09-26-2008, 09:50 PM

I was looking to purchase a surround sound set for my MBP, which i was also hoping i could hook up to my Xbox 360 and maybe my DVD player as well. I was looking at the Logitech G51, Logitech X540, and ultimately, the Logitech Z5500 Digital sets. Does anyone have or know someone who has any of these sets with their Macs, and hopw do you/they like them? I would go ahead and spend the extra $100 on the Z5500 if it's worth it. Can anyone give some suggestions? I appreciate it!

09-27-2008, 11:19 AM

audio is so important for me so i would spend the extra $100 on the Z5500, for computer speakers these are expen$ive but in the scheme of audio speakers lo end.

-while creative is a fine company be ware their upper end sound system stuff dosnt last very long before it fails. they will not support you in any small way outside a short warranty. on this alone i would find another company.
-i have a giga 7.1 system in a small home office, it is too much for the space and yet i feel it might not be enough for other rooms. the base is very strong in comparison to other channels and rattles the construction of the house, stuff on the walls rattles alot
-there are alot of wires in this system and speaker placement is just that way so get an idea how to mount things.
-the macbook pro has an audio spdif audio optical output but it has few software adjustments so i am concerned of the quality of the mac's surround sound implementation. i use it daily w/o bad tho.
-you will need an optical input to these speakers (speakers have a internal decoder?), you will need a optical cable.
-you have lots of adjustments in a 5.1 audio system and all is lost if the power goes out but
when its running its wild, enjoy

09-29-2008, 10:51 AM

Thanks for responding Jah, i have a question for you, what kind of optical cable would i need? I might already have one left over from other things i have saved. I'm trying to figure out which one is the best to get for my room size. I would like to use it for my 360, but i think i'll be mostly using it for my computer, and the games on that as well. Would the Z5500 be too large for a single dorm room or my bedroom, which i think is about 10' by 14'.

09-29-2008, 02:34 PM

a CU student i bought my Creative giga speakers from had them setup in his dorm room and he liked the setup. i bought my speakers from his post on craigslist but i waited a few months for a deal to appear.

the base sub is way over powered in comparison to the rest of the system. maybe what you are buying is different. i turn down the base sub to keep the drywall screws from coming out. just my personal preference tho.

by the way he (the cu student) had the speakers mounted on the walls in his bedroom somehow. they sounded good. maybe the difference is the decoder.

the cables
-verify creative dosnt include a optical cable with the system.
-the optical cable, one end should plug into the left side of a macbookpro, the earphone jack. once plugged in you should see additional settings in the system preferences->audio, but not alot of opportunities to change things tho.
-optical cable, the other end going to the speakers will have whatever to mate with whatever speakers you get. verify Creative has built in a decoder in the speakers. the creative giga model i have doesnt have a decoder and you must have a soundcard that has the standard group of analog cables. i have an external decoder (also from creative). if you still have questions pm and i can email some pics when i get home.

i have a second lesser set of creative 5.1 speakers i recently bought off craigslist for $30. i dont know if this setup works but if you are interested...