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Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
BIC America V-1220 12-Inch 430-Watt Down-Firing Powered Subwoofer
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Does its job without drawing attention to itself
The BIC V1220 is a 12" powered subwoofer that adds a solid low end to music and home video setups without making the sound heavy or boomy. My main speakers, a pair of restored Dyanco A-25s, have very smooth bass and go down to about 60 Hz. I was looking for a subwoofer that would fill in the lowest frequencies without muddying the sound of the A-25s. The V1220 does so nicely. The BIC subwoofer adds impact to movie sound effects -- even unexpected things like when Dorothy's house falls into Munchkin Land have a surprising impact, while the earthquake at the beginning of "Lora Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life" rattles my windows. All in all, movie sound effects are handled well. Movies aside, the subwoofer also does very well with music recordings. The string bass on Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" (from Time Out) has a solid impact when first plucked, yet the twang of the vibrating string is not obscured by boominess. The big bass drum at the end of Telarc's recording of "The Firebird Suite" rattles my windows as much as Lora Croft's earthquake. As a bonus, the fact that the subwoofer is not in the same location as the main speakers seems to smooth out the bass response of my listening room. With the subwoofer in the center of the front wall, a Radio Shack sound level meter shows the subwoofer has useful response down to 31 Hz (it would go somewhat lower if the speaker was in a corner). 31 Hz may not seem very low, but is actually good response for a real speaker in a real room -- as opposed to ideal test conditions, though pipe organ enthusiasts may want to look elsewhere. Setup is quite flexible, with continuously-variable adjustments for volume level and crossover point (40-180 Hz), a two position switch for phase, and a switch for Dolby 5.1 or Dolby Prologic receivers. There are both line level and speaker level inputs. The setup instructions are clear and should give good results if followed closely. The V1220 is relatively large (18 1/2 X 17 x 14 inches) and weighs 41 pounds, so this is not a shoebox you can hide under a piece of furniture. The tradeoff in size is very smooth and powerful bass. The speaker is finished in black wood grain laminate, and seems well-made. The bass port is on the side, so the speaker can be positioned against a wall without obstructing the vent. Another reviewer was concerned that the spike feet might damage floors. I have hardwood floors and agree that the spikes, though rounded, could do damage if dragged over floors. I positioned the speaker first, then gently lowered it without dragging. The BIC V1220 does everything I wanted: impact on movie sound effects, plus a solid non-boomy low bass with music recordings. The subwoofer does its job without drawing attention to itself -- it's there when it's needed, and not there when it's not needed. At just over $200, it's a bargain.I am impressed with this V-1220 subwoofer.
This sub blew away my Kef sub PSW 2150. The B.I.C. V 1220 is a steal at $200 it sounds tighter deeper, but the kef was only a 10" compared to the 12" B.I.C. I also have the B.I.C DV62si as my surround speakers and for the center I have the JBL EC35. My receiver is the 2005 Harman Kardon. Anyways to make a long story short I am very happy now and could not expect any better for the money I have spent. About $800 total. The kef sub cost half of that and already went to the shop for the amp. I would recamend all of the B.I.C speakers I have used so far.Awesome sub!
