Rage3D Logitech Z-5300 Review Rage3D Logitech Z-5300 ReviewThe speaker system is an essential aspect of a gaming and home theatre computers. Whether it is hearing the slash of swords in the movie Gladiator, or waiting for your enemies to run past you in Counter-Strike, sound is what makes the multimedia experience come to life. Anyone who enjoys gaming will understand that there is nothing like surround sound speakers to pickup every acoustic details in a game.
My initial impression of a mid-range 5.1 sound system was to expect something average - at best. In the price range of $150-$250 CDN, my personal experience with these types of speaker systems has definitely not been impressive. In the past when we would think of speakers, specific manufacturers would come to mind; Creative, Altec Lansing, and Klipsch are the few that are consistently mentioned. In spite of this, Logitech has taken the speaker market by storm and have succeeded in engraving their name in the industry. These Z-5300s completely blew me away. They proved to be both clear and powerful, picking up every little detail I could have imagined in all environments tested.
The box weighed in at around 45 pounds and was quite enormous compared to other speaker boxes that I've seen. Most of the weight was from the subwoofer which was packed in tightly with custom fitting styrofoam. Each speaker and remote also had its own embedded spot within the foam, which created the perfect protection for the speaker system.
The first item in the box that I removed was the subwoofer. It is approximately 15"x12" and weighs about 25-30 pounds. It is built out of solid wood and has an attached metal heatsink. One may ask why they would include such a large heatsink on a subwoofer. This is to dissipate the heat from the amplifier which gets quite hot during operation and needs to be passively cooled. On the same side as the heatsink are the speaker connectors, the main power switch, and the speaker selection switch.
The speakers were fairly light weight. The center channel speaker stands horizontally with a wider base than the front two, and it too has a color coded connector. The front two and rear two speakers stand upright and of course include color coded connectors to match up with the subwoofer. All four speakers provide two configuration possibilities for positioning. First they can stand upright like normal speakers. Second their base can be rotated in order to mount them on a wall. All five speakers have removable grills (faceplates). When removed it gives the speakers a much spicier look. I did not notice any difference in sound quality or power when the faceplates were off. However, when they are on, they offer a nice form of protection for your speakers. Also, all speakers give you the ability to adjust the angle in which they point. The one thing I did not like about these speakers was the fact that the cables are permanently attached to the speakers, removing any possibility of simple user replacements. This could be seen as a problem if you wanted to extend the cables and spread out the speakers more. Nevertheless, they did give substantial cable distance with the rear speakers.
Setting up these speakers was effortless. Accounting for unpacking, positioning and connecting, you can expect to be completely up and running within 15-20 minutes. On the subwoofer you have the color coded connections which visually indicate where these speakers should be placed in your setup. I.E: center, front right, front left, rear right, rear left…etc. Just match up the colors from the speaker cables to the connectors on the subwoofer, position them according to the color and voila, you are done. As mentioned previously you are able to adjust the legs of the rear speakers if you want to mount them on a wall. The mounting process is quite easy, requiring installation of two screws on the wall to hold the speakers.
When I first installed these speakers I was using a Sound Blaster Live! sound card that was only 4.1 compatible. Therefore, I was unable to use true 5.1 sound because I did not have the center channel output on my soundcard. However, Logitech makes this painless to work around with their Speaker Selector Switch. This switch is located on the subwoofer and allows you to choose between 2 channels, 4.1 channels or 5.1 channels. For my initial setup I put it to four channels which involved connecting the green and black input cable from the subwoofer to the sound card's output. Even though the orange connector was unutilized, I still received sound out of all speakers. Once I received my 5.1 soundcard I simply switched the Speaker Selector Switch to 5.1 channels, and plugged in all three cables into the new sound card. This enabled full control and 5.1 sound.
Included in the package is a wired remote. I would have preferred something wireless but for the price of these speakers they could not give us everything. The remote connects into the subwoofer from a serial connector. It allows you to control the features of your speakers with ease. You can change the mode of the remote to control several different features such as Volume, Sub, Fader, and Center. These are all adjusted from a simple toggle button on the remote. There are seven LED indicators which allow you to easily distinguish what level you have that particular setting at. For volume control, I found that level three to four was more than adequate for my setup. For the sub I generally left it on level three. Lastly, I left the fader and the center channel controls dead center at level four.
There is also an option to enable or disable the Matrix feature. The Matrix feature takes two channel audio source and split them up to output to all speakers, essentially emulating surround sound. Many sound sources are not compatible with 5.1, and some are not even compatible with 4.1. When Matrix mode is enabled the speakers do their best to simulate surround sound. There is also a universal power button on the remote that allows you to turn your speaker system on or off at your convenience. Lastly it includes a built in headphone jack. When you plug in the headphones the speakers automatically mute so that you, or should I say everyone in your household, can enjoy some quiet time.
I ran these speakers through several tests. First off, I decided to do the classic Counter-Strike run through. Most CS players know that using the sound effects can easily make the difference between the average and the good player. Being able to hear your enemy running around the corner, or jumping down off a ledge, can give you the true advantage. The Z-5300s did not let me down. Not only was I able to hear every mistake my enemy made, but I was able to pinpoint almost exactly where they were. I could tell if someone was running ahead, or creeping up behind me.
Secondly, I put these speakers through the movie test. I used both the Matrix Reloaded and The Last Samurai; two movies with great 5.1 surround sound. Once again these speakers did not disappoint me. The fight scenes were impressively clear while at the same time the center channel came through strongly for the dialogue. This represents the impressive highs, lows and of course the essential midrange. The subwoofer also provided excellent and powerful bass.
Last was of course the music testing phase. I think a great song for this test is off the Jimi Hendrix album "Electric Ladyland". The first song, or should I say intro, is "And The Gods Made Love". If any of you have heard this you know how these work your speakers to the bone. It makes use of every single speaker at different intervals as if they were hovering around you in a circular motion. This really allowed me to hear (and feel) the music as it went through every single channel. In order to test the bass, I played Bob Marley Featuring Erykah Badu - "No More Trouble". I left all my volume at level three, but boosted up the sub to level four. I was truly able to feel the bass that resonated through the room and the house.
In all tests, these speakers really performed remarkably from the lowest to the highest frequency. It provided outstanding midrange with deep, strong bass. The dialogues in the movies came out clear, and were not drowned out by the sounds and effects coming through the other speakers. One other thing that impressed me was that even with all volume maxed out (on both the computer and the remote) there were no hissing or white noise coming from the speakers. I was also unable to find any distortion in the sounds throughout all the tests performed. These speakers consistently gave out great sound at all levels of volume.
I highly recommend these speakers. I believe that you cannot find a comparable set of speakers in this price range. As mentioned before, the faceplates on the speakers are removable, and the speakers are adjustable for angulations. This gives you two options for appearance and positioning. It also provides the functionality of mounting your speakers on the wall. The Z-5300s are perfect for those conscientious gamers, who want quality at a great price. However, if you are looking for a digital set, these obviously cannot be recommended. Conversely, most people do not actually need digital speakers for their computer or basic HTPC setup. Yet, that is for you to decide. Whether they were used for gaming, movies or music these speakers proved to be reliable, clear and powerful. Lastly, do not forget that they are fully certified by THX.
