Hi,

Just wondering if any one has this product - The Beast z5500


If any of you have, can you tell me if you have had any complaints from next door ?? and is the system really that loud.

Read one review and he said he had a noise violation notice, because he had knocked off 10 pictures from next doors wall through the subwoofer vibrating the walls.



Cheers,

Marsden1002

So are you looking for something loud, or are you concerned that it is too loud?

10" woofer would do that yes, if you have stupid crossover and ridiculous EQ settings...

Surely that depends on how loud you turn it up anyway? I've got a Mordaunt Short MS309 subwoofer, that's got a 10 inch driver powered by a 150w amp and I'd say it's fairly discreet once setup properly.

Crossover, volume and a notch filter to help integrate it with the rest of my system. It sits on spikes so it doesn't vibrate the floor or walls (thus making it sound better). Although in my old house it did make my cupboard door rattle during the ship scene in Chronicles of Riddick. Unless you listen to R'N'B I can't see music doing that though as it doesn't have the depth of bass.

To the topic, the Z5500 has a 188w amp so should be able to do similar levels of volume, but the lack of spikes provided IS going to be a problem. Also subs are very particular to room placement, so it depends on what sort of resonances you're going to get.

While at the higher end of the PC speaker spectrum (£190 for the whole surround set), it's not going to compare to proper audio gear, and cheap subs in particular are often less than pleasant. But I have to say when browsing I haven't found a bad review of it. Also since it's part of a package you shouldn't need to worry about integration. So long as you understand that subs DON'T have to be run at maximum volume they seem like a sensible purchase.

Quote from Bob Smith :

Surely that depends on how loud you turn it up anyway? I've got a Mordaunt Short MS309 subwoofer, that's got a 10 inch driver powered by a 150w amp and I'd say it's fairly discreet once setup properly.

Crossover, volume and a notch filter to help integrate it with the rest of my system. It sits on spikes so it doesn't vibrate the floor or walls (thus making it sound better). Although in my old house it did make my cupboard door rattle during the ship scene in Chronicles of Riddick. Unless you listen to R'N'B I can't see music doing that though as it doesn't have the depth of bass.

To the topic, the Z5500 has a 188w amp so should be able to do similar levels of volume, but the lack of spikes provided IS going to be a problem. Also subs are very particular to room placement, so it depends on what sort of resonances you're going to get.

While at the higher end of the PC speaker spectrum (£190 for the whole surround set), it's not going to compare to proper audio gear, and cheap subs in particular are often less than pleasant. But I have to say when browsing I haven't found a bad review of it. Also since it's part of a package you shouldn't need to worry about integration. So long as you understand that subs DON'T have to be run at maximum volume they seem like a sensible purchase.

I want loud, but i also want good sound quality at low volumes, where the sub is not too over powering, but when i need it too be very loud and bassy it can be,

Cheers,

I don't know about the Z-5500s, but I have Logitech Z-2300s, and yes, they're damn loud. I've had the RA at my college door knocking on my door several times telling me to turn it down. If I really crank it, and turn the subwoofer up, it will rattle the entire dormitory floor. That's all fun and whatever for a couple minutes, but the speakers do truely sound great at normal volume levels. The highs are crisp, the midrange is not over emphasized as it is on most speakers, and there's as much bass as you'd ever want. Another nice thing, the subwoofer level is right on the wired remote, instead of down on the woofer itself, it makes is a lot easier to adjust. I'd highly recommend them.

I've had the Z560 hooked up to an Audigy2 since they came out, and yes, it's more than enough to attract noise violations (in any country no doubt) without going past the 50% mark on the volume knob.

The woofer on my setup is similar if not the same as that on yours, and the only complaint I'd have is that it's a little muddy. The mid and higher bass ranges get a little drowned out, but like Bob said, it depends how you set up it and/or its environment. And if you can play with an EQ, like in the Audigy sound card, it's really easy to fix with a little fiddling. I can count on the fingers of one hand the movie sounds or music that saturate when played loud.. It's a pretty good bass box.

You should have control of both bass and volume on the speakers, in windows/your sound card and on the player application as well, so there's plenty of flexibility to suit your needs/taste.

Quote from Breizh :

I've had the Z560 hooked up to an Audigy2 since they came out, and yes, it's more than enough to attract noise violations (in any country no doubt) without going past the 50% mark on the volume knob. The woofer on my setup is similar if not the same as that on yours, and the only complaint I'd have is that it's a little muddy. The mid and higher bass ranges get a little drowned out, but like Bob said, it depends how you set up it and/or its environment. And if you can play with an EQ, like in the Audigy sound card, it's really easy to fix with a little fiddling. I can count on the fingers of one hand the movie sounds or music that saturate when played loud.. It's a pretty good bass box. You should have control of both bass and volume on the speakers, in windows/your sound card and on the player application as well, so there's plenty of flexibility to suit your needs/taste.