This is a great sub! Very deep and crisp. The only reason I am giving it a 4 instead of 5 is because of the feet. Who in the world designed pointed feet for the legs! I called BIC and they do not have any other feet that can be provied. Had to place them on rubber feet so they didn't mark up the wood floor. Wonderful sub, horrible feet.A Keeper
Bic Americ Has three lines of speakers: Acoustech, BIC,& RtR Both Acoustech and Bic Speakers had good reviews. Called Bic America.the question was, Which speakers were best, leaving out cost. Reply: FRONT SPEAKERS BIC America Venturi DV64 2-Way Tower Speaker CENTER SPEAKER BIC America DV-62CLRS 6-Inch 2-Way Center Channel Speaker SURROUND SPEAKERS First choice: BIC America DV62si Bookshelf Speakers. (has to be put on a shelf) Second Choice: BIC AMERICA DV-32B 3 1/2" 2-Way Compact Shielded Speakers (can be hung on wall) SUBWOOFER BIC America 12" 430-Watt Powered Down-Firing Subwoofer Manufacturer Part Number: V-1220 BOUGHT SPEAKERS; BIC America DV-62CLRS 6-Inch 2-Way Center Channel Speaker BIC America 12" 430-Watt Powered Down-Firing Subwoofer Manufacturer Part Number: V-1220 Evaluation Of Speakers: (broken in. No Modification) Pair of AR11 speakers.(An acoustic suspension speaker) Woofers have been recently renewed. AR11's where noted for their flat frequence responce and natural sound. Original Cost 900.00 1978. Specs: 3/4 inch dome tweeter. 1 1/2 inch dome midrange Speaker 12 inch woofer frequence response. 35Hz - 20Khz. + - 3DB. Test Setup: One AR11 And Bic Dv-62CLRS center channel speaker setup in stereo. Cutoff set at 40Hz. Tests done in Full Mono and in stereo. with two people. And front center setup. Results, Could not differentiate between speakers. Summary: speakers use the same tweeters and woofer, so expect same results. except the towers will have a deeper responce. The sub woofer is not a boom box.(boomy) The lows are tight, not muddy. Bottom line. These speakers are keepers If I was buying a new system,I would not hesitate to buy any of Bic speakers mentioned above.I would try to use the BIC America DV62si Bookshelf Speakers instead of the BIC AMERICA DV-32B 3 1/2" 2-Way Compact Shielded Speakers.Great low tone, great low price...
Pros: 1) very low freq. response 2) adjustable cross 3) multiple input options Cons: 1) a bit large Personally I'd toss out a piece of furniture to get this sound, and so the "con" is for those who want a compact design. I could care less about its size, just give me that tone!! A month before I purchased this unit, I bought 4 Alesis M1 Mk2s'. They have a low freq. cut-off around 50hz. The adjustable cross on the sub was important, and blends it perfectly into the sound of my system. Love it!! By the way, this is NOT a 10" sub, it's the 12" model... Very happy, JLDTuesday, July 29, 2008
Sony BRAVIA Theater System with S-AIR Technology (DAVHDX277W) - Black
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The little HTIB that could...
Installed this yesterday w/a new Sony Bravia 46" LCD TV. The TV and the receiver interface pretty well...out of the box they can "talk" to each other if connected via HDMI and optical out from the TV to the receiver, and the changing inputs on the TV will make appropriate changes to the audio output selected. There is an option to tell the Sony TV remote which AV/Receiver you are using, so that it can do double duty. So now I can turn both the TV and the reciever on/off with one button, choose a video input and the audio is switched automatically, etc. (The Sony feature is called something like "HDMI Sync.") The sound of the unit is much better than I expected. It's not going to make an audiophile give up their high-end systems, and can't match the setup in my main room, but it is going to be more than adequate for most listeners and for folks looking for a compact system. It has enough power to fill a big room nicely with a big sound, and the subwoofer is powerful enough to rattle your walls and windows. :) It comes with a nice feature...a microphone you attach to the receiver and then set in the middle of the room. The receiver then automatically tunes the speaker levels to the appropriate level. I haven't done that yet (have to get the rear surrounds hung), but if it works OK it will be a nice feature. The iPod dock included only supports audio...a big disappointment. Why they stopped at audio is hard to understand...iPod video is at least as important now as audio playback. Oh well... The included wireless speaker seems like a solution in search of a problem we don't have. Allows listening to the audio playing on the receiver in different rooms (or outside). We're really not sure if we'll use it or not...we have radios pretty much anywhere we want to listen to the radio, and don't see any need to hear the TV from another room where I can't see the TV. This is an all-plastic speaker set...you won't find any fabric or wood here, but they still look nice and don't feel cheap. Overall I'd say this is a good system with a nice sound. Paired w/a Sony Bravia TV it makes a nice, easy to use combination.Not Much Contribution from Rear Speakers
Sound is GREAT through Audio-Tech headphones, but the rear surround speakers produce little sound, almost imperceptible in most situations, and there is NO CONTROL to bring up or balance the sound to my ear from the different speakers like my old Panasonic had. I should have spent the $50 more and upgraded to the next model and just had the surround wireless, or saved money and stayed with the wired rear speakers from the lessor model. It costs more to make this system wireless if just using the one set of speakers in one room. Programs with my new Panasonic plasma just fine. Goood features: 5-disk tray, HDMI ready, automatically lowers the sound level to low on shutdown so you are not blasted out of the room when next turning it on.Monday, July 28, 2008
BIC America DV-62CLRS 6-Inch 2-Way Center Channel Speaker
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Does size matter?
