Optimal sound card/audio setup w Z-5500 Logitech sound system

[Storm-Chaser]

So I stuck this out as long as I could with the Logitech stuff. You guys were not joking. Even though the sound quality is ok, I know there are also a host of things I am still missing out on. And I will rectify that, but it's at least two months away. What I really want is more is bass. Can never have enough bass.

 

That being said I made a really stupid mistake today. The smaller sub was hitting the front cover, sometimes pretty hard and making a metallic cracking noise so I figured I would remove the metal grating protection to eliminate that problem. There is no access to the sub itself, meaning the plate was attached operantly at the factory. Well I drove some screws in to the grating, point being to pull the grating right off the subwoofer enclosure. Well at some point things went wrong because I forgot to unplug. The other end of the audio wire hit something metal and the volume was up, so I punched a nice hole in my subwoofer. Its in the cone part. Any chance I can use a bike patch on it? LOL 

 

 

EDIT talking about the cone part of it.

 

Edited April 5, 2022 by Storm-Chaser

[pio]

2 hours ago, Storm-Chaser said:

So I stuck this out as long as I could with the Logitech stuff. You guys were not joking. Even though the sound quality is ok, I know there are also a host of things I am still missing out on. And I will rectify that, but it's at least two months away. What I really want is more is bass. Can never have enough bass.

 

That being said I made a really stupid mistake today. The smaller sub was hitting the front cover, sometimes pretty hard and making a metallic cracking noise so I figured I would remove the metal grating protection to eliminate that problem. There is no access to the sub itself, meaning the plate was attached operantly at the factory. Well I drove some screws in to the grating, point being to pull the grating right off the subwoofer enclosure. Well at some point things went wrong because I forgot to unplug. The other end of the audio wire hit something metal and the volume was up, so I punched a nice hole in my subwoofer. Its in the cone part. Any chance I can use a bike patch on it? LOL 

 

A bike patch?  No, lol.  If you punched that big a hole in it, its probably gone.  Which is good news for you, that means you can buy a real subwoofer now.  

 

You CAN use some e6000 glue.  You can find it at Walmart or any crafting place.  That's what speaker builders use to hold the speaker together when they build it (well, for custom recones, not sure if its the same for manufacturers or not).  However the e6000 glue is only going to hold if the material itself is still there and not too floppy.

[Storm-Chaser]

1 hour ago, pioneerisloud said:

Which is good news for you, that means you can buy a real subwoofer now.  

 

Yeah, I can just see it now... the neighbors will be shell shocked and angry by the thundering bass. Or at least that's my goal anyway.  

[Snakecharmed]

Wait, you tried to brute force the grille? You know you didn't have to do it that way, right?

 

 

[Storm-Chaser]

21 minutes ago, Snakecharmed said:

Wait, you tried to brute force the grille? You know you didn't have to do it that way, right?

 

 

Well its too late now! LOL

 

So the saying goes, work smarter, not harder...

Edited April 5, 2022 by Storm-Chaser

[Storm-Chaser]

1 hour ago, pioneerisloud said:

You CAN use some e6000 glue.  You can find it at Walmart or any crafting place.  That's what speaker builders use to hold the speaker together when they build it (well, for custom recones, not sure if its the same for manufacturers or not).  However the e6000 glue is only going to hold if the material itself is still there and not too floppy.

I have some e6000 in front of me at this very moment. Since the size of the puncture is small (about the width of the ink part of a pen....)

It should hold up okay, or at least thats the hope.

 

 

[pio]

13 minutes ago, Storm-Chaser said:

I have some e6000 in front of me at this very moment. Since the size of the puncture is small (about the width of the ink part of a pen....)

It should hold up okay, or at least thats the hope.

 

 

Glue her up then!  E6000 works absolutely wonderful.  If it can handle glueing the surround and cone together on a Sundown X15 (look em up), it'll handle your little Tang Band 6.5.  

