Logitech Z-5450 Digital 5.1 Speaker System (970181-0403)

Quite amazing small 5.1 digital system. I'm very impressed with the clarity of the bass with blockbuster movies like "Lord of the Rings" or the musical scores in the Japanese Anime (DTS) "Ghost in the Shell." Especially the opening score where there's a ton of bass, but the bass is pounding and clear, no distortion. For the price, Logitech Z-5450 system really shines and is simple to set up and use. The subwoofer is small, stylish and very capable to produce low the end sound of movies and Hip Hop songs. As compared to other small systems out there (more expensive), this digtal system will beat or sound better. Highlights: Big sound from bass, easy set-up, wireless rear speakers (more later), good mids, not to shabby for treble either. Lowlights: Wireless rears are yes wireless, but you do have to plug them into an outlet for power...so you still have two wires to deal with. However, the sound is excellent. The remote is okay, should of been a little bit more detailed and styled better. Come on, Logitech is known for stylish designs...the remote is plain and goofy. Summary: Effective system for a small room with plenty of power and thumping bass. Does better than some other systems (Bose, Kplipsch)and the voice clarity is excellent. However, I do recommend that like with any system...the sound also depends on the DVD player that you use. A cheap player will give you great sound (I tried it), but a more expensive one (I use a Yamaha DVD player ~$300) sounds awesome. Then again, it might just be me.

I'm no audiophile, so the sound is definitely good enough for me. Upon first impression I was glad to be liberated of the cables running to my rear speakers. However after awhile I realized how these speakers retained such a flawless connection. Constantly because of the band hopping it will hijack and disrupt other product's wireless signals. Heck! even the LOGITECH G7 mouse doesn't stand a chance, but it's interfered with my ps3 and xbox 360 controllers as well causing massive disconnections. Magically when I turn off the speakers and use my headphones all works flawlessly again. Don't buy these speakers if you use any other wireless devices at all. However if they are the only wireless devices in your home, it is a sweet system. But my stance is if my other wireless devices can play friendly, why can't my speakers?

Overall, the system was ok. I liked the looks of it and the sound quality of the wired speakers was on par with other systems in the price range. The wireless speakers had low continuous static that once I realized it, I noticed it everytime and it got pretty annoying. I returned the item and got a Samsung system and like the new system much better.

From 5.1 to 2.1 and back to 5.1: WHY? First, let me tell you that these new wireless rear speakers make the purchase worth in itself. Having owned the Logitech z-5500 and the z-680 myself, I found myself unble to set up the the "full" 5.1 system simply because the cable wiring in the rear would ALWAYS be an eyesore, whether they go on the ground or along the ceiling. (That's why I owned the ALTEC LANSING MX5021, in my opion, the best 2.1 System for computers) With these new sets, I was able to put the rears where i desired, and just plugged them in for the ultimate performance.... Audio Performance Comparison: The transition from the Z-5500(bought it right when it came out) to the Altec LANSING 2.1(10/2005) was an easy one, since you get too much "boom" for the size.(500 Watts vs. a mere 90Watts) The sub isn't COORDINATED with the sattelite speakers, meaning that the sub could always be heard or felt, coming from one and only one direction.(the table for me) What I'm looking for is bass that is "punchy", (tweaked by the creative audio console), for output that is COORDINATED where i'ts hard to tell W/ CLOSED EYES where the sub is coming from. THAT is balance. The "in-built" TWEETERS on the z5500 were still not as audible as the "visible" ones on the ALTEC LANSINGS's meaning that the treble difference was high. NO DISTORTED BASS, Perfect HIGHS/MIDRANGE, impactful bass and Flawless SOUND (perfect for music and for games).<----- My ALTEC LANSING MX5021 delivered that until the Z-5450 came out.... What the Z-5450 do better: With 315 Watt total output, these speakers deliver the sound that I needed, that totally overwhelmed me in terms of "SURROUND" sound. If you have played NEED FOR SPEED: MW and listen to the intro movie, you'll know that i'm talking about: this is the point where a regular 2.1 can't match the powers of surround sound anymore. 5.1 surround sound on this system was a whole new experience for me even though i have owned 2 5.1 systems and the "perfect" 2.1 system. Sound has never been so CRISP and CLEAR, and the bass ever so TIGHT and PUNCHY. Play F.E.A.R with HIGH treble and the sound will literally "kill" your ears.... Treble options available with a decent Soundcard: My Audigy 2ZS provided me with invaluable options to tweak the speaker sytem as needed. (A few clicks on the control center make the sub sound distorted) Treble and sub options on the creative audio console make tweaking and adjusting in increments much easier. Anything wrong with these?: There is a slight hiss coming from the rear speakers and the control tower is not as stylish as the z-5500. I always hated the design of the remote....(sorry Logitech) Overall: For $350 (now cheaper) you can hardly go wrong for a high-end system. Less powerful than the others but wholeheartedly deliver the sound.

