In the market for new surround sound speakers

Serephucus

Hi all,

So, currently I'm using the X-540s from Logitech, paired with an Auzentech X-Fi Forte. It sounds great, but I'm wondering if it could sound better. My Forte comes with Dolby Digital Live and DTS encoders, which my X-540s can't use because the encoded audio needs to be sent out over SPDIF. (540s only have analogue). Also, because of the speakers placement in my apartment, the rear speakers are quite far away, meaning I have to up the volume quite a lot. Because of how X-Fi cards handle volume leveling though, certain base frequencies are tied to the rear channels, meaning sound sounds... wrong a lot of the time.

A speaker system I had been looking into was the Z906 from Logitech. They are DTS (and THX) certified, and the control hub offers volume control for individual channels. My concern however is that the Z906 (and the Z-5500) might be quite bass-heavy, and not do so well with highs, owing to using phase plugs rather than tweeters in the satellites.

I was also looking at the Mirage Nanosat 5.1 - a very funky looking system, but I can't find anywhere that would sell it here.

Does anyone have any comments about all this, or can someone recommend something better? I'll be focusing mainly on music with these, but also movies, TV, and games. I also don't have room for a full home theatre setup, so cabinet speakers are a no-no. Budget of around €300.

Thanks all!


tl;dr - Need new 5.1 setup. Thinking of Z906/Z-5500, or Mirage Nanosat 5.1. Budget of €300, music-focused.

Serephucus

No-one, seriously?

54kroc

I bought the Z-5500 when they were on sale a few weeks ago and they didn't last long at all.
I couldn't stand the amount of bass coming out of them, I had them set up alongside a nice pair of stereo speakers for comparision and tbh they were awful compared to my stereo setup. Avoid imo.

Serephucus

Do you have a sound card/onboard sound? Did you mess with the bass settings/EQ at all?

54kroc

I was using the optical output on my iMac. I tried everything I could to improve the sound but to my ears it was never right.
It's worth noting I was using it for movies and music and not gaming.

Would you not go with a nice stereo amp and some bookshelf speakers instead?

Serephucus

As in my first post, I don't have room for bookshelf speakers at the moment; I'm in quite a small apartment (but with thick walls), so the sats have to have a small footprint, but they can be as loud as I want (pretty much).

I take it that was you on Adverts with last week with the 5500's for sale cheap then?

54kroc

Thats them alright, unlike you the volume is a big issue for me, the whole house vibrating with the logitech.
How about a small set of active monitors?

Serephucus

As a passthrough for the rear speakers, you mean?

54kroc

No, I meant on their own, (I'll shut up about stereo)
I can't think of anything to recommend.