[Storm-Chaser]

36 minutes ago, pioneerisloud said:

, it'll handle your little Tang Band 6.5.  

 

You know, sticks and stones.... but names will never hurt me! lol

 

But yeah the next one will be built right. I have about a $1000 budgeted every month for tech stuff (and that's all gone already for this month LOL)

 

so maybe in a month or so I will review my plans with you guys to see if I have all my ducks in a row. 

 

as for the brute force attack on the mesh screen, Im going on 50 hours without sleep, so that may have effected my judgement to some extent 

Edited April 5, 2022 by Storm-Chaser

[pio]

3 minutes ago, Storm-Chaser said:

 

You know, sticks and stones but names will never hurt me! lol

 

But yeah the next one will be built right. I have about a $1000 budgeted every month for tech stuff (and that's all gone already for this month LOL)

 

so maybe in a month or so I will review my plans with you guys to see if I have all my ducks in a row. 

Hey now......I'm rocking a 6.5" subwoofer right now too.  Haven't you ever heard its not the size of the ship but the motion in the ocean? Same thing holds true on subs, although size doesn't hurt.  

[Storm-Chaser]

14 minutes ago, pioneerisloud said:

Hey now......I'm rocking a 6.5" subwoofer right now too.  Haven't you ever heard its not the size of the ship but the motion in the ocean? Same thing holds true on subs, although size doesn't hurt.  

 

Brothers in arms my friend!   

 

lol, and this reminds me of a song

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2022 by Storm-Chaser

[Snakecharmed]

7 hours ago, pioneerisloud said:

Hey now......I'm rocking a 6.5" subwoofer right now too.  Haven't you ever heard its not the size of the ship but the motion in the ocean? Same thing holds true on subs, although size doesn't hurt.  

 

Nah, size matters.

[Storm-Chaser]

Well I smoked my z625 subwoofer today. I play my music really loud and it was simply not up to the task. There was a huge rip, no saving it. 

 

Which begs the question, what do you guys recommend as a drop in replacement for this unit? I would obviously like a 6.5" sub that will last more than 6 months. 

 

 

[bonami2]

Could check on Head-Fi forum for a real Bookshelf and sub setup.

 

Except that Edifier as some good set of pc speaker with sub.

The corsair set where discontinued.

Klipsch Promedia supposed to be good but Idk they seem to die often.

[pio]

13 hours ago, Storm-Chaser said:

Well I smoked my z625 subwoofer today. I play my music really loud and it was simply not up to the task. There was a huge rip, no saving it. 

 

Which begs the question, what do you guys recommend as a drop in replacement for this unit? I would obviously like a 6.5" sub that will last more than 6 months. 

 

 

It was a 6.5" Tang Band in there originally, so that's what I'd go with.  You smoked it from the THD at 10% with those Logitech amps.  I'll say it again, I would NOT recommend fixing it as its just not worth it.  If you really really want to though, Tang Band makes some killer 6.5" subs, go check out Parts Express.  

 

If you're wanting loud, and bass, and not to kill equipment you'll need a few things.  You'll need more power available than the speakers can handle.  You'll need less distortion, seriously the less the better (which is why overpowering is a good thing, it keeps it cleaner).  And bass specifically, you need moving mass.  The more air you can move either from cabinet folds, bigger driver, or just simply more power to the driver, the more bass you'll have.

Edited May 6, 2022 by pioneerisloud

[Storm-Chaser]

6 minutes ago, pioneerisloud said:

It was a 6.5" Tang Band in there originally, so that's what I'd go with.  You smoked it from the THD at 10% with those Logitech amps.  I'll say it again, I would NOT recommend fixing it as its just not worth it.  If you really really want to though, Tang Band makes some killer 6.5" subs, go check out Parts Express.  