Before I comment on the quality, you should know: THIS IS A BIG CENTER SPEAKER! About the size of a smaller wastebasket. If you're space-conscious, you should probably try the smaller model BIC... The center channel is where a majority of the action happens when watching a movie or listening to music in 5.1 mode. If you were to make one upgrade in your setup, you get the most bang for the buck with the center. Anyhow, big speaker, big sound. The sound is wide enough to create a convincing 'wall of sound' with the left and right fronts. With the separate woofers and tweeters, instruments are well-separated in the mix and also provide a pretty-sounding bass. If you are an appreciator of audio and have a capable system, I would highly reccomend this as a purchase. I come from an 'all-in-one-home-theater' background, so hearing something with this much clarity and richness was new and quite noticeable.very nice speaker
very nice center - works great so far - been using it about a week now and so far so good - this is my first HT setup - so i cant compare with other Center channels etc. - but for the price - you will get a great speaker - i would buy this again and would buy from Bic America again - no regrets - and blends in very nicely with my Klipsch KG3 fronts - i have the surrounds also from BicBIC DV62CLRS Speaker
After reading all the positive reviews about the BIC DV62CLRS speaker I took the plunge and ordered 3 from Amazon for the Center and left and right of a 7.1 surround system. I was very skeptical about the performance of a $110.00 speaker to say the least! In the stock out of the box condition the speaker sounded bright and sizzly. I had read the reviews of the ED Frias modified speakers and decided to contact Ed Frias and send him the crossovers for modification, Man I am glad I did. The difference in sound quality is huge with the crossover mods. The speaker becomes a quality transducer producing a huge open transparent detailed soundstage. These speakers when modified can compete with very expensive speakers (I know it's hard to believe) but it's true! The speakers have quality drivers, Pearless look a likes with pearless/vifa look a like tweeters. This, in my opinion is why they sound as good a they do, and modified they do sound very good. Don't be fooled by the low price, these speakers use quality drivers and once modified are extremely detailed and become a quality transducer of clean open transparent sound! Just order them from Amazon and contact Ed Frias at EFE speaker technology and let him modify the crossover.......you will be very pleased!Awesome center speaker
I have owned this speaker for a couple of years and have it paired with two BIC DV64 tower speakers for my front speakers. It is a large center speaker and really puts out the sound. Most movies use this speaker for dialogue and I have found that the DV-62 is perfect for that. Great clear sound, looks great, great price. You will not be disappointed!A good budget speaker
This is a great (maybe the best) center speaker for under $100. It is exactly what I was looking for in my game room. It has more bass than most other centers and has a higher sensitivity than most. I needed this to better match the other speakers in my setup. I can play it at low volume and it still sounds rich. It has a decent sound radius too. You can tell they did cut costs a bit though. What they did was produce a large thin- boxed ported center speaker that can produce a better base range at the cost of some accuracy. It's like a good bookshelf speaker. Make sure you have room for it!Saturday, July 26, 2008
Jwin Electronics JS-P601 Home Theater Speaker System
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Surround Sound Review
It's great. It doesn't give a deafening, earth shaking experience but it gives definite depth to whatever you are watching.Great Product for the Cost!
For the cost, this system is very nice. It is particularly efficient for a smaller room though because the amount of cord given is not too much. The sound, again taking into account the price, is great as well. It is also easy to set up. All I had to do is plug the audio cords from my PS3 into the central system and plug the speakers into the central system as well and it was good to go, with no additional charges. One fairly big con though is the tuner, which doesn't have an overall volume knob, so you have to adjust the volume of each speaker individually anytime you change the volume (so you have to find the perfect blend in volume among the speakers all over again). However, overall this was a great buy!Love this inexpensive Home Theater System
This is a really good system, especially for the money! It serves my purpose exceptionally well. Just right in fact! I am very happy with this product!Affordable compact Home Theater
This 5.1 is priced for the budget minded person for personal or entertainment use. This is the perfect combination for the College student. With the tuner added in there are no additional expenses. A quality product that is afforadable yet dependable.I Love It.
