Rated 
Z Cinema 2.1 Speaker System
Crisp Highs. Good bass from an 8" ported subwoofer. System rarely distorts due to protection circuits, and protects drivers from damage. Very attractive design and remote.
Lacking some midrange. Uses protection circuits to limit output. Speaker cables are not removable and only 6 feet. Surround not as good as a true 5.1 setup.
Posted 1 year ago - After "reading between the lines" in the reviews, and deciding these weren't all that they were cracked up to be, I ordered them for chitz-n-giggles to see for myself why so many others thought they were so great. Money was not an object (I've always been into audio), and I had it narrowed to the Z5500's, and the Klipsch ProMeda 2.1's. Altec Lansing hasn't had anything top of the line for years, which is sad. They used to have some very impressive 2.1 sets. For the attractive price after rebate, this Cinema Z was an obvious "trial" set I could unload on line IF need be. I am replacing a set of Labtec Edge 418's with a 5.25" woofer (flat panel satellites with the world's best 5.25" sub - no joke, excellent midrange and rolled off highs - typical for flat panels). I've had these for ~8 years, so they continue to impress. My main system consists of a Denon flagship 4802R AVR driving a 7.1 set of Polk RTi/CSi/FXi series speakers and an SVS Plus/2 sub. I've done a dozen or so reviews at Audioholics and the AVS Forum, so I know a little about a little. I ordered them on Sunday and they arrived today (California to Ohio - very fast shipping, and arrived in perfect condition). That's always a nice start. Thumbs up Buy.com. Set up was a breeze. I don't have Windows Media Center on this particular PC (just Player), but I don't plan on doing anything but listening to music, and these worked upon simple setup. The songs I used to demo the 2.1 setup were: Donald Fagan: * Morph the Cat * Tomorrow's Girls * The Goodbye Look Steely Dan * Hey 19 Diana Krall * Cry Me a River * If I Had You Drumline Soundtract * Drum Battles Mike Stern * Upside Down Morphine * You Look Like Rain (very hard track for speakers to reproduce properly) Pat Metheny * All the Things You Are * Cafe Del Mar * Minuano Patricia Barber * Two for the Road Sound Effects * THX Subwoofer Test The Rippingtons * Smooth Jazz Cafe Underground Bass Masters * UBM Subwoofer Test (failed miserably under 40Hz) Yes * Owner of a Lonely Heart Allison Krauss * Now That I've Found You * When You Say Nothing At All * The Lighthouse's Tale Blues Travelers * Run Around I know, the list is extensive, but these are some of the best recordings and bass tests out there, so download them and you'll see why. These speakers shine in some areas, and lack in others. For the money, they are actually a very good buy. The remote is amazing (worth $75 alone - has a quality feel, too), and the software is well thought out. The satellite speakers (I would almost classify them as bookshelf due to their size) are beefy. They have a very capable 3" midwoofer. Then they have an oversized 1" dome tweeter which is usually meant for home audio tower speakers. Normally, when you have a huge 1" dome tweeter, you also have a capable midrange and woofer. Here, you have the 1" dome, no midrange, and a mini 3" midwoofer. Female voices sometimes struggle with these speakers. Highs are crisp. Bass is strong, but a bit rolled off under 35Hz. The subwoofer is lightweight, and the amp is more than adequate to power the driver. HSU makes an HT 8" sub that trounces this, but you pay dearly for that technology. This 8" puts out some decent bass from 35hz to 110Hz, but there is port noise at high volumes. You need to give this sub ample room between the wall and tower. It's too bad there aren't crossovers and gains on the back of this sub - but what can you expect in this price range? The 10" sub in the other Logitech subwoofers allow for deeper bass, as well as higher output. That tight, punchy bass you hear in a quality home speaker and bookshelf is lacking with these subs. They use mid level drivers, and thin mdf cabinets. Adding extra insulation inside may make a difference. All in all, for the average listener wanting a 2.1 setup for music, gaming, and the occasional movie, these are above average PC speakers for the price. At full retail pricing, you can do better. At under $150, they're hard to beat. They don't have the tactile bass response of the ProMedia's, nor the midrange of the Z5300/5500 satellites. They have outstanding highs (very few bookshelves have a 1" dome tweeter). The 10 band eq on Windows Media Player is a must. Raising the midrange too much will become fatiguing - as will the treble. When set properly, these have excellent musical ability, especially at low volumes (perfect fora home office). Apply a nice house curve and these won't disappoint.
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Great hardware marred somewhat by software and design flaws