Thanks. Just seen a picture from a review, and the sub is massive (pic attached). Also, ive just had my bedroom re-decorated, and it says within the instructions, Dont place within 2 feet of any electrical equipment because of the strong magnets :S

Yes, I think your woofer is bigger than the 560's. Don't leave it too close to CRT monitors, I've damaged one from 1.5m away or so
You'll see magnetic bend of colors if it happens.

I don't know much about acoustics, but placement really affects the sound, move it around till you get the the best result.

Quote from marsden1002 :

Thanks. Just seen a picture from a review, and the sub is massive (pic attached). Also, ive just had my bedroom re-decorated, and it says within the instructions, Dont place within 2 feet of any electrical equipment because of the strong magnets :S

Holy crap, I thought the 8" woofer on my Z-2300s were big :faint:
Mine are loud enough, and I've never even had them close to full volume, I had it up to about 2/3 and it was almost enough to drive you out of the room LOL.

Just for kicks, as a demo
http://www.epitonic.com/files/ ... Avocet_(Panorama_Mix).mp3
Windows sound/sound card EQ on neutral, bass knob on the speakers on 50%, and in windows media player, in SRS WOW effects, set it to Large Speakers and TruBass to the max, WOW effect not much higher than minimum...
It should make some fairly deep and soft but strong bass without any saturation.
Another one I drove neighbours crazy with, by mistake, was Astrobotnia Pt.2, it used to be hosted for free on the record label's website.. I don't have 8megs to host the mp3 or you could shake the walls and see for yourself

Cool, it sounds good
Would you mind emailing me the other one? I'm intrigued now hehe.
I suppose I could just put on some AvB though.

Edit: This is pretty cool music too. Neat tech demo too. The whole thing is 64k
http://www.scene.org/file.php? ... 08_party.zip&fileinfo

Sure, PM me your email.
I can give you a gmail invite if you want the 2GB space for free.

LOL, I have gmail already, I was going to offer you an invite if you didn't have it hehe.

Quote from marsden1002 :

Hi,

Just wondering if any one has this product - The Beast z5500


If any of you have, can you tell me if you have had any complaints from next door ?? and is the system really that loud.

Read one review and he said he had a noise violation notice, because he had knocked off 10 pictures from next doors wall through the subwoofer vibrating the walls.



Cheers,

Marsden1002

I own these, and have them blaring right now

They are very loud and the sound quality is very good. A few things you need for them to work properly (or at their fullest level) is a 6 channel direct sound card that has green, orange, and black audio jacks. Or if you have optical or coax somehow, you can use that too. If you have a good Audigy card or something, you should be ok.

The only known issue with them is for when plugging in the headphones. There is some sort of resistor or something that makes the headphone volume softer by probably twice the amount. So when listening to music on the speakers and then plugging in the headphones, it is hard to hear things. But this was done because the volume control has a HUGE range and you'd probably blow your ears out by the headphones rather than the speakers . So basically when unplugging the headphones, make sure you turn down the volume if you have any music playing or what not . Everything else about these speakers just totally rock. Once thing I like is when turning the speakers on and off, the sub doesn't instantly KICK on with bass, it gradually fades in and fades out so it won't blow it out probably. There are many nice features for this thing, it has been all well thought out.

BTW, I bought them on NewEgg.com and they had a great deal on there... cheapest I could find. (The price on Logitech's site is bogus). It is well worth the money

Hehe it'll be fine. I have the Cambridge Soundworks (creative bascially) Megaworks 250D (2.1 as I had 5.1 previously and I wanted it more for music which the 5.1 wasn't as good for) which has a 150W sub and 2x75W speakers coupled with an Audigy 2 ZS. I really like the sound it makes but I've never had it on full volume as my room is above the kitchen and things get a bit messy down there on high volume hehe. Yeah it's cool having a good pc speaker set though, really improves gaming experience.

edit:

Quote from Tweaker :

The only known issue with them is for when plugging in the headphones. There is some sort of resistor or something that makes the headphone volume softer by probably twice the amount.

lol Tweak thats because 300w or w/e through your ears would do serious amounts of damage, it's reduced down to mW I imagine.

Quote from marsden1002 :

I want loud, but i also want good sound quality at low volumes, where the sub is not too over powering, but when i need it too be very loud and bassy it can be,

Cheers,

You can control all of that. At low volumes just change the sub amount. Very easy to do with the volume control or the remote.

Yes the sub is enormous, but who cares, it is some quality stuff .

Oh and Bob, yes most consumer speaker systems aren't the best, but this and a few other 5.1 systems have great reviews and the quality is comparable to a quality/expensive system. Crisp output from the satellites, and the bass is not distorted at high volume like most systems. All I could find was good reviews about these speakers, which is why I bought them --- oh and to mask the sound of that annoying dog that barks for hours on end occassionally in the middle of the day :zombie:

Quote from Tweaker :

You can control all of that. At low volumes just change the sub amount. Very easy to do with the volume control or the remote.