This System is great. A system under $50 that is good is hard to find. You shoulg get this system.Friday, July 25, 2008
Onkyo SKS-HT540 7.1 Surround Sound Speaker System
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Excellent Speakers
Very satisfied with these speakers. They look nice and sound great! Bought 14 gauge wires and would recommend upgrading the wires since the ones included are really cheap. With the larger gauge wires, the sound is amazing. Would highly recommend these speakers and any Onkyo product.For the price, these are superior speakers
Once you realize, Home-Theatres-In-A-Box (HTIBs) just won't do because their sound quality is mediocre at best, you realize that separate speakers and AV receivers run the gamut from reasonably expensive to unbelievable. And buying 7 speakers and a subwoofer can quickly cost you over $2000 dollars. When I was looking at putting together a home theatre system, I wanted an AV receiver with future compatibility that was also fully featured (I settled on the Onkyo TX-SR605). For speakers, I wanted reasonably priced quality. Despite the fact that these speakers were originally part of a HTIB they are of surprisingly good quality for the price. The Onkyo SKS-HT540 7.1 speakers are neither stylish nor ugly. They are functional looking with black wood grain cabinets and removable covers. I like their looks because they are classic and not flashy. I wanted quality over looks. When it comes to low-to-medium priced speakers, stylish looks usually mean a drop in performance and sound quality. These speakers don't try to look trendy, they just produce great sound. If you're going for styling in your speakers to match your decor, look elsewhere. Another feature of the Onkyo SKS-HT540 speakers is that they are large. And I mean large. These would not be too small to be used in a huge great room. I have them in a cramped little apartment, but I love them anyway. You need large speakers to produce fuller, deeper sound and these have no trouble doing that. The speakers are well made in that they have wood cabinets. Read up about materials and you'll learn this is great; most HTIBs and speakers at this price are usually made with plastic cabinets. The Onkyo SKS-HT540 use spring clips as connecters, which don't give the best possible sound, but few speakers in this price range offer banana clips. Overall, the Onkyo's give surprisingly clear, deep, and rich sound for the price. These are very affordable speakers that give great sound. Sure there are speakers that give better sound, but they will cost you over a $1000. These speakers are the best quality sound you can get for the price. (And Cnet agrees. Check out their review.) They are powerful and the sound they produce is realistic and varied. I use my 7.1 system to play video games on my XBox 360, PS3, and PC gaming system. This is where these speakers really shine. Few DVDs or Blu-Ray discs take advantage of 7.1 yet, but many games do. Guns and explosions sound insane! on these speakers. I mean it. The subwoofer is huge and provides plenty of sound for a room of up to 800 sq feet. I've heard musical instruments I didn't even know were there in my music while listening on these speakers. I'm an audiophile and I'll admit there are much better speakers out there, but not for anything near this price. So if you want an affordable surround sound system these speakers are it. Get them now. Oh and the included subwoofer cable is kind of short (8ft). I bought an extension for about $5. Very worth it.Great Surround Sound for the Budget Minded
You can purchase better speakers than the HTIB Onkyo SKS-HT540. Of course, if you're looking to upgrade your home theater to 7.1 and are on a budget, the SKS-HT540 is a gem. Easy connection, especially if using an Onkyo receiver and the sound is pretty good for the price you're paying. The speakers look good paired with an Onkyo receiver, plus they look nice with an HDTV 40" or larger. The center channel is strong which is a great plus for dialogue. The bass isn't the strongest available, but it's strong enough for small rooms. (ie: 16x13 or smaller) Setting the speakers properly through your receiver will make all the difference in the world. If you've hit the correct setting and pop in 3:10 to Yuma on Blu-Ray, the incoming train near the end scene will make you feel like you're standing at the train station. Now that's a true plus!!!!Good price for a good product
These speakers are awesome with Onkyo TX-SR605 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black), I adjusted the EQ to an audio CD and the sound is amazing for movies as well. Plenty of sound as long as you know how to set them up right. I was amazed with the size of the speakers. This is my first 7.1 system for home theater, but I have a stereo in my car that is pretty amazing by itself. But the Onkyo setup is awesome when watching movies, gaming, or music. The speakers give a great all around sound and I am glad I bought them. Only problem I have is that people sleeping get woke up.sweet sound
The sound from these speakers is awesome. I was never big on movies until I got my Onkyo 605 and these speakers. What a difference! The only reason I gave it four stars is becuase they are very big and heavy.Thursday, July 24, 2008
Sony STR-DG510 Home Theater Receiver
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No better receiver for the price.
