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Z5300 vs Z5500

post #1 of 35
6/18/06 at 8:04pm
Thread Starter 
About 1-2 years ago I bought these Z-5300 for around 200 CAD. I now have the chance to sell them for 100$, add another 300$ and get the Z5500. I'm just wondering if the difference will be very noticeable, since there with 400-500$ I could sure use the 1TB hard drive space that I could buy.

I mostly listen to mp3s at highest possible bit rate, minimum 256 vbr or so but i have a lot of 128-192kbps as well. DVD's and High Definition audio also matters quite a lot since so many true HD stuffs started hitting the net and market. I am quite satisfied of the Z5300 and with KX drivers it trully shines but the Z5500 look so attractive, have 500W and DTS, DD, and they're digital + remote with which I can stay in bed and not have to walk to my pc to turn the volume up/down.

So what do you guys think? Or wait another 2 months and sell my 19' LCD get a 20-21' LCD ?

Thanks again,
Elessar.
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post #2 of 35
6/19/06 at 6:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by elessar072
About 1-2 years ago I bought these Z-5300 for around 200 CAD. I now have the chance to sell them for 100$, add another 300$ and get the Z5500. I'm just wondering if the difference will be very noticeable, since there with 400-500$ I could sure use the 1TB hard drive space that I could buy.

I mostly listen to mp3s at highest possible bit rate, minimum 256 vbr or so but i have a lot of 128-192kbps as well. DVD's and High Definition audio also matters quite a lot since so many true HD stuffs started hitting the net and market. I am quite satisfied of the Z5300 and with KX drivers it trully shines but the Z5500 look so attractive, have 500W and DTS, DD, and they're digital + remote with which I can stay in bed and not have to walk to my pc to turn the volume up/down.

So what do you guys think? Or wait another 2 months and sell my 19' LCD get a 20-21' LCD ?

Thanks again,
Elessar.
If you have $500 to spend on speakers I would sell the Z5300s, buy a used Marantz receiver or amplifier like the 2238B receiver or the 1060 amplifier, either in good condition would run only about $150 and would power the sh$t out of most speakers you can throw at them, they'll power your headphones great too. Then I'd use either of those to power some Onix X-LS speakers ($200), then add an Polk PSW-10, for $100 on ebay. Add a mini-rca cable, some speaker cable, an voila! A beautiful sounding 2.1 audio systme that blows the living daylights out of any computer speaker I've heard to date. I had the Z5500s and they were really rubbish, they had way too much bass, harsh highs, and dead, lifeless mids. In fact the only computer speakers I have heard that are decent are the Swan M200s, but thsoe are tricky for computer setups since you need about a foot behind each speaker, which is a bit of a pain with computer setups. I actually sold my Z5500s and then my Klipsch 5.1s and went back to my X620s because honestly, I just found that it's not worth it to invest $300-500 in speakers that don't live up to their hype.
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post #3 of 35
6/19/06 at 7:34pm
Thread Starter 
Still, the setup that you recommand would require tons of time to even find the components here in Canada. I can't even find the ONIXes on google... And I still wish to have a 5.1 since I watch a lot of movies and i play games from time to time... It's strange that most of the guys who have 5500 were amazed by the quality of the sound... Maybe I should just keep my Z5300 and buy hdds :S since you say they suck. its so hard to decide.
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post #4 of 35
6/19/06 at 7:41pm
No (surround sound) computer speakers are very good.
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post #5 of 35
6/19/06 at 9:11pm
The onix speakers will have really expensive shipping
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post #6 of 35
6/19/06 at 11:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by elessar072
Still, the setup that you recommand would require tons of time to even find the components here in Canada. I can't even find the ONIXes on google... And I still wish to have a 5.1 since I watch a lot of movies and i play games from time to time... It's strange that most of the guys who have 5500 were amazed by the quality of the sound... Maybe I should just keep my Z5300 and buy hdds :S since you say they suck. its so hard to decide.
The Marantz receivers are really easy to get on eBay and a lot of the sellers of them are in Canada so shipping shouldn't be too bad. The Onix speakers are from AV123.com but like the previous poster said shipping might be quite pricey so you might want to find some nice used Polks or Wharfedales on Ebay.
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post #7 of 35
6/20/06 at 12:44am
I'm going to ignore skylines recommendation and respond to your first post. First of all, $100 for 5300's doesn't sound bad, I'de take it. Secondly, you can find a used pair of z-5500's relatively cheap (I think a pair went up for like $230 on redflagdeals a fwe weeks ago, it still might be available), and bestbuy has had them on sale for $299 (I had them pricematch NCIX and I got them for 3XX last August.) The 5500's are certainly a large improvement, they do dolby digital and dts, and overall are just different sateilles / different subwoofer.

