Logitech Z-5500 THX-Certified 5.1 Digital Surround Sound Speaker System

Alright, well I've had a Panasonic 5.1 with tower front speakers and wireless speakers w/stands for rear speakers, and I believe an 8 or 10 inch sub, and I loved that system, but it was never quite enough for me even though I payed just over half a grand for the sucker. Well now I use that Panasonic for my xbox360 and dvd's, but I wish I had known that this system would be so distinctly better before I had bought and then set up that Panasonic those years ago... I honestly feel I've wasted money and time putting up with sound when I could've had this system at a significantly better price and been MUCH happier with the sound quality. Let's get right down to actually reviewing this system though.. Before I list the pros and cons, let me say that I consider myself a soundfreak, but I am no audiophile, and while I've owned my fair share of sound systems and headsets and tested just as many sound systems, I am no expert, this is just from my point of view. Pros 1)Controllable level of surround sound 2)Controllable level of the center speaker 3)Controllable level of subwoofer 4)Easy use of the main console 5)VERY distinct sound quality, and while some people complain of the subwoofer being "too boomy", the system makes up for it by utilizing 3" full range drivers in each surround speaker which can actually give you the distinct rich kick sound of rock music, while you feel the kick from the subwoofer. 6)One thing I hated about my Panasonic is that when you would turn it up loud, the subwoofer would drown everything out, and that simply isn't the case with this sound system. Each surround speaker can hold it's own and still produce very distinct notes with the subwoofer pounding your chest in, which to me is a HUGE bonus. 7)The rear speakers produce a good level of sound and quality which for me is also a huge deal because some surround systems I've either owned or tested have had very weak rear speaker volume level and quality. 8)The sound with this system is very rich, you will not be disappointed with clarity even at the highest levels, or with the surround sound. My advice would be to try out the song, "Aint No Rest For The Wicked, by Cage The Elephant", that really showcases the quality of the surround sound and the rear speakers. Cons 1)The subwoofer is boomy like other reviews have mentioned, but if you're looking for a 5.1 system in the price range that this is offered in (or even at some higher price ranges), you will not find a better deal than this system. 2)It's not a component system (separate tweeters and midrange drivers), and so you do lose a little bit of clarity that other systems can offer you. 3)It doesn't have an onboard equalizer which I'm sure some people find as a necessity, but for me that's not a big deal because it's out of the box sound is more than enough to do the trick. 4)The speaker mounts don't come off of the speakers, and while I know other reviews have mentioned this, it can't hurt to mention it again. This can also create a challenge for wall-mounting speaker users (like myself), because it's very tough to drill holes for these speakers when your drill barely has room to operate. My advice if you're going to wall-mount would be to use Gorilla Hooks from the infomercials that we all hated seeing.. They actually do the trick quite nicely, and they are MUCH easier to do then screwing them into a wall stud. 5)There isn't an adjustable frequency response range on the subwoofer, which I know is something stupid to gripe about but it was a nice feature of one of my other sound systems. Tips for Wall-Mounting and basic set up 1)Like I listed earlier, use Gorilla Hooks for wall mounting, save yourself some time and effort. 2)Mount the rear speakers a bit higher than the front speakers, this will create a distinct surround sound for you and give you the best quality. 3)Make sure that you have enough wire (if you'd like it to look professional) to either hide the wires or make them look uniform and straight. For me it's not a big deal, but to other that can be a big deal. Also the good thing is that this wire is adjustable in length because of the way that Logitech put them, and that will come in handy I'm sure for some people. 4)There is a note in the package, but just so you're forewarned, the subwoofer isn't magnetically shielded, so you'll want about 2 feet between it and any other electrical equipment, so visualize if you'll actually have enough space for the subwoofer in the first place (because it is a large sub), and secondly if you'll have enough space to give it an exclusive spot in the room. For me this required a re-work of my rooms set up, but after hearing the quality of this system, I'd do it all over again no questions asked. 5)Make sure that you have a decent sound card that will do this system justice, otherwise you would probably be better off just getting a different possibly cheaper system (if you can find one..), because you won't be getting the full quality out of this system. If you're inbetween this system and any other comparable system for the price range, save yourself the time and research and get this one. I spent hours and hours reading reviews and tech specs on all different 5.1 systems, and this one wins out no questions asked. You will be more than impressed with the sound quality, and to me, it feels like I'm listening to a system that is worth over $1000 easily. This system has way more than you'd expect for the price, not only the best value I've seen, but some of the best quality I've heard. *Edit I know when I first pulled out the system that I couldn't get the center speaker working, and I know this sounds stupid, but make sure that you switch your effect on the main console, to me the Music setting sounds the best, but to each their own.