 

If you're wanting loud, and bass, and not to kill equipment you'll need a few things.  You'll need more power available than the speakers can handle.  You'll need less distortion, seriously the less the better (which is why overpowering is a good thing, it keeps it cleaner).  And bass specifically, you need moving mass.  The more air you can move either from cabinet folds, bigger driver, or just simply more power to the driver, the more bass you'll have.

Im not going to fix it after reading your reply here. I can start massing parts for 1-2 months from now as that is when I can start on this project.  I will try to hybridize the new system with the Z5500 if they complement each other well, since that system still works fine. 

[pio]

8 minutes ago, Storm-Chaser said:

Im not going to fix it after reading your reply here. I can start massing parts for 1-2 months from now as that is when I can start on this project.  I will try to hybridize the new system with the Z5500 if they complement each other well, since that system still works fine. 

You know how I roll mate.  By all means, fix it.  It'd be fun and a learning opportunity.  I'm just saying, that's not going to fix the source of the problem here, and that's the high distortion levels and lower (relative) power levels.

I measured I think it was around 180w RMS to my 6.5" subwoofer, which only actually takes about 50w.  Tuned down to 50w, its clean as can be and I can crank it as loud as I want till the sub itself starts popping because I have 180w available on tap for it.  The same thing holds true for bigger / louder setups too.  If you have a 500w subwoofer, it's better to have 1000w on tap for it and run your amp cleaner at 500w, than it would be to push a 500w amp to its max all day.  Think of amplifiers like a computer PSU.  Quality AND overhead > big numbers.  Wattage is wattage, so yes, think of an amp like a PC PSU.   You're currently running a Raidmax PSU to your sub, in that sense.

Edited May 6, 2022 by pioneerisloud

[Storm-Chaser]

Well that's the end of that.

 

Now, it looks like I have killed the big dog. 

 

z5500 subwoofer is shot! Guess my eardrums hold up better than a 12" subwoofer lol..

 

[bonami2]

8 hours ago, Storm-Chaser said:

Well that's the end of that.

 

Now, it looks like I have killed the big dog. 

 

z5500 subwoofer is shot! Guess my eardrums hold up better than a 12" subwoofer lol..

 

Time for an upgrade!

https://edifier-online.com/ca/en/speakers/s760d-5.1-gaming-speakers

 

[pio]

Tried to warn ya mate.

 

Time for an upgrade for sure!  If you want budget, go check out Parts Express and Monoprice.  I can tell you from experience, the Dayton Ultimax series subwoofers are absolutely fantastic and severely underrated, but that's going to dig you into a whole custom build kinda thing that way.  For power, just get an amplifier that's bigger in capacity (RMS power), and one that matches the resistance / impedance of your speakers / subwoofer (whatever amp).  Both companies do sell full and complete subwoofer setups too, AND some half decent speakers as well.  Both also carry amplifiers I do believe, but PE is definitely bigger on that front.  And then when listening to it loud, LISTEN very carefully to your speakers to make sure you're not over-driving them.  It's pretty apparent when it happens.  Keep yourself from over driving them, make sure you have plenty of CLEAN power available, and you'll stop having those problems.  If you want it louder you need to add more power or more drivers or both.

[Storm-Chaser]

@pioneerisloudI have to put the entire custom thing on hold as I just picked up a new project car. 

 

That being said, I need something to get me through the next few months until I can pull the trigger on some custom audio parts for this rig. 

 

Option A: 

HAUSS PLATINUM SERIES HS-3 Home Theatre System 1500w

WWW.EBAY.COM

---

<p>*FREE IN STORE PICKUP AVAILABLE* </p><p>
</p><p>Paypal preferred, or message us for other payment...

 

 

Option B (just replace the sub in my z5500 system and call it good until I go custom... The stock woofer is 8 ohms and 188W. Can you help me choose a replacement? It's actually a 10" subwoofer not a 12"

 

Some people are saying you can daisy chain a sub with two 4 ohm coils and it will work just fine, but in this case I just want to try to find something with 8 ohms.... any help is greatly appreciated....