The remote isn't the greatest, it works, but you have to aim it at the reciever.
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post #8 of 35
6/20/06 at 9:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JaGWiRE
I'm going to ignore skylines recommendation and respond to your first post. First of all, $100 for 5300's doesn't sound bad, I'de take it. Secondly, you can find a used pair of z-5500's relatively cheap (I think a pair went up for like $230 on redflagdeals a fwe weeks ago, it still might be available), and bestbuy has had them on sale for $299 (I had them pricematch NCIX and I got them for 3XX last August.) The 5500's are certainly a large improvement, they do dolby digital and dts, and overall are just different sateilles / different subwoofer.

The remote isn't the greatest, it works, but you have to aim it at the reciever.
If you're used to crappy sound, with car type subwoofer bass, I'm sure you'd be happy with them and they'd sound fine to you. However, if you've ever heard anything better, even something like the Polk RTi15s which are only $50 a pair, they'll sound like rubbish. If you want to hear what good speakers sound like you don't have to spend much to better the Z5500s sound. Like 003 mentioned above, no computer surround sound system will ever sound as good as regular speakers. I also tried out the Klipsch Promedia Ultra 5.1s, they weren't any better, and I'm a Klipsch guy too. The only decent computer speakers I've ever heard are the Swam M200s.
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post #9 of 35
6/20/06 at 11:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by skyline889
If you're used to crappy sound, with car type subwoofer bass, I'm sure you'd be happy with them and they'd sound fine to you. However, if you've ever heard anything better, even something like the Polk RTi15s which are only $50 a pair, they'll sound like rubbish. If you want to hear what good speakers sound like you don't have to spend much to better the Z5500s sound. Like 003 mentioned above, no computer surround sound system will ever sound as good as regular speakers. I also tried out the Klipsch Promedia Ultra 5.1s, they weren't any better, and I'm a Klipsch guy too. The only decent computer speakers I've ever heard are the Swam M200s.
Shrug, I have a feeling he has a different intent then you think, and for gaming, 5.1 speakers like these are great. Yes, they can't compare with bookshelf or floor standing speakers, but they aern't trying to. Their are litteraly hundreds of people who are happy with them, just because you have different tastes and think that they sound like crap doesn't mean that others think the same.
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post #10 of 35
6/20/06 at 11:25pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you both skyline889 and JaGWiRE. On my 5300 i always keep the bass on low and use the kX drivers to redirect the freq, that makes it acceptable. I'm not a bass guy, I mostly listen to world music, acoustical, classical and some rock, some industrial too that has some bass... What is strange is that all the reviews I read say that the Z5500 give a crisp bass... The problem is that I have not heard anything Swam or Polk or Wharfedales so I do not really know what to expect. I also have no ideea where I can hear stuff like this here in Montreal. I would really want to try them out but I hesitate to buy used stuff... without trying them before or even hearing them. What I really liked about the Z5500 is the fact that they're digital and have inputs on the control pad which would come in handy. Also I think it would be a improovement over the Z5300. I guess I won't rush and buy them now, I'll research more maybe take the time thsi summer to look for some audiophile stores and check professional stuff out.
Still I won't dismiss yet the Z5500... maybe they'll get even cheaper later on.
So thank you guys and any other tips advices impressions that can make me think change my mind or just give me something for my brain to chew well...bring em on!

Thanks.
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post #11 of 35
6/21/06 at 3:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by elessar072
Thank you both skyline889 and JaGWiRE. On my 5300 i always keep the bass on low and use the kX drivers to redirect the freq, that makes it acceptable. I'm not a bass guy, I mostly listen to world music, acoustical, classical and some rock, some industrial too that has some bass... What is strange is that all the reviews I read say that the Z5500 give a crisp bass... The problem is that I have not heard anything Swam or Polk or Wharfedales so I do not really know what to expect. I also have no ideea where I can hear stuff like this here in Montreal. I would really want to try them out but I hesitate to buy used stuff... without trying them before or even hearing them. What I really liked about the Z5500 is the fact that they're digital and have inputs on the control pad which would come in handy. Also I think it would be a improvement over the Z5300. I guess I won't rush and buy them now, I'll research more maybe take the time thsi summer to look for some audiophile stores and check professional stuff out.
Still I won't dismiss yet the Z5500... maybe they'll get even cheaper later on.
So thank you guys and any other tips advices impressions that can make me think change my mind or just give me something for my brain to chew well...bring em on!

