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Integrated speaker system vs. receiver speaker system for Home Theater

post #1 of 9
6/17/09 at 8:49pm
Thread Starter 
Hi all,

I've been lurking around here for a few months as I am in the process of getting a decent home theater system together. Excuse me if my post seems noob-ish. :-)

Basically, I am wondering what the primary advantage of a system such as the Onkyo HT-S6100 has over an integrated speaker system such as the Logitech Z-5500 speakers.

This is the planned setup so far:

I am planning on getting this TV: Panasonic Viera TCP50X1
I have a DVR from DISH Network, the VIP722 (their latest and greatest), and I plan on listening to music, watching DVDs and eventually Blu ray from a PC in the living room (In said PC, I will be using my Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty Platinum sound card, which I already own).

I would hook up the Logitech Z-5500 system to the TV or DVR via a TOSLINK optical connection (I think I could connect to either for the same result, since I will have my TV connect to the DVR via HDMI), and connect the Logitech Z-5500 system to the PC via the 3.5mm connectors (this could also be connected via a TOSLINK optical cable if I use a switcher).


So what is the sound quality difference between such a set up and getting an official home theater sound system such as an Onkyo receiver? The logitech speakers and my sound card support DTS 96/24 and Dolby Digital Surround, and since I am sticking to a 5.1 system (the shape of my living room doesn't really take advantage of 7.1, its a narrow room), will there be a difference?

I am not looking to start a flame war or anything, just looking for some good facts and want to make an informed decision before I go spending lots of money.

Thanks for your time.
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post #2 of 9
6/17/09 at 10:29pm
Hey There,

Well I have a setup at the moment as listed below using a set of Logitech Z-5500, I am very happy with them. The size, sound and bass is really good, I mainly watch 720P rips with DTS audio. I have them mounted to the ceilling and connected the the MCE using direct 3.5mm analog, I can connect via optical if I need be.

Viewsonic 37" LCD / Motorised 110" Projector Screen
Hitach CPX-445 LCD Projector
MCE outputting at 720P
Logitech Z-5500 Speakers

I know that my setup is not awesome but everything cost me $2400 AUD, I will upgrade to a better projector, audio and LCD down the track.

But 720p movies still look awesome on the screen / LCD.
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post #3 of 9
6/18/09 at 5:16am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for posting iainsheppard.

Yeah I am pretty sure 720P will be fine for my setup. I will be sitting around 10 - 11 ft away, and to observe the detail in 1080P from that distance I would need a TV around 70 - 80 inches, which is way to expensive now.

Glad to hear you are enjoying the Z-5500 speakers. I was pretty sure they would sound great. Currently for my PC I've got the cheaper 80 Watt 5.1 system from Logitech paired with the sound card I mentioned earlier, and I think that already sounds fairly good. Would you be able to tell me anything about how the z5500 speakers would perform against a true home theater system such as an Onkyo?
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post #4 of 9
6/18/09 at 5:29am
[quote=lockedude;16674588]Thanks for posting iainsheppard.

Yeah I am pretty sure 720P will be fine for my setup. I will be sitting around 10 - 11 ft away, and to observe the detail in 1080P from that distance I would need a TV around 70 - 80 inches, which is way to expensive now.
QUOTE]


I don't know who this garbage comes from. Don't believe it. I used to sell electronics and stare at these screens all day. If you are buying a quality 1080P TV - and the key word is quality - you will be able to tell the difference in PQ on as small as a 42" screen from 8-10 feet away, easy.

The real fact of the matter lies in the quality of the screen, not in wether it is listed as 720 or 1080. This is true in tv's and projectors alike. I watched a 50" 1080P LG screen with a bluray hooked up - it looked like crap. I unplugged the player and moved it over to a Samsung with 120Hz and then to a Panasonic 1080P Viera and dang...they were both an incredible picture.

That 70-80 inches thing is crap though. How many people have a 70-80 inch plasma? Sounds like a salesman trying to sound like he knows what he's talking about...and probably selling an inferior product.

Is 720P nice? Yeah, if it is on the right TV. Is 1080P incredible? Yeah, if it's on the right TV. Does it stay true no matter the size? Absolutely, if it's a quality TV you should notice the difference on anything from 40" up. Does it depend on seating distance? Somewhat...but if you are planning to watch from 10-12 feet away...IMHO that's a little far to be sitting from one, but that's personal...but will you notice the difference on a 1080P Panasonic 50" TV with a Blu-Ray? If you have any sort of eye for detail - yes.

As an aferthought, have you given any thought at all to just getting a Panny 200 projector? If you are considering 720P...for $900 it can't be beat. And it handles ambient light well.
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post #5 of 9
6/18/09 at 5:45am
Thread Starter 
My conclusion regarding 720p vs 1080p came from reading the forums, and looking at some charts, I've been steering clear of salesmen and the local best buy. I can't post URLs until after 3 posts so I will post those links after this post.

I thought about getting a projector, but I am pretty sure there is just too much ambient lighting during normal TV usage, even if a projector is supposed to be decent at handling ambient lighting. The projectors in my price range also do not have all the connections necessary (I need to hook up speakers, my Nintendo Wii, DVR, PC, etc.)
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post #6 of 9
6/18/09 at 5:51am
Thread Starter 
Useful thread from Home Theater Forums:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...-distance.html

Chart from endgadget HD:
http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/12/09...o-screen-size/

Both places indicate that the difference between 1080p and 720p would be a wash from where I sit. They have all the math and such for the chart on their site if you don't believe them.

Anyways, I was mainly concerned about sound quality difference between Logitech z5500 speakers and true home theater sound system such as an Onkyo receiver. As mentioned earlier, I am stuck using 5.1 due to the size and shape of my living room, and both the z5500 speakers and my sound card that I already own support Dolby Digital 5.1 surround and 96/24 DTS.

Thanks
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post #7 of 9
6/18/09 at 5:51am
Fair enough.

Yeah the thing with the TV's that I find is that so many people can look at it as though there is some kind of standard in PQ. If it says 1080P than it's 1080P across the board, and they should all be putting out the same quality...it's just not that straight. These brands slap a 1080P sticker on it, but it could look worse than your old tube tv.

If you are looking at Panasonic Plasmas though, you are looking in the right direction. I ended up buying one for my plasma and couldn't be happier. And trust me, I sat and looked at those screens I was selling for hours just trying to see the differences in quality, and tones of color. I was a toss up between Samsung and Panasonic, but the sand blasted screen on the Panny won me over. The only thing I don't like is that it didn't have a VGA for my computer.
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post #8 of 9
6/18/09 at 6:15am
Why is this discussion being held in the construction forum?
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post #9 of 9
6/18/09 at 6:19am
Thread Starter 
Sorry about that, I'm new here. I saw "Dedicated Theater Design & Construction" and figured my topic fell into the "Design" category.
I've reposted in the audio area. You can go ahead and close this thread if you wish.
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