Home > Consumer Reviews > Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker System

These speakers are the first 5.1 speaker system i have bought. before, i had a stereo, and i connected to my PC, with PowerDVD and with Trusurround( a 5.1 simulation service with a 2.0 system), there were no complain at all, although i wanted to give it a try with true 5.1 system.

I was checking on Internet for a 5.1 system not too expensive, in fact creative speakers are cheap,but the bad reviews made me change my mind. so i dicided to go on Logitech.

i was about to buy the Logitech Z-640 6 Speaker Surround Sound System, the price is low (40 bucks!), but i checked the logitech web site, and there were new speakers, this speaker were just 10 more bucks than z-640, and the review i saw on: digitalreviews.net
that practically says that this speakers were comparable with the Logitech's higher end models such as the Z-5300 that cost more than 150 bucks, so i bought it.

i have just tested yesterday, connecting with a dvd player, that has dolby digital decode built-in, maybe this kinds of dvd player has no good quality decoding, but the sound i heard yesterday was amazing, especially the subwoofer, it's like the theater sound really.
Although the power is only 70 watts, and with peak of 140, the sound power were outstanding.

I tested with, Return of the king, Das Boot, The impire strikes back, kill bill vol 2, and it's like to see a new complete different movie!.

Imagine how it's gonna sound with my Audigy zs 2(thx certified), that i have just ordered from Amazon.

Update()
Well i have just set up my audigy zs 2 in my pc, and i was blown away, you can clearly notice the direction of the sound, i was watching kill bill vol 1, and for the fisrt time i was listening new sounds, i have never listened with my stereo system before.
and the subwoofer is really unbelievable, you can turn the volume of every speaker off and up, and the subwoofer too.
but in high volumnes the bass loses....

there's also another problem with the sub, it mixes with the front speakers, so when there's voices in the front speakers, you can hear voices comming out from the sub. bad!

After reading the bad reviews for these speakers, i must tell you that these sepakers are what you paid for.for music and games, the sound would be not so good(because of the lack of mid range), but for movies, o my god for 50.00 bucks you never find something similar, every night i watch the lord of the rings (the pallenor fields) in DTS with the audigy zs 2 sound card decoding, you hear voices, sounds(behind you) you'll never listened in an stereo system. it's amazing what you get for only 53 bucks.
There's also a scene in Kill Bill Vol 1 when the bride wakes up after the coma, there's is a mosquito sound that makes you belive you have one behind you, i always show these for demostration of sorround sound to my firends, and i have a good time watching their reactions, amazing.

i gave five stars because of quality - cost. you will never find something similar under 100 bucks.....

if you don' like it, go to buy the Logitech Z-5500 ($300.00).
So what's 250 bucks HE!!!!

Until now I have used a 200 watt Sony stereo system hooked up to my computer. Sound quality on that system is decent, but it is big and bulky, and the amp hisses a little. I was looking for an affordable set of 5.1 speakers that could be used primarily for music playback as well as occasional use for games and movies. I bought the Logitech X-530 based on several online reviews, hailing this system as the best sub-$100 system for music as well as gaming and movies. The two drivers in each satellite seemed to me a little large for quality treble, and a little small for mid range, but the reviews seemed to indicate otherwise. I have not heard the other systems in this price range, but my suspicions were correct, and the X-530 is bellow my standards for music (but passable for gaming and movies).

I received these speakers from Amazon in about 3 days (even with super saver shipping!) upon their arrival I immediately set them up and put them to test.

Excited at the prospect of surround sound I first tried Medal of Honor, a game that has been lauded for its surround sound, then Call of Duty, Counterstrike etc. While the physical setup of the speakers had been a snap (plugging, attaching them to the walls etc.), the audio setup was not so easy. In each of the games I tried, L and R front was very strong, but Center and L and R surround were almost non existent. I was able to balance the speakers using the software suite provided by Creative Labs with my Live! Sound card, but each game was different, making quitting and restart each game until the sound was balanced a trying, trial and error affair. Dials for surround and center volume would have been much appreciated! Once the sound was balanced, I did enjoy the surround effects in each of the games, and the sub woofer added a visceral amount of boom to the explosions.

