Logitech z5500

[bullzeye82]

Hi all i have recently purchased some logitech z5500 5.1 speakers, they should arrive tomorrow

im just a little worried how i go about wiring them up to my pc

my motherboard ( asus p8z68-v PRO) has 6 audio ports on the back

i have read something about coaxial and optical wires. will i need to buy these seperatly or will they come with the system?

never had anything like this before, so its all new to me, any advice will be great

regards

 

[comps4life]

I think there will be 3 wires that will plug into your pc.

 

[douglasw]

Hi all i have recently purchased some logitech z5500 5.1 speakers, they should arrive tomorrow

im just a little worried how i go about wiring them up to my pc

my motherboard ( asus p8z68-v PRO) has 6 audio ports on the back

i have read something about coaxial and optical wires. will i need to buy these seperatly or will they come with the system?

never had anything like this before, so its all new to me, any advice will be great

regards

 

[douglasw]

If your trying to get the best out of your z-5500 your best to use a high-end sound card pose to on board audio. I suggest a Asus xonar essence card.if you set your system up right you can end up with a audiophile system...If you like music there is also ways to get true 5.1 surround...With the Z-5500 there's so many ways to increase sound quality like don't use the speaker wire that came with the unit..if your interested to know all the tip drop me a line

 

[thee_prisoner]

It comes with cables to hook up from your mobo, the 6 audio ports you mentioned. So you won't need to get an optical cable. The system offers more options using those analog ports instead of the optical.

It is an easy setup. Just follow the instructions from Logitech and you shouldn't have any problems. If you want to spend extra money on a sound card then that's ok but make sure it has analog and optical outputs(HDMI would be nice but it's hard to find sound cards or speaker systems with HDMI for some reason). The speaker wire should be fine for now. Although 18 gauge lamp cord is pretty cheap. I'm not sure how fat a wire will fit in those spring terminals. I generally use 12 gauge. I don't have any speakers that use those spring terminals.

The speakers will sound good but audiophile quality you won't achieve with this system.

Happy listening, the Prisoner.

 

[douglasw]

It comes with cables to hook up from your mobo, the 6 audio ports you mentioned. So you won't need to get an optical cable. The system offers more options using those analog ports instead of the optical.

It is an easy setup. Just follow the instructions from Logitech and you shouldn't have any problems. If you want to spend extra money on a sound card then that's ok but make sure it has analog and optical outputs(HDMI would be nice but it's hard to find sound cards or speaker systems with HDMI for some reason). The speaker wire should be fine for now. Although 18 gauge lamp cord is pretty cheap. I'm not sure how fat a wire will fit in those spring terminals. I generally use 12 gauge. I don't have any speakers that use those spring terminals.

The speakers will sound good but audiophile quality you won't achieve with this system.

Happy listening, the Prisoner.

 

[douglasw]

Your mobo may have 6 audio ports so your going the analog route..No offence but on board sound is so far from good quality sound as it gets...This is why i went with a Asus sound card so I'm able to hook up my card to my sound system via a optical cable. Question does your mobo offer Dolby Digital live ? Up to a couple years ago I use to go with on board and analog and found the quality of sound just wasn't there.. Have you heard of audiophile systems this is what I w as looking for.

 

[thee_prisoner]

This speaker system does all the decoding of the signals so using a sound card will just make the sound card an expensive pass through device using either analog or digital. The signal will go out unprocessed then processed by the speaker. SPDIF(optical) is really at this point and for awhile, hasn't kept up(And most likely can't keep up to HDMI due to it's limitations).

His mobo has DTS and other stuff using either the analog or optical outputs but it might have Dolby Digital live(Dolby Home Theater has replaced DDL), Dolby Digital and etc but he may have to update his realtek or mobo software to get it but it is a moot point since the speakers do the processing. It can get confusing on what chipset codec(he has ALC892) but there are many versions of ALC892.

SO in short, a sound card really won't do much except give a slightly cleaner sound because all the mobo outs or sound card outs, is just sending out a signal to this particular speaker system to be processed.

Happy listening, the Prisoner...

 

[douglasw]

This speaker system does all the decoding of the signals so using a sound card will just make the sound card an expensive pass through device using either analog or digital. The signal will go out unprocessed then processed by the speaker. SPDIF(optical) is really at this point and for awhile, hasn't kept up(And most likely can't keep up to HDMI due to it's limitations).

His mobo has DTS and other stuff using either the analog or optical outputs but it might have Dolby Digital live(Dolby Home Theater has replaced DDL), Dolby Digital and etc but he may have to update his realtek or mobo software to get it but it is a moot point since the speakers do the processing. It can get confusing on what chipset codec(he has ALC892) but there are many versions of ALC892.

SO in short, a sound card really won't do much except give a slightly cleaner sound because all the mobo outs or sound card outs, is just sending out a signal to this particular speaker system to be processed.

Happy listening, the Prisoner...

 

[douglasw]

What I did was I compared my on board sound from my mobo which is the Asus Sabertooth z77 via optical and thats why I said in least in my case the sound quality didn't even come close to my sound card..Maybe you have a better board...What I'm looking into is a better sound system with a budget around $1500

 

[thee_prisoner]

Sorry mis-read what you trying to get at. I will have to get back to you tomorrow. But I will give some advice for 1500.00 find a stereo place that sells used.

 

[douglasw]

This speaker system does all the decoding of the signals so using a sound card will just make the sound card an expensive pass through device using either analog or digital. The signal will go out unprocessed then processed by the speaker. SPDIF(optical) is really at this point and for awhile, hasn't kept up(And most likely can't keep up to HDMI due to it's limitations).

