Some things to love, some things to hate...
The Z-5500 was critically acclaimed upon its release - but I think they have more to do with the fact that the Z-5500 offered very good features (tons of inputs, Dolby/DTS decoding, etc.) relative to its price. Its sound quality, for anyone who's actually heard good audio, leaves a lot to be desired.
Acoustically, the Z-5500 does offer a very even frequency response, as evident by measurements shown in multiple professional reviews - however, something about it just sounds "off". The treble lacks resolution and spark, the mid-range is slightly nasally & lethargic, the bass has the tendency to be loose.
Originally I had faulted the driver units for these flaws - I never understood why Logitech insists on sticking with the phase plug design for their high-end speakers instead of going with a true 2-way design. If you read discussions on hi-fi forums, you will see this as one of the main reasons people speculate as to the poor sound quality of the set.
But as it turns out... the main acoustic issue of the Z-5500 lies not in the speakers themselves, but the electronics. Namely, Logitech used some cheap components that's really bad for signal processing. Don't believe me? Hook up the Z-5500 satellites to a dedicated A/V receiver and hear for yourself - I can guarantee you all the missing details in the treble will come out, and the midrange will suddenly sound full-bodied and energetic.
Fortunately, for those who are willing to dedicate the time, there's a way to upgrade the internal electronics and make the Z-5500 perform like a decent hi-fi system (Look up "Almi's Logitech Z-5500 Mod" on Head-Fi).
For those who are not willing to perform such extensive modifications, there are still a few general tips I can share:
1) Remove the speaker grills - I find the treble response to be rather temperamental on Logitech's phase plug driver design, and the speaker grills do actually have a notable effect on the sound in this case.
2) Point the satellites directly toward you - The phase plug drivers appear to be highly directional; treble response in particular takes a huge hit if the satellites are pointed even 10 degrees away from you (the 2-way Altec Lansing ADA995 I have, on the other hand, are not nearly this drastic).
Lastly, I would like to dispel some popular myths surrounding the Z-5500:
-The rated 10%THD is atrocious!
There are people who claim they can "hear" the 10% THD, which is a downright laughable assertion. Regardless, the 10% THD is from the integrated amplifier (not the speakers themselves), when it is operating at MAXIMUM output (trust me, you'll never have the speakers turned up that loud). During normal operations, the THD value is much, much lower. The reason Logitech chose to list the THD at 10% is so they can claim the 505W output figure.
-These speakers lack treble/midrange!
The treble is slightly lacking; there is a rolloff above 16KHz. But as aforementioned, I think the issue is more in the signal pathway than the drivers themselves - it's not so much that the treble isn't present, but the definition is so poor that it feels hazy and indistinct. Driven by a capable amp, the satellites actually have quite a bit of sparkle. The midrange on the other hand is not lacking at all - I think people who say this don't understand what frequency range qualifies as "midrange". If anything the Z-5500 sounds slightly warm, with a mild peak in the 2-3K range. But overall the satellites' response curve is quite linear.
-The 200Hz crossover is terrible!
Actually, the crossover is around 120Hz, which isn't that bad for multimedia speakers. Personally I haven't noticed any directional issue with the subwoofer under normal usage - the only time I notice any directionality is if the subwoofer module is placed really close to me, or if I am sitting directly in front of the forward-firing driver. Placing it off to the side and at least 3 feet away and you shouldn't notice anything.
-You get much better sound with an A/V receiver + bookshelf speakers!
Can't argue with that, but at what cost? Even a "budget" surround sound receiver easily costs $200, and decent book shelf speakers around $50 a pop. That's $450 without even accounting for the subwoofer, which will easily set you back another $150-$200 (given that most A/V receivers only offer pre-amp subwoofer output, you will need an self-powered sub). That's a $600 minimum VS the $300 retail price of the Z-5500. All-in-one home theater packages won't necessarily sound better, and they won't be suitable for computer usage anyway (most of them lack 6-channel analog inputs, which forces you to use compressed Dolby or DTS signal via coax or optical, and that means lossy sound quality)
Considering its available features and the output power, the Z-5500 actually offers a lot for its price. And for those willing to put in the effort, the sound quality can be vastly improved.Read full review
Verified purchase: No
