Alternatives to Logitech Z-5500 5.1

[naveenjn]

Three years back I bought the Logitech Z-5500 5.1 digital speakers from eBay India. The audio quality is simply outstanding and it worked without issues until now. For the past 2 months, the sub woofer unit gets damaged continuously due to electrical surge. I have an APC 1500VA UPS connected with a Belkin power strip and moreover none of the other equipments get damaged. Two ICs within the sub woofer got fried twice which cost me Rs. 2000 to get it fixed. Now today morning it has happened again. It is not just the money but also the trouble I have to go through to disconnect all the wires and carry the giant sub woofer to the repair place, that makes me consider buying a new one.

I don't want to buy another Z-5500 as it is nearly 5 years old by now. I was wondering if there are any alternatives available in India. My budget is around Rs. 20,000.

Z-5500 has a combined output of 505W RMS and that could really be felt from the audio quality. So I am hoping you guys will know any speakers that matches or surpasses the specs of Z-5500 for a 20K price range. Here is the product page:

Z-5500 Digital 5.1 Speaker System

 

[ramakanth]

edifier s550 below 20k , better than logitech

 

[naveenjn]

Thanks for the recommendation, ramakanth.

Edifier S550 looks indeed great. While RMS-wise it is not as powerful as Z-5500, I do realise that RMS not always says the correct story. I will check some reviews on the net.

Now the issue will be regarding buying this speaker. As you might have noticed, I am from Trivandrum, Kerala and that is one place where you don't have a lot of choice on electronic items, particularly when it comes to the relatively unheard brands like Edifier.

Does anyone happen to know any Indian website that ships this Edifier S550 to Trivandrum? I checked eBay India and it seems the listings there cost nearly Rs. 24000 which sounds like a bit too much.

 

[Imrahn]

Try lynx-india.....u can call him up and bargain a bit on the price+shipping part.Else, slightly stretch ur budget and get an Onkyo HTiB for around 23-24k.SHould give better connectivity options but not sure u would like the clearer bass,u might be already spoilt by the boombox

 

[spirovious]

edifier s550 below 20k , better than logitech

It doesnt have digital in & DD/DtS codecs I suppose.

 

[naveenjn]

Thanks Imranh. 23-24K is a bit too much for me. I will see if I can get Edifier S550 for a reasonable price.

I use it mostly for movies and music (not much of a gamer). Z-5500 produces great "boom boom" bass but off late I have been wondering if it is delivering the required treble and vocal frequencies. Reviews say S550 produces a balanced overall sound, instead of the "bass only" effect of Z-5500.

I would love to hear more from Edifier S550 owners here, if possible a comparison to Z-5500.

 

[naveenjn]

It doesnt have digital in & DD/DtS codecs I suppose.

Yes I saw that but that is ok with me because I need only analog 5.1 from my Creative X-Fi card. I used it that way with my Z-5500 too. Besides, I mostly watch blu-ray discs and the speaker doesn't decode DTS-HD audio anyway. So analog 5.1 is fine.

 

[abhi_jollyguy]

What I know is this that Z5500D is VFM speakers and consider it as VFM speaker only. This speaker is far behind the performance.

Do anyone believe that the speakers for 16k comes with all the features + 500W RMS wattage will be gud in performance too.

I don't think so.

 

[naveenjn]

What I know is this that Z5500D is VFM speakers and consider it as VFM speaker only. This speaker is far behind the performance.

Do anyone believe that the speakers for 16k comes with all the features + 500W RMS wattage will be gud in performance too.

I don't think so.

Sure. But it should definitely be better than those 5.1 speakers that cost 5k, right?

Anyway I am hoping Edifier S550 will provide a better experience than Z-5500.

 

[ramakanth]

It doesnt have digital in & DD/DtS codecs I suppose.

if we want dd/dts decoders we will buy receivers plus speakers package like onkyo 3400.

but he need speakers which means he will connect to computer or dvd player or some other source which can decode dts and dd and give output to speakers

so i guess he wont worry much about dts/dd decoding in speakers

 

[ramakanth]

try to ask the local shops , if they can get s550 if you pay some advance

Thanks for the recommendation, ramakanth.

Edifier S550 looks indeed great. While RMS-wise it is not as powerful as Z-5500, I do realise that RMS not always says the correct story. I will check some reviews on the net.

Now the issue will be regarding buying this speaker. As you might have noticed, I am from Trivandrum, Kerala and that is one place where you don't have a lot of choice on electronic items, particularly when it comes to the relatively unheard brands like Edifier.

Does anyone happen to know any Indian website that ships this Edifier S550 to Trivandrum? I checked eBay India and it seems the listings there cost nearly Rs. 24000 which sounds like a bit too much.

 

[naveenjn]

Hey guys, I have pretty much finalised Edifier S550. Reviews look good and it also fits within my budget. I hope I won't be disappointed, coming from Z-5500.

As a last minute query, are there any other 5.1 alternatives I should consider? I don't need digital input as I always use analog output from my X-Fi card.

 

[abhi_jollyguy]

Sure. But it should definitely be better than those 5.1 speakers that cost 5k, right?

Anyway I am hoping Edifier S550 will provide a better experience than Z-5500.

Yup, they are better than those 5.1 speakers costing 5k

 

[abhi_jollyguy]

Hey guys, I have pretty much finalised Edifier S550. Reviews look good and it also fits within my budget. I hope I won't be disappointed, coming from Z-5500.

As a last minute query, are there any other 5.1 alternatives I should consider? I don't need digital input as I always use analog output from my X-Fi card.

Edifier S550 is the best in this budget u can get.

 

[naveenjn]

I sincerely want to thank all of you who recommended Edifier S550 speakers. I got it for Rs. 17,210. Connected it today and the experience has been simply out of the world. I was on Logitech Z-5500 for 3 years and now I can feel the difference. Previously it was all about bass.

I played the Matrix Reloaded Blu-ray disc today. The freeway chase is one of my demo sequences for the system. I have watched that scene a number of times. But today for the first time I was able to hear the background music and low frequency notes clearly, amidst all the explosion and engine sounds.

Thank you guys. Thank you so much.

 

[abhi_jollyguy]

Enjoy and I m glad that u like the edifier. Congratulations.

 

[naveenjn]

Sorry I have to bring back this old thread. My rear right speaker of Edifier S550 set is not working (absolute silence) and I have found that the issue is with the cable connecting the speaker to sub (I tried swapping the rear left and right cables and then the rear right worked). So I guess I have to buy a replacement cable.

The problem is I don't know the exact type. I see cables of various gauge values available for sale.

speaker wire | eBay

This is the official page. Could you please take a look at the specs and see if it is possible to know the right cable? I am also attaching a photo although I am not sure how useful it is going to be.

Please help. Thank you.

 

[baijuxavior]

Any speaker cable will work and there is no need to go for an expensive one. These cables are easily available in any electronics shop. If you need a branded one then have a look at the DAC cables available in hifimart.com. A 20AWG or 18AWG is more than enough. Since your location is Trivandrum, visit East Fort. There are lots of electronics shops.

 

[naveenjn]

Thanks Baiju. I have a car accessories shop nearby. I mean they sell car audio systems and do the installation there as well. I suppose the cable they use to connect the speakers to the head unit is the same (isn't it?). I will first give them a try before heading to East Fort.

And by the way, do these wires have some specific name (in addition to the gauge value)?

 

[baijuxavior]

They are usually known as speaker wire or cable. Cables for car audio will be sufficient for your use.