Thanks.
Hmm, I don't live in Canada so I can't really point you out to any particular stores, however, you can purcahse audio gear on Audiogon for very reasonable prices, just make sure you go with a reputable seller with positive feedback, that takes a little bit of the worry out of buying used, the same can be said of eBay. I have had a few hiccups with audio gear on eBay mostly because I'm really OCD about scratches and what not, but all the guys I've dealt with so far have been really friendly and have taken care of any problems that arose.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JaGWiRE
Shrug, I have a feeling he has a different intent then you think, and for gaming, 5.1 speakers like these are great. Yes, they can't compare with bookshelf or floor standing speakers, but they aern't trying to. Their are litteraly hundreds of people who are happy with them, just because you have different tastes and think that they sound like crap doesn't mean that others think the same.
Hmm, I guess that's why you see so many people here using them as their dedicated speaker set-ups . The Logitech computer speakers are designed for the average consumer, not for audiophiles. If you happen to fit into the "Average consumer" profile, then yes, they will sound great. However, they will not be satisfying even for DVD use if you're an audiophile or even if you aren't but are just used to quality sound. The same can be said of HTIBs, they are designed for the average consumer. If you're not the average consumer, then you're better off buying the components individually because the DVD-CD Player/Receiver/Speakers that are included, don't sound the greatest. That's why most people here also don't buy HTIBs, because their used to quality audio playback. I would think that you yourself, owning the Sennheiser HD600s, would recognize and be able to discern quality audio, from mediocre audio.
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post #12 of 35
6/21/06 at 3:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by skyline889
Hmm, I don't live in Canada so I can't really point you out to any particular stores, however, you can purcahse audio gear on Audiogon for very reasonable prices, just make sure you go with a reputable seller with positive feedback, that takes a little bit of the worry out of buying used, the same can be said of eBay. I have had a few hiccups with audio gear on eBay mostly because I'm really OCD about scratches and what not, but all the guys I've dealt with so far have been really friendly and have taken care of any problems that arose.



Hmm, I guess that's why you see so many people here using them as their dedicated speaker set-ups . The Logitech computer speakers are designed for the average consumer, not for audiophiles. If you happen to fit into the "Average consumer" profile, then yes, they will sound great. However, they will not be satisfying even for DVD use if you're an audiophile or even if you aren't but are just used to quality sound. The same can be said of HTIBs, they are designed for the average consumer. If you're not the average consumer, then you're better off buying the components individually because the DVD-CD Player/Receiver/Speakers that are included, don't sound the greatest. That's why most people here also don't buy HTIBs, because their used to quality audio playback. I would think that you yourself, owning the Sennheiser HD600s, would recognize and be able to discern quality audio, from mediocre audio.
My phones sound better, but the speakers are good too, I use them for movies and media I want to lay in my bed and listen to. I will be getting a good set of bookshelf speakers this summer as well, but I think these speakers are a good cheap solution if you don't want anything serious or temporarily atleast, if you go into bookshelf speakers like I probably would, you would get into amps, and recievers, and subwoofers and all that stuff.
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post #13 of 35
6/21/06 at 10:03pm
Thread Starter 
! Fine! I'll just sell my 5300 and start learning about the good stuff! I have tons of stores of used stuff around here, who knows what jewl I might find in one of these or at a garage sale or who knows! But first I have to learn what brands are good/known for their quality, how should I recognise a good used piece of eq. from a sucky one, and all the stuff! And what are the whole amps, preamps,reciever, loudspeakers, shelfspakers, pro-monitor, and all the things that make a real audio system!

So , can anyone direct me to some sort of tutorial or wikithingey in audiophile equipement so I can read up and get to know the stuff? Reading among these threads is instructive but there are a lot of bla bla that doesn't really teach me the "basic" stuff i need to know! So can you guys help me?