 

I have something like this in mind:

NEW SKAR AUDIO IX-10 D4 10" 400 WATT MAX POWER DUAL 4 OHM CAR SUBWOOFER

WWW.EBAY.COM

---

Skar Audio. This subwoofer is designed and built with so many premium features it's hard to believe it is a budget friendly model. Not only do...

 

 

[pio]

10 hours ago, Storm-Chaser said:

@pioneerisloudI have to put the entire custom thing on hold as I just picked up a new project car. 

 

That being said, I need something to get me through the next few months until I can pull the trigger on some custom audio parts for this rig. 

 

Option A: 

HAUSS PLATINUM SERIES HS-3 Home Theatre System 1500w

WWW.EBAY.COM

---

<p>*FREE IN STORE PICKUP AVAILABLE* </p><p>
</p><p>Paypal preferred, or message us for other payment...

 

 

Option B (just replace the sub in my z5500 system and call it good until I go custom... The stock woofer is 8 ohms and 188W. Can you help me choose a replacement? It's actually a 10" subwoofer not a 12"

 

Some people are saying you can daisy chain a sub with two 4 ohm coils and it will work just fine, but in this case I just want to try to find something with 8 ohms.... any help is greatly appreciated....

 

I have something like this in mind:

NEW SKAR AUDIO IX-10 D4 10" 400 WATT MAX POWER DUAL 4 OHM CAR SUBWOOFER

WWW.EBAY.COM

---

Skar Audio. This subwoofer is designed and built with so many premium features it's hard to believe it is a budget friendly model. Not only do...

 

 

Well we can toss option A out, as friends don't let friends buy white van speakers.   Avoid that Hauss Media Labs scam set up, those aren't real speakers.

 

Option B shows some potential.  The Skar IDX is definitely not going to be optimal though, and I have a feeling you'll blow that one even faster with those distortion levels to be honest.  Car drivers, especially ones like that Skar are going to be VERY open to distortion damage.  Just a little clip, and that Skar is going to destroy itself where its glued together at.

 

I'd instead argue to get something like this as a replacement, HOWEVER, I really don't think its worth the money to fix it when you can buy a proper powered subwoofer for this price.  Up to you, but you CAN buy a full on proper powered subwoofer with an amp for this kind of money.:

Dayton Audio RSS265HF-8 10" Reference Series HF Subwoofer 8 Ohm

WWW.PARTS-EXPRESS.COM

---

Dayton Audio RSS265HF-8 10" Reference HF Subwoofer 8 Ohm. Part Number: 295-442 by Dayton Audio.

 

[Storm-Chaser]

LOL Im glad I ran this by you first before pulling the trigger. So after a little research, this is what I have so far. Am I on the right track? 

6 hours ago, pioneerisloud said:

I'd instead argue to get something like this as a replacement, HOWEVER, I really don't think its worth the money to fix it when you can buy a proper powered subwoofer for this price.  Up to you, but you CAN buy a full on proper powered subwoofer with an amp for this kind of money.:

 

 

 

 

Subwoofer specs:

About this item

• Physical Characteristics-Weight (Approximate)-41.89 lb
• YAMAHA 10" SUBWOOFER 270 WATT AMP. Frequency Response : 20 - 160 Hz (-10 dB)
• Yamaha YST-SW315 Subwoofer System - Black Ash
• 10-inch driver with high-efficiency, 250-watt PWM digital amplifier
• Advanced YST ensures that the speaker and amplifier work together to create perfectly linear speaker motion
• BASS (Bass Action Selector Switch) tailors the sub's output for video or music at the touch of a switch
• Yamaha's QD-Bass technology radiates bass in all directions for greater impact. Frequency Response : 20 - 160 Hz (-10 dB)
• Measures 13.75 x 17 x 15.1 inches (W x H x D)

Yamaha YST-SW315 10" 250W Powered Subwoofer - Black Ash

WWW.EBAY.COM

---

Excellent Working Condition and Shape with minor wear on the surface (See pictures for details).

