Customer Reviews

Logitech Z-5300e THX-Certified 280-Watt 5.1 Surround Sound PC and Gaming Speaker System

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Well, my last review (question really) about how long the rear speaker wires were wasn't very helpful to most folks. (0 out of 10). Well, I've answered my own question by finally getting the set. For those who also want to know, the wires are about 16 feet I think, going by the ol' finger tip to finger tip test (I'm 6', and it spanned the distance twice and then another 4' or so.)

Anyway, here's what happened when I finally got the system. I was upgrading from a Logitech Z-640 5.1 set to the Z-5300e. The 640 set was decent, but had very little mid-range, if at all, and the 25w sub just didn't have the punch it needed to sound good for DVD playback and music. Oh, the reason I brought this up is because I had my sub sitting on a shelf about 6" above my monitor. It was fine. Didn't affect anything. And so I get the Z-5300e set, and for those who have it, know the sub is HUGE. (11.5"w x 12"h x 14.25"d <- and that's without the wires hooked up (add another 4" minimum with the wires). Anyway, I tried setting the sub back up on the shelf where my old one was. It pulled the color out of my monitor! Not all of it, but damn near all of it. Damn big magnet in that thing. I told the clerk at Radio Shack about it (more on this later) and she said hitting the monitor's "Degauss" function may have fixed the problem, but I didn't want to have to worry about it. So I decided to put the sub on the floor as Logitech suggests. By doing so, I required rear wire extensions, because I lost about 6' of length that I needed. So that's where the trip to Radio Shack comes in. Bought two 6' extensions for $6.

Anyway, so I get it hooked up and WOW! Major sound coming out of these relatively small satellite and center speakers. Of course the sub handles most of the low end. This system sounds better than what I've got for my main TV.

Many people complain about the over punchiness of the sub. I agree, it's a bit strong and overpowering if your only control over it is the provided remote control. However, if you have good soundcard software, as which comes with most Creative Labs high-end surround sound sound cars, there are several bass level adjustments in it that you can back off the bass level to a point where you can practically minimize the bass. For example, for the Audigy 2 card series, there's a bass cross-over control and by sliding the control to the right, you can take almost all bass out of the sound. I ususally set my slider at a quarter of the way across from the left (bass side) and it's adequate. And then if you have separate bass/trebble controls too, you can lower the bass there as well.

But if you like bass, this 100w baby can do some serious thumpin'. It has a dual-chambered construction where the cone is inside the box mounted on a center divider which allowed the bass to resonate better than if the cone was mounted on the outside.

Some people also say that there's no on-system cross-over from the sub to the satellites. Well, duh? The satellites are not woofers. They're basically mid-range speakers that can duplicate tweeters as well due to their dual drivers.

Break-down:
Pros:
Awesome sound for an affordable price.
Well-constructed speakers.
Enough wattage for your PC or console game system.

Cons:
Relatively short speaker wires.
Wired remote control.
Inadequate on-board control of bass level.

But with that last one, you can tailor it better if you have good software with your soundcard.

Also had I not had to put the sub on the floor, I wouldn't have had to buy cord extensions.

The only drawback is the cords on the rear speakers aren't long enough. Even running across the bare floor, they barely reached the back wall in a 10'x10' room. Since they have RCA plugs, it was a simple matter of buying some longer cables and a pair of adapters to daisy-chain them with. Once the cables were run through the ceiling, I pivoted the stands around to use the built-in wall mount holes. All the plugs are color coded, so you can't hook it up wrong and the entire job took less than 15 minutes. Plugged into a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 sound card, they produce high quality surround sound.

There are many 5.1 speakers systems designed for use with a computer sound card. None of the lower priced speaker systems have a large enough sub to produce enough bass. Although there are many higher priced speaker systems as well, I feel these represent the best value. They are only marginally more expensive than the cheapest 5.1 speaker systems, but far less than the systems advertised for high-end sound quality. I wasn't looking to replicate my home theater system, and these speakers are more than enough for my office.

These speakers are an excellent buy! You'll want a Creative Audigy2 ZS Sound Card to go with them, to give you true 6-channel sound. Also, you need the Creative software to tweak the tone.

You'll calibrate the speakers for 5.1 sound. Then turn the bass all the way down on the Logitech control, & you'll also want to turn it down to 20% on the Surround Mixer. On the Graphic Equalizer you can turn up the 4k to around +4.5db & the 8k up to +12db. Once you make these adjustments, you have an amazing system with the sound of your artist playing loud & clear right in your room! I bought mine directly from Amazon, & I'm very happy with them!

I just purchased, installed and am enjoying the great sound. I have about a 10x10 room and it was vibrating other parts of the house at about 1/2 full volume (that's about all I could take)...

