Logitech Z-5500 Digital

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CZroe

CZroe

Lifer
Jun 24, 2001
24,195
857
126
Promedias do not have surround-sound decoders, DO they? Of course, you could always connect them to a home-theater surround sound receiver but the only way to get encoded surround-sound from your games is SoundStom on the old nForce and nForce2 boards with the MCP-T. The Logitech Z-680s, Z-5500s and Creative Gigaworks are so horribly underutilized without SoundStorm. All you can do is output pre-encoded DD or DTS from DVD movies/rips! Over digital, all games will be STEREO ONLY. Bah!
 
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MobiusPizza

Platinum Member
Apr 23, 2004
2,001
0
0
Originally posted by: CZroe
Promedias do not have surround-sound decoders, DO they? Of course, you could always connect them to a home-theater surround sound receiver but the only way to get encoded surround-sound from your games is SoundStom on the old nForce and nForce2 boards with the MCP-T. The Logitech Z-680s, Z-5500s and Creative Gigaworks are so horribly underutilized without SoundStorm. All you can do is output pre-encoded DD or DTS from DVD movies/rips! Over digital, all games will be STEREO ONLY. Bah!
Click to expand...

Z5500 has a digital decoder included doesn't it? It says it has DD DTS support. Should be able to decode them

I have the Audigy 2. Should support DTS as well I think
 
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PleasurePaulie64

Member
Jun 7, 2005
58
0
0
I'm here to say these speakers sound VERY VERY good. For the price, there is NOTHING better. Turn them up and your will create quite a rumble with the sub ;)
 
CZroe

CZroe

Lifer
Jun 24, 2001
24,195
857
126
Originally posted by: AnnihilatorX
Originally posted by: CZroe
Promedias do not have surround-sound decoders, DO they? Of course, you could always connect them to a home-theater surround sound receiver but the only way to get encoded surround-sound from your games is SoundStom on the old nForce and nForce2 boards with the MCP-T. The Logitech Z-680s, Z-5500s and Creative Gigaworks are so horribly underutilized without SoundStorm. All you can do is output pre-encoded DD or DTS from DVD movies/rips! Over digital, all games will be STEREO ONLY. Bah!
Click to expand...

Z5500 has a digital decoder included doesn't it? It says it has DD DTS support. Should be able to decode them

I have the Audigy 2. Should support DTS as well I think
Click to expand...



Yes. That's what makes them superior to the Promedias but really any set of speakers can be connected to a superior home theater surround sound receiver ("digital decoder"). If you buy the Z-5500s for a home theater PC, you'd probably want a home theater receiver. I know I do! My Logitect Z-680 "receiver" looks very out of place with all the other home theater electronics but I'm too cheap to buy a real stand-alone receiver. :) BTW, some games output analog Dolby Pro Logic like Need For Speed 3 (Old, I know). Those would be in surround sound over digital without SoundStorm, but Pro Logic is not true multi-point surround sound.
 
CZroe

CZroe

Lifer
Jun 24, 2001
24,195
857
126
Oh yeah, and that Audigy 2 only "supports" DTS and DD in that it can pass an already encoded DTS or DD source to the digital output. This means that your DTS movies will be in surround sound, but your games will be in stereo. For surround-sound from your games, you will need to use the traditional analog outputs from the sound card (No digital). Yep, gotta connect FR, FL, RR, RL, Center/Sub soeakers and all the wires that involves.

You can use both outputs and select which to use on the fly from the receiver but your games will not be using "digtal audio" at all and the mess of wires will still be there.
 
CZroe

CZroe

Lifer
Jun 24, 2001
24,195
857
126
It's not useless if you only care about digital surround sound in your movies (nVidia charges $80 for their version of NVDVD that passes-through DTS & DD!) or if you have SoundStorm (only available on old Socket A motherboards :(). SS is why I built my HTPC on an "old" nForce2 board :)
 
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MobiusPizza

Platinum Member
Apr 23, 2004
2,001
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Actually sorry I don't have much knowledge in these DD DTS and digital speaker thing.

So if I want to have surround sond on both movie and games, I have to use analogue inputs?
If I use analogue input to the Z-5500, would it decode them for movies? Or because they are analogue input it doesn't do it?

Would the analogue singal gives poorer quality for digital movie playback?

What if I have both digital and analogue input intact and just change setting if necessary in creative drivers?
(I recalled there's an option "Output digital only")
I assume it output both digital and analogue at the same time?
 
CZroe

CZroe

Lifer
Jun 24, 2001
24,195
857
126
Yes, you can connect both, output both and use the receiver/speaker's controls to select the input on-the-fly (Switch between analog or digital input). You're still probably going to have a hard time getting DVD software that works with your soundcard's digital DD/DTS pass-through for DVDs (Already encoded) because the DVD software makers always charge more for a version that does that. Lots of DVD rips downloaded off the internet have raw AC3 audio from the DVD and a Media Player plugin called "AC3filter" can pass it to you digital surround sound decoder for free.

Most people just connect their XBOX or stand-alone DVD player to the digital input and the PC to the analog input and don't bother with all this "Digital surround sound from the PC" mess :)
 
M

MobiusPizza

Platinum Member
Apr 23, 2004
2,001
0
0
Originally posted by: CZroe
Yes, you can connect both, output both and use the receiver/speaker's controls to select the input on-the-fly (Switch between analog or digital input). You're still probably going to have a hard time getting DVD software that works with your soundcard's digital DD/DTS pass-through for DVDs (Already encoded) because the DVD software makers always charge more for a version that does that. Lots of DVD rips downloaded off the internet have raw AC3 audio from the DVD and a Media Player plugin called "AC3filter" can pass it to you digital surround sound decoder for free.

