Tech Review: Logitech X-540 5.1 PC Surround Sound System (Z506)


Big Fat Sound

Great Price Good Sound

These are my sons speakers, but I recently hooked them up to my computer due to some mundane and uninteresting reasons I won't go into. I have to say I was surprised at the sound that came out of these. I mainly use them for music and they do a solid job. I've owned computer speakers in the past (these are not limited to just computers by the way) and usually they suck. These speakers on the other hand have good fidelity, uniform sound and the bass is nice and thumpy, enough so to tick off your neighbors. I've only watched a couple of movies using these, but I was very happy with the 5.1. It also has a "Matrix" button for converting 2.0 to 5.1. I'm not a huge fan of such things, and haven't tried it with movies, but I have tried it with music and it actually gives a nice fill and broader spectrum to the sound. Another simple, but nice feature is that it has a headphones port built into the volume control. For game consoles you'll need an adapter, but they're relatively cheap. These are great for a smaller setup like a dorm or office space where you want good sound without a lot of equipment. For around $60 bucks these are a great deal and I'd definitely buy another set if I ever needed them. The newer version is the Z506. My one and only complaint about these is the length of the cords. The rear surrounds should have had much longer unless you are going to mount them on the back of your chair. RCA extension are an easy fix this though.