I don't know why it makes a difference, but it does. I'm guessing it's because the Logitech decoder knows what speakers it is powering and does a good job at that.

Also there far less wires to deal with. In a world plagued by wires, it becomes much more comfortable to have one wire instead of three.

As for movie soundtracks being 1.5mbps, you see, it makes a difference because that 1.5mbps is split over 6 channels unlike a CD which is just 2 channels. So in high action scenes, if you use a 448kbps DD track against a 1.5mbps DTS track, the difference is obvious.

Goobimama, i've bought the Z5500D few days ago after seeing a lot of online reviews & also seeing your posts & experiences with it.My question to you, is where can i get the Digital cable (Optical or Co-axial) in Kolkata or do you know any website in India or aboard which can ship the cable to me in Kolkata.I can't find it in my city.The speaker set should have come with the digital cables too as it has costed me exactly 20K.

And also could you please tell me where can i buy the Auzentech Xplosion card from ? Any online retailer ?

Thanks in advance.

P

I bought Z5500 yesterday and would like to thank everyone here for there suggestions and reviews.

Currently, I am using them with my onboard sound card and they sound awesome. Will by a soundcard later.

I have the same question as what sushrukh asked. Can some one give me a link from where i can buy a gud optical cable as i want to attach my PS2 and DVD player with Z5500.

I found the following on ebay.in, is this what i need?
*cgi.ebay.in/Optical-SPDIF-Audio-Ca...ryZ14966QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Go to any pro audio shop and you should find optical cables there. I bought mine (Monster THX certified) from abroad, but any optical cable should do just fine. Only make sure your soundcard supports optical cables. (that one on ebay seems to be the right one)

As for coax, if you are planning to use it with the Audigy, then you will need one of those 1/8 miniplug to RCA converters. Then you need a good quality RCA cable available at an audio shop..

As for the Auzentech, I had to get it from canada cause it's not available out here. However, Auzentech offers shipping to India, only thing it almost doubles the cost ($160 or something). I got mine for 134 Canadian dollars.

@pawsingh: Gotta get off that onboard sound dude!

T

For cables order from amazon or goto the cables website and check their indian dealers .

ps : "best 5.1 system" can be anything ... i could get smthing absolutely-after-i-marry-a-rich-girl kinda custom made system from a mega - audio - maker and kick any other system you are currently talking about in the face ... so the war is endless . The point is Z5500 is a great product and so long as you are not looking out of the basic PC market.. which most of the people dont ... this one rules . And also upper-mid range systems from most of the brands are very good in their own perspectives ... lower end/entry level systems well dont do justice , still fine enough . my neighbour owns a Bose system worth 3-4 lakhs (bought years ago) and also own a Z5500 .. he himself says comparison is quite similar .

^^^^ for its price BOSE is the crappiest product on this planet........

T

dude ur not getting the point ...... the only thing im trying to say is that theres no such thing as best 5.1 system ... its unlimited .. so long as u have deep pockets u cn get anything . For PC based audio get a good soundcard + good speakers set ... its enough .

Thanks Goobimama for the information.I'm quite confused about the sound card.I'm also using the onboard HD (nothing "HD" about it) Soundmax PCI-E card.Couldn't buy a soundcard after buying the speakers(no money left).There are quite a few soundcards out there.Could you provide me some options that what should i buy when i'll have some money for a soundcard ?

My budget is, 7000-8000/-

I won't buy the Audizy just because it's old technology now.I'm mainly considering the Extreme Music & the Auzentech.As, i won't get any warranty with Auzentech if i buy them from an online retailer.The features i'll be looking at DD,DTS & THX.So, is the only choice left is Xtreme Music ?

Yep. If I wasn't going to get the Auzentech, it was going to be the X-Fi music. That seems to be a pretty good card and will perform well with gaming and such (Auzentech has only EAX 2.0). It also has SPDIF so if you are going to use the Loggy decoder, then it won't matter what card you are using...

Thanks Goobimama.I've read several times (from your posts mainly) that the Loggy decoder is better than the sound card's own decoder.So, if i connect the Xtreme Music's Optical port to the Z5500D's optical port, using a Optical cable,how would i know that which decoder i'm using ? Is there any way that we can switch between the card's decoder & the Z5500D's decoder to compare the difference between them ? Thanks Goobimama for your previous replies.Actually, i'm a noob about all these decoder things.So, i'll need to know these things before connecting them.Thanks in advance.

