Logitech z640 review

I wasn't sure where to put this but this seems like the most logical choice.

While building my system over the past month and testing various memory modules and constantly placing orders for minor stuff here and there, I ended up buying a SB Live! ($33) and Logitech z640 5.1 speakers ($65) from Newegg.

The reason for the SB Live! was mainly for the game port as I have a Thrustmaster from years ago and I like flight sims. It was nice that it supported 5.1 DD too . I set this up with my 2.1 Cambridge Soundworks that I bought about 3 yrs ago for pretty cheap and it was decent for games and music.

I found that my Fortron 350w ps was straining in my system and making strange noises so I decided to upgrade to an Antec True480w. I was looking at Vantec and a couple of others but I figured I'd check out what all the fuss was about the Antec ps'. One damn fine power supply. Tons of connectors and excellent rails. Since I was placing yet another order from my favorite online store, Newegg, I decided to get new speakers since they were on sale and fairly cheap.

Now I'm by no means an audiophile but I'm also not tone deaf. I have a 5.1 home theather system that cost me about $6,000 including a 50" tv. Don't expect amazing quality from these speakers. They are MUCH better than my old 2.1 speakers though. I've been playing some music and it sounds much better now. You definitely need to tweak the sound settings to get the most out of them but it's worth the time. I can understand how some say these speakers are boomy but you can adjust it with software.

I've tried mp3's, audio cd's and a few dvd movies to test the 5.1. It's amazing how much sound I was missing with the 2.1. I haven't tried any games yet but I don't think I'll be disappointed.

Overall, these are excellent speakers for $65. Yes, you can do better but you'll be spending much more to get that little bit extra and for me, it's just not worth it. These speakers are really that good. If you've made it this far, thanks for reading.

-Bobby

i tried the z640s at best buy...from reading about them online they seemed good for the money...but after hearing them, THAT WAS IT. They are good FOR THE MONEY....nothing more . honestly, these speakers sounded bad. i mean, sure its a cheap 5.1 system, but it just doesnt sound good. its like 5 of logitech's lowest end speakers thrown in with a decent sub. the sub was good, but the speakers...shrill highs and mushy mids. for music they are unacceptable, but for gaming theyre just below average. keep in mind, your not getting a good 5.1 system, just one thats good for the price. if your on a budget and dont wanna spend alot on a sound card, these might suit u. DO NOT BUY AN AUDIGY 2 IF YOURE GONNA USE THE Z640s...its just a waste...like buying a radeon 9800 pro for one of those old green and black apple monitors. if u want decent sound, go for something in the $100-200 range. if u want great sound, go for z680s.

Tomahawk47x - I was going to respond to this earlier but decided against it because what I typed was just a flame.

First, speaker sound is very subjective. Best buys isn't the best place to test speakers. You say they're that bad but good for the price. If they're that bad, they wouldn't be good at any price. Maybe the setup you heard them on was just bad or the speakers weren't set up properly. They're perfectly fine for listening to music and very good for gaming. I think these would pair just fine with an Audigy 2. If I had any complaint, it would be the sub. There's no crossover to adjust what frequency it activates at. There's only a volume control on the sub.

Your analogy to using a 9800 pro on a black and white monitor doesn't make sense either.

For great sound, I wouldn't get Logitech speakers. I was actually skeptical about these speakers. There are MUCH better speakers for the $300 range z680's.

-Bobby

the analogy i used was to get across this point: when u buy a high end component, u need another to compliment it, or else it's pretty much useless. if u buy a high-end video card, but get a monitor that can only push 800x600 resolution...youve basically made the purchase of a high end video card useless...as it can perform no where near to what u payed for it do. same goes with those speakers. the reason why i brought it up is that i often see people post their rigs, using the audigy 2 with z640s, or some other budget speaker set. the speakers SEVERELY limit the audigy 2. youre not gonna hear the awesome sound the audigy 2 was designed (and priced) to put out. at best buy, i heard those z640s on an alienware, with an audigy 2 and a radeon 9800 pro playing raven shield. as u said, bestbuy isnt a great testing environment, but right off the bat it sounded mediocre. im not an audiophile, but i consider sound in video games as just as important as graphics.

back to the speakers, its a matter of preference. i prefer good sound. im not the one whos gonna shell out $300 tho. however, im not willing to settle for z640s...i just dont like their sound. so im going to compromise and get a nice $50 set of gaming headphones.