This thing is really the only one in it's class with all the digital connections and options it has. The next comparable ones are $500. My only complaint is that if you have a lot of stuff to connect, its really awkward to get everything set up. With my situation, my DVD player and TV are not the actual inputs on the receiver, but that's what you get when you buy something like this for so cheap. Well worth living with that since you save so much money, Just write down what component is connected to the back and you'll memorize it in no time.Very nice for a budget
My aunt and uncle recently got a cheap 32" LCD HDTV. The built in speakers were horrible. A few months ago, they also got a great deal at a garage sale on some old Bose speakers not realizing they needed a receiver to have surround sound, so they sent me shopping for one to fit their budget. I purchased the DG510 for them and it sounds amazing. They are using it primarily for an HD cable box and their son's PS3. They are also using it as an HDMI switch. Really the only negative about this with their setup is that the optical audio inputs are not assignable for different channels. Therefore, they have the HD cable box hooked up on the "DVD" channel with a digital coax audio cable while the PS3 is hooked up on "Video 2" with the digital optical audio cable. The receivers from other brands I looked at on which you could assign the optical audio inputs to any channel were about $100 out of their budget. This is only a minor nitpick since it still sounds great.Great for second room home theater
This Sony amp is a great addition for a bedroom setup or in a smaller viewing room. Connections are simplicity itself, and the auto speaker configuration is a great help in spaces where standard speaker placement is not an option.Sony STR-DG510
The Sony STR-DG510 has been a great addition to a growing home A/V setup. Front panel functionality leaves a lot to be desired but the capabilities and quality of this "budget" priced receiver are remarkable. The sound from every source is delivered virtually distortion free. The menus and programmability are not for the novice but the remote covers all of the options and directions are relatively easy to follow. This is an awesome 5.1 100W/channel receiver.Works great for 5.1 home theater
I built a home theater with all Sony products and it's great. I have more than I need with this receiver and the price was good.Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Onkyo HT-S5100 7.1 Channel Home Entertainment System (Set of Nine, Black)
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Excellent value for the price
I was originally intending to buy the Onkyo receiver and/or the 5.1 speaker system but then ended up buying this one. Excellent buy at the price, when I ordered the system earlier on. Easy to set up, the automated speaker calibration works cool and it indeed helped. I did not use the speaker wires provided with this system but instead bought 14 and 16 gauge wires from the local Frys instead, since in some cases the length of the wires exceeded 20-30 foot when run through the walls. The only problem as many folks have stated here is that the receiver becomes hot but so far I have not been witness to system shutting down automatically as a few of them have observed here. The speakers (all 7 of them) are not that heavy and can be easily placed on the wall. Overall, we are extremely happy with the system so far.Excellent product for the money
This is an excellent product. i would strongly suggest it to buyers. i bought it from amazon direct..with a good discount, and the sound is just awesome. one disadvantage though is the speaker cables are very short (especially for the surround rears), i had to buy wires from bestbuy to make it work...but still it is really worth it.Very good entry level system
