Help choosing system :3

[ASSAD101]

Hey guys, i was considering The Z-5500's but i'm beginning to hear bad things about them. Yes i am fairly new to audio. I have about $300-400 to spend and i was looking at this http://www.jbhifi.com.au/home-theatr...tem-sku-24929/.
Could you guys help me choose a setup better then Z-5500's?

Thanks :3

[1ke]

Depends on what you want to do. Music, Movies, or Games? Also is this for Home Theater or Computer?

[Serra]

I agree with 1ke, depends on usage. Also size of the room you want to fill. 5.1 necessary?

I think for that price range you're not likely to do a lot better than either of the systems that you listed, unless you buy used and get a deal off eBay or something. I'm sure you will hear some complaints about both systems, but if there weren't any complaints they would be much more expensive. The way I see it is that the goal for those little pre-built systems is to provide (per speaker) sound quality equal to or, preferably, at least a bit better than a regular TV speaker while introducing surround sound and a subwoofer, and both those systems should meet that requirement.

One thing to keep in mind is that with those pre-built systems if you want to upgrade you tend to have to replace everything and start from scratch. That's not always a bad thing, but if you were looking to upsize the system piece by piece it's an important thing to know.

[ASSAD101]

I basically do a little gaming and listen to music constantly and watch a movie here and there. Yeah, it's for my pc. the room is pretty small, my desk is cramped into the corner.

[Nanometer]

I've only heard great things about the z-5500. To be honest they are good, and I owned a set for 5 years. As far as money goes, you will not do better for value if you want a theater system. The z-5500 packs a lot of power in a small package. Though it's more oriented for games. It does movies reasonably well and music decently with the strengths to weakness listed in that order.

[ripken204]

z5500 is meant more for games than anything else.
what kinds of music do you listen to? if all you care about is loud sloppy bass then go for it.
if you truly care about music, take the money you would spend on the z5500 and get a good 2.1 system.
your music is most likely stereo anyways...

[ASSAD101]

I listen to anything and everything, but mainly lyrical, and i like to hear the voice over anything else although the beat and tune as well, nice and clearly. I've been looking a bit above my price range and i found these http://www.jbhifi.com.au/home-theatr...-sku-99997505/. What do you guys think?

[1ke]

If you care about your music in the same way you would care about your mother get B&W MM-1. If you want to game hard and utilize the awesome creative EAX sound, get the Z-5500. If movies are your thing, get a HTIB that has a good center channel speaker and does DTS (Polk Audio is a good choice in your price range but they will all be fairly similar in quality).

[Hell Hound]

I had a sherwood receiver back in like 2k1,2k2 blew it in three days exactly.Save up $300 more then you can look for a 5.1 system,Or get you 2 studio monitors for what you have now.But you need amp and or receiver.

[1ke]

Some Powered Studio Monitors that are good include the B&W MM-1 and the Audioengine A5. The MM-1 is better because of the integrated DACs but the A5 is also an excellent choice (And costs $150 less).

[Donnie27]

I listen to anything and everything, but mainly lyrical, and i like to hear the voice over anything else although the beat and tune as well, nice and clearly. I've been looking a bit above my price range and i found these http://www.jbhifi.com.au/home-theatr...-sku-99997505/. What do you guys think?

If music is Number one, then gear you system to it. I'm not here to push you towards Hi-Fi. I'm convinced most folks would be happy as hell with very good higher mid-ranged equipment. I like a Porsche 911 better than a Corvette but would be happy as hell to own a Corvette knowing the 911 cost twice as much but not twice as good as the vett. For music systems the you should do 3 things;

Start with a good a wide range Stereo speaker set up and mainly start with stereo. Most music is mixed or mastered for stereo. Unless it is the excellent DVD Audio or etc..... 5.1 is a waste.

Stay away from things like the 5500's for music because they have holes in their Frequency range. A simple A vs B would show just how much range is missing from the 5500's and hell, most sats and Subs in general. As some younger folks like Raptor22 can tell you, once you go old school it will be hard to go back!

Powerful clean amplification Onkyo, Denon, Marantz, Harmon Kardon, Yamaha and to a lesser extent the more affordable Pioneer, Yamaha again will have you spending too much time hearing things missed before. In fact there are Higher-end Pioneer models but that's for another thread. For Pure Music in a small area, Yamaha is very hard to beat for a winder range of listeners. Yamaha tends to have real (more than just a name), natural sound.
They're not know for Sound Pressure Levels though.

Yamaha Rx-v665/775 or Pioneer 1020 are two good ones to start with. Best to hear them yourself. One person's tastes, including mine, might suck for someone else.