Most people just connect their XBOX or stand-alone DVD player to the digital input and the PC to the analog input and don't bother with all this "Digital surround sound from the PC" mess :)
Click to expand...


I see I see. Thanks very much.
I don't think I'd have standalone DVD player, or even a TV in my uni.
I'd probably use my PC to do all entertainment. :D
 
C

CreativeTom

Banned
May 10, 2005
1,092
0
0
Originally posted by: AnnihilatorX
lol heh thanks CreativeTom. I was gonna ignore him
Click to expand...


Well I figured I would give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe he has some specific information on why they suck....but I doubt it.
 
F

fstime

Diamond Member
Jan 18, 2004
4,382
5
81
Originally posted by: CZroe
Promedias do not have surround-sound decoders, DO they? Of course, you could always connect them to a home-theater surround sound receiver but the only way to get encoded surround-sound from your games is SoundStom on the old nForce and nForce2 boards with the MCP-T. The Logitech Z-680s, Z-5500s and Creative Gigaworks are so horribly underutilized without SoundStorm. All you can do is output pre-encoded DD or DTS from DVD movies/rips! Over digital, all games will be STEREO ONLY. Bah!
Click to expand...


Ahem, Klipsch only cares about the sound...

They could care less about fancy little features.

You want the best sounding, get the Klipsch.

You want a bunch decoders and what not, get the Logitechs and suffer boomy bass, no tweeters, and not as good sound..

The Klipsch dual 8'' sub cannot be matched right now for computer speakers.

The Klipsch refrence team helped design it, if you know about speakers, klipsch makes high end speakers while logitech is busy making keyboards and mice.

Either way, you can alaways get the Creative DTS-100 which is a lot better than that POS logitech decoder for around $100.

 
F

fstime

Diamond Member
Jan 18, 2004
4,382
5
81
Originally posted by: CZroe
Originally posted by: AnnihilatorX
Originally posted by: CZroe
Promedias do not have surround-sound decoders, DO they? Of course, you could always connect them to a home-theater surround sound receiver but the only way to get encoded surround-sound from your games is SoundStom on the old nForce and nForce2 boards with the MCP-T. The Logitech Z-680s, Z-5500s and Creative Gigaworks are so horribly underutilized without SoundStorm. All you can do is output pre-encoded DD or DTS from DVD movies/rips! Over digital, all games will be STEREO ONLY. Bah!
Click to expand...

Z5500 has a digital decoder included doesn't it? It says it has DD DTS support. Should be able to decode them

I have the Audigy 2. Should support DTS as well I think
Click to expand...



Yes. That's what makes them superior to the Promedias but really any set of speakers can be connected to a superior home theater surround sound receiver ("digital decoder"). If you buy the Z-5500s for a home theater PC, you'd probably want a home theater receiver. I know I do! My Logitect Z-680 "receiver" looks very out of place with all the other home theater electronics but I'm too cheap to buy a real stand-alone receiver. :) BTW, some games output analog Dolby Pro Logic like Need For Speed 3 (Old, I know). Those would be in surround sound over digital without SoundStorm, but Pro Logic is not true multi-point surround sound.
Click to expand...


Supirior?

HAH, have fun enjoying no tweeters and boomy bass.

Either way, if your to cheap to buy the creative deocoder, i'd rather have my Revo/Audigy 2 ZS decoding for me than that pos.
 
C

CreativeTom

Banned
May 10, 2005
1,092
0
0
Originally posted by: BouZouki
Originally posted by: CZroe
Originally posted by: AnnihilatorX
Originally posted by: CZroe
Promedias do not have surround-sound decoders, DO they? Of course, you could always connect them to a home-theater surround sound receiver but the only way to get encoded surround-sound from your games is SoundStom on the old nForce and nForce2 boards with the MCP-T. The Logitech Z-680s, Z-5500s and Creative Gigaworks are so horribly underutilized without SoundStorm. All you can do is output pre-encoded DD or DTS from DVD movies/rips! Over digital, all games will be STEREO ONLY. Bah!
Click to expand...

Z5500 has a digital decoder included doesn't it? It says it has DD DTS support. Should be able to decode them

I have the Audigy 2. Should support DTS as well I think
Click to expand...



Yes. That's what makes them superior to the Promedias but really any set of speakers can be connected to a superior home theater surround sound receiver ("digital decoder"). If you buy the Z-5500s for a home theater PC, you'd probably want a home theater receiver. I know I do! My Logitect Z-680 "receiver" looks very out of place with all the other home theater electronics but I'm too cheap to buy a real stand-alone receiver. :) BTW, some games output analog Dolby Pro Logic like Need For Speed 3 (Old, I know). Those would be in surround sound over digital without SoundStorm, but Pro Logic is not true multi-point surround sound.
Click to expand...


Supirior?

HAH, have fun enjoying no tweeters and boomy bass.
Click to expand...


Nice spelling...and I have listened to both the z-5500 and the Klipsch and let me tell you I have heard them both with many types of media and many diferent setups. I actually owned a pair of Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 2.1's and I don't really like them, they aren't bad, but they also are not as good as the z-5500's. I guess we can agree to disagree on this, but I must inform you that I have been an audiophile since I have had the money to actually afford decent equipment, probably about 4 years...I am only 28.
 
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