EDIT :- Just thought i should ask you, what about the M-Audio - Revolution sound card ? That's isn't available in India too ? I'm noticing that many reviewers are using this 7.1 card to test the Z5500D.

xtreme music is replaced by Xtreme Gamer Fatality . this card is xifi music + XRAM.

vivekbabbudelhi said:
xtreme music is replaced by Xtreme Gamer Fatality . this card is xifi music + XRAM.

Xtreme Gamer Fatality doesn't provide multichannel SPDIF output.It provides only stereo output through the SPDIF jack but Xtreme Music does provide 5.1 AC3 signal.

Creative.com said:
Xtreme Gamer Fatality Digital Out supports stereo SPDIF out

Seriously? No 5.1 output? I doubt it.

Thanks Goobimama.I've read several times (from your posts mainly) that the Loggy decoder is better than the sound card's own decoder.So, if i connect the Xtreme Music's Optical port to the Z5500D's optical port, using a Optical cable,how would i know that which decoder i'm using ? Is there any way that we can switch between the card's decoder & the Z5500D's decoder to compare the difference between them ? Thanks Goobimama for your previous replies.Actually, i'm a noob about all these decoder things.So, i'll need to know these things before connecting them.Thanks in advance.

EDIT :- Just thought i should ask you, what about the M-Audio - Revolution sound card ? That's isn't available in India too ? I'm noticing that many reviewers are using this 7.1 card to test the Z5500D.

Anyway, I'm not sure whether they have optical or coax connection, but yes, it is pretty much workable. If you are using the Loggy decoder, it will show Dolby Digital or DTS digital in the display, otherwise, it will show any of the other modes. You can easily switch between the Loggy decoder and the creative one. If you enable the creative decoder, then the signal will get decoded at soundcard level and you will have to use the 6 channel direct mode on your logitech. The SPDIF will only accept 2.0 Stereo PCM at that point. Disabling the Creative decoder will give the Control center the job again. You decide which is better.

All soundcards nowadays are 7.1 so it doesn't matter. And either ways, the Z5500 is 5.1 so where's the question?

Creative.com

Supports SPDIF Out compressed ac3 signal or PCM for Stereo Digital Speaker.

Thanks Goobimama for the information.I think, i'll also use the Loggy decoder instead of using the card's decoder.The Cirrus Logic chips ( CS494003 32-bit DSP,CS42526 & CS5351) should do a great job for me.The laaudiofile.com review is really inspiring.

Do all this and then sit back and watch Transformers HD DVD in high definition (with DTS 1.5mbps soundtrack). Then tell me if you want to go the theatre again...

sushrukh said:
Xtreme Gamer Fatality doesn't provide multichannel SPDIF output.It provides only stereo output through the SPDIF jack but Xtreme Music does provide 5.1 AC3 signal.

oops !!! what was difference between ac3 & PCM over spdif .err what is difference between SPDIF & HDMI audio..??

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Inside the SoundTouch™ Control Center lies a Cirrus CS494003 32-bit DSP to handle both Dolby® Digital and DTS® bitstreams including DTS® 96/24 data for unsupassed sound quality. A Cirrus CS42526 data conversion chip is used to move signals between the analog and digital domains. The CS42526 contains an amazing number of high-quality converters including six 24-bit DACs and two 24-bit ADCs. The same chip includes digital audio interfaces (S/PDIF) used for the coaxial and optical digital connections. Finally, a pair of Cirrus CS5351 stereo ADCs are also used to convert the remaining analog inputs to the digital domain[/SIZE][/FONT]

still search more for comparision between cirrus chips & professional AKM ADC as well as better OPAMPS...and u would know the difference

T

goobimama said:
Do all this and then sit back and watch Transformers HD DVD in high definition (with DTS 1.5mbps soundtrack). Then tell me if you want to go the theatre again...

i have also got logitech z5500D. which player do you use to watch hi def movies?

i don't have sound card. so plz... suggest me a sound card with multichannel optical out which i can get in india.

if i can't get such a card in india can i use analog connection and let the sound card do the processing. if so will the quality of the sound decrease? my budget is 15K

Just get yourself a Creative X-Fi music or something. Will cost around 7k. Don't worry, you can decide for yourself which is better, the soundcard or the Z5500...