 

Receiver:

【PRO TESTED】Yamaha RX-V2500 910W Digital 7.1 Receiver!.04%THD,PhonoGUARANTY

WWW.EBAY.COM

---

, Yamaha's RX-V2500 boasts a high-power 7-channel surround system with a remarkable 0.04% THD and 200 Hz "Low Pass" output for your...

 

Released in 2004 with an $1,099 price tag (over $1,600 today!), Yamaha's RX-V2500 boasts a high-power 7-channel surround system with a remarkable 0.04% THD and  200 Hz "Low Pass" output for your active sub!

High sound quality, superior performance and surround realism are the result of the advanced technology that is part of the RX-V2500 digital home theater receiver.

Major features include 7-channel discrete amplification (130W x 7), Yamaha's Digital ToP-ART design concept, YPAO (Yamaha Parametric Room Acoustic Optimizer), Quad-Field CINEMA DSP, 19 surround programs, full movie sound format compatibility as well as THX Select processing, SILENT CINEMA, Night Listening Mode, 9 channel speaker outputs with Zone2 out, and component video up conversion for optimum video quality.

Features for convenient operation include extensive menus, front panel video Aux optical input terminal and a direct access remote control. This top-class receiver also provides a variety of features for setting up a multi-room custom installation.

While the manual gives a "Dynamic Power" rating of of up to 340 Watts per Channel, we prefer to use the more reasonable 910 Total RMS Watts rating, or 7x 130W into 8Ω!

This beast weighs in at just over 34 lbs and measures a sizable 17-1/8" x 6-3/4" x 17" deep. 

Included:

• Yamaha RX-V2500 Stereo Surround Receiver 

• Remote Control (RAV352)

• NEW FM Dipole Antenna

• Owner's Manual PDF Download available online at hifiengine.com

[pio]

1 hour ago, Storm-Chaser said:

LOL Im glad I ran this by you first before pulling the trigger. So after a little research, this is what I have so far. Am I on the right track? 

 

 

 

 

Subwoofer specs:

About this item

• Physical Characteristics-Weight (Approximate)-41.89 lb
• YAMAHA 10" SUBWOOFER 270 WATT AMP. Frequency Response : 20 - 160 Hz (-10 dB)
• Yamaha YST-SW315 Subwoofer System - Black Ash
• 10-inch driver with high-efficiency, 250-watt PWM digital amplifier
• Advanced YST ensures that the speaker and amplifier work together to create perfectly linear speaker motion
• BASS (Bass Action Selector Switch) tailors the sub's output for video or music at the touch of a switch
• Yamaha's QD-Bass technology radiates bass in all directions for greater impact. Frequency Response : 20 - 160 Hz (-10 dB)
• Measures 13.75 x 17 x 15.1 inches (W x H x D)

Yamaha YST-SW315 10" 250W Powered Subwoofer - Black Ash

WWW.EBAY.COM

---

Excellent Working Condition and Shape with minor wear on the surface (See pictures for details).

 

Receiver:

【PRO TESTED】Yamaha RX-V2500 910W Digital 7.1 Receiver!.04%THD,PhonoGUARANTY

WWW.EBAY.COM

---

, Yamaha's RX-V2500 boasts a high-power 7-channel surround system with a remarkable 0.04% THD and 200 Hz "Low Pass" output for your...

 

Released in 2004 with an $1,099 price tag (over $1,600 today!), Yamaha's RX-V2500 boasts a high-power 7-channel surround system with a remarkable 0.04% THD and  200 Hz "Low Pass" output for your active sub!

High sound quality, superior performance and surround realism are the result of the advanced technology that is part of the RX-V2500 digital home theater receiver.

