Logitech Z-680 review

Who'd want to go to the cinema?

For a start there are the parking problems and queues for tickets. And even when you get in, there are the other cinema-goers to contend with. They whisper, rustle crisp packets and consume unspeakably odious hot dogs. It's enough to make you stay at home.

Fortunately, if you own a PC with a DVD drive, you can! All you need to complete the real cinema experience in your own lounge is a set of surround sound speakers.

Logitech's latest Z-680s are such a set, and they certainly look the part. The set consists of four satellite speakers, one for each corner of your room, and a 'centre' speaker that sits on top of your monitor and handles the film's dialogue. Finally, there's a huge subwoofer for that all-important bass. Like Creative's monster MegaWorks THX 5.1 550 system, which we tested in our February issue, the Z-680s have 'THX' certification - a recommendation from none other than George Lucas himself.

I fired up the Logitechs, expecting a sonic assault of gargantuan scale - and indeed, watching the Pod Race scene from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace almost blew my fillings out. The subwoofer handled the shuddering bass and rapid dynamic shifts effortlessly and cleanly, even at room-shaking volumes. Despite the fact that bass didn't seem quite as deep as that provided by the MegaWorks, the Logitech's low frequencies felt much more controlled and less booming. The satellite speakers threw surround sound effects around the room with such realism that they almost had me ducking down in my chair!

The Z-680s' clear treble and midrange helps them edge further ahead of the MegaWorks, as it helps separate speech, music and sound effects even in the most thunderous of scenes. Listening to music only confirmed their superiority. Treble and midrange were crisp, and bass was strong but subtle.

But the Logitechs had yet another ace up their sleeve: built-in Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS decoding. This means you can connect them directly to the digital output of your PC's sound card, a home DVD player, PlayStation2 or Xbox - or all four, thanks the multiple inputs they offer. The supplied remote control allows you to switch between inputs, alter the balance between front, rear and subwoofer and tweak tone controls - all from the comfort of your armchair. Great stuff.

At £257, these are hardly pocket money items, but you won't find a better-sounding set of speakers for your PC. Just make sure you buy your neighbours some earplugs - they'll need them!