A Subwoofer With Decibels To Burn!
The subwoofer, wide and very deep, is fitted with a 10" diameter speaker (approximately 25 cm). The Z-5500 sets a new record - as far was we know - for size for PC woofers! Since the protective grill and its plastic surround also add size, the result is quite impressive-looking - and it's not just for show, because the peripheral suspension of the speaker is big. This means it is very conducive to high sound levels backed by an extreme bass.
Obviously it has bass-reflex loading, and a big reflex port with flared edges opens on the right-hand side of the subwoofer enclosure, which will have to be kept unobstructed.
On the back of the unit, aside from the connector for the power cable and an on/off switch, are five cinch connectors with color codes corresponding to the five satellites. Connecting them won't be a headache - you'd have to really try to get it wrong. Most of the rear panel is taken up by a finned heat sink to deal with the heat given off by the power amp, which is capable of providing a hefty amount of wattage.
Manufacturer's Specifications
- Bass power output: 188 W
- Satellite power output: 4 X 62 W + 69 W (center module)
- Frequency response: 33 Hz - 20 kHz
- Inputs: 5.1 line or 3 line, auxiliary line in, digital S/P DIF optical and coaxial inputs
- Headphone jack: on Control Center (decoder)
- Satellites: 7 cm full-range with phase plug
- Subwoofer: 25.4 cm (10") woofer
- Satellite dimensions: 95 mm X 190 mm X 120 mm (3.7" X 7.4" X 4.7")
- Subwoofer dimensions: 330 mm X 337 mm X 460 mm (13" X 13.3" X 18.1")
On The Graph And To The Ear
We were pleasantly surprised: The results showed a clear improvement over the preceding model. The 5500 provided very regular response in the midrange and treble. Only the extreme high end is a little more uneven, a difficult problem to avoid with the use of full-range drivers, and which in this case wasn't very detectable under listening conditions. The subwoofer fully justified the hopes we had riding on it, with very low bass response with good regularity. The Z-5500, then, is among those systems - relatively rare - that are capable of reproducing the entire audio range. The volume capacities are also very high, as the design and system power led us to expect. With a 120 dB SPL, the 5500 has what it takes to satisfy the most demanding user!
