Advice on PC Surround Sound System needed

[159th_Viper]

Looking to purchase a Surround Sound setup for my PC. PC-Room dimensions approx 4m(L) x 3m(W) x 2.5m(H):

 

Sound Card: SupremeFX X-Fi, layout as per attached diagrams:

 

 

Now am looking at the Logitech Z-5500 system currently. Any advice on other systems out there on par with the Logitech as above?

 

Any Community members that have the system installed? Are the room dimensions maybe too small to accomodate the system?

 

Thoughts appreciated :)

[104th_Crunch]

Hi Viper, I can't give you any suggestions for a all in one surround system, but I can mention another option for you. That would be using 2 common household stereo power amps. You can get 4 channel surround this way. Plug amp1 into the front line out and amp2 into the rear surround out. If you have perhaps amps and house speakers kicking around, this may be another option for you.

[Slayer]

I have an old Creative Desktop Theater 3500 in a similar sized room that is way less power and it sounds amazing. That system is more than adequate. I would use the optical out on your soundcard to drive the speaker system and set the soundcard for passthrough mode to offload the decoding from your computer to the speakers since they have a built in decoder.

[Silent Warrior]

A rather more flashy way is, of course, to get a complete home-cinema setup. Amplifier/receiver and all the speakers you like. Depending on what you buy, though, it's bound to be... pricey... Still, that's your most sure-fire bet to get better sound than the Z-5500. (Disclaimer: No, I haven't listened to a Z-5500 in my life, but I seriously doubt those speakers will be anywhere near proper hifi floor-standers.)

 

I'm currently using a single amplifier with four speakers connected as A- and B-pairs - basically four-point stereo. While not 5.1, I get really nice sound that way. Consider that as well. :) KON-FU-ZJOO!

[sobek]

Some thoughts:

500 watt is A LOT for a Desktop-Home-Theater-Whatever. Consider that PAs used for small venues start around 750 watt, and they have the punch to be unbearably loud in small clubs. How big did you say your home was? :)

 

 

Looking at the single driver satellites, i derive that this is the typical logitech design. Shitty freq-response sattelites, helluva big berta type oversized sub. That's fine if you're the antithesis to the HIFI crowd and into the hollywodesque mantra of letting every on-screen squirrel fart sound like your neighbour just rebuilt 'Little Boy' in his backyard and decided to, what the hell, give the fella a go. ;) If you plan to listen to music, anything other than drum and base is going to sound overly bass-pronounced, even with the sub turned all the way down. I have a Z3 (embarassing, i know, i just don't have the heart to spend a grand on that pair of PMCs) and i use my EMU soundcards equalizer to cancel out the low end, because i find it that annoying when listening to music. But cerntainly this cannot be directly exptrapolated to this unit.

 

 

Best practice (that's how audio engineers do it :)) would be to take a piece of music/film you know well to a shop and try out some different setups/manufacturers (you don't have to buy them there, just try). After all, the choice is very much up to one's personal taste. Buying blindly results in surpises of the bad kind almost all the time.

[shadowze]

Avoid creative s5.1 speaker/amp sets (they are poop)

 

I have a nice logitec set that work really well

[124SqZeljava]

Mate if you ask me, i would say GO FOR IT, buy that speakers and enjoy in you life. That is very good combination of Sound Card and 5.1 speakers. They have shown very well as a 5.1 product, everybody are very satisfied who buy them. But one thing you should go to buy with them, is also an Optical cable for connecting with your Sound Card, at this moment the best way for connecting 2 devices with 0% in loosing signal, or you could go with Digital Coaxial cable, which is also very good connection between 2 devices. It just depend how much cable length you need and how long they have it in the shop, cheers S!

[Icarus2]

 

Now am looking at the Logitech Z-5500 system currently. Any advice on other systems out there on par with the Logitech as above?

 

Any Community members that have the system installed? Are the room dimensions maybe too small to accomodate the system?

 

Thoughts appreciated :)

 

That's what I have and liked them so much I bought a second set for my rec room and play BR's through my computer and projector. The woofer is larger than I thought band works great. Really shakes the wallls if you set it up that way. Good speakers for the money. Especially if they are on sale.

[winz]

500 watt is A LOT for a Desktop-Home-Theater-Whatever. Consider that PAs used for small venues start around 750 watt, and they have the punch to be unbearably loud in small clubs. How big did you say your home was?

My quess is that logitech is stating 500 watts peak. I seriously doubt that set would be able to handle 500watts RMS. :)