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Hi guys,

I just opgraded the satellites of my Z5500 with something a little more... substantial.
I bought 5 Monitor Audio Vector 10 two-way book shelve speakers to replace the satellites.
They were about 90€ each, but more than worth it. Since they're all 8ohm and about 80w per satellite, the amp integrated in the Z5500 sub is more than able to handle it.
The effect is quite astonishing: definitely more detail in the mids and high's (mostly because of bigger drivers and a seperate tweeter), and also a better bass reproduction from the sat's, not just the sub.
This seemed odd to me at first, as the Z5500 normally have a quite heavy bass cutoff towards the sub, but as it turns out the redirection is much more gradual, it's just that the original sat's couldn't quite handle the sound provided to them because of their tiny 3.5inch drivers.

So to all of you out there who have bought this speaker set, at least consider replacing the two front satellites with a pair of passive bookshelve speakers. The added definition in music reproduction alone is worth it.
I'm not sure how much a standalone receiver and subwoofer would improve things even more, but I'm pretty sure I'll be going along that route eventually.

To each their own, I don't have any problems with my Z-5500 satellites, although I do live in a Condo so I'm not pushing the volume to 11 all the time.

It's not about volume, it's about definition.
Rule of thumb: if you're satellites have no tweeter, they can't create a proper soundstage as the range of frequencies that need to pass through the driver is too wide for them too handle it well.
And it's actually mostly midrange sounds that become very muffled with the Z5500 sats.
Like guitars, definately guitars, but also most jazz instruments, like trumpets and saxophones, and bass-guitars that shouldn't be only hitting the low end.
With the old stat's it often felt like there was a clear divide between the sat's and the sub, and some frequencies felt lacking.
Right now I've been hearing sounds I've never heard before.
Example: the piano of Thom Yorke's "The eraser" is in fact not entirely clean, there is a slight metallic "echo" after every attack.
Never heard that before. And with film scores that rely heavily on complex arrangements it always felt like the different instruments were squashed together, like they were all drowned out by each other.
Queens of the stone age: the bass was always there, but the guitars just sounded flat and somewhat dissapointing.
Also, when playing movies, sometimes with the old sats I had the feeling the dialogue missed some warmth, it felt like all the voices sounded a bit too thin.
--
Okay, I'll be frank. I spend a couple of weeks in a studio, doing the final 5.1 mix of a film. And sometimes I was listening to some of the music tracks on my home system before taking them to the studio. Each and every time I felt robbed after listening to them again on (albeit) high end Genelec's monitors. So I asked the sound engineers what they would buy instead and they gave me some recommendations for my budget.
They told me not to get studio monitors per se, as their curve can be a bit too flat for everyday listening, but gave me some pointers towards more consumer oriented bookshelves. Not the big brands necessarily, more as to what to look for in a speaker.
I'm kind of glad I followed up on their recommendations.

havanu wrote:

I've been hearing sounds I've never heard before.

That usually happens when you upgrade to better speakers.

havanu wrote:

Okay, I'll be frank. I spend a couple of weeks in a studio, doing the final 5.1 mix of a film. And sometimes I was listening to some of the music tracks on my home system before taking them to the studio. Each and every time I felt robbed after listening to them again on (albeit) high end Genelec's monitors. So I asked the sound engineers what they would buy instead and they gave me some recommendations for my budget.
They told me not to get studio monitors per se, as their curve can be a bit too flat for everyday listening, but gave me some pointers towards more consumer oriented bookshelves. Not the big brands necessarily, more as to what to look for in a speaker.
I'm kind of glad I followed up on their recommendations.

Well, looks like you have been spoiled. And yes, full receiver+speakers setup will be your next step. The problem is now that you have been on the other side you will be willing spend. The sky is the limit here and more so than computers, it gets expensive in a hurry.

But it is worth it, now that your ears are open.

It's discount season in Belgium, so I went ahead and bought me a Yamaha 7.1 receiver, small Yamaha subwoofer and a pair of Canton GLE430's.
These speakers combined with the Monitor audio Vector satellites are quite an improvement over the Logitech setup. The fixed crossover of the sub (all frequencies below 120hz are redirected to the sub...) is what killed the sound for me. At first you don't notice it so much, but then you hear that track you know so well on a pair of Genelec's, and you start realizing what you've been missing out on. Directional bass response. A crossover point of 80hz. 8" woofers. (Not subwoofers, woofers!) I'm never going back, that's for sure.

I have Logitech-Z5450 and system is good enough for games and movies. I like the wireless rear speakers. Sub is not as good as in 5500, but gives enough oomph for games&movies. This kind of speakers have serious shortcomings if you want to have really good sound for music. I absolutely believe that changing the front satellites to proper shelf-speakers will make the sound much better for music.

Yea, that was the reason I got a used Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 Ultra instead of a discount deal on a Z 5500.. Klipsch is great.. when it works