The Logitech Z-680 5.1 surround speakers

The Logitech Z-680 5.1 computer speaker system offers good power output and Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS decoder. This system has to appeal to people interested in improving both home theatre and game sound immersion.

Logitech Z-680 5.1 Computer Speaker Review
With built in Dolby and DTS converters this will make a nice stand alone system when your computer is off

The Logitech Z-680 is a compact and attractive design which should cost less than $300. Power output is very high with 185 watts RMS going to the sub woofer alone.

Logitech Z-680 5.1 computer speakers stand alone Dolby decoders are handy

I would guess that only a few people would leave their computers on all the time. If you have to rely in your computer to decode Dolby surround signals you will always have to have your machine powered up during movies. However a lot of people may simply wish to watch DVDs on their DVD player and the Logitech Z-680 will allow you to have surround sound without your computer.

Logitech has given the Z-680 a lot of power. The subwoofer has 185 watts RMS and each component has 53 watts RMS, making a total of 450 watts RMS. The claimed bandwidth is 35 Hz through 20 kHz. The power supply, which is fitted to the subwoofer, is fairly substantial in both size and weight.

The Logitech Z-680 has a SoundTouch Control Center (larger than a satellite speaker) that contains the connector sockets as well as control knobs and even a small, blue LCD screen. The connections are those needed by any multipurpose system with a decoder, namely, three analog minijack inputs, an optical S/ PDIF input and a coaxial S/ PDIF input. There are a headphone output and an auxiliary input socket on the front of the control center.

The Control Center offers a comprehensive range of settings. The central knob adjusts all the various volumes. There is also a Mute button and an Input button that makes it possible to create hybrids of the various inputs. One cool feature is that different balance settings can be saved for each mode.

The sound quality is good especially in the bass and mid range. High range sounds aren't as clear as some other systems in this price range. All in all you'll be happy with the performance.

Here are the specifications:

Wired command module, balance settings can be saved
THX certified 5 satellites (150Hz-20kHz), 1 sub (35Hz-150Hz)
Total output power 450 Watt
surround analog and digital inputs
Dolby and DTS decoding

The Logitech Z-680 5.1 very flexible and good value

If you want to be able to watch DVDs with surround sound without your PC the Logitech Z-680 is a good choice. The built in decoders will come in handy for home theater buffs.

All in all for the price I think the Logitech Z-680 is good value, the control center is very flexible and the amplifier is very powerful. With acceptable speaker quality there really is no real downside, especially at this price range.