For 34% of retail price, I dont think I am allowed to complain (given that people called it a good price when it was much higher.) But I don't have anything to complain about anyways. In terms of sound quality, the speakers are great. I have mine hooked up with a digital optical cable, and sound is perfect. People say that size matters with low-wattage speakers, and in my medium-sized family room home theatre PC setup, we've got the volume about half way from the max. While the rear speakers aren't really wireless, since they have to be plugged into a power outlet, power outlets are much easier to find than attempting to string 30 feet of speaker wire somewhere. I can just unplug one rear speaker, take it to the next floor of my house, plug it in upstairs, and listen to music there, with no loss in audio quality! I also like the very small footprint of the receiver. Compare the z-5450's size of a cable modem to the size of an actual home theatre receiver (which is the size of a desktop computer on its side). That huge receiver is really an unnecessary eye-soar. But don't think you're losing out due to the lack of a "real" receiver. This system comes with two digital optical (toslink) inputs which is better than many receivers. It also has a digital coax input. If you are hooking this up to a computer with the 3.5 mm jacks to get 5.1 surround sound, it has an input for that too. However, if the one digital optical input is good enough, you can turn the 5.1 sound input into three stereo sound inputs- equivalent to what you would find in a huge receiver. It also has an extra stereo sound input on the side, and a microphone output. So don't worry about not being able to connect all your gear! Overall, I highly recommend these speakers. These are Logitech's most expensive high-end speakers at the moment, at a price that cannot be beat.

These speakers are extreamly powerfull for a surround sound system ..Which is awsome for watching Movies with family and Playing songs during Party's . I bought these in November and I havent seen anything out in market which meets the level of performance from these 5.1 speakers. The base I usally keep it on half and the volume I never even have to turn it to 50% becasue on 25% they are shaking the paintings in my living room So I really recommend this sytem to people who are looking into wireless speakers which are easy to set up it literally took me around 5 mins to set this whole system up. So I really thought it was a great buy because the bass is a smooth hit to the ground without being overpowering on the highs and lows of the song.

I installed this in my living room using optical from DVD - and was so amazed that I now watch movies with these speakers rather then my 1000W ONKYO 7.1's - no joke! I don't get any hum at all. I had minor low white noise from rears when some background sounds were playing in pre-2000 movies, super clean in all the new movies and CDs - so it's just the movie track was not perfect. I get dead silence in rears with just a normal theater power strip that you can get for $50 just about anywhere. I recommend protecting your speakers from interferance and spikies with more then a $10 strip. Do your homework. Bass - just wow! Clarity - crisp! Space & Surround Image - comparable to BOSE systems I've heard. + WIRELESS REARS I say if you are paying upwards of $500 on speakers - consider these. They might look like some computer systems speakers - but they do a great job in a big living room. And they are small!! Last note: Get a multi-function Sony remote from WalMart and copy the buttons form the flimpsy crappy remote-wanna-be that ships with this,and you're all set.

Chose the 5450 over the better rated 5500 because of the wireless rear speakers, and when the front right channel went out I wanted to get a replacement but was told by Logitech that they don't make them anymore. All they could offer (after waiting on hold for 20 minutes) was the 5500 which were $100 dollars less!. I requested a refund and was told to send in the control pod and remote to the corporate office and wait up to three months while they process the paperwork. They stopped making these because of "too many problems". Too bad, it was a good option for those who can't have all the extra cables for the rear speakers. Looking at the Bose Companion 5 as a replacement.