[Ascii Aficionado]

Hey, been a long time since I've posted here.

This would replace a near-dead Logitech Z-5500 system with severe crackling speakers that's 15 years old. The reason I'm going with a traditional receiver is that the Xbox Series S and PS5 no longer have optical out. I want to spend as little as possible while also getting an upgrade in sound from my Z-5500 digital system. I recently got 200 BluRay movies from someone that switched solely to streaming and I want to utilize the True HD and DTS MA tracks on the discs and apparently the PS4 does support that but only via HDMI.

Front + Back speakers

Center Speaker

Subwoofer

5.1 Receiver I'm likely to get

Much more expensive 7.2 receiver I might get due to more HDMI inputs

An alternative option that wouldn't support current-gen consoles is.

Logitech Z906 5.1

I have a few questions/comments regarding the home theater system.

First off, the center speaker is 6ohms, the other speakers are 8ohms. Will that be an issue ?
Technically the front speakers are supposed to be using a set of different tall 6ohms speakers, but that set also uses the same 8hms speakers as rear speakers, will that make much of a difference ?
The Z-5500's didn't have tweeters so I don't think there would be much of a difference in the systems.
I'm contemplating getting a set of these for my PC to replace my 2.1 Klipsch system as the sub has blown out, but the Klipsch system has tweeters so I wonder if the Logitech set would be a downgrade.
I noticed Amazon has nearly every receiver listed as 'discontinued by the manufacturer' so it's hard to find anything under $1k on there.
Is that subwoofer compatible with the receiver ? I read something about having to change things on the back.

 

[The Pook]

I'd go for the RB42s over the T15s. They're smaller but they punch well above their size. I love mine, look up reviews of them. I haven't heard the T15s though. The Micas have a matching center too (RB42-C) that's a bit cheaper than the one you picked out and it's well received too, but I haven't heard it myself.

I wouldn't touch (another) Polk Audio sub with a ten foot pole, though. I had a PSW111 and it was unimpressive and it failed pretty quick even though it wasn't pushed hard. Get a Bic F12 if you can spend a bit more, and if you can't look at an Acoustic Audio PSW-12.

6-ohms vs 8-ohms is probably a non-issue. the "x-ohm" impedance spec on speakers is an average of their resistance anyway, they'll measure different at low volume and high volume. if your 6-ohm speakers are at a volume you like and the 8-ohm speakers are too quiet then you can usually adjust that via the receiver anyway, but if you can't then I guess that could be an issue.

as for the Z906: no.

 

[UltraMega]

That sub will definitely sound bad at anything but lower volume. Speakers don't look great either. If you can do a home theater setup with a receiver and all the results can be really good but I think your aiming too low on the speakers/sub.

 

[Ascii Aficionado]

I'd go for the RB42s over the T15s. They're smaller but they punch well above their size. I love mine, look up reviews of them. I haven't heard the T15s though. The Micas have a matching center too (RB42-C) that's a bit cheaper than the one you picked out and it's well received too, but I haven't heard it myself.

I wouldn't touch (another) Polk Audio sub with a ten foot pole, though. I had a PSW111 and it was unimpressive and it failed pretty quick even though it wasn't pushed hard. Get a Bic F12 if you can spend a bit more, and if you can't look at an Acoustic Audio PSW-12.

6-ohms vs 8-ohms is probably a non-issue. the "x-ohm" impedance spec on speakers is an average of their resistance anyway, they'll measure different at low volume and high volume. if your 6-ohm speakers are at a volume you like and the 8-ohm speakers are too quiet then you can usually adjust that via the receiver anyway, but if you can't then I guess that could be an issue.

as for the Z906: no.

I might go with those and I also like that I'd be using speakers with the same impedance rating/range.

When you said "as for the Z906: no. ", did you mean they won't be worse than the legendary Z-5500 set ? My Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 set needs to be replaced for my PC and I figured I'd go for a 5.1 setup.

That sub will definitely sound bad at anything but lower volume. Speakers don't look great either. If you can do a home theater setup with a receiver and all the results can be really good but I think your aiming too low on the speakers/sub.