Actually even an Audigy 2/4 will work just fine.

T

@goobimama

which player do you use to play hi def movies?
do you use vlc or something..........????

Media Player Classic + CoreAVC decoder for video + AC3 filter for the audio

You can get better video quality using FFDshow (instead of CoreAVC) but it needs at least a C2D to play properly.

^^hey goobi how do I use this ffdshow?I have installed K-lite codec pack and I got a c2d so how do I set them up?(media player classic and ffdshow)

Well open Media Player Classic. Then go into the Options. Then select "External Filters" option. Then click "Add Filter". Find FFDshow Video Decoder from among there. Accept it. Then click on "Prefer" in the external filters option. Okay.

This is only if Windows is not giving FFDshow first priority. I'm not sure how to control Windows so...

And the same thing goes for CoreAVC. it will generally come in an ".ax" file. And since you can't install that without some batch file or something, just when selecting your filter, select "Browse", navigate to it, and accept.

^^ok,thanks.

goobimama said:
SPDIF is either through COAX or Optical. Both are digital formats. So if your decoder is showing "Dolby Digital" or "Dts Digital", then it is being decoded by the control center and not the computer. If not, then you will see either stereox2 or ProLogic II or some other effect.

Most midrange+ soundcards support SPDIF. The low end do not support SPDIF like the Creative SB Live! series. Audigy 2 onwards are SPDIF enabled (Coaxial though, not optical).

creative sb live support SPDIF through coaxial, i am using it with my logitech z 5500

Whoopsie on my part then. Pretty sure the SB Live! that I had didn't support SPDIF. Maybe the newer ones have it onboard.

Now thats a brilliant thread

what i concluded after reading the whole thread and researching on net is

Logitech z5500d is the "BEST 5.1 speaker setup" for:

PC users not having deep pockets right? alright means not extra deep pockets

I myself is amazed by the z5500 reviews that i ve made my mind for purchasing one.

Some of my concerns are:

Its available at amazon at $227.54
*www.amazon.com/Logitech-THX-Certified-505-Watt-Digital-Surround/dp/B0002WPSBC
and its available in india for 20K(quoted in previous pages) double price? why?

Its been a long time since its release so no company has got anything nearby z5500 in two years or the new ones aren't tested with z5500

and Goobimama thanks for your posts i got to know a lot today

"you said Just get yourself a Creative X-Fi music or something. Will cost around 7k. Don't worry, you can decide for yourself which is better, the soundcard or the Z5500...

Actually even an Audigy 2/4 will work just fine."

so whats the point in buying a high end card and for a while i would want to listen to inbuilt audio on 965 chipset and would i need extra cables? is there a huge difference if i use soundcard btw which soundcard is best then for z5500 budget around 5K extendable.

A dedicated soundcard will definitely give you better performance. However, onboard audio isn't all that bad these days so you could very well go on listening to them speakers on Intel HD audio or something like that.

Indian price currently is around 15k I think. Why its double in India? Well…

As for a new product, I too am amazed that there is still no competition for the Z5500. Not even Logitech has brought out something new. Still, I have not one day regretted getting these amazing speakers. Movie watching experience is freakin awesome. Now that you mention it, let me go plug in my iPhone to listen to some Coldplay on it

T

z 5500

i have one logitech z- 5500 d . if i buy one more z 5500 will perfomance be superior, espesially bass.

Re: z 5500

A lot has been said about the Z5500 in the Best 5.1 channel thread so I'm merging this one there.

Thanks Goobimama

what i need next is the exact pricing details from Nehru Place, if anyone has purchased from delhi nehru place plz let me the shop and price. I will be having them soon

Let me share my experiences too here..my long lasting dream is to purchase a 5.1 speaker..this dream has come true now..i hv bought a Altec Lansing VS3251 for 4000 from Reliance digital, Ambience Mall, Delhi.

I use my HCL Laptop and my computer with this speaker..both doesn't have 5.1 output.

But the Altec has a feature of surround/stereo for 2 speaker setup..Once I enable it..AWESOME!!!!