I think you were a little too quick to judge these speakers. Having them for a couple of days now and listening to music (mp3's and audio cd's) I've been tweaking them and they sound pretty good. Obviously they're not perfect. I can point out all the shortcomings of this and any other satellite speaker system but you can't get close to the bang for the buck these give.

The center channel is a little stronger than the 4 surround speakers. In a good 5.1 set up, all 5 speakers should be identical. With satellites, the center gets washed out so I can understand why Logitech added a slightly larger, more powerful center channel speaker. All the controls are also on the center speaker. The surround speakers do a decent job of recreating mids and is pretty good on the highs. The sub is kinda sloppy if you really crank it up, you can hear it. It's not very tight. It seems that there's a built in crossover in the sub but I think it's set too high and some mids slips in.

Most of this nitpicking can be adjusted with software. This my take from more of a technical, audiophile perspective. For my home theater setup, I use JBL's all around with full sized tweeters and mids so it doesn't compromise the sound. I use a Paradigm 10" sub for the .1 and it is incredibly tight. Now comparing these z640's with my ht speakers, there's no contest but these speakers don't cost $1500 and I'm not connecting them with Monster cables (another $200). I don't think anyone can fault these speakers unless they installed them wrong. When you factor in the cost, it's an amazing deal.

You should get a set, try it out at home and if you don't like them, return them. You can't say a set of speakers are bad because you heard them in a huge warehouse type store in the open with what could've possibly been misconfigured. Worst case you send these back and get the headphone solution you were thinking about.

-Bobby

i guess it was just a bad 1st impression. but i think ill have to go with headphones anyway...i dont want my parents complaining about the sub, or ppl in my college dorm next year.

The audigy 2 isnt known for its great audiophile grade sound so that could add to your problems

huh??? i thought it was... anyway

hey bobby, when you put your ear straight up to the speaker (like pressing your ear up to the thing itself) do you hear anything? i am just curious

stan03 said:

hey bobby, when you put your ear straight up to the speaker (like pressing your ear up to the thing itself) do you hear anything? i am just curious

Click to expand...

Yes, I hear music mostly.

Are you talking about feedback or static? None at all. Dead quiet when nothing is playing.

For some reason, the software defaulted back to "Desktop Speakers" but after I switched them back to 5.1, they sound even better. I watched on DVD the lobby scene in Matrix, the pod scene in Star Wars I, Unleash Hell in Gladiator, and a few others and I gotta say, these speakers sound better than some of my friends' home theater in a box setups, and those are pretty good. I had to lower the bass a bit (still not tight, but pretty good for the price).

I've read some of the problems others had with the center channel being DOA and others with hissing sounds. I'm experiencing none of those problems. I have the speaker wires away from power cords/strips. After all the crap I've had to return, I'm glad these speakers are good .

-Bobby

I honestly thought these speakers sounded like crap when I heard them in the store as well. But from all the car audio experience I have I know that there are lots of variable to concider when judging the sound of a speaker. So I purchased A set from Newegg along with a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz sound card. I set them up in my bedroom with my main pc. After tweaking the eq and other settings I can say that they sound better than I ever thought they could.
After properly breaking them in, I have no doubt that I will not need another set of speakers for a long time. As for clarity, I can turn them up all the way on most music and movies and have no distinct distortion. ( though I rarely turn them past half way) And people tend to forget that knowing how to properly tune a EQ is very important to achieve the best sound quality possible. A badly tuned system can make even the best speakers sound like crap.
I would recommend the z640's to anyone not wanting to spend over $100. And to people that are willing to spend more, I think they should still listen to them because they may be suprised at how good they do sound.

My$.02
Pyros

I got mine at target for $40 and I guess im not picky audio wise because they sound fine to me.Big improvement over the Z-340's I had.I also have a 5.1 SB X-gamer Card.I could always get a 200 watt car amp and hook them up to it,prolly sound meaty.