What would you recommend, and keep in mind I enjoyed the sound coming from my 15 year old Z-5500 set, so I'm likely easily pleased.

 

[UltraMega]

I might go with those and I also like that I'd be using speakers with the same impedance rating/range.

When you said "as for the Z906: no. ", did you mean they won't be worse than the legendary Z-5500 set ? My Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 set needs to be replaced for my PC and I figured I'd go for a 5.1 setup.



What would you recommend, and keep in mind I enjoyed the sound coming from my 15 year old Z-5500 set, so I'm likely easily pleased.

There is little point in doing a home theater setup if your going to be on tight budget because the point of a home theater setup is to move into the higher end.

I'd recommend trying to spend close to double on speakers. Also, do you have a sound card?

You should be looking for a sub at least ten inches and ~200 watts, definitely nothing less than 150 watts. 300-400 watts is ideal if you're not on a budget.

 

[UltraMega]

For 5.1 on a PC, there are some things to consider. The most important speakers are your front left and right. Without the assistance of something like a sound card, music is almost always stereo which means it will only come from your front right and left speakers, and even when doing other things like movies or games, your front left and right speakers are still more important than the rest. Priority should be as follow: Front L/R then center then back L/R. What this means is you don't have to spend a lot on all the speakers.

Front: Amazon.com: Klipsch R-51M Bookshelf Speaker: Home Audio & Theater

Center: Amazon.com: Klipsch R-52C Powerful Detailed Center Channel Home Speaker - Black: Home Audio & Theater

Rear: Amazon.com: Klipsch R-41M Powerful Detailed Bookshelf Home Speaker Set of 2 Black: Home Audio & Theater

Sub: Amazon.com: Klipsch Reference R-10SW 10" 300w Powered Subwoofer (Black): Home Audio & Theater

 

[The Pook]

When you said "as for the Z906: no. ", did you mean they won't be worse than the legendary Z-5500 set ? My Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 set needs to be replaced for my PC and I figured I'd go for a 5.1 setup.

no as in no, don't buy a Logitech 5.1 system.

 

[UltraMega]

Of course you can use HDMI and that will give you surround for 5.1 movies and games, but on PC if you watch to listen to music or watch any kind of steaming videos IIRC you can't do that with HDMI. You might want to consider getting a sound card which will give you a lot of options that you wouldn't have with HDMI.

Creative Sound Blaster Z PCIe 116dB SNR Gaming Sound Card - Newegg.com

 

[Krzych04650]

Of course you can use HDMI and that will give you surround for 5.1 movies and games, but on PC if you watch to listen to music or watch any kind of steaming videos IIRC you can't do that with HDMI. You might want to consider getting a sound card which will give you a lot of options that you wouldn't have with HDMI.

Creative Sound Blaster Z PCIe 116dB SNR Gaming Sound Card - Newegg.com

You simply use AV receiver for PC like for anything else. You connect it to your GPU through HDMI so it is treated as a second monitor and you get audio with it. Works perfectly. These sound cards are pointless.

 

[UltraMega]

You simply use AV receiver for PC like for anything else. You connect it to your GPU through HDMI so it is treated as a second monitor and you get audio with it. Works perfectly. These sound cards are pointless.

You completely missed the point of what I said, and your suggestion is completely unnecessary.

 

[sli_shroom]

maybe i have been lucky with polk, but i haven't had anything from them fail on me yet. that includes car audio, marine audio (rzr, boat, and rv) and home.

i have been running the ps111 and a set of TSi100s in my office for just over 4 years now and all has been great.

 

[113802]

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[gengar]

Of course you can use HDMI and that will give you surround for 5.1 movies and games, but on PC if you watch to listen to music or watch any kind of steaming videos IIRC you can't do that with HDMI. You might want to consider getting a sound card which will give you a lot of options that you wouldn't have with HDMI.

This is crazily incorrect - it is of course possible to pass stereo sources via HDMI. I mean, seriously, how do you think a PS5 or any of the blu-ray players that only have HDMI outs play back stereo sources?

6-ohms vs 8-ohms is probably a non-issue.

