You're much better off going with separates (receiver, bookshelf speakers, etc.) at this point. Much better upgrade path, not to mention sound quality (trust me, I wish I went this route a long time ago, but wasted my time with an upper-tier "PC" speaker set).


Used market is awesome for this.

 

Although I don't think it would be the optimal upgrade path, I don't see any reason that you couldn't hook other speakers into the Z906 sub. All the connections are made with lightweight speaker wire in spring-clip connectors, so you should be able to connect anything that you want. Hooking better speakers up to that processor/amp won't necessarily net the best results though...

 

As long as you find out what the resistance of the stock speakers are, you should be able to replace them with ones of equal or higher resistance. Similar efficiency is the second parameter to look at, as you probably don't want speakers that are more than 3dB less efficient if possible. This has been done quite a bit with the Klipsch Pro Media systems with apparently good results.


Now, having said that, my experience with Logitech's systems is that the sub is usually the weak point and not the satellites. This was definitely the case with the Z5500. In that system, the sub was capable of good output levels, but it wasn't particularly defined or well balanced with the sats. Maybe things have changed with the smaller z906 sub.

 

Thanks for the quick feed back,


So basically there is no decent pc 5.1 or above setup that can't be beat for the money by 300 dollar Home Theater setup? I wanted to keep the total cost under 500 for sure with my target being 200-300. How would the Denon DHT-391XP be a decent solution I could get that used for about 250. If you guys have any other recommendations my ears are open. I've made due with a 2.1 system for a long time but I really want to upgrade audio so I can better appreciate BF3. Will that stereo give me proper 3D surround sound for games?

 

The Z906 is pretty much the cream of the crop when it comes to 5.1 PC setups. It's pretty much the equivalent of a lower/mid-range HTIB setup.


In order to really get an upgrade, you'll want to go with separate speakers and sub powered by a receiver. You'll see a big difference then.


So, short answer - yes, you could change the speakers, but it'd only be an incremental upgrade and not worth it. Enjoy the Z906 right now - they're not bad speakers, but when you feel the need to upgrade, go big =)

 



Quote:
Originally Posted by blackzarg /forum/post/20633163


The Z906 is pretty much the cream of the crop when it comes to 5.1 PC setups. It's pretty much the equivalent of a lower/mid-range HTIB setup.


In order to really get an upgrade, you'll want to go with separate speakers and sub powered by a receiver. You'll see a big difference then.


So, short answer - yes, you could change the speakers, but it'd only be an incremental upgrade and not worth it. Enjoy the Z906 right now - they're not bad speakers, but when you feel the need to upgrade, go big =)

Thanks, still wondering about my later questions. Or should I start a new thread?

 

Ah, I thought you already had the Z906.


In that case, check out this Onkyo system . Onkyo actually includes a "real" receiver in their HTIB systems, and will definitely be able to power any speaker changes. There should be some discount when you register with them, and there may be additional coupons/etc.


Blanket Statement: No 2.1 system will give you the same experience as a full 5.1 system.

 

Well, I "had" both and the Z906 is a big step down in SQ and build quality. The Z5500 is a much better choice if you can find a set.

Also, yes you certainly can change the speakers on the z5500 and as well as the Z906. I'm currently using the Monitor Audio Vector 10's and 20. http://www.monitoraudiousa.com/products/vector


It makes quite a big difference in SQ and the crossover point of the z5500 isn't so drastic without those crappy Log speakers. I also tried them with the Z906 and although they were a good upgrade, the z5500 sounded much better. I was really didn't care for the z906 and it's cheap ass plastic everything and garbage control pod.


It's not just my opinion, just check out some reviews on the z906, lol they aint pretty.


A receiver and speaker set would be ideal but some don't have the space for a receiver and I like the sound out of the analog better than digital on my setup anyways.

 

Nice, the onkyo system is a great buy. I'll probably go with that in the near future. Thanks.

 

I believe the Logitechs use a 150Hz crossover between the satellites and subwoofer. This is one of the reasons people often call Logitech subs "boomy" because midbass is leaking through the sub.


It will make any replacement speakers sound pretty thin in my experience (in my college days I had a Z-680 and used some Athena AS-B2s with them...sounded very thin).

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrallite I believe the Logitechs use a 150Hz crossover between the satellites and subwoofer. This is one of the reasons people often call Logitech subs "boomy" because midbass is leaking through the sub. It will make any replacement speakers sound pretty thin in my experience (in my college days I had a Z-680 and used some Athena AS-B2s with them...sounded very thin).

Wow, I feel like from reading around the logitech speakers are the best only through lack of competition. I'll just do the onkyo solution, I got the room.

 

I am going to get the onkyo from above or equivalent setup this fall/winter. I was looking to pick it up before Christmas but had a concern about its utility.


With most speakers that have processing onboard there are compatibility issues I read about from time to time.


How would a Home theater receiver circumvent this issue??? You mentioned that a HTR setup getting the sound through an optical would be fine and not need a sound card. My question is how does it deal with all the audio file types? Without the Audio processing of a soundcard how will I get real 7.1 surround sound for BF3? I assume it works, I guess I'm just more curious how it does.


