MindBlowing Speakers- Logitech Z 680

Printable View

19-10-2003, 03:38 PM
smilincanuck

MindBlowing Speakers- Logitech Z 680

Ok OK so it really isnt quite mind blowing ......BUT DARN CLOSE!!!

wow.....these babies are every stinkin bit the deal I was hoping for when I decided I'd like a pair in the spring.Back then the only beef from those that had the deep pockets to splurge was a hissing sound from the center channel when sitting idle.Well good news......they've fixed that problem and I can tell you that thanks to the amazing quality once I got this setup Thursday evening ,I could NOT fall asleep until 3:30 am just testing out the clarity and ,honest to goodness, just sitting back and patting myself on the back for buying these things.WOW!.....one sweet package of total sound control.
Highly recommend these for anyone who was wondering like I was if they lived up to all the hype and were worth the sacrifice of spending a little coin over.Indeed they are.
And the good part hasnt even come yet.....I'm just blabbering and drooling over these things in ANALOG mode.Wonder how big my smile is going to be once I hook these up digitally?
Rates right up there in my personal top 5 things I have bought in the past 20 years...toy wise.
A must have for any serious gamer addict like me who settles for nothing but the best when he can afford it.
19-10-2003, 06:18 PM
unrealrocks

Just had a quick look up ... they look very powerful!

Although I never think you can get as good a sound from smaller speakers as you can from some good quality floorstanders! Ive heard several sets of standmount speakers and 'cube/sub' sets and never quite deilvered the range and more to the point the detail when music gets complicated than floorstanding speakers can!

I haven't heard these so I can't say there not good (although there prob the best your gonna get from 'cube/sub' sets) I allways found they sounded a little treakly (muffled) and speech comes out too bassed! The main point is if your happy with them then thats great!

How much did they cost?
19-10-2003, 06:43 PM
smilincanuck

500 bucks.......but remember....these are intended for a PC setup.....the beauty of these are in a small room...say.....about the average size bedroom that one would have in say your average bungalow they just rock.Or even rumpus room setup.That's when I believe the setup is critical in achieving the same sound you'd get from your floor models that I think you are thinking about.500 might seem a bit steep for a set of PC speakers....but believe me....they own up to thier hype.
19-10-2003, 09:25 PM
TooNice

Five.. Hundred.. British pound??? :eek:

I've seen them for under £300.. And thats without looking too hard.

From the reviews I've seen, the Logitech Z680 (and 560 prior that) is on the "boomy" side of things.
So I was going for the Megaworks instead (which from what I've read provide a better mid-range and less "boomy" bass - which some may prefer). But with the Gigaworks due soon, I'll probably go for those (after I check out the reviews)..

But anyway, as long as you enjoy them ;)

(BTW, not to spoil your fun, but digital mode does not necessarily translate higher quality. Depending on your sound card, analog might end up better).
19-10-2003, 11:36 PM
Alan

500 Dollars (U.S. or Canadian) - judging by the name - it's Canadian:D

They are about £260 in the U.K. and from what I've heard, they aren't boomy.

In analogue mode they may only be working front 'speakers and sub. Digitally I'm sure means in 5.1 Digital Dolby mode where all the channels are working separately and with that power output will sound really good.

I have an old set of Creative DT2500 Dolby digital 'speakers and when used with a computer set up (remember it's not replacing real hi-fi) in 5.1, the sound effects sound amazing. The quality of the sound in music when they are being pushed is not great but when you are watching a movie on the monitor, 12 inches from the screen and the surround speakers are only a few feet from you - it can be really really good!
20-10-2003, 01:21 AM
smilincanuck

yes fellas...that's canadian dollars...sorry if I didnt clarify that....and in answer to the boomy query.....these things can be what the heck you want em to be....you have that much control...I'm just using the speakers with a SB LIve 5.1 Gamer card at the moment with the latest driver UNIpack installed.In ANALOG mode you can slip these into DTS or Dolby as long as the DVD supports it.What's really great is listening to a very well recorded music concert...for instance Eric Clapton's Staple Center concert....it's so pure you can hear eric's heart pumping almost....I'm not kidding you.I plan on upgrading the sound card in a few weeks and so far I'm thinking of going with the new Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro...then I'll be set for life probably as far as sound goes.What's also very nice is some games for the PC now have 5.1 sound on them as an option....Splinter Cell and BlackHawk Down are incredible to play with it activated.
You have TOTAL control over your sound with this gear and so far no complaints from anyone in the household from them being too loud or "boomy"....that's the nice side benefit from it as well...which I was also worried might cause a small household complication.But no problems as far as it disturbing anyone yet...........wink....yet!!!......smile
20-10-2003, 01:41 AM
TooNice

Quote:

Originally posted by Alan
In analogue mode they may only be working front 'speakers and sub. Digitally I'm sure means in 5.1 Digital Dolby mode where all the channels are working separately and with that power output will sound really good.

It depends of the speakers.. I think a large number of MM speaker do have enough analog input for 5.1 sound.
For some reasons, Pure Digital (Videologic) Digitheater DTS/Platinum only support 2.1 analog. Not a great option if you are into gaming as not all games support Dolby Digital (getting more common I *think*, but still).