To clarify, mixing 6-ohm and 8-ohm speakers off a single amp is certainly a non-issue. The only potential issue is if the amp can't handle one or the other (in which case it's not the mixing that's the issue).

 

[UltraMega]

This is crazily incorrect - it is of course possible to pass stereo sources via HDMI. I mean, seriously, how do you think a blu-ray player or PlayStation plays back stereo sources?

I guess I could have been more clear, still I'm not sure how you misinterpreted what I said quite that hard.

Obviously stereo works fine over HDMI. If you have 5.1 and you are listening to something like a stereo music file or a you tube video which is also stereo, if you're using HDMI th audio will only be stereo meaning only two speakers will be used, and unless the subwoofer is hooked up via pass through with the front left and right channels, the subwoofer won't be used for music either. While there's nothing wrong with that, generally people who go through the effort of setting up surround sound want to use all of their speakers when they listen to music. Using a sound card allows for that by giving the user lots of options that don't exist when the audio is via HDMI.

That said, some receivers would have similar options for converting stereo audio into 5.1, but a sound card would give generally a lot more and better options.

 

[gengar]

I guess I could have been more clear, still I'm not sure how you misinterpreted what I said quite that hard.

Obviously stereo works fine over HDMI. If you have 5.1 and you are listening to something like a stereo music file or a you tube video which is also stereo, if you're using HDMI th audio will only be stereo meaning only two speakers will be used, and unless the subwoofer is hooked up via pass through with the front left and right channels, the subwoofer won't be used for music either. While there's nothing wrong with that, generally people who go through the effort of setting up surround sound want to use all of their speakers when they listen to music. Using a sound card allows for that by giving the user lots of options that don't exist when the audio is via HDMI.

That said, some receivers would have similar options for converting stereo audio into 5.1, but a sound card would give generally a lot more and better options.

This is literally not at all what you said in your last post but you're claiming that I misinterpreted it. Now you're even conflating crossovers with conversion of 2-channel source material into multichannel. I'm honestly impressed by how much nonsense you can fit into one post.

For the benefit of the OP (and anyone else who unfortunately had to read this garbage), it is completely false that using HDMI for stereo sources means that only the two main speakers will be used. If desired, receivers will handle the crossover to subwoofer. Both receivers OP mentioned have settings for this.

Please also understand that setting crossovers is not "converting" anything. When setting crossovers, the receiver is not taking a stereo 2-channel track (2.0) and converting it into a 3-channel track (2.1). The receiver is only taking the 2-channel track and telling what parts of the frequency to send to the subwoofer instead of the mains.

Converting stereo music to multichannel for playback (e.g., 2.0 to 5.1) is a completely separate issue from crossovers (and personally, even as a home theater and multichannel audio enthusiast, this is undesirable, and I strongly challenge your assertion that multichannel users "generally" would desire this). Furthermore, OP has not suggested in any way that this is a desirable feature, so unless OP specifically states so, there's no reason to muddy this thread even further with it.

 

[UltraMega]

This is literally not at all what you said in your last post but you're claiming that I misinterpreted it. Now you're even conflating crossovers with conversion of 2-channel source material into multichannel. I'm honestly impressed by how much nonsense you can fit into one post.

For the benefit of the OP (and anyone else who unfortunately had to read this garbage), it is completely false that using HDMI for stereo sources means that only the two main speakers will be used. If desired, receivers will handle the crossover to subwoofer. Both receivers OP mentioned have settings for this.

Please also understand that setting crossovers is not "converting" anything. When setting crossovers, the receiver is not taking a stereo 2-channel track (2.0) and converting it into a 3-channel track (2.1). The receiver is only taking the 2-channel track and telling what parts of the frequency to send to the subwoofer instead of the mains.

Converting stereo music to multichannel for playback (e.g., 2.0 to 5.1) is a completely separate issue from crossovers (and personally, even as a home theater and multichannel audio enthusiast, this is undesirable, and I strongly challenge your assertion that multichannel users "generally" would desire this). Furthermore, OP has not suggested in any way that this is a desirable feature, so unless OP specifically states so, there's no reason to muddy this thread even further with it.

