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It's that time of year. In the PC Hardware and
Peripherals industry, you almost can't keep up with the
onslaught of new products hitting the market for the
holiday season. Likewise, the HotHardware Test and
Tech Writer Team, almost can't keep up with the volume of
new gadgets showing up in the lab for test and showcase.
The key word here is "almost", because we always seem to
find a way to squeeze in an article on a new product or
technology that really stands out and gets our
attention.
Perhaps, that is a bit over the top for an opener here.
After all, we have to try and remain objective in our
reporting to you. So, we'll tone it down a bit.
Wow, what a lead in... Speaking of tone (oh boy the puns
are flowing now), when is the last time you thought about
the quality and fidelity of your computer speakers?
Perhaps the speakers attached to you computer are nothing
more than a way to audibly alert you to that system stop
or invalid command. On the other hand, maybe you are
the type that rips their own MP3s and games on until 3 AM
with some 3D first person shooter. Whatever camp you
reside in, chances are you probably haven't spent a lot of
time or money really digging into the quality of your
speaker setup. I mean, the real high fidelity
equipment is powering your stereo or surround sound
theater set up, right?
If that's the case, I'd like to invite you to "think
out of the box" a little. Think of those speakers
plugged into your computer as requiring the type of
quality one would expect from a nice set of
Bose or
Snell Acoutics units you might have in the living
room. This is the framework that we have come to
judge the product you will see in detail, in the pages to
follow. The Z-560 THX Certified Speaker System from
Logitech,
came to us from a company known for their controllers,
mice, keyboards and other PC Peripherals not necessarily
associated with something an audiophile might be
interested in. If you thought to yourself "Logitech
couldn't possibly produce a real high fidelity speaker
setup", you would be wrong. Remember, think out of
the box. Let's start with some details and specs.
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Specifications and Features of the Logitech
Z-560 Speaker System |
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The Bass is "phat'
but not the price |
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- THX® certified 4.1 surround
sound speaker system
M3D technology provides realistic
surround sound for extreme gaming and PC desktop
theater
Brute force subwoofer design
delivers huge, room-thumping bass
Revolutionary satellite
drivers enhance mid and high-range tones
SoundTouch? Control Center
lets you "fine tune" your listening environment
Revolutionary ultra-wide
bandwidth phase aligned satellite driver technology
and polished aluminum phase plug design offers,
supreme tone quality
Feel as if you're right in
the middle of it. With our exclusive M3D Matrix
technology, you experience amazingly realistic
surround sound from standard 2-channel stereo sound
sources such as music CDs and MP3 files. Home stereo
style connectors use standard gauge speaker wire so
you can place the speakers anywhere you choose.
8" diameter "long-throw"
subwoofer with wood enclosure delivers thunderous
bass performance for the ultimate audio experience.
Power and Dynamic Range:
- Total power output: 400 watts
RMS
- Satellite speaker power
output: 212 watts RMS (53w + 53w + 53w + 53w)
- Subwoofer power output: 188 watts RMS
- System frequency response
35Hz - 20kHz
Signal To Noise Ratio: 100dB
Maximum SPL (Sound Pressure Level): 114dB
Kit Includes:
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As you can
see, these speakers come ready to play with more than
enough power driving them at a rated 400 watts RMS. 212
watts is equally distributed between the the satellites
and 188 watts drives the subwoofer. The set has a
relatively low signal to noise ratio of 100dB with a max
SPL of 114dB. For reference, these specs are very
competitive to the much acclaimed
Klipsch Promedia 4.1 system. In fact, the
Logitech specifications above are slightly better all
around for power and fidelity. Finally, these
speakers have been THX certified, which means they meet
the fidelity standards set by Lucas Films for audio
reproduction. On the other hand, as you know, specs
are a small part of the story. Let's look into their
construction a bit more.
A
closer look at the setup
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