I like to think that I make reasonable, prudent, and quality-conscious decisions when it comes to tech items, and this Logitech Z-5500 digital sound system reflects those words along with two others that comes to mind: HIGH PERFORMANCE! From the highs and mid-range sounds to the deep, deep thundering bass that only a huge, double-reflex 13"x13"x15" cabinet of a sub-woofer could manage to produce, the Logitech system is an incredible performing product. That it has close to 600W peak power is one thing, but to deliver it in the manner that this system does with superior DAC controllers and amazing line filters is a whole different ball game compared to less sophisticated systems. The "new" system from Logitech, the "replacement" for this beautiful sound array is supposed to be so much better than the Z-5500, but something got lost in the translation for me, personally, and I'm perfectly satisfied to continue on with this system and not "go forward" and choose the new "all-digital" Logitech system that is so "advanced" vs the Z-5500. With all due respects I have to pronounce the Z-5500 a better choice for myself, and my musical tastes and feelings vs the new system, and all others for that matter in terms of "computer speakers"--such as these are called. The Z-5500 is soooooo easy to set up and enjoy, too! I hooked up the system to my 3 favored devices (via Toslink connections) which surround my work station in my studio where I spend most of my time when working or enjoying my computer systems and audio-video devices, in about 10 minutes and I was ready to enjoy fine, fine sound reproduction. I have a Nyrius (available here at Amazon.com also) 3-Way Toslink Switch which I use to segregate the sounds from a Samsung Blu-Ray player, a Samsung LCD 40" HDTV, and the PC itself with its dedicated Asus Xonar Essence ST PCI Sound Card, all 3 devices having the requisite Toslink or Mini Toslink to Toslink ports to allow this conversion to take place, and BAM! I was done with setup but to pick the presets and features on the Logitech Controller device that I wanted to use, after configuring the speakers, of course. There are those who argue with me about "pure sound" and that "the best features of the Asus Xonar Essence" PC sound card are its dedicated DAC devices, which are supposed to be superior to the Logitech Controller's DAC's, but I really don't care to take up that conversation when I am 100% satisfied with the sounds emanating from my speakers as I set it up originally. No doubt I might change my perceptions of the Logitech DAC's (Digital Audio Converters) if I were to hear the "pure sounds" of the Asus device's DAC's, but for convenience's sake I will stick with my Mini-Toslink to Toslink cable from the Asus sound card to the Logitech controller, and be happy in my ignorance, I suppose. The Z-5500 continues the Logitech device system of separate titanium-tweeters/mid-range satellite speakers (5 of them), the dedicated Logitech controller where you make selections as to sound preferences, volume and the like choices, and a big, bad, (HUGE in fact) 13"x13"x15" sub-woofer with a gigantic 10-pound electro-dynamic MAGNET in the enclosure, for the ultimate bass "thump", "push", or "blast" (take your pick), and it's a winning combination for certain! One of the dedicated tweeter/midrange speakers is placed in the "Center" position for the most amazing voice and tympany-associated sounds from a Center speaker in the mix, while there are two speakers used for "Left" and "Right" traditional stereo output, and the last two are the "Surround Sound" speakers in the digital progression of defining the big-ranged output. I have the left and right channel speakers up high on my credenza on the top shelf (3 shelves in front of me, looking toward a wall and the Samsung HDTV), the surround sound satellites on the lower level of the desk, left and right, and finally I have the big sub-woofer placed ON THE FLOOR (carpeted) near my footwell in the work station, for the ultimate big bass explosions that inevitably come from that amazingly powerful bass reflex speaker, the most powerful I've ever experienced, frankly! I cannot tell you all reading this how heavy the bass sub-woofer is, but suffice to say it would easily "crack glass, bend metal, perhaps snap a redwood beam" if necessary, I mean it can be LOUD! However it's not a bad loud, it's like heavy compression and release of a never-ending "sound bomb" going off underneath the desk and it travels throughout my home like an indigenous bass blast emanating from all corners of the floor level of the place. CRAZY! Suffice to say this is one, major-league powerhouse of a sound system, and whether you are playing rock, jazz, classical, reggae, new wave, alternative music, whatever...the system is true to life and really entertaining