Major features include 7-channel discrete amplification (130W x 7), Yamaha's Digital ToP-ART design concept, YPAO (Yamaha Parametric Room Acoustic Optimizer), Quad-Field CINEMA DSP, 19 surround programs, full movie sound format compatibility as well as THX Select processing, SILENT CINEMA, Night Listening Mode, 9 channel speaker outputs with Zone2 out, and component video up conversion for optimum video quality.

Features for convenient operation include extensive menus, front panel video Aux optical input terminal and a direct access remote control. This top-class receiver also provides a variety of features for setting up a multi-room custom installation.

While the manual gives a "Dynamic Power" rating of of up to 340 Watts per Channel, we prefer to use the more reasonable 910 Total RMS Watts rating, or 7x 130W into 8Ω!

This beast weighs in at just over 34 lbs and measures a sizable 17-1/8" x 6-3/4" x 17" deep. 

Included:

• Yamaha RX-V2500 Stereo Surround Receiver 

• Remote Control (RAV352)

• NEW FM Dipole Antenna

• Owner's Manual PDF Download available online at hifiengine.com

Honestly at those prices, I'd look more towards a BIC F12 or Klipsh Reference 12, both used to be sold regularly around $200 USD each for a subwoofer.  For the receiver, anything Pioneer, Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, Marantz with the outputs and inputs you need / want in the future will do the job fine.  Seriously, any receiver in the last 20 years will do fine, just depends on your needs (so long as its from a good manufacturer and still works).  There's other good manufacturers, those are just the most common ones that basically anything from entry level up to professional level are good enough to use.

 

That particular Yamaha looks okay, but for an 18 year old piece of equipment, that price seems excessive.  I've seen good units around $100-150 before on ebay, so I'd keep your eyes peeled there.  There's also local thrift shops, craigslists, tons of ways to find a good deal.  A good bet is if it has HDMI inputs, it'll likely be easier to connect in with a PC, just because digital inputs.  Seriously, even 50w RMS on a receiver is going to be a LOT louder and cleaner than 100w on a Logitech setup simply due to the cleaner levels of power with less distortion.

Subwoofers, take your peek at these model numbers in whatever search you want to look at.  I saw both of these on ebay for $200 ish.

 

BIC Formula F12:

BIC Formula F-12 12" 475 Watt Subwoofer

WWW.PARTS-EXPRESS.COM

---

BIC Formula F-12 12" 475 Watt Subwoofer. Part Number: 303-436 by BIC America.

 

Klipsch R-12SW:

Klipsch R-12SW Reference 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer - Black - Newegg.com

WWW.NEWEGG.COM

---

Buy Klipsch R-12SW Reference 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer - Black with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you...

 

Either of the above subwoofers will get lower than the Yamaha you linked, and they'll both be louder, and cleaner sounding more than likely (depends fully on your setup too ofc).  Honestly both of those subwoofers are so incredibly similar, you'd be hard pressed to find a difference between the 2 unless you had them side by side and compared them.  So I'd grab whichever is cheaper personally.  I have been a huge fan of those BIC F12's on the budget for years though, I sure wouldn't mind owning another one or two of those in the future again.    Those Klipsch copper colored cones are absolutely amazing to look at though, and that bragging factor.

Edited June 3, 2022 by pioneerisloud

[Storm-Chaser]

@pioneerisloud

 

Do you think I can get away with re-using the small z5500 speakers with my new receiver / subwoofer? They seem to be very powerful and crisp and have almost no distortion even when cranked. 

 

 

[bonami2]

1 minute ago, Storm-Chaser said:

@pioneerisloud

 

Do you think I can get away with re-using the small z5500 speakers with my new receiver / subwoofer? They seem to be very powerful and crisp and have almost no distortion even when cranked. 

 

 

I dont know if those speaker got a crossover if they do they should work. If they don't they should still work but the bass may prevent them from playing loud.

Pioneerisloud is right about the bic and klispch subwoofer i was stuck between those too some years ago after reading lot of review!