Personal Computers are no longer the beige office machines of yesteryear: they are serious entertainment appliances capable of delivering a great home theater or gaming experience. Those serious about the sound their PC produces will certainly have a high-quality sound card and great set of speakers. While a separate amp and speaker separates may be overkill for the average gamer (particularly in the price department), there are several speaker sets that can deliver a satisfying soundscape.
The tinny sound of “Labtech” PC speakers are thankfully gone. Speakers intended for today’s computers come with the high signal-to-noise ratios, industry certifications, digital decoding and other features that previously belonged solely to elite home theater equipment.
One product vying for your home entertainment dollars is Logitech, who have been developing quality PC accessories for years. Their previous generations of computer speakers have won many awards, and one of their most proven sets is the Z-5300e THX Certified 5.1 Speaker System. THX certification means that you’re not just getting Logitech’s word on it, but also George Lucas’ seal-of-approval that these speakers deliver.
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Specifications
Technical Specifications
- Total FTC power: 280 watts RMS
Satellites:
Left/right: 35.25 watts RMS x 2 (into 8 ohms, @ 1 kHz, @ 10% THD)
Rear left/right: 35.25 watts RMS x 2 (into 8 ohms, @ 1 kHz @ 10% THD)
Subwoofer: 100 watts RMS (into 8 ohms, @ 100 Hz, @ 10% THD)
Center channel: 39 watts RMS (into 8 ohms, @ 1 kHz, @ 10% THD) - Total peak power: 560 watts
- Frequency response: 35 Hz–20 kHz
- Drivers:
Satellites: 2.5-inch aluminum phase plug driver
Subwoofer: 6.51-inch high-excursion driver - Speaker dimensions (H x W x D, inches):
Satellites: 8 x 3.75 x 3.5
Subwoofer: 11.813 x 11.75 x 14.5
Center channel: 5 x 6.625 x 3 - Signal-to-noise ratio: >85 dB
- Input selector switch:
Two-channel (stereo)
Four-channel
5.1-channel
SoundTouch™ remote control
Master volume
Sub, center, and surround levels
Matrix surround sound
Package Contents
- Speakers: 4 satellites, 1 subwoofer, 1 center channel
- Cables: Power cord, color-coded audio cables
- SoundTouch™ remote control
- Game console adapter
- User manual
- 2-year limited warranty
The Logitech Z-5300e speakers are packaged modularly in custom-molded styrofoam inside its box, and each speaker is individually wrapped for freshness. The cords are neatly wound, which become unweildy once the tie is unknotted. The heart of the package is the rather large (by PC standards) bass unit, which also serves as the main hub and amplifier for the unit.
The bass unit comes with a pre-attached AC cord, 3 stereo input plugs, an input mode selector switch, 5 color-coded RCA mono jacks (which route to each external speaker), a 15-pin connector for the wired remove, and a safety fuse. Since the bass acts as an amplifier for all speakers, there is a sizable aluminum heatsink on the rear sides. Inside the bass unit are patented dual-chamber subwooder drivers, which push air through a ported hole in the left side of the cabinet.
The Input Mode switch allows you to use all of your speakers even if you have an older soundcard without 5.1 analog outputs. You could connect these speakers to a stereo console, for example, and adjust the switch so the amplifier knows to distribute the stereo signal to all speakers. The same goes for a soundcard with native 4.1 support (that only have two analog outputs, like the Soundblaster Live).
The wired remote is a great improvement over Logitech’s previous speaker generations, in which the remote was incorporated into the center speaker. This design made the center speaker much heavier (and harder to balance on top of an LCD monitor) because of all the extra cables tethering it to the bass unit. Now the wired remote is a seperate unit, which frees up the center speaker for more flexible placement. A 1/8″ headphone jack is also incorporated into the remote.
The wired remote features an On/Off switch, Matrix Mode button, a speaker selection button (with LEDs) and large multi-function plastic knob. The Speaker Selection button toggles through four different options: Volume, Sub, Fader, and Center. The knob adjusts these options depending on which option is indicated by the Selection LED.
The Matrix mode button is similar to the “Dolby Pro Logic” button on home theater amplifiers. It takes a stereo source and intelligently maps it to all speakers. It creates a more dynamic surround field, and works best with stereo sources, like MP3s or videos. You’ll want to turn this feature off when playing DirectSound games or watching movies with Dolby Digital or DTS.
Each of the five satellites are made from hard plastic, and use a solitary 2.5″ aluminum phase plug driver. Although the driver is a single unit, it is actually a midrange driver and tweeter in one, complete with internal crossover. The tweeter is the small aluminum plug in the center (if you look very closely you can see miniature holes for sound to escape), and can deliver some rather crisp highs. The speaker is dual-ported to allow the midrange driver to push a little more air and sound a little deeper than it normally would.
Each satellite speaker can deliver 35 watts of RMS, and the center speaker can deliver 39 watts (since you can drive the center louder in relation to the others). This may not sound like a lot individually, but the total power is equal to twice the RMS power, so each channel can output 78 watts, which is actually very loud for such a small speaker.
