SoundMan Xtrusio

Logitech’s 4.1 speaker set–rated at 100 Watts RMS, with a subwoofer at an impressive 52W–has a built-in power supply and can take 90-240V AC input.



Setting it up seems complicated as the subwoofer has many connectors; but it isn’t since they’re color-coded. Also, the cables for the rear speakers are long enough so as to reach behind the listener. The speakers can take either analog or digital input (which gives better reproduction); for the latter, you need a high-end card like the SoundBlaster Live!. The speakers come with a wired remote with volume and fader controls, and the rear satellites with wall-mounting brackets.

For best sound reproduction place all speakers equidistant from each other and the listener. We tested the system’s rated frequency response of 28Hz-20Khz, to find that the subwoofer reproduced even a 20 Hz tone well, while the satellites reproduced 20 kHz. Music playback gave no distortion even at high volumes. At certain volume levels, however, apparently an overdrive protection circuitry comes into play and literally cuts out the sound. It has a couple of ‘environmental equalizers’ (control dials for 100Hz and 10KHz), which are equivalent to the bass and treble controls on many speaker systems.

The package also comes with a CD loaded with utilities to edit and play with sound. But given its steep price, this set is for you if you’re a music buff.

Ashish Sharma at PCQ Labs