Logitech X-540 -> Z-5500 Speakers

Serephucus

Currently have the former, thinking of the latter.

Obviously the 5500s are specced far, far higher than the entry-level setup I have now. Do they really sound that much better? Are they really worth €300?

If anyone who has them is around Maynooth, I'd love a listen.

Skalragg

I'm not from maynooth so no listening I'm afraid , but I do have z5500 for my gaming rig and my xbox

Have seen 540 in stores and have been well unimpressed in comparison

In z5500 subwoofer is big and heavy and adds real "feel" to games, movies , music

The control pad allows for multiple connections, I've 6 chan for pc , optical for hd tv and simple audio cable to connect. iPhone.

Sound wise, from what I heard in store the z5500 sounds better, but if u don't plan on having it up load go for 540 .

I bought my 5500 on eBay brand new from germany for 190euro, including postage, so it was a no brained for me to get it, I've seen it for 400+ in Harvey Norman and other stores

If u can get it at good price and can play it loud then it's worth the money

Skalragg

Just had quick look on eBay, few under 300e prices for new including shipping.. Ignore spelling mistakes in last txt , they r pain to change when not using computer

Serephucus

Thanks for the info. I'm thinking at this point that they might just be under-used. I certainly listen to enough music/watch enough TV/play enough games, but I don't think I'd be using the speakers' full volume much. Apartment walls aren't that thick. :P

€300 spent elswhere could also mean a third monitor... or another 580... or, or....

Thanks for the help though!

Moon54

Hey Serephucus, I have the Logitech Z5500 and they are awesome speakers.

The cheapest around are Pixmania atm @ €246 !! approx
http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/6615159/art/Product.html?srcid=369

That's a fantastic price, and almost half as cheap as Amazon.
I'm not sure about shipping from Pixmania for the Z5500, as the box is quite heavy,
but worth checking out.

ixoy

How do the 540 and 5500 compare at "normal" volumes? I'm in the market for speakers to replace my 15-year old set. The 5500 look gorgeous but I'm in a house with thin walls and can't ever see myself being able to crank them up.

I do want a 5.1 set though for more immersive game play, just probably no point in spending outlandish amounts if I'll get no noticeable benefit when the volume is at medium levels.

Moon54

I would say very well at normal levels.

90% of the time my Z5500 is set at about 2 or 3 bars volume level.
This is plenty for PC stuff, listening to music, media centre TV and even gaming (late at night).

The secret to not annoying neighbours is to turn the sub-bass down to about 1/4 (2-3 bars). It's nice to crank it up a bit for movies, though.

Let me explain.. and I'm generalising here..... sub-bass frequencies are
long, sometimes metres in length, which means that if your sub-speaker
box is fairly close to you, within a metre or two, you won't get the
benefit of having the sub-volume up anyway, as those frequencies pass right by you, but your neighbours will hear it.

Basically Bass travels and Treble/Mid frequencies don't. It's pretty easy to set up a nice balance with the Z5500. I'm sure the same is true for the Z540.

Hope that helps.

Venom

Moon54 wrote: »

I would say very well at normal levels.

90% of the time my Z5500 is set at about 2 or 3 bars volume level.
This is plenty for PC stuff, listening to music, media centre TV and even gaming (late at night).

The secret to not annoying neighbours is to turn the sub-bass down to about 1/4 (2-3 bars). It's nice to crank it up a bit for movies, though.

+1

Anything more than 4 on the control pod is crazy loud and your neighbours will really hate you. The sound quality is amazing even at low levels tho so the only worry you should have Ioxy is postage as the box in very VERY heavy

ixoy

Screw sense - I've just chucked it into a cart! If I'm getting a speaker system for my PC I may as well do it right. There's only been wonderful things on this system wherever I look.

Serephucus

Let me know what you think!

sink

I've had mine for several years now and I love em. I use them with my Sky HD/HTPC/PS3/Xbox 360 and the sound quality is amazing for the price. Listening to music on them right now .

Initially I used them with the integrated audio on my HTPC which sounded decent enough, but then I bought a Creative X-Fi and now music sounds sublime.

The only fault I have with them is the display is hard to read from a distance but it's a minor flaw.