We set up these speakers on one of our desks, where everything is symmetrical (the keyboard and manin monitor is on a corner, flanked on the left and right with more desktop space. Since the speaker’s mono cords were permanently attached, we had to snake them through and around the desk. We placed the left and right speakers on the appropriate parts of the workspace, and placed the center speaker on top of our 22″ Spectre LCD monitor. The wired remote was routed through the desk and placed right next to the keyboard and mouse. Rear speakers were placed behind us on other furniture in the office.
When we went to connect everything up to the bass unit, we then discovered how amazingly short the speaker cables were. The main bass unit had to be located to the right (near the main PC), because the supplied 3-jacked cable was really rather short. A symmetrical location in the corner would have been ideal.
Because of this unbalanced location, the left speaker could not eaily reach its intended placement. The rear speakers could not be placed where we really wanted them because the cables were also too short for adequate routing (we could put them in the ideal place, but then there would be tight tripwires everywhere). The only way to place the speakers appropriately was to use several RCA mono extension cables and three 1/8″ extension cables.
Once we had everything connected and the remote unit snugle attached we powered the unit on. We discovered that to initially power the unit you have to flip the switch on the back of the Subwoofer AND press the power button on the remote. You can then power the unit on and off using just the wired remote.
We turned the volume all the way up to test for any hiss generated by the amplifier, and there was none, even in a very quiet room. We even checked to make sure the soundcard volume was up and not muted because it was so quiet.
To test the sound dynamics we put the speakers through a test of watching Hi-Definition versions of Star Wars (with full Dolby Digital sound), playing BioShock, Lost Planet, and other games, and our own subjective listening with 320kbps MP3 files.
Watching movies with six seperate soundtracks (like WMV-HD and Dolby Digital) delivered a very satisfying movie experience. Because of the full dynamic range of the bass soundtrack you may not notice that its working, and then BOOM!… laser blasts and explosions start, accompanied by a ship flying overhead. The ported bass does a fantastic job of recreating a movie environment. These speakers were so loud that I couldn’t stand turning the volume up more than 1/3rd of the way, so it can certainly fill a larger room.
A game with good surround support like Bioshock also delivers a good experience, as the audio is well positioned. I did have to turn the fade all the way to the back speakers, as the volume of an object seemed to diminish as I turned around. I expected the same dynamics as watching a movie, but the sounds of the tommygun didn’t have the same punch (and all weapons sounded a little mid-rangy for my taste). Overall, it was very easy to identify where enemies were. I’m not sure how much of the sound experience was the game design or the speakers, but it was much more enjoyable than my previous 5.1 speaker set.
One of my personal tests for bass performance comes from Enya. Yes, Enya. Her first album (self-titled Enya and later called “The Celts”) has some overwhelming bass that really stresses the abilities of any bass. If your bass drivers are prone to distortion or shaking, then these tracks will bring it out. There are several deep bass synth notes that overlap, and you can actually feel the sine waves as they cross paths. I am happy to report that the z5300-e speakers performed great and put up with Enya’s bass infatuation without any distortion or shaking.
The highs of these speakers are very crisp. With my previous set I always had to turn on a software Graphic Equalizer to get any satisfying amount of treble. I had to disable Windows Media’s graphic equalizer when playing music because the highs were so crisp and any equalization blew them out to sound like hiss. As with any speaker system, you have to change the configuration or EQ depending on the music you’re listening to. Some tracks sounded loose and some didn’t have deep enough bass (so the subwooder emphasized what sounded like midrange).
Overall the impression of these speakers are that it has impressive bass (especially considering its size), very crisp highs, and average midrange. We had to turn the rear speaker volume up full blast to keep them in check with the rest of the system, and the bass is powerful enough that it is never running at full volume.
Logitech’s Z-5300e speakers provide some very good sound for movies, games and music. While it has THX certification, this 5.1 speaker set isn’t necessarially audiophile quality. The bass unit does a fantastic job of moving alot of air and delivers a decent amount of LFE for its size, but feels a bit loose. While this loose bass adds some impressive “umph” to movies and games, music listeners may want a tighter, punchier feel to their tracks.
The build of the speakers are average, constructed completely from plastic, and has permanently attached cable, which end up being a little too short. The wired remote is a definate improvement over Logitech’s previous generations, but this little taste will leave you wanting the features of more expensive systems (which include wireless remote, optical in, and twice the pricetag).
The inputs are analog only, which is fine if your soundcard will decode Dolby Digital or DTS onboard. Those with Vista may be out of luck, as Creative’s X-fi drivers for Vista still do not support onboard decoding (as of October 2007) , but do support SPDIF passthrough. Xbox 360 or PS3 owners should look for a set that decodes Dolby Digital.
This speaker set is great for the PC gamer, as the wired remote is within easy reach. While the sound these speakers produce is good enough for home theater, the lack of wireless remote does not make this set suitable for the living room. These speakers are a great value if you consider the amount of quality sound you get for the price. If you can live without those last few critical features, then this speaker set is a steal.
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1 Comment
Been used them for around 2 years sound is realy awesome The hardwired cables are just too short to be routed properly in an average room.