I literally said a receiver can do those things. You need to learn how to read.

 

[113802]

but a sound card would give generally a lot more and better options.

I disagree, receivers support the latest formats unlike sound cards which have outdated formats. Only benefit from a sound card is space. I'd always recommend a separate DAC/AMP. Receivers now have built-in audio casting functionality like Spotify Connect.

They do have additional functional for headphones but they can easily be replaced by software solutions.

 

[UltraMega]

I disagree, receivers support the latest formats unlike sound cards which have outdated formats. Only benefit from a sound card is space. I'd always recommend a separate DAC/AMP. Receivers now have built-in audio casting functionality like Spotify Connect.

They do have additional functional for headphones but they can easily be replaced by software solutions.

It can go either way depending on the sound card and receiver.

 

[113802]

It can go either way depending on the sound card and receiver.

Not when comparing current generation. Sound cards have always been behind receivers when it comes to formats. It's no surprise due to receivers being targeted at home theaters.

 

[Ascii Aficionado]

no as in no, don't buy a Logitech 5.1 system.

I have no idea what else to get to replace my Klipsch 2.1 Pro Media system since Logitech appears to be the only company still making sets with the F/R/C 3.5mm jack inputs. I do have a Sound Blaster Zx and i'm aware an option would be to encode everything to 5.1 DTS/DD on-the-fly and connect to a receiver via optical, but a setup like that would be significantly more expensive.

There is little point in doing a home theater setup if your going to be on tight budget because the point of a home theater setup is to move into the higher end.

I'd recommend trying to spend close to double on speakers. Also, do you have a sound card?

You should be looking for a sub at least ten inches and ~200 watts, definitely nothing less than 150 watts. 300-400 watts is ideal if you're not on a budget.

I guess I'm easily impressed since I was fine with my Z-5500 system, I've also never heard what I assume the audiophiles here would call a 'proper high-end' home theater system before. I know the
Z-5500 was considered entry-level and it was excellent at what it did and I thought the Polk setup I was going to get was considerably higher in the quality department. I do have a Sound Blaster Zx and i'm aware an option would be to encode everything to 5.1 DTS/DD on-the-fly and connect to a receiver via optical, but a setup like that would be significantly more expensive.

For 5.1 on a PC, there are some things to consider. The most important speakers are your front left and right. Without the assistance of something like a sound card, music is almost always stereo which means it will only come from your front right and left speakers, and even when doing other things like movies or games, your front left and right speakers are still more important than the rest. Priority should be as follow: Front L/R then center then back L/R. What this means is you don't have to spend a lot on all the speakers.

Front: Amazon.com: Klipsch R-51M Bookshelf Speaker: Home Audio & Theater

Center: Amazon.com: Klipsch R-52C Powerful Detailed Center Channel Home Speaker - Black: Home Audio & Theater

Rear: Amazon.com: Klipsch R-41M Powerful Detailed Bookshelf Home Speaker Set of 2 Black: Home Audio & Theater

Sub: Amazon.com: Klipsch Reference R-10SW 10" 300w Powered Subwoofer (Black): Home Audio & Theater

If I really wanted to.. I could afford that + a receiver, but idk...significantly more than I was looking to spend. It's still entirely possible I may get the Klipsch speakers and only a sub $300 receiver instead of a $500 one.

Of course you can use HDMI and that will give you surround for 5.1 movies and games, but on PC if you watch to listen to music or watch any kind of steaming videos IIRC you can't do that with HDMI. You might want to consider getting a sound card which will give you a lot of options that you wouldn't have with HDMI.

Creative Sound Blaster Z PCIe 116dB SNR Gaming Sound Card - Newegg.com

I do have a Sound Blaster Zx and i'm aware an option would be to encode everything to 5.1 DTS/DD on-the-fly and connect to a receiver via optical, but a setup like that would be significantly more expensive. I've used FFDShow in the past to on-the-fly convert 5.1 FLAC audio tracks from subbed anime to something my Z-5500 could process, but the Z-5500 is now in another room and is also basically useless since every speaker hisses/crackles.