Logitech Z-540

When I first bought these speakers, I was just looking for a set that would sound great, looks were secondary, but in browsing and listening to the numerous choices, Logitech nailed it and I picked up a set that looked great and sounded better. I have never run across a set of 4.1 speakers that had such quality sound for $70. The lows can pack more than enough punch to be felt. The highs are crisp and clear.

I found that the mid range occasionally sounded like a tin can at first, but after about 5 minutes I found listening to them, any other speakers sounded like poor. I regularly listen to almost any music you can think of, rap, rock, country, jazz, opera(I know, I know), instrumentals, etc.., and I tried nearly every types of music I had. All sound absolutely beautiful, but I had to tinker with the subwoofer volume with some rap and jazz. Speaking of which, the Sub volume knob is large and easy to find and fluid to turn, but it is placed on the back of the subwoofer, this is not a problem for my setup, but could be bit of a pain for a few.

The only two minor complaints I could make is that the volume knob could be a little bigger and/or with a rubber coating. The bright blue led can be a bit too bright, Logitech should have used a diffused LED or put some coating over it (I used a small dab of hot glue which can be removed easily once cooled if you don't like the look)

I then procceded to test them on an assortment of movies. I cranked up the volume and popped in some DVDs including, Monsters Inc., Harry Potter, The Matix, The Load of the Rings, Gone in 60 Seconds, Triple X, etc...

I must be honest, I wasn't impressed with their performance, I was AMAZED. I nearly had to pull my jaw (and ears) of the floor. I had a hard time convincing myself I was not in a movie theater. The sub stood up an shined like a star, EVERY heavy footstep, explosion, punch, engine rev, etc... even the lowest thumps were reproduced with enthusiasm I have never heard from a small system before. I set the sub volume at just a little more than 1/2 and it was great, I never touched it after. The satellites, did a great job from everything from voices to gunshots, but they pretty much needed to be pointed where you were sitting to get the very best sound. But keep in mind these ARE computer speakers after all, they are designed to put sound on ONE person sitting in one spot. But if your not too fussy, I can say these speakers would make a very good (and cheap) starter home theater system. They truely gave my $500 home theater system a run for it's money.

These speakers have amazed and astounded me, I find myself wishing there was a "11 star" rating for value for money. If you are looking for a quality surround system for your computer that will raise some eyebrows and not break the bank, The Logitech Z540's are for you.

I shop around and did some research before I got the Logitech Z540 speakers from my local retailer. Most retailers sell the Z540 at $199 or more in Australia but I got it for only $149. I tried the Z560, which is THX approved and yes the Z560 sounded better at the high end but for triple the price of the Z540. I also tried various Altect Lansing entry models which are sold for $50 more, or the retail price of z540 in Australia, but they did not sound as good.

Like its bigger brother, the Z540 can be wall mounted by rotating the metal stands using a screwdriver. This feature will attract buyers who want to have the option to hang their satellites in 4 corners of the rooms, making sound positioning accurate. Generous supplied cable length means that you will not need to purchase additional cable. The problem with the Logitech though is that the satellites are connected using RCA like connectors making it hard for the buyer to add extension speaker cables. At least a new one has to be made or purchased. Sound quality are excellent, only failing at the high end when used with PC. I tried connecting to DVD and it sounded as good as you can get from home satellite systems made 5 or more years ago. The bass is astounding from a 4"inch woofer. Did I say 4" woofer - yes I did. Initially I thought that the subwoofer is an 8 incher but after thorough researching, one of the websites that reviews z540 revealed that the z540 subwoofer actually applies an 8" cone to increase the bass output equalizing that of an 8 incher. The 4inch woofer is built inside the bandpass box that direct the sound wave at the 8" cone. In simple terms, all I can said is that the z540 can deliver a shaking performance. M3D is a Logitech feature that allow buyer with a 2 channel sound card to generate a virtual surround sound. It works perfectly on games and movies too.

The downside of the z540 is the low fq to high fq ratio making the system sounds little too much emphasize on the sub. The good news is you can always turn down the sub volume to minimum. The sub box is large and this is what you get when you want big bass, can't really complain. The only thing irritating me is the bright blue led on the control satellite that provides switch and volume controls. I shared the same idea as another reviewer about this problem at first but slowly I come to realise why Logitech used the bright led instead. Do most of us always forget to turn off our speakers? Well I do most of the time, and with this bright and blinding blue led, we shall never forget to turn off our speakers again.