All of a sudden, consumers are concerned about audio in a computer system. For years, no one gave a damn about the audio system or the speakers connected to a computer. No one seemed to care if the bleeps and gunshots coming from the video games on the computer sounded clear or not! Then came MP3's, high tech games, and extensive music libraries! Now all of a sudden, the $15 cheapo tinny computer speakers were inadequate.
Well, Logitech seems to have heard the call and gone one step further. They have not only manufactured quality speakers, but have gone all the way and made them THX certified! What is this THX Certified you may ask, and you may! THX, in a nutshell is the brainchild of Thomas Hollman, an audio engineer/designer who is with Lucas Films. They wanted an audio system capable of faithfully reproducing the original audio mix in their theatrical films. So the THX sytem was developed, which supposedly stands for Thomas Hollmans Xperiment! This was a standard all audio equipment manufacturers had to meet to allow them to state that their equipment was THX Certified. Ok, got it now?
Well, why would a manufacturer like Logitech sell THX Certfiied speakers for a computer? Many reasons. First, the THX tag means the speakers were tested and were found to meet a certain standard. Second, it is a positive selling point for folks who know what THX is. Third, it shows that the speakers are meant to do more than just blast out "You have mail", or the little Microsoft orchestral diddy when your system boots up!
Clearly these speakers were designed to work with DVD players, video games, stereo receivers, and yes, computers. Now, some folks may consider this overkill. If you only want decent speakers to hear your music, or for better clarity in your computer audio system, these speakers may not be for you. Logitech has other sets of speakers, lower in price, without so many features. Those may be the ones you want!
If you want to go all the way, spend the $399 and get fantastic sound out of your computer or DVD player, this is one way to go! If you have an extensive library of MP3's on your computer, such as an I-Tunes Library on a MAC, these speakers will reproduce decent sound from all types of music, including classical, rock, rap etc. Both tonal reproduction of voice and instruments such as a piano are clean. I used to be an audio mixer for 20 years!
The subwoofer is substantial and the power to the system is pretty good. You are able to turn up the sound without distortion, to a degree. Turning any system all the way up will distort the audio, no matter how good it is, but then who needs to shake your neighbor's house anyway?
More and more consumers are playing MP3's out of their computers, utilizing it for CD playback from the built in CD/CD ROM player, or playing back DVD's. Well if these DVD's have surround sound, these speakers have a true surround decoder to allow playback into center channel for dialogue, front speakers for other audio, and rear speakers for surround effects. The subwoofer, which is no lightweight by the way, will adequately reproduce a good bass signal.
Look, is this the "end all" system, no. It is a step in the right direction for great sound out of a computer, or any device attached to it. Is it right for everyone? Absolutely not! You have to ask yourself, do you need true surround sound, THX Certification, a 5 piece system, and a subwoofer? More and more people have been discovering the audio they have been missing in their computer/DVD systems. This system will allow you to hear sound, instruments, orchestration you might have missed!
By the way, some people have complained about white noise, or hiss in the system. Currently I am running tests on the system to determine the actual level of the hiss and its true decibel rating.
After my tests are completed, I will add an extensive addition to this review, which as of this moment is not totally completed! More to follow once my testing is completed!
OK, I have now performed some tests to the unit. There is some slight "hiss" if the unit is turned up with no audio, but with music playing, it is not annoying at all. For the size of the system, it is actually quite impressive. Be advised that Apple and Dell both sell this system as an "add-on" accessory to their computers. Both companies would not sell cheap or shoddy equipment. The fact that both Apple and Dell added these speakers to their list of accessories is impressive! Again, you will not go wrong with these speakers, and oh yes, don't forget, the box is HEAVY!!!! No lightweight flimsy speakers here! Use a handtruck or another pair of hands!!
Specs: 505 total watts: 4x62 (RMS) watts for satellites, 1x69 watts for center channel, 1x188 watts for subwoofer; supported decoding formats: Dolby Digital, DTS, MPEG, Dolby Pro Logic II, 6-channel direct, stereo (x2)
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