I'll be setting up my living room first and experiment on there but figured I wold inquire here about my concerns as well. Also curious if I got a turtle beach wireless headset how would it plug into this setup? The pc or HTR?

 

Research about bitstream vs PCM audio with HTPCs and your components. Bitstreaming sends the un-processed digital stream to the AVR where the AVR then decodes it. With PCM, your PC would do the decoding and send the signal as discrete channels ready for the AVR to amplify. I *think* that optical can only do 2 channel PCM, whereas some (not all) recent graphics cards can send more channels, even 7.1.

 

One more thing, since you sound like you might be looking for a bargain. Newegg has the Pioneer VSX-521-K for $139 shipped, promo code EMCJJHH24, ends 11/24. Great price for an entry level receiver.

 



Quote:
Originally Posted by cel4145 /forum/post/21247069


One more thing, since you sound like you might be looking for a bargain. Newegg has the Pioneer VSX-521-K for $139 shipped, promo code EMCJJHH24, ends 11/24. Great price for an entry level receiver.

good deal but I don't want to pickup a receiver that doesn't have 7.1.


So running an optical straight to a receiver will only net me support for 2.1?


You sight graphics cards and occasionally supporting 7.1, what about sound cards? What connections do I need to put out a 7.1 signal?

 



Quote:
Originally Posted by kaziechameleon /forum/post/21248795


good deal but I don't want to pickup a receiver that doesn't have 7.1.


So running an optical straight to a receiver will only net me support for 2.1?


You sight graphics cards and occasionally supporting 7.1, what about sound cards? What connections do I need to put out a 7.1 signal?

No. That's not what I said: "I *think* that optical can only do 2 channel PCM." I'm not positive about that, and then there is bitstream to consider. You are going to have to learn about bitstreaming vs. PCM, and then research (using a search engine) what your components can do.


In addition to some search engine legwork, the HTPC forum is one place to begin reading and researching, and it it is probably a good place to get help from there once you've learned some of the basics.

 



Quote:
Originally Posted by cel4145 /forum/post/21248873


No. That's not what I said: "I *think* that optical can only do 2 channel PCM." I'm not positive about that, and then there is bitstream to consider. You are going to have to learn about bitstreaming vs. PCM, and then research (using a search engine) what your components can do.


In addition to some search engine legwork, the HTPC forum is one place to begin reading and researching, and it it is probably a good place to get help from there once you've learned some of the basics.

LOL, yeah my bad. is google a search engine


I'll look around and come back with what I find thanks. I got similar feed back about 2.0 via optical in another post on my tech website I frequent so I don't think you are wrong and I saw it on a yahoo answers. Allot of this is pretty abstract to me as I've only ever used stock 2.1 setups that plugin and play so my reading comprehension on the subject is really low. I've also never used any receiver that was under 30 years old . The stereo I got from my parents is 5 years older than I am but it was trashed in a flood along with the speakers 2 summers ago. Now I'm getting around to upgrading my PC audio and HT audio all at once. Its pretty overwhelming. Like a whole new world of awesome I have to comprehend.


Thanks and I'll keep putting up questions as I come up with them.

 

Hi, I stumbled into this thread also looking for an answer to my newbie question regarding the z906 system. I have this system, but I also have 4 wharfedale speakers. The wharfedales are 100W and 6ohm impedance, whereas the logitech satellites are 67W and 4ohm impedance each. Would it be bad for the amp if I connected the wharfedales to the sub? I am looking to preferrably just connect two of the wharfedales to the 2 front speaker connections if possible. Any advice regarding my situation is appreciated! I don't really understand all the power and impedance stuff! Thanks, Jason.

 

Any assistance with my situation will be gratly appreciated!

 

Bump

 

FTR, I got the Onkyo system that fall and I've played many PC games on it to great delight. I've also had the oppertunity to demo native PC alternatives that simply don't compare while costing nearly the same. The quality of that onkyo setup is just amazing. I also have the PC wired to my Polk setup on the opposite side of the wall and have gamed on that... Gosh guys don't know why the PC community isn't all over this solution its the best thing in town.

 

h

I'm back from the grave with another silly newbie question.

So I was looking at potentially getting a Logitech Z906 for my computer eventually, just curious if down the road I could plug in some better Home Theater speakers into that sub. Most likely for the front Left, Right, and Center speakers.

Curious because In the reviews they point out that the speakers absence of a tweeter driver don't hold up to the quality of sound present in similarly priced 2.1 setups with tweets.

If I could would that notably improve or degrade sound? I was under the impression I could potentially do this so sorry if its a silly question.

Also curious if you guys have any better 5.1 solutions in mind for a computer.

and to this i ask wether the z680 sub control pod can be used with the z906 sub as it has more inputs i dont really like th 906;s control pod has to be z680 all the way better sound than my sony 5.1 amp seperates. so ne one can say ??????

 

Hi there,
I have the exact opposite question to OP:
I just upgraded to a Pioneer SC-95 and the Logitech Z-906 speakers make amazing 7.2 sattelites, I.e., they're wired directly to the Pioneer. I'd also like to reuse the sub but haven't yet figured out a way to connect the Z-906 to the Pioneer as a subwoofer. Anybody out there tried this/have any ideas?