The 5.1 surround is excellent and does immerse you. I played Flight Simulator and it definitely felt more realistic with these speaker. I then watched about an hour of Lord of the Rings, the first one, and was amazed at the sound clarity. The taps on the glass, the smacking of lips, very subtle and clear sounds. AMAZING!

My only gripe is that the connectors from the subwoofer to the sound card are pretty short so I had to put the sub next to me rather than in front of me... The cables, on the hwole, are all too short. I'll probably head to Radio Shack and extend them so I can optimize the sound even more.

All in all, very pleased.

This was my first time ordering from Amazon.com Before I get into the speakers, I just want to say that I was BLOWN AWAY by the speed of shipping. I ordered this less than 24 hours ago and have already received it!!!!! This level of service, with FREE shipping no less, is just incredible. I see now why Amazon.com is such a major player in online retailers. As for the speakers, I haven't given them a thorough rundown, but after quickly hooking them up and testing them with some MP3's and Halflife 2 I can say that both the Stereo aspect and the 5.1 are just incredible. I can't believe these have only cost me $110.00 (after the rebate). I am a major BASS nut. And these things deliver. The bass is deep and full. The mids and Highs are also incredible. Logitech has done a great thing. I know that the 5500's are a little more powerful and have a built in decoder, but for the amazing price that you get these for (even without the rebate) they are a tremendous deal. I highly recommend them, and HIGHLY recommend you buy from Amazon.com, I know I will be much more often.

-----Added 4/3/05-----

Now that I have had some time to get aquainted with these speakers I can say that my initial review was pretty accurate. These have EXCELLENT sound all bass, mid, and highs sound great. I have found that the "Matrix" mode can be a nice thing to use. I always turn it on when I am playing MP3's or any music. It gives a nice "fuller" sound. I'm kind of mixed on using the matrix mode with games that don't have 3D audio. Sometimes I like it and other times I think it's better left on stereo, as the matrix mode isn't perfect (nor could it be, really) and the stereo sounds coming from behind you can be a little off. But it certainly serves it's purpose with music.

As far as the Sub, I have heard a few people complain about the sub being to "boomy" And I could understand where they come from with that. I have had a couple of songs come up that were kind of drowned out by the bass. But with the handy-dandy control pad you can change the level of the bass. And it goes low enough that it should be able to accommodate any listening preference. After all this is a 5.1 system, and that .1 is bass!

The only bad thing I can think to say is perhaps the cable length. When I was doing my permanent installation, with the place I had to put the sub (it's pretty big) the left front speaker BARLEY had enough wire length to put it where I wanted. I had to move my desk a little to be able to reposition the sub to fix this problem. I think that the 5500's or the 680's had detachable wires, this could be a nice idea, but I suppose that could add extra cost.



Bottom Line: For the price of these speakers (even without the rebate) are a great buy!
If nothing else I can say that playing first person shooter games (half life 2 and battlefield 1942 for instance) the sounds of the gunfire and explosions are pants-wetting! It sounds INCREDIBLE, if nothing else buy them for that reason :)

Bought this system to get great sound while watching DVD's on the computer, listening to CD's, and playing games. It is a great system for all of these. I have it coupled with a SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS sound card. Put in the opening scene from Saving Private Ryan and it was amazing. Played Half-Life 2 and the first few bullets I heard scared the crap out of me.

The only complaint was mentioned by other reviewers. The rear speaker cords are too short. Paid $7 for a couple RCA extensions at Best Buy.

Great system.....would recommend to anyone.

Currently priced at 130 dollars these speakers are pretty hard to beat. I bought these to replace my tried and true Klipsch Promedia 4.1 system, I know it's not much of an upgrade but there's good reason for the move. My complaints with the Klipsches were that they weren't very good at high volumes and more importantly low volumes, at high volume the bass started to sound flat and at low volumes the bass was too overpowering, another problem I found was that the headphone jack was useless because of hissing. I really do miss selling off my Klipsches but the Z-5300e's weren't too bad of a decision! The Z-5300e's do an awesome job at both low and high volumes, I live in an apartment right now so at night these things need to be able to be quiet, they seem to be doing a better job than the Klipsches in that regard. They sound excellent paired with the proper equalizer settings and sound card, I had a hard time at first getting them to sound right but the effort is well worth it. A useful feature of the 5300e's is the ability to take a stereo or quadrophonic signal and mix it through all five speakers, this is done by using a little switch on the back of the sub, this is also what enables the speakers to use all five channels for a TV configuration. The mids of these speakers are much brighter, it almost seems like I can hear more detail and hence better sound quality at low volumes. Be sure to use Matrix surround with your movies and music, but leave it off for the games. The most glaring problem with these speakers are in the speaker cables, first off they are integrated into the speakers, secondly the cable length is pretty short so don't expect to be able to place the speakers all over your room. The cables have RCA male ends however and finding extension cables shouldn't be too difficult. The remote buttons are also a little bit unresponsive because the buttons are stiff, this is not too much of an issue. Build quality is decent, most components are plastic but look very nice, the sub is SUPER big, the Klipsch speakers were heaver and seemed much sturdier though. At higher volumes you will probably experience hissing, the system also sounds better with some good burn-in. If digital surround is important to you, this setup does not feature digital encoding. Usually digital processing is a feature reserved for the highest end speakers that are twice the cost of these. Overall a great buy for the money... If you want the best possible configuration you may want to look into the Klipsch Ultra 5.1's or z-5500's, just stay away from those accursed Klipsch GMX speakers!!