to listen to. It can overwhelm you if you are inside my studio, this is surely true, with the volume turned up too high, so I literally never have the system cranked past 40-50% on the controller's slider-scale, never past about 40% of the system's capability because it is just beyond description how loud that actually is! 130 decibels, or higher? Perhaps! I like playing things like Steppenwolf's "Born to be wild", (or Hendrix's "Fire" or perhaps "Purple Haze", maybe Led Zeppelin's--really a Jimmy Page riff when you get down to it--"The song remains the same" or "Whole lotta love") all of which are anthems to the psychedelic past lives of the greats of rock 'n roll, when breaking in a new system, and the Z-5500 did NOT disappoint, to say the least!!! That bass reflex/sub-woofer has a warning on the box when you open it for the 1st time, and that warning is to: "Keep at least 3-feet away (the sub-woofer) from electronic components, computers, and anything sensitive to electro-magnetic energy", in large type which is Red/Black/White, sort of like a HazMat warning on a case of some hydrogen cannisters (!), a very foreboding thing to read when you are first setting up the system. Also this warning: "Heavy! Lift with caution"!! Once you actually pick up/lift the sub do you find out why that warning was placed so prominently, as it feels like 200 pounds of dead weight, concentrated into a small box, and it IS difficult to maneuver so I just put it under the desk and did my install "around" the sub rather than "with it!" Even the Controller is a substantial piece of equipment, as it sits angled "Up" on a 6" base with a satin-finished chrome/alloy face, blue LED Off/On switch, and up at the top of the piece is the control interface and LED display, soft green lit with blue script, with five buttons to push for "Input", "Effect", "Settings", "Level", and "Mute", with a HUGE control knob in the center of the face of the display for controlling volume, and volume alone. It all sort of "fits into place" easily, however, and I have mine sitting directly above my place to sit at the work station on the top level of the credenza where it's ready for any input I give it. And that's saying just a little bit about the controller because it is awesome the things you can do with it, adjusting and fine tuning all that power and grace that only a speaker system like this affords. It is just totally AWESOME in every aspect, the Z-5500 speaker system, and you learn to both enjoy and respect its presence and abilities quickly because you have no choice...it commands any room you have the system in, and gives no quarter either with respect to defining the sound output of any device you happen to be using. This is heaven, this is sound control, and it's all done the Logitech way. There is plenty of speaker wire to maintain a good distance between the requisite parts and pieces of the system, so you won't have to be making a trip to Radio Shack for more wire as you might have to do with a lesser speaker system. Nope, they thought of everything with the Z-5500 system, and then some! As for outputs and inputs it's all self-defined and simple to figure out: each speaker has a dedicated plug-in on its backside for a red wire and a black wire, and the other end of the wiring goes directly into the back of the sub-woofer to its logical counterpart, ie "Left side", "Right side", "Left surround", "Right surround", or "Center"...your choice! It is idiot-proof totally, and simple to assemble. There is a dedicated plug-in for the Logitech Controller directly below the speakers' connections, and you just run the other end of that up to the controller and you're ready to rock! The controller has the inputs for analog or Toslink sound (optical/digital hook-up) cables, and Logitech furnishes the analog wiring and you furnish the Toslink wiring, because it can be long, short, or in-between...for my setup I used 12-foot Toslink cables to be safe and sane, you might use the 6-foot size if you have everything closer together than I do presently. The whole system is certified THX, Dolby Digital, and DTS and those initials are finely stenciled, in black, onto the front of the controller at the bottom edge so it's not too prominent. If you remove the satellite's acoustic cover you'll find just THX stamped on its front, bottom surface...very subtle and nice. That's my take on this incredible sounding, and looking for that matter, speaker system by Logitech. It's a shame that they don't make it anymore, but maybe you can find your dream set post-production era in an obscure 'Net storefront somewhere...I did just that the other day, and they wanted $1299 for the set, "New, never opened, packed and sealed by Logitech" the ad said! WOW! That's saying something with declaration right there...so in some