Thanks Tmrow I will go run around the old stores see what I can find, write the names and come back here ask you what you think but maybe I can know some names before..well i know Polk,

oh and tell me if you see somethign nice here: http://www.audio-occasion.qc.ca/page...utparleurs.php or on the whole site as a whole they have a new section as well I do not know about the prices... usage means used. the B&WDM6 look kewl but they're used they might be pretty used since they are at 500 bux. And if i would like to use, just as an exemple these speakers I would have to buy a what receiver? preamp? amp? You see what I mean I would like to learn about all these things and well I'm thinking you would know a place or you guys can teach me faster than to run around by myself around the net and try to discover things

Thanks again, I'd like to join you guys, even if it takes some time before I can learn all the stuff
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post #14 of 35
6/21/06 at 10:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by elessar072
! Fine! I'll just sell my 5300 and start learning about the good stuff! I have tons of stores of used stuff around here, who knows what jewl I might find in one of these or at a garage sale or who knows! But first I have to learn what brands are good/known for their quality, how should I recognise a good used piece of eq. from a sucky one, and all the stuff! And what are the whole amps, preamps,reciever, loudspeakers, shelfspakers, pro-monitor, and all the things that make a real audio system!

So , can anyone direct me to some sort of tutorial or wikithingey in audiophile equipement so I can read up and get to know the stuff? Reading among these threads is instructive but there are a lot of bla bla that doesn't really teach me the "basic" stuff i need to know! So can you guys help me?

Thanks Tmrow I will go run around the old stores see what I can find, write the names and come back here ask you what you think but maybe I can know some names before..well i know Polk,

oh and tell me if you see somethign nice here: http://www.audio-occasion.qc.ca/page...utparleurs.php or on the whole site as a whole they have a new section as well I do not know about the prices... usage means used. the B&WDM6 look kewl but they're used they might be pretty used since they are at 500 bux. And if i would like to use, just as an exemple these speakers I would have to buy a what receiver? preamp? amp? You see what I mean I would like to learn about all these things and well I'm thinking you would know a place or you guys can teach me faster than to run around by myself around the net and try to discover things

Thanks again, I'd like to join you guys, even if it takes some time before I can learn all the stuff
Honestly, 5500's might just be a better temporarily solution, depending where you live, you could probably resell them at a minimal loss. Their's a lot involved to better speakers, placemennt, room, amplifiers, recievers, etc, it's not really something that's going to happen over night, and I'm pretty sure when I go to look I'm going to put several months of research into it, and figure out whatever fits my budget the best. The one thing I don't like about speakers are the fact that their are a jillion different recievers, amps, and speakers themselves, as well 10000000 different speaker wires, and all that stuff, so your really researching much more then the speakers.
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post #15 of 35
6/21/06 at 10:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by elessar072
! Fine! I'll just sell my 5300 and start learning about the good stuff! I have tons of stores of used stuff around here, who knows what jewl I might find in one of these or at a garage sale or who knows! But first I have to learn what brands are good/known for their quality, how should I recognise a good used piece of eq. from a sucky one, and all the stuff! And what are the whole amps, preamps,reciever, loudspeakers, shelfspakers, pro-monitor, and all the things that make a real audio system!

So , can anyone direct me to some sort of tutorial or wikithingey in audiophile equipement so I can read up and get to know the stuff? Reading among these threads is instructive but there are a lot of bla bla that doesn't really teach me the "basic" stuff i need to know! So can you guys help me?

Thanks Tmrow I will go run around the old stores see what I can find, write the names and come back here ask you what you think but maybe I can know some names before..well i know Polk,

oh and tell me if you see somethign nice here: http://www.audio-occasion.qc.ca/page...utparleurs.php or on the whole site as a whole they have a new section as well I do not know about the prices... usage means used. the B&WDM6 look kewl but they're used they might be pretty used since they are at 500 bux. And if i would like to use, just as an exemple these speakers I would have to buy a what receiver? preamp? amp? You see what I mean I would like to learn about all these things and well I'm thinking you would know a place or you guys can teach me faster than to run around by myself around the net and try to discover things

Thanks again, I'd like to join you guys, even if it takes some time before I can learn all the stuff


For the money, the best amplifiers if you're looking at new imho, are the NAD integrateds. The C352 I have is an excellent amo but will run you about $600 new, maybe less if you can find it used. For used another great amp is the NAD 3150, it's from the 70s' and usually sells for around $250 in good condition, on Ebay. This thing is built like a rock and sounds great too. Another good manufacturer in vintage audio is Marantz. Stay away from the cheaper models though, as they are usually too underpowered for modern speakers, they also don't sound very good. Some of these cheaper ones include the 2015, 2215, 2216, and 2216B receivers. Some of the most popular, powerful, and great sounding receivers include the Marantz 2238B, 2252, 2270, and 2285. These'll power almost any kind of speakers you want to use and will make a good pre-amp or even a headphone amp as well. The amps that I like the most are the 1060, 1090, and 1122DC. For speakers some good brands are Polk, Klipsch, Wharfedale, Paradigm, Epos, and B&W.
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