Audiophiles have been discerning to name the umpteen flavors of Dolby, but at a risk of oversimplifying things a tad, there have been just 3 sorts of surround tune today — any simply identified by their plug. Virtual surround uses only simple stereo jacks, emulating mixed channels from two, while digital surround travels opposite optical or coaxial S/PDIF cables (or HDMI) as well as has to be decoded. Finally, there’s analog surround sound — the cheapest solution of all — where you basically only block the span of dumb speakers into any of front, back and center 3.5mm sockets on your existent PERSONAL COMPUTER sound card. Unsurprisingly, the $100 Logitech Z506 speakers use this last technique to broach their true 5.1 tune, but that’s no reason to count them out. The subject is, do they deliver enough bang, boom as well as tweet for a sire? Read on to find out. Logitech Z506 approximate sound speakers unboxing and hands-on

Hardware and set-up

Truth be told, a Z506 is far from a company’s first analog approximate sound package — it replaces the really identical X-540 setup from 2006, which was itself the upgrade of the $80 Logitech X-530 from 2004 — though it’s clear a company paid the bit some-more courtesy to aesthetics this time turn. Where both previous packages were sincerely exquisite, boxy (in a box of the X-540) as well as had stands that jutted out, any of the Z506’s satellites have a space-age elliptical pattern with gentle oblong curves. Here, the two-inch drivers aren’t lonesome by metal grates, though rather gently stable by thin, springy filigree nets, as well as instead of two per satellite, any has one driver as well as a tiny tweeter — except for the center, which has a pair of eyeballs that joyously remind us of Wall-E. We’re also a big fan of the volume dial, if you can believe which, as it’s smooth as can be — just light sufficient to spin with the single finger, though still enough resistance that we could regulate a volume in excellent increments. Yes, it’s a flattering large looking package, all in all… but before you get too excited, know which it’s a distant less stretchable a single.

Setting up a Z506 actually takes less time than removing it out of the box, since every wire and pier is color-coded — just plug in 4 speakers and your audio sources into a back of the subwoofer, as well as you’re finished — but that’s assuming you don’t have to rearrange your entire room to set it all up. You see, whilst a X-540 had a connected remote with all the controls and adjustable stands which let you hang satellites on the wall, the Z506 puts a volume control upon a right speaker, the drum carryout upon a underling, and has positively no place for wall supports. This equates to you’ll need to have the front speakers and subwoofer on your table and within arm’s stretch if you wish any carryout, and someway also find prosaic surfaces right away behind your table as well — or else move furniture around. Thankfully, the center satellite still has the crafty folding resource which clamps onto an LCD guard with palliate. One single connectivity value over a X-540 comes in the shape of two brand-new RCA jacks to connect an auxiliary audio source like a diversion console, though even this upside has the down — anything you plug in is automatically virtualized opposite all 5 speakers, since the X-540 let you control “Matrix Mode” with a symbol on a remote. We don’t unequivocally expect digital approximate in this price operation (though it’d be nice if Logitech didn’t even indicate a system could do 5.1 from diversion consoles and a like) though you can’t censor the disappointment during Logitech’s back decisions here.

Performance

For all the gripes about a important features Logitech took divided, one thing which hasn’t changed is the stellar tune. While the Z506 satellites didn’t quite match up with our aging Boston Acoustics BA7500 when we set them side-by-side — the latter producing slightly clearer as well as richer sound — you didn’t really expect them to, and they came close enough for a cost which you were honestly quite pleasantly astounded. 75 watts of RMS energy was enough to fill a room with audio and plenty to gangling — you often found the tunes were shrill sufficient to get a full outcome during 50 percent volume. Though a subwoofer didn’t utterly shake the room from its roost on our desk, there was really the great bit of drum — we could definitely see a pack pumping jams at the small residence celebration if that’s your thing — but of course, the system truly shines in surround tune cinema, concerts and games.

The feeling of immersion in Hero’s guqin yard quarrel scene was fantastic, with raindrops hitting a pavement all around, and we felt every bullet expert by during Neo’s infamous bullet dodge in The Matrix thanks to punchy front as well as back sound. Solitary singers came by high as well as transparent in the front as well as core channels, their words reverberating off a meetinghouse walls at the back of us, whilst orchestral pieces and applause common the front but with a welcome rear bias. Tossing fiery barrels with the Half-Life 2 sobriety gun, than quickly branch divided, we could easily tell by audio alone in that citation they’d exploded, as well as a worlds of Mass Effect 2 took upon an incredible sense of immediacy with futuristic advertisements as well as visitor conversations bombarding the ears from all directions at once. In alternative difference: surround sound kicks ass, as well as these speakers have been excellent boots.

Wrap-up

If you’ve never experienced loyal 5.1 surround tune, have the capable sound label and your calm primarily resides on your PC, the $100 Logitech Z506 have been the illusory introduction, but you can’t honestly recommend them over the company’s far-more flexible X-540 set — the obvious choice during the $90 you can currently find them for. When it comes to analog surround sound, anybody can offshoot up dual or three sets of extravagant two-channel speakers to get a identical outcome, so the onus is on Logitech to make combo 5.1 packages similar to this easy to make use of and set up. We’re confounded because the organisation would ever introduce the package with reduction bang for the buck.

Via Engadget