circles I guess these are considered the ones to have, even now vs. the new, improved, and "advanced" all digital replacement for this amazing system. You know, I am glad I got in on the Z-5500 while they were at the end of the production run, even though they were not discounted to any great extent here at Amazon.com. I figure I got the best of both worlds when I bought these because they were proven, established, and universally considered the absolute best computer speaker system available at any price. I love the Z-5500's for all of my uses, be it HDTV, BluRay or DVD movies, or for PC convenience and use with my AppleTV library of 1200+ movies, or iTunes with almost 3TB of music and video performances by great artists. If I wasn't satisfied with the Z-5500 I'd swap them out in a NY Second or Two for the new, "advanced" replacement that Logitech has created, but I'm not dissatisfied at all. For me these are as good as it gets for computer speakers, and I'll be keeping them a long, long time. Wavey Davey - 8-20-2011

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Oh and Did I mention WOW ? I have three cables for 5.1 going from my sound card into the box. I have the digital out going from the soundcard, into the logitech for 5.1 dvd movies through my computer. As well i have fiber optic coming out of my sattelite into the setup box so i can listen to 5.1 while watching tv. Maybe not 5.1 but emulate pro logic it sounds great. So im definetly making use of all the inputs on the back of this baby. This has a lot of features, and different modes you can use. It has Stereo (which is just front l/r speakers outputting sound), Stereo 2(front left/right, rear left/right), Pro logic II Movie (i dunno? Uses the center channel, less of the rears more of the sub, pro logic Music (heavy on the sub, uses all speakers). As well it's easy to scroll through the inputs Coax, Direct 6channel, optical. The remote it comes with is pretty useful you can adjust volume, sub levels, surround output (dont know what this does yet). It is wicked fun! I paid $270 shipped from Amazon (forget ripoff COMPUSA), got it in TWO Days. I love audio always have, always will. This was a 5.1 for my computer, but I also wanted 5.1 for movies that I watch in my room. This comes with cables for analog games which is how games output. However I bought a coaxial for digital out for games, and a fiber optic cable for my sattelite to the box. Total cost through circuit city $70. Total cost through amazon $30. Shop amazon! :) Initial impression ------------------ Lets just say setup wasen't easy. It is pretty standard, connect one speaker, another speaker, another speaker. it just takes a while to light up everything connect everything. It took me probably 1 1/2 hours, but i took breaks to vacuum and relocate my pc so everything would fit in fine. The speaker cables are big, but my front left wasen't long enough. So i bought a little extension 6' cable so I could hide it nicely. I didn't use any gold connection cable just regular circuit city $4.99 for 6'. Also this setup is large and man impressive. The sub is massive stands just taller then a 2 liter bottle of coke, and maybe 3 bottles across x 3 1/2 bottles deep. Games ----- I have connected this with the included three direct cables to get 5.1 sound from my games. It works great it's loud, it thumps, and it scared my sister when she was sitting here and a zombie came up behind her in Doom 3. It's loud, it's clear. I dont know about 500 watts, i've had it to max and it's loud, but 500 watts? Who knows, it's really loud and i'm happy with it anyways. Sounds fantastic and as you move around in games i can see sound shift from one speaker to the other, it fills the room great, and if you've never had a nice speaker setup (with a sub) your in for a surprise. This is a lot of speaker, and will easily last 3 years unless you must have the newest and greatest setup every year. DVD's ----- I also have a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum. I had initially planned to hookup the front plate which has a Digital Coax out so when I played DVD's it would play 5.1 sound. However that dosen't work, I played with it a lot and it wont work. However, my 5.1 card has a digital output on the back of it, I bought a 0.99 cent mono adapter from radio shack and run a coaxial cable from the digital out of the sound card into the standalone cool set top receiver. Now when I play dvd's on my computer (didn't want to buy an additional dvd player for my room) it outputs 5.1 clean signal to my settop box that came with the logitech and that decodes either a dolby digital or dts signal. Works brilliant. Sound is clear, loud, shakes the walls, shakes the room. TV -- I've got optical going from sattelite into this baby. Sounds great, emulates 5.1 through