Really simple to setup. 2EQ audio calibration works wonders... The sound became more clearer and very crisp after the calibration. If you plan to upgrade your existing dvd player to a blu-ray in the near future then DO NOT get this system! You will loose out on Dolby True HD and DTS Master Audio decodings(True 7.1). Better get a THX certified system capable of decoding these HD formats! The receiver runs really hot!!!You need an air conditioned room to keep it running longer. I purchased a $6 small fan from Target and it keeps the system running very cool. If any of the speaker wires gets short circuited or if the system becomes very hot then automatically the system shuts down to protect the circuitry and there are instructions in the manual on how to reset the system...pretty neat feature. Also you need speaker stands especially for the satellites and the front speakers. you can get Gemini I and II speakers stands from circuitcity or bestbuy. Not very expensive...Goes great with the black speakers! Overall very good entry system and so far the best sound you can hear from this set is a DTS ES 6.1 Discrete (Lord of the Rings)based DVD. The DTS decoding is amazing!!! Also if you connect your cable box to the receiver, try using digital optical out and then use DTS Neo6 (I found this to be better than Dolby PLIIx) DSP setting. The surround effect is really very good. Iam very happy with this system so far...Onkyo HT-S5100 7.1 Review
Not knowing much about home electronics, I was a little reluctant to purchase any Home Theater system. I installed this Onkyo HT S5100 in my new sixteen seat four tier theater and am very happy. I am using two larger front speakers from a different Onkyo system, and the new front speakers are doing a wonderful job placed in the back of the theater. I am sure they would sound great in the front also. Do not let the so called experts persuade you from the 7.1 to the 5.1 system. Even though movies are usually formatted in 5.1, the extra side surround speakers you get with a 7.1 system give that extra sound where it is needed. It is worth the few extra bucks you will spend. When I opened the box and took out the sub-woofer, the back said it was 165w and not the 290w I was expecting. I did write Onkyo about this, and they gave me some mumbo-jumbo about dynamics and RMS. All that matters is when I got it hooked up, this sub will vibrate the marrow in your bones. Final word - Before I installed the Onkyo, my theater was awesome to look at. After I installed my Onkyo, my theater is a place to watch movies.You don't actually want this
Yeah, it's a 7.1 system in the sense if you have a decoded 8 channel analog output you can get a full 7.1 surround as it was intended. But, for any other source, there's no real 7.1, end of story. Optical and coax inputs can only handle encoded formats with more than 2 channels. So any Dolby True HD or DTS HD Master 7.1 sources you may have will not work over optical or coax. Sure, you can get 5.1 through them and setup the Onkyo to "fill in" the missing speakers, even though you actually have the data for them on your source. That's not what you want, though. The reason is the HDMI Pass Through, which, ironically is touted as a feature. The only way to get 7.1 digital audio is over HDMI, and this Onkyo receiver cannot process HDMI audio of any format. It simply passes it through to the TV, acting like an HDMI switch. Your TV ultimately demuxes the audio: displaying the video, and sending the audio back to the Onkyo through an optical or coaxial audio cable. So, unless you have a standalone Blu Ray player with 7.1 analog outputs or a PC with a 7.1 surround sound card and are going to use the analog outputs (over 4 mini stereo to RCA cables), keep on looking for a receiver that decodes HDMI audio rather than passes it through. You simply cannot get 7.1 audio from this over a PS3 or a cable box. Blu Ray movies would need a standalone BD Player, and not a cheap one that only decodes to 5.1. On the other hand, if you were looking for a 5.1 system, this is a pretty good 5.1 system. The speakers are pretty nice, and the subwoofer is more than capable. It has no problems playing 5.1 through optical and coax sources, and has 2 of each, which is plenty for most people. And you get a free HDMI switch with it, if your TV is short 1 HDMI input, that's a good $150 savings over a seperate HDMI switch.Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Bose UB-20 Wall/Ceiling Bracket (each) - BLACK
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Exceptional Value
These brackets fit the bose speakers perfectly! And the price was too good to be true. I saved over 50% buying from Amazon.com. They are also very durable and light with aluminum parts. A must buy if you have any type of Bose speaker system which needs to be mounted on the wall.Clear-Crisp Sound
I thought my Bose system sounded great until I mounted the speakers on the wall. I had them on the TV stand in front of the TV. When they were moved to the wall, I couldn't believe what I was missing. The sound filled the room, DVD'S were like being at the Movies. Plus I got a great deal buying on Amazon rather then from BOSE.Good product.