His mobo has DTS and other stuff using either the analog or optical outputs but it might have Dolby Digital live(Dolby Home Theater has replaced DDL), Dolby Digital and etc but he may have to update his realtek or mobo software to get it but it is a moot point since the speakers do the processing. It can get confusing on what chipset codec(he has ALC892) but there are many versions of ALC892.

SO in short, a sound card really won't do much except give a slightly cleaner sound because all the mobo outs or sound card outs, is just sending out a signal to this particular speaker system to be processed.

Happy listening, the Prisoner...

 

[douglasw]

Myself I judge by the quality of sound you said a card don't do much except give a slightly clearer sound but have you judge for yourself ..I have and the Asus Xonar essence STX made a big difference. Plus the card puts out 124 db I know on board don't push that and it's super clear perfect for the music I listen to..The z-5500 handles 113 db but I run the unit on power boost never past 3 and I have a db gage and the unit is set at 124db Crystle clear ...people say the z-5500 is far from a audiophile system but I diff to say its just the way you set them up...nice chat ten with you thee prisoner..

 

[douglasw]

This speaker system does all the decoding of the signals so using a sound card will just make the sound card an expensive pass through device using either analog or digital. The signal will go out unprocessed then processed by the speaker. SPDIF(optical) is really at this point and for awhile, hasn't kept up(And most likely can't keep up to HDMI due to it's limitations).

His mobo has DTS and other stuff using either the analog or optical outputs but it might have Dolby Digital live(Dolby Home Theater has replaced DDL), Dolby Digital and etc but he may have to update his realtek or mobo software to get it but it is a moot point since the speakers do the processing. It can get confusing on what chipset codec(he has ALC892) but there are many versions of ALC892.

SO in short, a sound card really won't do much except give a slightly cleaner sound because all the mobo outs or sound card outs, is just sending out a signal to this particular speaker system to be processed.

Happy listening, the Prisoner...

 

[douglasw]

This speaker system does all the decoding of the signals so using a sound card will just make the sound card an expensive pass through device using either analog or digital. The signal will go out unprocessed then processed by the speaker. SPDIF(optical) is really at this point and for awhile, hasn't kept up(And most likely can't keep up to HDMI due to it's limitations).

His mobo has DTS and other stuff using either the analog or optical outputs but it might have Dolby Digital live(Dolby Home Theater has replaced DDL), Dolby Digital and etc but he may have to update his realtek or mobo software to get it but it is a moot point since the speakers do the processing. It can get confusing on what chipset codec(he has ALC892) but there are many versions of ALC892.

SO in short, a sound card really won't do much except give a slightly cleaner sound because all the mobo outs or sound card outs, is just sending out a signal to this particular speaker system to be processed.

Happy listening, the Prisoner...

 

[douglasw]

Adding onto what I was saying...On Board sound also uses up a lot of the CPU which can slow down gaming...

 

[thee_prisoner]

What I did was I compared my on board sound from my mobo which is the Asus Sabertooth z77 via optical and thats why I said in least in my case the sound quality didn't even come close to my sound card..Maybe you have a better board...What I'm looking into is a better sound system with a budget around $1500

What are you looking for? Gaming, movies and music or all three? What speakers are you using now? A used stereo store should be your first stop. Plus they usually give full trade in value for the items you bought in the past from that store. For example, you bought a pre amp for 500.00 used and you want to upgrade, they let you apply that 500.00 to your next purchase.

Link for some pretty decent speakers at a clearance price(300.00USD): Martin logan Motion 12http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882981006
Or the Martin Logan Motion 10s on clearance for 200.00. Just less bass but augmented with a sub they would work fine.

Personally, I like separated parts because they add a lot of flexibility in a system. Amps are pretty much amps but when you are talking about pre amps in terms of how tech changes, you just replace the pre amp(sell it or use the trade in value) when some new tech comes around. Kinda like swapping out a new video card when needed instead of replacing the whole computer.

I'm not really a fan of receivers for a number of reasons. Tech changes, you have buy a new receiver if you want the new DSP stuff. The amps are average in even a good AVR. It's just easier to swap out a pre amp to try out to see how well it goes with your system because you know already that your amps work well with the speakers.

PS: With modern cpus, not using a sound card has very little effect.

PSS: If having that sound card makes you happy, then good but in reality(unless there is something wrong with your onboard sound) having a sound card just to use it as pass through seems like a waste of money.
His speaker system he bought has built in DSP(digital sound processing)like having a built in sound processor pre amp or receiver, so he won't benefit from a sound card. IF the speaker system didn't have a built in DSP then he might benefit from a sound card.

PSSS: SDPIF does work well with 2 channel sound(stereo).

PSSSS: One big problem with on board sound is your have to VERY careful on what mobo you buy depending on what kind of DSP you want. There are a few optional caveats, not all offer all the DSPs. It costs them money to offer each option. You have to research before buying. At least with a sound card it tells you what it can and can't do.

Anyways, there are so many threads, forums and etc why to buy or not to buy a sound card. If you need some advice on upgrading your listening experience using regular(not pc speakers or below average HT speakers and I don't have a big problem with either but I'd rather people put their money to used home speakers instead) speakers then respond back or better yet start a new thread.

Happy listening, the Prisoner...

 

[douglasw]

Over all if you have a half decent 5.1 system and your looking for a good quality sound then a sound card is the way to go...Yes there is a noticeable difference in quality between them both. Only advantage onboard sound has is you don't have to pay extra to get sound.People argue no you don't need a card because there's no difference but really there is a big difference. I can go into what makes up a onboard system then you'll see why a card is superior.