Bundled Software
Logitech bundles a full copy of PowerDVD with the Xtrusio to handle the down mixing of DVD audio 5.1 to 4.1 (by creating a virtual center speaker, much in the way televisions with “virtual surround” operate). They also toss in a CD of various music and demo apps. Overall, I thought the inclusion of the PowerDVD software was a nice bonus considering the Xtrusio is a set of speakers and not a sound or video card.
Performance
Testing started with game performance, where the Xtrusio performed extremely well. The sub provides a satisfying boom during intense Quake 3 battles, and the rumble of the old piston engines in Jane’s WWII Fighters was almost deafening. With the bass turned all the way up, some distortion was discernable, but only at the highest volume settings. The satellite speakers provided good mid range and treble, and proved to be a good match for the subwoofer. Gaming was good, my friends. The sound was crisp and precise at all but the highest ear-bleeding settings, and with the four-point system, the illusion of “being there” is very convincing.
The Matrix happens to be my preferred movie audio test, the lobby scene to be exact. Pounding music, gunfire, mixed with the almost musical rain of spent cases, I can hardly imagine a more perfect test for an audio system. With PowerDVD providing the decoding, the virtual surround sound was quite impressive and I ended up watching the rest of the movie for the 600th time.
The Xtrusio handled music playback equally well, loud and clear throughout most of the volume range. I tossed everything from classical orchestra to Nelly into the CD-ROM drive, and the Xtrusio handled each genre in stride. Although I wouldn’t trade my home stereo for a PC just yet, the Xtrusio is more than enough for daily musical and gaming needs without the need to survive on mayonnaise sandwiches to fund the purchase.
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