I finally got around this weekend to running the speaker wire and installing the mounts. I used the ceiling mount configuration. Switching the hardware from wall mount to ceiling mount was easy. Instructions were very clear and thorough. The only issue I had with them is once they are up you can't change the configuration of the post since the screw is behind the plate to do so. So you have to remove the bracket completely ( if you used the toggle bolts you need to get new toggle bolts ), unscrew the post and then screw it back in and remount the plate.A must have with Bose speakers
If you are buying any of the Bose line of systems/speakers, these are a must have. If you run the wires throught the wall, it is an absolute seemless install. It makes the speakers appear to be suspended on the wall. I used these for the two front and center speakers on the Bose V30 system. Bought on Amazon.com, I saved a few bucks over buying them in the Bose store. They (Bose) wanted 30 bucks a piece. A great buy and a must have.best so far
secret to best speaker system - don't pay attention to hard core review freaks - listen to you're ears; what pleases your ears is the best system you'll buy for your money - this set was the only one that amazed me after listening to a dozen systems at best buy professionaly setup, and belive me money was no object for me.Logitech Z-5500 THX-Certified 505-Watt 5.1 Digital Surround Sound Speaker System
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If you're thinking about, NIKE! Just do it!
I was so hesitant because one the price was a little steep and convicing my wife took some time. This was an upgrade for me from z5300e, I'm currently using the SB Extreme Gamer, sound card. Pros: The sound is amazing, twice as nice as my z5300e. Remote control, actually comes in handy since I watch movies from bed. Price, was a con at first for me but compared to other systems, it's well worth it's value. My wife always thinks someone else is in the house us when I play games/movies. Cons: The sound console that sits on your desk is rather large, as large as the satellite speakers. I have to recaulk my windows and reframe pictures because the bass is off the chizart. I wish I had bought this 6 months ago. My wife always thinks someone else is in the house when I play games/movies.Best on the market...
I bought this system to replace my Klipsch 4.1 system and the first thing I noticed was the ENORMOUS subwoofer. Great, it should have house shaking bass. I was so wrong! The sub on the Klipsch system was roughly half the size of this one and managed to knock things off the walls. My next issue was that the speakers do not have tweeters, just large mid range speakers. Logitech claims these work just as well, but this is clearly a lie. I hooked the Klipsch satellites up to the Logitech head unit and sub and heard the incredible difference the separate tweeters make. For the price of this system, I feel slightly ripped off. I do love the adjustments, screen and inputs though. PROS -Lots of inputs -Screen, remote and adjustments -Good mids -Wires are reasonable long, no stupid proprietary plugs CONS -Weak bass -Poor highs -Cheap plastic construction and plastic bases -Huge subwoofer (I could barely find a place to put it!!) -Controls on the remote are better than those on the control podFirst Impressions
I just received my Z-5500 speaker system on Thursday and wanted to give my first impressions. It may be a little too soon but if my impression changes over time I wanted an initial record. The box arrived by UPS two days after my order, one day after it was shipped. I think it came from PA so it wasn't a long trip. The large box arrived without external damage though it looked re-taped. Inside, the packaging seemed to be intact so I don't think this was a return. I brought the heavy box upstairs and started the hookup. The most difficult part was figuring out what connections to make to my sound card. I have an optical cable on the way - I hope it is the right one. The controller says Effect: 6 Ch Direct 96/24 so I think it is the best connection I can make until the optical cable arrives. The computer is a Dell XPS-410. I didn't realize the XPS-410's sound card supports 7.1. The connections I made to the Dell are: Logitech FRONT to DELL line-out/headphone. Use the (green) line-out connector to attach headphones and most speakers with integrated amplifiers. Logitech REAR to Dell surround sound connector. Use the (black) surround sound connector to attach multichannel-capable speakers. Logitech CENTER/SUB to Dell center/subwoofer LFE connector. Use the (orange) center/subwoofer connector to attach a center speaker or single subwoofer. NOTE: The LFE (Low Frequency Effects) Audio channel, found in digital surround sound audio schemes, carries only low frequency information of 80 Hz and below. The LFE channel drives a subwoofer to provide extemely low bass extension. The switch on the back of the controller is set to 6 CH. DIRECT. The controller says: Input: Direct 96--24 Effect: 6 Ch Direct I think this is the correct setup but once the optical cable arrives I shouldn't need to be concerned