| Product: |
Logitech X 540 |
| Date: |
08/07/07 (212 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: Exceptional Sound Quality, Futuristic Design, Excellent Value for Money
Disadvantages: None really
LOGITECH X-540 SPEAKERS
When you are an avid gamer, and use your pc to watch DVD’s not to mention today’s vast array of music and video available on the net, it is important that you have a set of speakers that will provide you with the best quality sound and performance. I remember back in around 1998 when I had the crappiest set of speakers that you could imagine (compared to today’s offerings), although oddly, at the time, they were top of the range! I remember at the time I thought the sound was fantastic, but in reality, thinking back, it was dreadful. Tinny, distorted……… not great when you really want to savour the multitude of sounds that you hear in the modern world.
APPEARANCE
After my last set of 5.1 speakers went mysteriously wrong (I think it was something to do with the subwoofer but couldn’t be bothered to try and fix it) I decided the time was right to buy a new set. Not only because mine were nearly 5 years old, but also because prices have come down so much in recent years, it hardly seemed worth messing around trying to repair my old ones.
The X-540 speakers are again a set of 5.1 speakers, ideal for my sound card and exactly what I was looking for. In many ways they are not dissimilar to my old speakers. They still comprise 5 speakers and a subwoofer, they still link together in the same manner and they still connect to my sound card in the same way.
The speakers themselves look fantastically modern, almost “space-like” if that is the right word for it. They give the air of being very next generation, merely in their design. They are very stylish and will complement any room, large or small.
A lot of people seem to be under the impression that 5.1 speakers are only suitable for a large room, and boy how wrong they are….
PERFORMANCE
I use my speakers in a relatively small room. If the volume were turned up, of course it would be overpowering, but if you use the volume in moderation and work out the balance that is right for you, you will experience a truly remarkable advancement in sound technology. Gone are the days of tinny, distorted sounds, and in are the days of high quality, almost visually perceivable sound.
It doesn’t seem to matter what I do, these speakers always seem to be able to perform. I have tried gaming, listening to music and watching DVD’s. I have also tried linking the sound from my video recorder into my pc and hence into the X-540 speakers and they always perform at a level I would have quite happily paid a lot more for!
I did mention volume control earlier, but I have tried turning the volume up on full when using these speakers in a variety of scenarios. All of these scenarios have been mentioned above, but in each case the sound was never distorted, nor did it come across being anything other than exceptional quality.
Of course, one thing that I do think is worth mentioning is that the actual quality of your music may be highly dependent on the sound card that you use in your machine. Personally I would recommend a SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 or above for the best quality output.
LAYOUT
The X-540 system is a typical 5.1 surround system. It consists of five satellite speakers and one subwoofer. One of the advantages of this system over others is that the satellite speakers can be mounted on your wall. This has the added advantage of keeping the off your desk and away from places where they may be knocked off corners or otherwise damaged by the occasional kamikaze coffee cup.
The centre speaker is pretty amazing as it has a special little clip that allows you to clip it to the top of your monitor. I am not sure how many monitors it is compatible with but it certainly fits on mine. Personally I don’t like to use it on my monitor as to me it seems to be a little out of place, but it seems to fit the vast majority of flat screen monitors. Bear in mind though that it certainly does not clip onto the old style CRT monitors, although will quite happily sit on top of most of these provided you don’t shake it around too much.
The subwoofer is a pretty average size and easily tucks away in a corner, or if you have a proper computer workstation with a shelf underneath it will certainly position on here very well indeed.
CONTROLS
The system comes with a pretty neat control system that enables you to quickly and easily control levels of sound and bass independently of your actual computer system. You can also connect headphones to it in order to enjoy your music privately, although obviously then you lose most of the benefit of the surround sound system as your sound then is limited to the performance of the headphones.
SPEC
For any technical buffs out there the detailed specification of the speakers is as follows:
Total Power is 70 Watts
The subwoofer is 25 Watts
The Left and Right (front) Satellite Speakers are each 7.4 Watts
The Centre Speaker is 15.4 Watts
The Left and Right (rear) Satellite Speakers are each 7.4 Watts
The total peak power is 140 Watts.
SPEAKER SIZE
All of the satellite speakers have dimensions of 8.4 inches by 3.2 inches by 5 inches.
The centre speaker is 7.8 inches by 4.75 inches by 3.75 inches
And the Subwoofer is a lot larger at 11/25 inches by 6.5 inches by 9.75 inches.
COST
I paid £75 on Ebay for my speakers although they are of course available elsewhere.
SUMMARY
Overall I would most definitely recommend these speakers to any serious sound freak. They perform well and really bring out the higher qualities of the music/games/videos that you listen to. They are robust and durable and are very good value for money.
Combined with their futuristic design they are definitely worth a prized place in anybodies home.
Summary: Quality 5.1 system for high quality cound
| Processing/Quality: |
|
 |
| Reliability: |
|
|
| Speed: |
|
|
| Sound quality: |
|
|
|
Last comment:
 |
Nar2 - 08/07/07 Good review. What a smart looking set! |
|