pro logic or stereo or stereo2. Works fine works great, sports sound great. I always loved 5.1. Comparison ----------- I was torn between this setup and the Klipsch 5.1 Ultra which is similarly priced, and also a 5.1 setup. I ultimately chose these because of the various input connectors on the setup box. If I chose the klipsch i couldn't hookuped my sattelite to it, or my dvd's wouldn't decode in 5.1 they would be strictly analogue. Sound quality wise i have a set of 2.1 klipsch (200 watt)for sale, they sound great, but aren't 5.1. I also have a 5.1 setup for my home theater a sony 500 watt setup. That's with the big screen. Comparison wise? Hard to say, that one is about 3 years old but still sounds great (paid $600 with receiver). This definetly compares to it, and i'm more tempted to watch movies upstairs because this subwoofer is awesome. However I got the big screen downstairs and it comfortably seats 10 of my buddies so we'll be hanging out downstairs also. So I would say this definetly can go head to head with the home theater in a box $500 setups out there. Im not so sure about the $1500+ setups though. Actually I dont think it will compare to those :) Conclusion ----------- Long review I know! Lots to say. This setup kicks ass, sound quality is great and will easily last me a long while. I make use of all the features, am impressed by the sound quality, and thump shake shake cause im a bass kinda guy. If you want the best, lots of options and I mean lots, lots of connectivity great sound nice thump get this setup. You wont be sorry it looks great, sounds great and will easily outlast 2 computers. -Neil

I purchased the Z-5500's as a replacement for my Klipsch Pro Media Ultra 5.1 (KPMU 5.1) system. Those of you familiar with the KPMU 5.1 know it's a beautiful product with rich, warm, powerful sound and an impressive dynamic range (due to excellent case construction and its BASH amplifier). Of course, the KPMU 5.1 has a history of burning out its amp after a couple years, and follow-on repairs just push that inevitable event to the right for awhile. So, I went looking for something with as much power (or more) to replace my KPMU 5.1 and settled, after reading a number of reviews, on the z-5500. I've used Logitech speakers in the past for less demanding applications, and I was honestly a bit leery of the z-5500's. Logitech's higher end products always deliver powerful bass and very (very) bright treble, but I've never cared for the midrange - too metallic. The z-5500 suffers from this a bit, but you can lessen the impact with some creative pre-amp mixing. I think the metal speaker cones and plastic cases and stands may have a lot to do with the brightness of the sound they deliver. This leads to my only real complaint about this system: way too much plastic. Unlike the KPMU 5.1's particle board and metal construction, Logitech went on the cheap for materials on the satellite speakers. The sub box is particle board and, especially if you corner load it, performs very well, but the satellites feel...cheap. In fact, the construction is so cheap I had to replace my first set of z-5500's because one of the stands and cases on a satellite broke during shipment. Set up was fairly quick, especially since Logitech ditched the plug connectors for its satellites and went with standard two-line leads. My office is already pre-wired with some mid-to-high grade Monster Cable, so the z-5500 was truly a "drop-in replacement" for my KPMU 5.1 (thank goodness). Once set up and running, the z-5500 performs pretty well, especially at higher volumes, where the sound blending tends to mute the shallower mid-range. Positional sound is very good, and the control pod allows for fairly good fine tuning. If you're using this with a computer (as I am), you'll likely need to work with both your sound card's controls and the speakers' control pod to get the sweet spot properly caged. Once you nail it, the overall sound delivery is very satisfying, though I'm toying with the idea of swapping the z-5500's satellites with those from my KPMU 5.1 to do some comparison testing. The z-5500's are rated for higher power, but I've never pushed the KPMU 5.1 to its upper limits, so this might be an interesting experiment (and possibly fix my minor mid-range complaints). Overall, I'm satisfied with the z-5500. It's not a must buy, but if you're looking for a reasonably priced, powerful 5.1 system for computer (and possibly, home theater) application, it's worth giving this one a good look. THE GOOD: Excellent sub, control pod, high volume performance THE BAD: Mid-range lacks depth, but mostly fixable with some creative mixing THE UGLY: Plastic cases and stands on satellites, metallic silver-grey paint scheme on same looks little cheap.

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.