Yes the sub is enormous, but who cares, it is some quality stuff .

Oh and Bob, yes most consumer speaker systems aren't the best, but this and a few other 5.1 systems have great reviews and the quality is comparable to a quality/expensive system. Crisp output from the satellites, and the bass is not distorted at high volume like most systems. All I could find was good reviews about these speakers, which is why I bought them --- oh and to mask the sound of that annoying dog that barks for hours on end occassionally in the middle of the day :zombie:

Cheers. I will be purchasing these closer to christmas, and can get them from Amazon.co.uk for £198 inc postage.

Thanks for all your help, and god help next door when they come.

(One thing which is putting me off is where to put the sub. Will i still get the best from it if i place it behind me under my bed?? Im just stuck where to put it, as i dont want to spill anything down the very large heat sink on the back.


Cheers

How long is the wire from the Sub to the control pannel thing??

Quote from Bob Smith :

I've got a Mordaunt Short MS309 subwoofer, that's got a 10 inch driver powered by a 150w amp and I'd say it's fairly discreet once setup properly.

Crossover, volume and a notch filter to help integrate it with the rest of my system. It sits on spikes so it doesn't vibrate the floor or walls (thus making it sound better). Although in my old house it did make my cupboard door rattle during the ship scene in Chronicles of Riddick. Unless you listen to R'N'B I can't see music doing that though as it doesn't have the depth of bass.

I've just recently got the MS309 subwoofer aswell. First time I switched it on it rattled my front right speaker off its stand and you could hear it throughout the house dispite being in the loft (attic for all you Americans out there)

Bob, I havn't been able to get rid of some of the midrange bass. It seems to be playing it through the sub more than I would like. Got any ideas? I've got it connected to my Av reciever but I just can't seem to get rid of the mid range bass.

Andy.

Quote from marsden1002 :

How long is the wire from the Sub to the control pannel thing??

Hmmm I cannot really give an accurate length, but it is about 6 feet maybe. It is also a very thick cable

Quote from AndyC :

Bob, I havn't been able to get rid of some of the midrange bass. It seems to be playing it through the sub more than I would like. Got any ideas? I've got it connected to my Av reciever but I just can't seem to get rid of the mid range bass.

Hey.

Well, I don't have an AV receiver, only stereo, so I just adjusted the crossover until it matched in with my speakers. With an AV amp it should be splitting the signal, so if you were to roll these higher bass frequencies off from the sub you won't be getting them at all since they won't be sent to the speakers (unlike with my setup).

Have you tried playing with the notch filter? With me for some reason it seems to be about 40-35Hz where I get a massive boost in output. So I just play with the notch filter until that region is about the same as the rest. Do you have any bass test tones you can run? If not I've attached some I made. Unless you've got an SPL meter you'll have to use your ears. Of course you could always buy an EQ and fit it inline with just the sub, and reduce those frequencies. But that's spending more money.

The main problem I had in my last house was actually a complete lack of volume, but too much boom. I finally found one place in my room where it had some level but was reasonably tight, ended up having to move a chest of draws and then my PC (no magnetic shielding).

Anyway, happy fiddling.

Quote from Tweaker :

Hmmm I cannot really give an accurate length, but it is about 6 feet maybe. It is also a very thick cable

I'm I the only one that thinks it's odd that the sub is attached to the volume control with a serial cable?

Cheers. May have to run the wire under floor so i can have Sub under bed, and control on desk :S

You don't have to have it toooo far away from electronic devices.... it is safe enough even at about a legs length or so.

The sub here is placed to my right under my table. It isn't anywhere near my monitor or computer... the only thing it is close to is my mini fride . Logitech just advises that you don't put the sub close to your computer.... I wouldn't do that anyways because it would probably shake out some parts in the ol' PC .

Oh and the sub is about 14in/35.5cm tall, that can fit under your bed?

BTW, when it comes shipped to your home, prepare to make A LOT of room wherever you unpack it... it is packed to the core with styrofoam and plastic wrapping. I made a big mess of my room after I was done

Quote from Tweaker :

You don't have to have it toooo far away from electronic devices.... it is safe enough even at about a legs length or so.

The sub here is placed to my right under my table. It isn't anywhere near my monitor or computer... the only thing it is close to is my mini fride . Logitech just advises that you don't put the sub close to your computer.... I wouldn't do that anyways because it would probably shake out some parts in the ol' PC .

Oh and the sub is about 14in/35.5cm tall, that can fit under your bed?

BTW, when it comes shipped to your home, prepare to make A LOT of room wherever you unpack it... it is packed to the core with styrofoam and plastic wrapping. I made a big mess of my room after I was done

No That will not fit under my bed. Have to go back to the thinking board!