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It looks like a very quality item and the volume control unit is very nicely built and looks great. I've got to keep working with HP tech support on this issue and maybe eventually I'll upgrade my card to direct HDMI output. It seems that this kind of system needs a little more time for technology to catch up before compatibility issues are solved. I have a new m9350f HP that I purchased just for this setup and although this computer is leaps and bounds ahead of anything I've ever owned, it does not have a full HDMI output so I'm using a three wire system for audio. For the money, it is a great system and overall construction is very good.
Again, it does sound good and it is a rare occurance that I have the system at full volume, but I would have thought it would have deeper bass. This is my first surround sound system so it's a huge difference to what I had before and I love it although I can see some problems. I purchased this system as a surround sound package for streaming netflix and video from our computer to a 40" HDTV. This is cheap enough so that if I ever decide to have a full stereo system I'll use this as a killer surround sound system for a stand alone computer somewhere in my house. The options, cost, and quality, make this speaker system very hard to beat. I think a full stereo system and separate speaker package.would be a better overall system but the cost prevented me from going that route. I would have thought at 500watts, there would be deeper bass than what the system delivers.
My main concern is not the speaker system but the graphics card output on my computer. Streaming through the computer does work and it sounds good but center channel isn't working properly. This is less than ideal and there seems to be some kind of software problem that causes me to lose the center channel and voice audio. I would not have settled for bottom rung components so consequently, a full stereo system and components would have cost many times more than the Z-5500 package. Luckily, the Logitech system allows for optical input, so I've got a cable from my HDTV direct to the Z-5500 and that works great to play movies through my DVD player. Inputs allow for a small desktop stereo to plug into it and also Ipod use as well.
The product sounds nice, looks nice, and has good connectors and features.But, overall, I was much happier with logitech's speaker systems 6 years ago. The volume level on this unit, despite claiming ridiculously high wattage levels, is nowhere near what I used to get from a top of the line, similarly priced logitech system of years past.Other than that it's pretty good, but for a top end unit that claims such high wattage, it's not even 1/3 as loud as the room shaking system I had for a similar price quite a few years ago from the same manufacturer. I can certainly use the system and the sound quality is good, but it's not what I expected.
For the price there's nothing better. I've tried to find a full-size receiver with something comparable but there's nothing. So it was only on the rare occasion that I was watching a live broadcast *AND* hit mute during a commercial *AND* that the commercial had a 5.1 soundtrack (with sub-woofer sounds, i.e., the ".1" part) that I realized there was something wrong.I would be interested to know if any other 5500 owners have the same problem as Logitech tech support said it was an unknown problem. I have owned my 5500s for a couple of years now and still love them, at least in general. I have my TV's tuner connected to the optical and my HTPC connected to the coax, and I mostly use the computer to watch recordings. They offered to replace my controller but -- important to note -- they were unwilling to cross-ship it. So I would have had to go without surround sound while waiting/trusting them to send me a replacement asap.
The 5500 is effectively a 'receiver' in that it has multiple inputs and full Dolby and DTS processing (just no radio :-)The one real problem I've had was something that I didn't even notice until months after I'd purchased it. I especially love the 'remote' controller stand with it's big volume knob and simple selector buttons. When I mute the optical input the sub-woofer IS NOT muted. It just wasn't worth it and so I've had to live with the problem (infrequent as it is).
This speaker system have a lot of power n it's really LOUD n noisy if Ya wanna that B :) BASS is fu%%in strong n Ur ears hurts when U turn BASS FULL:):)Buy it the fastest U can.
The variety of audio inputs is also a major plus. I bought this system in March of 2008 expecting a small set of speakers with a woofer that delivers mediocre bass. Very easy set up and gets working in minutes. I can't think of any negative aspects of this system to date. And when I say powerful I mean that I once knocked a mirror off one of my walls when it wasn't even at full volume. I was wrong, the system delivers great sound and powerful bass. The sound maintains great quality as the volume increases and it gets much louder than you will ever need it to. For the money, its a great value and I wouldn't settle for anything less.
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