Devastator wrote:So basically if I got the m4's with Digitech AA-0470 and a sub down the track? As I know I could get z5500 but I aint the keenest compared to these as I bet they sound MUCH better.
On sound quality: The 5500s have a THX certification, which THX give out like they were going out of style (oh wait, they are...) but it is still a grudging pass in the sound quality department. If you want a 5.1 surround system, the 5500s are likely to not be bad. Value for money is an entirely different question. Worth noting that the subwoofers they ship with that kind of setup barely deserve the name. They're a 6-8 inch woofer massively overdriven and with a tuned bass hump the size of a couch. They tend to create a big bass sound, but have no real definition at all. It just kinda goes WWRRRARWRRWARR. Which I personally can leave. I don't have a subwoofer at all, just M5s.
So comparing my M5s with an Alesis RA-100 amplifier (reference amp, not hi-fi) which is a $600-700 setup (second hand amp) to my flatmate's Logitech Z640s, it's no competition whatsoever. Not surprising given the factor of two difference in cost, but there's really no comparing the definition and clarity you get out of hi-fi speakers compared to multimedia speakers.
In summary, if you just want something that Works, has a big sound, is good for movies, and aren't too fussed about chasing the perfect sound, Logitech speakers will probably do you nicely.
If you want something that produces the best possible sound for your money, even if it means sacrificing some bass response, the M4s are probably not a bad way to go, especially since you can add some M5s or M6s and turn it into a 4.0 surround setup pretty easily. If you genuinely want one of the WWWRARRR boxes, you could also try and get a signal splitter, and run it into the woofer component of a cheap pair of computer speakers. The one in the 5500s is going to be better, but as a stopover, it'll do.
Also, if you were considering something at the pricepoint of the Z5500s, consider the LSK M5s. They're much more of a 'main' speaker than the M4, and they've got bigger cabinets and drivers, so they'll get louder without distorting. The components are also better quality, so I suspect they'll sound better than M4s (I only have M5s, so can't make a comparison).
As for amplifiers, not to say the AA-0470 is a bad deal, but if you're on a budget, check out the trading post and Ebay. You can get some really unreal bargains easily, and with M4s and your first hi-fi, a second-hand amp from someone's setup in the 90s is probably going to do you well - mine does. Amplifiers tend to last a long time if they aren't thrashed - my amp has a quality assurance mark from 1998, and is still going strong on all the original parts.