I waited several years before I purchased these. My Klipsch Promedia 5.1's bit the dust about 2 years ago, the infamous amp problem. I didn't really want to spend $300 on another set of computer speakers at the time, so I bought the Logitech G51's. They were pretty good speakers for the money. After owning them for 23 months, the rears stopped working. Logitech made good on their warranty, and I have a check coming for what I paid for those speakers, being that they don't make this model any longer. Figured now was the time to go ahead and get what I really wanted. I consider the refund a down payment for the 5500's. I saw the price here and at another retailers rise and fall, rise and fall again. One day, C*****t C**y puts these on sale here using the marketplace for a pretty good price, and even after the shipping costs, they were still cheaper than I have seen in years. One thing I do not understand is why all of the high end sound cards for 5.1 and 7.1 speakers, when there are very few 5.1 computer speakers on the market anymore. These are the best 5.1 computers on the market now. These are not as good as my Klipsch were, but they are close. From most of the reviews that I have read, the longevity of these speakers is much better than the Klipsch ever were. Now when these things land at your house, I hope you are strong, as the box is very large and heavy. As I was unpacking the box, I was very impressed by the quality of the speakers and the size of the sub. Holy cow, that sub is huge!! They give you a lot of speaker wire, doesn't appear to be the best quality wire, but it will work for now. Setting them up was pretty easy. I am using the RCA analog connection to my PC for now, as I am all out of optical cables at the moment. Now for the good stuff. I have listened to these speakers at low volume listening to classical guitar, Phil Keaggy and the like to be exact. Now I am sure there are better speakers out there, but I am satisfied with the highs and the clarity of the music. I have had to turn the bass way down, and let me tell you, there is plenty of it. I love having the 5.1 speakers and being able to hear the sound all around you. I haven't had the chance to play any games on it yet, but I am looking forward to hearing things creep up behind me and raising the hair on the back of my neck just like my Klipsch used to do for me. Are they as good as the Klipsch, no, but they are pretty good. I am not sure why more speaker manufacturers don't make 5.1's anymore. Once you have them, you don't go back to anything else. Face it, you buy your speakers for the experience that they give you, and I believe these are the best 5.1's on the market right now. I know the price is high, and it waivers all the time. If you are on the fence, and you have the money and need quality computer speakers, wait for the right price point and jump in and get these. You will not be disappointed.

Writing this review for all of the peeps the only look at 1 star reviews to get "honest" opinions. I've had them for 2+ years, never needed to deal with costumer service. Sounds is really quite good for computer speakers, the satellites perform as satellites do with crisp high end response, a little bit tiny sounding, lacking mid range sound. It's a little difficult to find a balance that tricks your ears into hearing a flat mid-range, but that's what you're buying. I've been using them lately with blu-ray digital on a PS3, work great. The setup is easy (e.g. plug it in). I didn't notice a lick of difference with MP3's playing optical or with the the 3 1/8th inch connectors (forget what they're called, maybe just stereo, or 5.1). However, digital with the blu-ray or a 96kHz hi-fi or HD music file is terrific. The surround sound is good and there's a lot of flexibility with how you setup the sound in accordance with your tastes. You can also use the THX tool that comes with the system to further tweak, I found the tool a bit cumbersome but you can tweak individual speaker volumes which is nice. Lastly, as for it's durability, again, had it over 2 years, it has a bug where the power doesn't work, remedied by unplugging the sub and plugging it back in - happens about 3 times a year. This little bug is probably due to the fact that my house flooded 4 inches of water and soaked the woofer and the power strip on the ground. Dried it out for 2 days, still works with this little bug. The guy who blew his woofer twice is seriously pushing the limits of the device. A likely scenario is that it overheated since these kinds of subs get stuck in the corner somewhere without ventilation and it can draw some heavy power for a computer device, thereby generating a lot of heat. Overall, it's not a bad product, I'm about to buy a set for a birthday gift. I like good sound, without breaking the bank. This is a nice in between. Want better? It'll cost you. The only con I would say is lacking warmth in the midrange which the sub doesn't quite mask and the satellites can't quite acquire. Pros: it's real surround, 5.1 dolby, dts, thx, the works, and for the price tag, it's great.