about it. For the first couple of days I used the speakers just for music. I have a pretty good collection of MP3s recorded at 256 Kbps (Amazon) and 320 Kbps (recorded from CDs). Today I'm watching some DVDs I've recorded onto my hard drive. I'm not sure what format the audio is (simple stereo, Dolby, etc.). Music: I think my recordings are pretty high quality. Until now I've been using earphones (Shure) and the sound has been great. The sound from the speakers is better than I could have hoped for. While these are fairly expensive computer speakers, they certainly don't cost the same as high quality stereo speakers so I wasn't sure what to expect from them. The bass is punchy but balances well with the the rest of the music. At higher levels, I have to back off the bass a little so the house doesn't thump so much. I can get much more audio out of these speakers than I can ever use in this house. Bottom-line... I'm extreemly pleased with how these speakers sound for the music I listen to (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Nickelback, Nine Inch Nails). Movies: I can't remember the audio settings I selected when I did my recording but I assume it wasn't the highest quality settings. It is probably all stereo. Because of this, I can't really comment on how surround sound sounds. Besides, my current speaker setup is much less than optimal. However, the sound quality is pleasant to listen to. The voices are crisp. I'm watching "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" right now. There's a lot of bass in the background music but it doesn't overpower the rest of the audio. Bottom-line: Without an optimal setup I'm quite pleased with the performance of these speakers. The speaker components appear well built. The controller is a lot bigger than I expected. Something else I'm impressed with is the fact the remote controller controls every function of the speakers with the addition of a "Test" function. I'm not much into plastic but I guess that's the way computer components are built today. I miss the look of my old Cerwin Vega AT-12's or Bose 901's. Fortunately, I'm not missing the sound from those speakers. I've read some of the other reviews, the forums and the FAQ on the Logitech site. I'm aware that these speaker have (or had) a tendency to pop. Logitech seem to have a program to replace those popping speakers for free (see their FAQ). These speakers don't show signs of popping yet. I also understand that after two years some of these speakers have failed. I don't think I push speakers to their limits so I don't expect this to be a problem. But, considering their relatively low price compared to what I was used to paying for speakers, I don't think I would be too disappointed with 2 good years of service. After a few months, I may update this early review but I suspect my impressions won't change too much. I'm very pleased with the quality of the speakers and service from Amazon.Sub is almost the size of a mini fridge!
Bought this item on Sunday, and was delivered by Tuesday. So far this thing bumps, seriously! Would definetly recommend to serious gamers, film enthusiast or ones just looking to iritate their neighbors. If your thinking about buying, just stop and buy it!Logitech Z-5500 THX-Certified 505-Watt 5.1 Digital...
All I can say about this unit is WOW. The unit is heavy so make sure they deliver it to your door step. The instructions are very stright forward. The wires are a little short if you are putting the speakers on the wall which is easy because of the swivel mounting. Twist it one was it works on the desk or twist it the other way and it mounts on the wall. I bought some extra wire from Radio Shack. I wanted to use white wire so it didn't show up coming down the wall. The easy way to keep the wires stright is to put a piece of masking tape on the end of each wire with the location of the speaker, ie RR(right rear), LF(left front) etc. I tried some heaver wire but found there was not that much difference in the sound quality. I didn't try shielded wire because of the cost and I don't hear any interference with regular wire. The rest of the setup is pretty stright forward. Just plug the wires in the back in the correct place that are marked. Make sure about the correct color speaker wires to the correct terminals. The way I have used the remote is on line of sight to a distance of about 20 ft. You may be able to get more distance. The sound is as good I could ever imagine it would be. You can adjust the Center speaker to hear stronger vocals or turn up the surround to bring a more balance sound where you are sitting. If you really want to make thunder turn up the sub and listen to the windows rattle. Just make sure it is not to close,(two foot minimum) to your monitor, computer, TV, or any games or DVD,s. The magnet is strong and heavy. The worst thing about this unit so far has been that I can't get the optical 5.1 to work with my computer. This is the second time I have had really quick delivery service from Amazon. I ordered this unit on a Wednesday and it was here on Friday using regular shipping.
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