Anyway, I am hardly an audiophile so I am not that well informed on those things.. But I seem to remember reading somewhere that if you use analog mode, you'll use your sound card's DAC to convert the digital signal to analog. Whereas if you use digital mode, the process is done by the speaker (this process must be done at one point as sound may be stored digitally on a media.. but real world sound is analog). So if the DAC on your sound card is superior to the one on your speaker (*does* happen), then analog might be the better option.
20-10-2003, 07:27 AM
unrealrocks

TooNice - Last paragaph is correct! Although I would think those Logitech speakers will have a better DAC than an SB Live!

Yeah - games rock with surround ... anyone played Max Payne 2? Stick surround sound on that and it sounds awsome!
20-10-2003, 09:52 AM
Bunjiweb

Max Payne 2 isn't out yet... i hope you arent suggesting illegal download :mad:

These speakers have been acclaimed by all who have tested them, but not i havent tested them myself yet.... perfectly happy with my Inspire 5300s!

Ben
20-10-2003, 09:54 AM
Stringent

My friends got them, they are VERY nice and pump out a lot of juice. Don't think I could justify spending that amount of cash though on speakers.
20-10-2003, 10:50 AM
directhex

i think we're missing the point about surround capabilities. through analog, you get 2 channels for every wire you plug into your sound card - 3 wires means 5.1, 2 wires for quadrophonic, 1 wire for stereo.

digital gives 5.1 via dolby if fed a 5.1 source (DVD (AC3) Audio or an nVidia nForce2 Soundstorm), but only stereo with every other card on the market
20-10-2003, 05:55 PM
Prodigy

If you think that's good wait until you get into the world of real hi-fi. (Not dissing your setup, I'm sure it sounds excellent)

I used to have a really crappy pair of speakers put after investing in approx £2500 worth of hi-fi gear and hooking it up to my PC I'm absolutely loving it :D
20-10-2003, 07:55 PM
unrealrocks

Quote:

Originally posted by Prodigy
If you think that's good wait until you get into the world of real hi-fi. (Not dissing your setup, I'm sure it sounds excellent)

I used to have a really crappy pair of speakers put after investing in approx £2500 worth of hi-fi gear and hooking it up to my PC I'm absolutely loving it :D

Yeah - my mates got some Creative Inspire speakers and was saying they think there pritty good ... I played him some music and DVDs through my Denon amp and Warfdale speakers and was so suprised on the quality and clarity difference!

BTW Bunjiweb - its out in the US ... who says I don't have an import?
20-10-2003, 09:41 PM
TooNice

Quote:

Originally posted by directhex
i think we're missing the point about surround capabilities. through analog, you get 2 channels for every wire you plug into your sound card - 3 wires means 5.1, 2 wires for quadrophonic, 1 wire for stereo.

Umm, are you sure about that?
BTW most 5.1 speakers got 5 analog inputs (+ sub), in addition to the digital ones. If you get 2 channels per wire, why wouldn't they just use 3?
20-10-2003, 11:11 PM
directhex

Quote:

Originally posted by TooNice
Umm, are you sure about that?
BTW most 5.1 speakers got 5 analog inputs (+ sub), in addition to the digital ones. If you get 2 channels per wire, why wouldn't they just use 3?

they DO use just 3.

http://www.vr-zone.com/reviews/Creat...00-Woofer1.jpg

typical 5.1 analog speakers, with 3 input wires (one stereo i.e. 2 channel jack per wire).

http://www.bit-tech.net/images/review/266/z680_018.jpg

the digital speakers under question. 3 analog holes - front-left/right, rear-left/right and center-sub - next to a coaxial & an optical digital connector.

http://img.ferra.ru/pubimages/3599.jpg

typical sound card. as per standard colors, green is front-left/right, black is rear-left/right and orangey yellow is center-sub.

remember, unless you use Soundstorm, only existing AC3 sources are 5.1 through digital. all other cards are stereo through digital for everything except existing AC3 (e.g. DVDs)

http://www.pcabusers.com/acousticedge/ae_cable2.jpg

the Philips Acoustic Edge uses dongles to get more connectors out of the card. this is the 5.1 analog dongle, with all 3 connectors on it. the SP/DIF dongle has one input & one output connector off it.
21-10-2003, 09:15 PM
shamus21

direct hex
so are you saying that no other pci sound card offers a coaxial or optical out put. and if so the nVidia nForce2 Soundstorm would be the best option .
21-10-2003, 10:15 PM
Mallus

Originally bought some of these about 6months ago but returned them due to the hissing sound. If they fixed that I might just look into buying another set, they were awesome when hooked up to an xbox!
21-10-2003, 10:48 PM
directhex

i'm saying LOTS of cards offer coaxial or optical output but only in PCM or passthru modes - PCM is stereo only, passthru sends raw pre-encoded surround data such as the AC3 on a DVD movie. there is only one sound solution on the market with an integrated dolby digital encoder, and that's nvidia's soundstorm.

--jo
22-10-2003, 05:11 AM
Spritzup

I don't know about hissing, I put my ear really close to the speakers and I can hear a slight hiss, but I figure thats normal. Right?
22-10-2003, 09:19 PM
Mallus

Mine hissed from about 30cm away. I paid around £300 for them and was not expecting them to hiss no matter how close I was. Got some ADA885mg's now for £60 and they are awesome :)