=============================== 10-31-04 Update: Kudos to Amazon on fast shipping... I got them in two days! But Amazon's pricing fluctuation still gets under my skin. The day they shipped my speakers the price was down to $286. That was for one day and still not listed as a sale price, then the next day back up to 306.99 again and has remained there. BTW - you can get these at CheifValue for 279.99 in case you're interested. Today (10/31/04) they have a $5 off coupon and $10 shipping! About the speakers - I'm listening to Matchbox Twenty right now. These bad boys really rock the house, no kidding! Everything Logitech says in their marketing material about the Z-5500's is true. I'm using Real Media for CD's and it sounds great, everything from ABBA to Ja Rule to Zeplin. Windows Player just sucks in comparison. If anyone uses a better media player than "Real" please let me know. I've heard certain musical sounds from this system that I don't recall hearing on any other. If, so they were drowned in the mix. This clarity is most notable in the mid to high frequency range. Lows are exceptionally clear as well and you don't get the normal grinding rumble as with most subs. Instead, you'll get a crisp and clean deep bass. Movies are absolutely astounding on this speaker system. Of course I had to watch Matrix (the first one). Some others were Armageddon, Twister, Blade I and Gladiator. The sound rivaled my 10k home theater system. Again, no kidding! While watching Twister I felt like I was in the "----ing" tornado. Even more so than my big system. I'm assuming this is because I have these set up in my home office where the room is smaller and probably better acoustic ambience. I would not like to think that my $2500 home theater speakers are inferior to the Z-5500's ;-( THX and dts worked great on my system with the Audigy 2 soundcard. The Direct Connection (analog) sounds great in itself but utilize the Digital connection and you'll be awe-struck! It really brings you into the movie... Playing Games - haven't tested much in that respect due to time constraints but with these speakers I'm inclined to get back into some serious gaming. Dangerous for me as I already have problems with getting a good-nights-sleep. What I have played Star Wars "Attack of the Clones" and the sound was nothing less than amazing especially when compared to the TDK speakers that previously interfaced my PC to my ears. Other than that I really don't have much of a comparison with the exception of trying out a few speaker models in retail locations including these. The speakers are very appealing to the eye. One cool feature of the design is if you want to mount them on the wall you just have to rotate the speaker stand 180 degrees and they're wall mountable as is. The Control center is very easy to navigate. I really like the large dial that controls the volume plus other level adjustments for the various settings to include center, surround, sub...anything that requires an up/down adjustments. The other selection are made by repeatedly pressing the appropriate button. Example: "Input" - Press once = Optical = Press twice = Coax - Press a 3rd time = Direct. From there if an effect is associated with the input you would select "Effect" and press the necessary times to select the desired effect. Very simplistic, and that's a good thing because speaker controls should not be complicated. The Display is very easy to read, unlike the previous version (the 680's). I can easily see/read the display from several feet away and it's not too bright yet easily readable in the daytime. A couple of nice extras are the headphone and auxiliary jacks on the side of the Control Center. That is something that I really needed. The only improvements I can recommend are very minor but here they are: Speaker wire connections - the wires are fixed so you are limited to the length of wire that comes with each speaker. Although you can buy extensions to fit the RCA type connectors. I feel this may inhibit the sound quality as opposed to the ability to direct wire the speakers with a custom length of good speaker wire. Even though I really don't have any complaints about the display it would have been nice to include contrast/brightness adjustments for those who would prefer the ability customize the view. But really this is not a big deal at all. The remote control could use a little dressing up so that it would look like it is a part of the "Nice Package". Instead, what you get is a plain black remote with black buttons and small white lettering. Very Plane Jane in appearance but it does offer enough controls to make it usable. The main power switch is on the sub with a standby switch on the Control Center. This is acceptable but it would have been a plus if Logitech would have included the logic to be able to detect sound input in the standby mode which would turn the speakers on. Bottom line - these are all minor issues and are nothing to really complain about. The design and sound that these speakers produce deserve no less than 5 stars in my opinion. ================================== 10-26-04 Update: After much hassle of back and forth emails, Amazon finally agreed to do the honorable thing and make it right. ...my system is on its way! Once received I'll write a detailed review of the Logitech Z-5500 ================================== 10-24-04 Honestly, I have tried these speakers and would give them 10 stars! But that is not why I'm writing here today. Out of my 10 stars Logitech Z-5500 gets 5 and Amazon gets a big fat zero!!! Here's the deal: Just two days ago Amazon's price (not on sale) was $279 with free shipping. This was one of the lowest prices around. I didn't buy then because I was waiting on an Amazon Gift Certificate so I could afford the speakers. Now (2 days later) that I've got it I come back and the price is now $306 still with free shipping. I know a lot of people were waiting for these to come in stock and I'm sure they're a fast seller. I'm not sure but it looks a little strange that Amazon jacked up their price to cover what would normally be shipping charge that just happens to be "free". Hmmm? Just my thoughts so don't "dog" me on this review since I didn't take away from the speaker rating. Thanks!