Pros:
Excellent Price
Sweeter looking than the Z-5300's
Ability to hook speakers to a TV via adapter cable
Abiility to take stereo/quad signal and mix it into 5 speakers
Excellent volume scalability
Can compete with Klipsch speakers (not an easy feat!)
Easy setup
Clean headphone output

Cons:
Hard to configure
Short cables
Analog encoding
TV adapter is just a female miniplug to female stereo RCA's
Not many people have em yet (or is that a pro?)

After a two month use I think I can sum my opinion of this set of speakers as quite good, not excellent, but definetly worth the money paid.
I have a small room, and was searching for a decent set of speakers to play computer games, watch movies and hear some music. I don't demand audiophile quality, but definetly want good sound. after reading many reviews on the net, I decided to go for this set of speakers.
My initial listening experience was mixed... In some types of music and movies it totally rocked, but other types of music sucked (mostly rock/alternative). It had way too much bass, and didn't sound 'right' in some situations. After upgrading to a decent sound card (audigy 2 ZS), lowering the bass level in the speaker's control pod, and tweaking the bass and treble a bit in the soundcard's control panel, things started to sound the way I wanted- the bass was less boomy than before and sounded more musical, and the mids and treble sounded just right.
I've also learned that the placement and orientation of the sub is definetly an important issue, and can do a great diffrence.
Right now, after two months of use, and proper 'tweaking' and subwoofer placement, I can say that I'm definetly happy with the sound they give (especially considering the price).
They sound amazing in movies and computer games- the center speaker is loud enough for clear vocals in movies and the transitions between front and rear is excellent. In most of the music I listen to it sounds pretty good as well (mostly breakbeat\electronic, some alternative and rock and movie soundtracks) but sometimes I wish the bass was a bit less 'boomy' and more accurate (a common flaw among bandpass subwoofers), but otherwise, they sound great.
The control panel is pretty straightforward- with control over the master, subwoofer, surround and center volume, and turning on logitech's 'matrix' mode (stereo upmix).
The headphone jack in the control pod suprised me- the sound is quite loud and can even drive higher impendance quality headphones- and sound good (I have Sennheiser HD570, they are 64ohm - so they sound pretty weak connected directly to the sound card, but connected to the Logitech control pod- they rock, and can reach ear- splitting volume).
Some people complain about the speaker wires- they are connected to the sattelites and connect to the sub/amp via RCA connection. the rear speaker cabels are a bit short, I admit, but it's not an issue as RCA extension cables and a male to male adapter are easy to get in every audio and electrical store. (but yes- regular speaker cables would have been welcome)

In summary- These speakers are intended for people who want good sound coming out of their computer - mostly for games, movies and some music, and don't want to break their wallet to get it.

Anybody who's looking for speakers mainly for listening to music may want to hear them first and decide, or look elsewhere. (and buy a set of decent speakers and an amp - not computer sattelite speakers) :)

I just got these speakers and have been using them for 2 weeks now. The bass created through this subwoofer is amazing, it really rocked the whole room. I feel that if the bass is any stronger; it will not be needed. I live in an apartment and I will not be able to turn it up louder than it already is.
Pro:
-Great price for a 5.1 THX certifited speakers
-Sounds are crisp and clear on both low and high range no matter what I use it for
-The matrix function is definaily a PLUS for listening to music (which is a function that help make any music/game into surround sound)

Con:
-The wires are too short for setting your speakers around your room, however this can be solved if you go out and buy some extention for them.
-The bass is very big for me, I can't find a good enough space to put it given its size

Overall this is a very great speaker for its price and I recommend it for people of all ages that play games, watch movie, or listen to music on their computer. It will enrich your experience by THAT much!!

These speakers put out a ton of sound for the price, but are definitely geared more toward gaming and movies than music.

The subwoofer is too much for the system and thumps loudly, drowning out the subtleties of some types of music. Of course, you can equalize the sound to your preference, but I found the bass to be overpowering most of the time. If you need some great surround sound speakers for listening to anything at high volumes, these are worth the money, but not that accurate for high-fidelity music.