My experience with movies was similar, but the system's inherent shortcomings began to come through. Audio physics states that bright, focused treble is best produced by a small driver, and middle range sound requires a slightly larger surface area to move the air for solid mid-range sound. The dialogue and sweeping soundtrack in the movies I used to test the speakers soon showed that the dual drivers were inadequate for their job. It was clear that satellites were in capable of producing the full range of human speech, and that the sub woofer was picking up the mid bass, as many of the voices (men especially) boomed out from underneath the desk, rather than coming crisply out of the center channel. Even very deep-voiced men don't shake the floor when they talk! A decent amount of treble was present, but unfocused and muddy. Sharp metallic and other high range sound effects were present, but without any discernible place in the sound stage.

With some consternation I continued my test in the way of music. Here, the last remnants of the speakers' respectability fell to pieces. The speakers were woefully inadequate for full range music, with a huge gaping hole of mid range between big, boomy, inaccurate bass and messy, confusing treble. The harmonics were missing, leaving instead a thin treble melody backed by mushy sinus collapsing bass. Classical music sounded like your basic $30 carry boom box with a lot of bass. Bright upper harmonics were completely absent. Choral works were unbearably floppy and messy in presentation. With the booming bass and tinny treble I got headache after about a half hour, and not because I was listening too loud (I wasn't)

After a week or so of deliberations, I'm packing these up. There is simply no reason for me to own a set of speakers that are solely suited for gaming, which I do only occasionally. Unless I can bite the bullet for a Klipsch GMX system, I'm just going to use my Sony stereo.

Pros:
Look cool
Easy setup
Apparently better than other speakers in the price range

Cons:
Big, boomy, inaccurate bass
Voice track in movies boomed out by subwoofer
Messy, unfocused treble
Very little mid range
No physical surround and center volume controls

This speaker system is designed to handle the audio specturm with high degree of professionalism. The handling of base is very excellent but guys unless u have a dolby 5.1 device or a adapter you wouldnt need all the speakers given. 3 speakers will simply sleep in the box. other than that i highly recommand this piece.

---Update--
I bought a 5.1 Dolby USB adapter to match this device's input requirement. Later I found another catch that the DVD player software which comes along with our laptop can only give a stereo output [Due to some license regards with Dolby systems]so even with this interface only 3 of the 6 speakers are producing sound and to make them [all 6] give 5.1 Dolby sound one needs to upgrade their DVD software. WinDVD 5 is my Sony Vaio's default DVD player software and i have orderd for its upgrade which costs some $12+shipping. So finaly to utilise this device to its full at a COMPUTER one needs to have

1.USB - 5.1 Dolby adapter device
2.DVD software that reproduces 5.1 Dolby [upgrade]
3 Most importantly Movie DVD with 5.1 Dolby sound track or a Player software that can simulate 5.1 dolby from ordinary stereo recordings.

The above will add a price tag $20+$15+Shipping minimum but they are worth the Music effect this device is capable of.

Another Update:
If you cant affort extra USB interface and a software, just use a "Y" male to female 3.5mm stereo adaptor to the green and black male pin and feed 4 speakers and the woofer [Not the center "two-eyed" speaker, its not going to make a difference for this idea]. Believe me by placing alike channel speakers [say "Left"] on your left side of your room/bed and the another channel ["right"] on the right side with the woofer facing you. you would get a good stereo phonic sound reproduction. let the source be a mp3 player or a walkman or your laptop or your movie player.

I bet, you will remember/thank me every time you enjoy the stereo phonic effect. Is the Dolby corporation reading this :P

Speakers sound fantastic, up to a certain volume level, at which point they begin to show deficiencies in bass and mid-range response. They do a pretty good job filling a small room, but if you like your music loud, you'll find yourself maxing out all volume level controls, wishing you could go one notch higher. I have yet to watch a movie in 5.1 surround (remember, you'll need a sound card that supports a 5 speaker set-up), but I'm sure they'll handle quite well.

Certainly a good value, but if you are truly looking to upgrade to "the next level" like I was, you may consider spending a bit more money.

I just got these new babys today and let me tell you, they are superb. I had some cheap 5.1's before, nothing special, and they got real distorted at mid-high volume. Now these are amazing, Im hearing sounds I never heard before! the mid-high sounds are excellent even at high volume, and the sub is much better than my old one even though it was 6". I can hear it at the other end of the house through 4 walls..downstairs.

The sound qaulity of these are amazing, i looked at a few reviews saying that theyre good, but they blew me away, and went further then what i expected.
So if your on a budget but want great 5.1 sound get these right now..dont even look at the other speakers these are the best in its range. do it!