Logitech was an unheard of brand name when talking about quality multimedia speakers.  When Logitech released the Z-560 speakers, everyone was amazed at their quality and power with the reasonable price tag.  It proved that the company had potential in making higher end computer speakers.  Logitech has now converged the home theatre realm into the computer realm with the release of the Z-680 and Z-5300.  Instead of the 4.1 setup of the Z-560 speakers, the Z-680 and Z-5300 are a 5.1 setup.  Although the Z-5300 set is second from the top, it doesn’t mean that the quality is diminished.  The main difference between the Z-5300 and Z-680 is the lack of DTS decoding; otherwise the Z-5300 boasts many great features at an affordable price tag.

Logitech, by the way, is a company well known for their award-winning mice and keyboards.  Breakthrough innovations in their MX series mice have been well praised.  The company also sells other devices such as gamepads, joysticks, and web cameras.

I am annoyed by the fact how some manufacturers deceive consumers by telling the peak output sound.  When looking for speakers, you want to look at the RMS power.  The RMS power basically tells how much power the speakers can sustain over a long period of time.  Peak power is different because sound doesn’t usually reach its peak power often.  It is only used in certain instances when it needs it (like large explosions). 

Features:

-THX certified 5.1 setup with five satellite speakers and a subwoofer

-Wired remote with volume control including a headphone jack

-Twice the bass of conventional subwoofers with patented design

-Speakers are wall mountable

-Matrix mode creates 5.1 surround sound from stereo, 4, or 5.1 sound sources

-Adapter included to allow the speakers to be connected to a game console

Total RMS Power: 280 Watts

                -Subwoofer: 100 Watts RMS into 8 ohms

                -Satellites: 180 Watts RMS into 8 ohms (2 x 35.25w Front, 2 x 35.25w Rear; 39w Center)

Total Peak Power: 560 Watts

Signal to noise ratio: >85db

Frequency Response: 35Hz-20kHz

Driver Size: 2.5” Aluminum phase plug satellite drivers, 6.5” band pass subwoofer

Speaker Dimensions:

                -Satellites (H)8” x (W)3.75” x (D) 3.5”

                -Center (H)5” x (W)6.625” x (D) 3”

                -Subwoofer (H) 11.8” x (W)11.5” x (D)14.5”

When opening the box, you will see two satellite speakers inside the foam container.  The speakers were contained in the foam several inches away from the sides of the box to prevent accidental damage to them.  When lifting the foam container, you will find another layer beneath which contains the subwoofer, center speaker, and two other satellites.  All of those speakers also were individually wrapped in plastic bags and contained in foam.

When looking at one of the satellites, you will notice how it has a nice silver/gray look.  At the front there is the Logitech symbol as well as the THX symbol.  There is a nice oval outline at the center of the speaker that initially indicates where the speaker driver is. 

When removing the speaker grille, a beautiful speaker is revealed.  One might immediately question when looking at the single speaker, “Where is the tweeter?”.  You’re already looking at it.  Logitech combined both the tweeter and midrange speaker into a single speaker rather than conventionally separating them.  There are small ports or holes at the top and bottom of the driver.  Although the speakers do look better with the grilles off, I chose to leave them on since I have a rather dusty room.

The speaker sits on a U-shaped plastic stand which keeps it stable.  What’s unique about the stand is that there are two screw holes used to help mount the speaker on the wall.  This is done by twisting the speaker 180 degrees so that it’s parallel with the stand.  Lastly, audiophiles may have noticed that these speakers do not use traditional speaker wire.  The wire is internally connected to the speaker.  That means that if you break the wire, you lose the speaker.  My previous Altec Lansing speakers were just like this, but if you take reasonable care with the speakers, you shouldn’t have any problems.  The center speaker is the only one that is different from the satellites.  Rather than standing vertically, it sits horizontally on a wider stand.  In addition, the center speaker can be tilted up or down if needed to have it face the desired height.

The subwoofer was what caught my attention the most.  Having been used to a subwoofer the size of a small shoebox, I was awed by the enormous size of the subwoofer.  You will immediately notice the large port on the side of the subwoofer.  Like the other speakers, this one is also clearly labeled with the THX logo and the Logitech company logo.  The back of the subwoofer contains all the plugs where the speakers will be hooked up to.  There is also a switch as mentioned previously which allows you to choose 2.1, 4.1, or 5.1.