Last but not least, try some higher-end source material like DVD Audio. I'd say super Audio CD as well be Sucktacular Sony Made it too proprietary or else it would be head and shoulders above all else!

[STEvil]

I've got a Yamaha RX495.. it will do impressive SPL if I want it to

[Nanometer]

Donnie, the point of the Z5500 is bang for buck, not what you can get for twice the price. The receivers you listed alone are the price of the whole Z5500 set. Sure it would be many times better but for his price range there really isn't much any else on the market. If it were me, sure I say get a budget home theater system with some half decent speakers running the entire cost around 700-800 dollars. But that's twice his budget. =(

[Donnie27]

I've got a Yamaha RX495.. it will do impressive SPL if I want it to

Not like the old Sansui receiver and integrated amps There are also monster Technics and JVC. My old Technics and Cerwin Vega plus a B52 and Home made Double 15's (Electro Voice night club specials) shook my house!

Donnie, the point of the Z5500 is bang for buck, not what you can get for twice the price. The receivers you listed alone are the price of the whole Z5500 set. Sure it would be many times better but for his price range there really isn't much any else on the market. If it were me, sure I say get a budget home theater system with some half decent speakers running the entire cost around 700-800 dollars. But that's twice his budget. =(

I'm talking about Bang for the Buck as well.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...&condition=new

Same Price range or Cheaper
Denon DHT-391XP 5.1
Onkyo HT-S3300 5.1
Yamaha YHT-393BL 5.1

These have better AMPs and Speakers and unlike the 5500's there is no hole in the frequency range. Between 80 and 200Hz the sounds are weak or just not there! A good test or Demo is "Tubular Bells" as they go through all of the instruments! Also like the Bass solo on the the Who's "515" DVD live. Does L-Z5500 suck, not at all but there are better options for similar or even less or even better bang for the Buck! The 5500's are great for tight or small areas were a receiver would be a hassle.

Me? If Music is a must, I'm going with an Old School Receiver that can cost as little as $89 and $150 to $250 for a set of Full Range 3 or 4 way speakers. But music is person and some one else might rightly think that sucks

[ripken204]

Also like the Bass solo on the the Who's "515" DVD live.

if you are talking about their Royal Albert Hall performance, then damn i love that so much, Entwistle is truly amazing
my new sub arrived yesterday and that was one of the songs i played to test the sub out

[Donnie27]

if you are talking about their Royal Albert Hall performance, then damn i love that so much, Entwistle is truly amazing
my new sub arrived yesterday and that was one of the songs i played to test the sub out

Give a review?

Yepp!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVl39...eature=related

Heard this from a DVD that was out and it had decent Fidelity. Not great sound but very good I mean. He covers from about 35Hz to about 12KHz and the sound seems to come and go on the 5500's. On many 3 way speakers, areas that get weak on most 5.1 systems (not merely limited to the 5500's BTW), weak Mid Bass licks are loud and clear on 3 way speakers.

Yes, JE is one of my favorite Bass players. I play bass myself and much prefer Fingered Bass over slap Bass that is so popular now. He is the reason I like the Who BTW. Not to far off topic because for Music only some of the more expensive truly wider range Satellites pleases me enough. I'll always prefer full range over over sats and subs since most Classic Rock that I love is master for stereo. There are Quad recordings of Dark Side of the Moon, Pinball Wizard,, Eagles, Deep Purple, Emerson Lake & Palmer and etc....that must be heard in real quad to be believed.

[ripken204]

I have the DVD, it has a DTS 5.1 and DD 5.1 soundtrack.
I have that quad recording of DSOTM as well, i love it so much, nothing like hearing it live though

This is the best sub + speaker system I have ever heard in a house, I don't have enough experience with speakers to give a good review.
All that I can say is that it sounds amazing. Completely blows my Klipsch Promedia Ultra 5.1's out of the water.

[Nanometer]

Those are definitely budget systems. My worry is future upgrades. The Z-5500 hold about 60 percent of their value over 3 years. I'd be willing to be those speaker sets would retain about 1/3 of its original price. But it isn't a question of money over time, especially when you intend on keeping your setup. Those packages would definitely be better options when either music or movies are your areas of interest.

[Donnie27]

Those are definitely budget systems. My worry is future upgrades. The Z-5500 hold about 60 percent of their value over 3 years. I'd be willing to be those speaker sets would retain about 1/3 of its original price. But it isn't a question of money over time, especially when you intend on keeping your setup. Those packages would definitely be better options when either music or movies are your areas of interest.

I agree.

Now I can re-start my next DIYer project. I have too much stuff lying around not being used.