Logitech X-540 Speakers
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Next up: the games. Because of limitations on my soundcard, I couldn’t get proper surround from the software, so I had to settle for Matrix Mode again. Although this limitation made it impossible to test the true surround capabilities of the speakers, it did make for an interesting test of the Matrix Mode, which seems to work by pushing the edges of the sound to the outer speakers. Although the sound in both games was as rich and powerful as it was in the music tests, in the end, I’d say I had mixed results with Matrix Mode; it’s likely, but not guaranteed, that you’ll hear the guy sneaking up behind you in Battlefield 2142 and the sound you do hear won’t be quite as good as true surround. Overall though, Matrix Mode for games or music is a lot better than going without any sort of surround sound at all.
For the finale, I cooked up some popcorn and loaded the invasion scene at the beginning of the Saving Private Ryan DVD, where all of the sounds of combat – from the thumping of explosions to the zipping of bullets to the rattle of machine gun fire – would really test the X-540’s surround capabilities.
I’m happy to say the speakers passed with flying colors. I was impressed by the X-540’s abilities to move information around the speaker spectrum. Bullets ricocheted around me, an artillery shell landed somewhere behind me, making me jump, and I was pretty sure the German gunner up on the cliffs was shooting at me, specifically. Put the right audio through these speakers and they’ll happily show your ears a good time. If you're on a budget, the X-540s will do you well. If you have a little more than $100 to spend, there are of course far higher quality speakers out there, including some from Logitech.
Highs
Crisp, clear sound; matrix mode for boosting stereo; control center for easy control of volume and bass; rotating satellite speaker stands for easy mounting; built-in clip for center speaker.
Lows
All five speakers and control center are wired, not wireless; volume control doesn’t control headphone jack volume; not THX certified; 5.1, not 7.1 solution.
Final verdict
If you’re looking to add surround sound to your gaming setup on a budget, you can’t go wrong with Logitech's X-540.
87%
Dec 18, 2006
Review by Eric Hanson.
Send this review to a friend.
Home : Hardware : Reviews : Logitech X-540 Speakers
I also plugged a pair of headphones into the jack built into the control center and was surprised to find that doing so bypasses the hardware’s volume control entirely – if it’s too loud (and it will be), you need to turn the volume down using your soundcard’s control software. This seems like a pretty big oversight on the part of the engineers, so if you’re going to have to use headphones frequently these speakers might not be for you – but if so, why are you even looking to buy speakers?
A front shot of one of the X-540’s satellite speakers.
Next up: the games. Because of limitations on my soundcard, I couldn’t get proper surround from the software, so I had to settle for Matrix Mode again. Although this limitation made it impossible to test the true surround capabilities of the speakers, it did make for an interesting test of the Matrix Mode, which seems to work by pushing the edges of the sound to the outer speakers. Although the sound in both games was as rich and powerful as it was in the music tests, in the end, I’d say I had mixed results with Matrix Mode; it’s likely, but not guaranteed, that you’ll hear the guy sneaking up behind you in Battlefield 2142 and the sound you do hear won’t be quite as good as true surround. Overall though, Matrix Mode for games or music is a lot better than going without any sort of surround sound at all.
The center speaker features a clip that makes mounting on LCD monitors easy.
For the finale, I cooked up some popcorn and loaded the invasion scene at the beginning of the Saving Private Ryan DVD, where all of the sounds of combat – from the thumping of explosions to the zipping of bullets to the rattle of machine gun fire – would really test the X-540’s surround capabilities.
I’m happy to say the speakers passed with flying colors. I was impressed by the X-540’s abilities to move information around the speaker spectrum. Bullets ricocheted around me, an artillery shell landed somewhere behind me, making me jump, and I was pretty sure the German gunner up on the cliffs was shooting at me, specifically. Put the right audio through these speakers and they’ll happily show your ears a good time. If you're on a budget, the X-540s will do you well. If you have a little more than $100 to spend, there are of course far higher quality speakers out there, including some from Logitech.
Highs
Crisp, clear sound; matrix mode for boosting stereo; control center for easy control of volume and bass; rotating satellite speaker stands for easy mounting; built-in clip for center speaker.
Lows
All five speakers and control center are wired, not wireless; volume control doesn’t control headphone jack volume; not THX certified; 5.1, not 7.1 solution.
Final verdict
If you’re looking to add surround sound to your gaming setup on a budget, you can’t go wrong with Logitech's X-540.
87%
Dec 18, 2006
Review by Eric Hanson.
Send this review to a friend.
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