Gaming…I mean Testing…

Installation is extremely simple with the color coded wires, and we were up and running within minutes.  For this review I chose to use the Guillemot MaxiSound MUSE.  This combination of sound card and speakers represents a very capable sound system for about $100 total price, well within the price range of most gamers.  Now let’s get one thing straight.  We are gamers, not sound technicians.  I’m not hooking up sound meters and fancy equipment to test these speakers.  Complicated charts and graphs don’t mean a lot to most people, so we are looking at the Z-540’s from a gamers point of view.  Can I feel the bass from a rocket?  Did that ghoul scare the crap out of me in RTCW?  Those are the things that matter in life to a gamer.  

That said, here’s how we tested the Z-540’s.  Medal of Honor Allied Assault and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 were given the call to duty for game testing, while Star Wars Episode I was again our choice for DVD playback.  Music was a mixed bag, with the Z-540 getting a taste of just about everything on our playlist, from rap to classical.  The speakers were setup with the rear satellites 4 feet behind our seat, subwoofer under the desk, and the front satellites spaced on either side of the monitor.

Gaming performance was outstanding for a speaker system in this price range.  The subwoofer delivers strong bass with no discernable distortion until the volume level reaches near insane levels.  The satellites reproduce clean midrange, and complement the subwoofer quite well.  Positional audio was represented well on the Z-540’s, as many hours of gaming proved.  With the speakers placed properly around my seat, the audio experience was excellent.  The bass was not overwhelming, but nonetheless strong, while the midrange was clear and without distortion at all but the highest volume levels.

Switching over to DVD playback, the Z-540’s performed equally well, offering a well balanced PC-theater.  While not quite as impressive as the THX certified Z-560’s or Klipsch 4.1’s, the 540’s offer an amazing level of sound quality and quantity for considerably less money.  For the average user watching a movie on the PC, the 540’s will more than suffice. 

Testing the music playback also gave us the opportunity to experiment with Logitech’s M3D Matrix Surround Decoder.  Like the 560, the 540 employ’s the M3D feature, and can simulate four speaker surround sound from a two speaker source.  How?  I thought you would never ask.  Here is the press release version:  

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  Different, unique outputs: front and rear

  
  
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  For rear channels, the M3D Matrix:
  -Retrieves natural ambient sound imbedded in music material
  -Decodes and produces the Surround channel from Surround Sound encoded sources
  -Provides expansive surround effect from 3D positional 2 channel audio sources

Again, I’m no engineer, but here is my interpretation of the M3D article.  Logitech’s M3D Matrix is unique in that it can offer total separation between the Left and Right channels, as well as the Center and Surround channels.  The M3D Matrix is also capable of separating the left and right surround channels into distinct channels, something standard matrix decoding cannot do.  It is also noted that the M3D system does not add electrical delay into the rear channels, since most PC multimedia systems have the user very close to the front speakers, and further away from the rear channels.  This adds a physical or acoustic delay to the rear channel, forgoing the need for an electronically introduced delay.  There is a lot more to this, of course, but like I said, we are gamers, not engineers.  Overall, the M3D effects are very well done, and offer a convincing listening field.  When used with music, the Matrix adds a good sense of depth to the music, and improves the listening experience.

After spending two weeks with the Z-540’s, my impression of these budget speakers is excellent.  For the price, they are loud, offer excellent sound quality, and should suit the needs of nearly every gamer out there.  The subwoofer’s unique design manages to push solid bass from a relatively small subwoofer cabinet, while not overpowering the midrange of the satellites.  I would have liked a headphone jack on the front satellite, but we were told space constraints led to it being removed from the design.  If you need good sound for your gaming rig, but don’t have the cash to drop $200+ on speakers and a sound card, take a look at the Z-540’s.  Logitech has jumped into the speaker market in a big way this year, and from the looks (and sounds) of the Z-560 and Z-540 systems, they are here to win.