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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
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A Misconception With The “5.1”
Many people think that a 5.1 sound card is required to use these
speakers. This is incorrect. Even if you have a 2 channel sound card,
you will still be able to use these speakers. There is switch on the
back of the subwoofer that allows you to set how many speakers you want
to be active. If you want all the speakers on, all you have to do is
turn on the “matrix” mode. I will explain more about the matrix mode
later in this article.
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.
Specifications/Features
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”
Packaging
The speakers arrived in a large heavy cardboard box. Inside the
cardboard box was the box of the Logitech speakers. On the outside top
of the box is an attractive green and white ‘Z”. The box clearly shows
what the set of speakers look like altogether. It is shown in a way
that makes the speakers look powerful and intimidating. When looking a
bit closer, the box clearly states the facts by showing that the
speakers have a RMS power of 280 watts and a peak power of 560 watts.
From the many other speaker boxes I’ve seen, no other box shows it more
clearly.
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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.
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Becoming THX Certified
Some people are curious about what it means when they see the THX
symbol on a product or maybe in a movie. Basically, becoming THX
certified involves passing a series of tests set as a part of quality
assurance. Part of the tests is about how easy it is to install the
speakers to how well the product produces sound. Just because a
product does not have a THX certified logo does not necessarily mean
it’s an inferior product. Since there is a fee required to becoming
certified, some companies choose not to spend the extra money.
A Closer Look at the Speakers
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.
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Installation
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.
Sound Performance and Testing
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.
Conclusion
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.
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