One of the criteria in becoming THX-certified is how easy it is to setup and install the speakers.  Logitech couldn’t have made it any simpler.  All the wires have color-coded connectors and each satellite speaker is clearly labeled to let you know which speaker goes where.  The plugs on the back of the subwoofer are also color-coded.

Installing the speakers can be done in a few steps.  All you have to do is plug in each color-coded connector to the right colored plug on the back of the subwoofer.  After plugging all the speakers in, I had a whole bunch of wires coming from the subwoofer.  The front and center speakers generally had wire lengths that were just about right.  The rear speakers were long enough to go from the subwoofer right in front of my feet to several feet behind me.  If you’re like me and you have a big room, you might find the wires a tad short; therefore you might need to purchase some extension wires if you would like the rear speakers further behind you.

One great feature of the system is the remote.  It is also connected to the subwoofer.  It contains the controls for the volume, power, as well as the matrix mode.  When controlling the volume, you can specifically change the volume of the subwoofer, the fader, as well as the volume on the center speaker.  When the volume is turned up, there is a series of green LED’s that light up to indicate the volume level.  In addition, the wired remote has a headphone jack.  This is a great feature for those who like to use their headphones every now and then.  When the headphones are plugged in, all the sound will go to the headphones automatically and the speakers will be muted.

After you have connected all the speakers, then you just use the provided cables to connect the speakers to your computer.  One cable is for the rear speakers, one for the front speakers, and one for the center channel.  The speakers need power in order for them to work.  Just use the power plug connected to the subwoofer and plug it into an outlet.  The speakers are now setup and ready to be used.

Equipped with my Sound Blaster Live! Sound card, I was ready to test the speakers.  I first chose songs that I have heard many times to be used a reference.  The first classic song I used was the Eagles’ Hotel California.  The speakers made the initial guitar melody have a real presence.  The highs were very clear and crisp.  The midrange was also clear and sounded natural.  When I heard the first beat of the drum, I was immediately wowed by the subwoofer.  It produced a very strong punch with the bass that was very fulfilling.  From my experience, what makes a speaker system great is mainly determined by the bass.  This speaker system does not lack in this aspect.  I listened to other music such as Chicago’s All that Jazz for its great and highly instrumental song.

Games worked well with these speakers as well.  With the EAX (environmental audio) capabilities of my sound card, I was able to listen to enormous sound that enveloped the entire room.  When playing games like Natural Selection, a first person shooter, I was able to directionally locate where footsteps and sounds were coming from.  I was amazed at how the directional sound could greatly help how you played the game.

Lastly, I tested the speakers with movies.  My favorite movie to test the speakers on was Kill Bill.  Having watched it a countless number of times, I was able to determine how well it sounded.  In the famous Crazy88 fight scene of the movie, again the bass added a new depth to the movie.  When bodies fell on the floor, the subwoofer gave out a loud thump that made the body actually feel like there was a weight to it.  With the Lord of the Rings, the loud roars of the army filled the entire room.

As mentioned before, the wired remote allows you to enable the matrix mode.  The matrix mode allows you to take a lesser sound source and to be able to hear it on all 5 speakers.  The matrix mode seems to “leak” all the sounds to each speaker, therefore, not necessarily providing directional sound.  The matrix mode works reasonably well when listening to a non-5.1 sound source.  Otherwise, it would be better to use 5.1 sound when possible.

These speakers for the most part exceeded my expectations.  They proved that Logitech can make quality multimedia speakers.  The speakers sounded great in all aspects in movies, games, as well as music.  At the retail price of $200, the price is very reasonable.  Since these speakers have been out for a bit, I checked sites like PriceGrabber, Yahoo, and CNET.  Most of them sell the speakers just below $150 which already includes shipping.  That makes these speakers a fairly good deal.  If you are an individual who is enthusiastic about sound and likes to listen to movies, music, as well as play games, these speakers are for you.  If you can live without the DTS decoder, get these; otherwise go for the Z-680’s if you have the cash.

Reviewed by Ronald