The sound effect from this setup is truly amazing..it gives me surround with all effects..I have watched some good movies and heard some good songs too..the bass is gud..also the clarity is awesome..I dunno abt those costly z5500 or z5300..but evry1 shuld hear all the brands and then decide..not every1 hears the sound with full bass or full treble..so deciding on a speaker maybe 2.1 or 5.1 is your judgement..hear for yourself and then buy.

Even in my buying I first heard Logitech 5.1..dunno the model number..but it lacked bass..then i heard altec..amazing bass.

so guys hear for yourself and then buy it.

Before this I had the Creative 4400. I then tested quite a few different systems but none of them seemed anything great. The logitech you are talking about might be the x540 which is their low end 5.1 setup.

is there any quality difference when using midrange sound cards spdif out than using an xfi series cards spdif out i

hello guys..I am planning to upgrade my sound card in my desktop with creative sound blaster x-fi surround 5.1 USB.

How much is the cost of this in Delhi and where I can purchase this. Is there any shops in dwarka where I can get these kind of stuffs.

Also how is the sound card I have mentioned. Will I get the maximum when my 5.1 altec lansing is connected to this creative sound card??? Is the USB or PCI version good??

Any pros and cons for this sound card???

Please help..

R

i think i would prefer a PCI one

sound card...a usb one ..is epic fail....in lappy...nothing else..or the pcmcia cards..even that....

so look only for PCI

Ok guys I made some phone calls, the final price is Rs 18,000-19000 in nehru place and its around 17,900 at ezones in delhi(old stock)..they say it can be low with the new stock.

so guys should i wait for the ezone's new stock which they say will be available in 5-7 days or do you know any place in delhi where i can get z5500 at or around Rs 15K which is its actual price in india.

Regards

madjeri said:
sound card...a usb one ..is epic fail....in lappy...nothing else..or the pcmcia cards..even that....

so look only for PCI

USB creative is a failure..hmmm...I thought of going for this since it can be used for both my desktop and laptop. The laptop is not for personal use and it is given by my office..so i have to buy any product keeping my desktop in mind.

If PCI is good, can u suggest the best sound card for my altec 5.1??

One more doubt:
I saw the creative usb device and it has 4 outlets at the rear namely, left, right, center and sw.

But in my Altec 5.1 there are only 3 outlets namely, front l/r, rear l/r, sw center.

How should I go ahead with the connection???

Is there any specific sound card designed for altec 5.1??

Pls help me out!!!

Is anybody thr to help me...pls...

A

First of all - very nice thread...
i have purchased z5500 and i am using it on Asus P5B delux-wifi mobo's onboard HD audio with SPDIF out. i purchased digital coaxial cable and connected to speakers.
well i see No digital data in control panel of logitec... which is mentioned here but no answer to that. may be decoding is done @ logitec end. but i am not getting 5.1 audio.
it works only as Stereo.

Guys who listened z5500 with crap logitec cables.... plz buy good quality optical/coaxial cable and you would feel the difference... i had MX 5021 and now i have z5500. and logi's were loud but weren't deep like MX but with this combination now i have good deep bass.
sound quality is improved a lot...... plz try that....
one stupid question - where to get 1.5Mbps tracks to enjoy movies ????

i tried following for multichannel audio but no use.... plz help...
*www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=712022&page=2

*staraphd.blogspot.com/2007/10/get-51-or-71-multichannel-audio-from.html

avi_avadhut said:
one stupid question - where to get 1.5Mbps tracks to enjoy movies ????

To enjoy, 1.5Mbps audio track in a movie, u need to have a HDDVD or a BluRay Disc with DTS 5.1 audio!

Well there are other sources which have a 1.5mbps DTS track as well. Mindblowing btw.

dreams said:
USB creative is a failure..hmmm...I thought of going for this since it can be used for both my desktop and laptop. The laptop is not for personal use and it is given by my office..so i have to buy any product keeping my desktop in mind.

If PCI is good, can u suggest the best sound card for my altec 5.1??

One more doubt:
I saw the creative usb device and it has 4 outlets at the rear namely, left, right, center and sw.

But in my Altec 5.1 there are only 3 outlets namely, front l/r, rear l/r, sw center.

How should I go ahead with the connection???

Is there any specific sound card designed for altec 5.1??

Pls help me out!!!

Pls help me out..time has come to purchase my first sound card..need ur expertise suggestions.