Xtrusio: Good speakers for low to moderate volume

Zatni Arbi, Columnist, Jakarta, zatni@cbn.net.id

Back in the 1960s, a hi-fi system with stereophonic capability was all that people needed to enjoy music. They talked about a hi-fi amplifier with two speakers, one on the left and another on the right to create a three dimensional effect.

But, then, as the audio technology progressed, people talked about the surround sound effect. They talked about the front channels and the rear channels to make the sound reproduction more life-like. They also used a subwoofer to produce the low- frequency, thump, thump and boom, boom sonic pulses, accompanied by the satellite speakers that produced the mid- and high- frequency sounds.

Today people are talking about AC-3's 5.1 standard, which means that, to be considered up-to-date, your sound system should have five satellite speakers and one subwoofer. One speaker should be placed at the center front to produce all the voice conversation.

A good friend, Fanny, recently sent me a gift of Logitech's 4.1 speaker set called SoundMan Xtrusio, DSR 100. This 100-watt speaker system has a subwoofer and four satellite speakers. At first, I thought I would just play around with the speaker system for a while and put them back in its large box and store it in my storage room just in case I needed it in the future. However, after some listening, I found I liked Xtrusio much better than my PC's existing speakers. So the subwoofer and all its four satellite speakers ended up being attached to my PC permanently.

In addition to making mice, trackballs and Webcams, Logitech also make joysticks, gamepads and consoles. Gamers normally need good speakers to create a more realistic experience. So, it is easy to understand why Logitech also makes speakers for the PCs and the Macs. It has even acquired Labtec, a company that has for a long time been making speakers and headphone sets for personal computers and portable devices. In the future, Logitech will be making high-end speakers under its own brand, and more affordable speakers under the Labtec brand name.

Heavily built: There are a lot of PC speaker sets on the market today, and an increasing number of them come with subwoofers. On my shelf I also have a Taiwan-made three-piece system with a subwoofer that felt so frail. It produces a reasonably smooth sound, which I like, but its subwoofer is as feeble as it feels. Xtrusio's 52-watt subwoofer, on the other hand, is heavy and feels very sturdily built. It encloses the power amplifier and all the electronic circuitry for driving the sub and its satellites. The power supply is auto-switching, so you can plug its power cable to a 110 volt or 220 volt wall outlet without the need for a step-up or step-down transformer.

As the subwoofer is usually a floor standing unit, Logitech has added a useful remote control called SoundTouch. It allows us to adjust the volume, to set the fade level (the balance between the rear and the front channels) and to mute the speakers and put the system on Standby. The remote control, which comes with a very long cable to allow you to place the unit quite a distance from your desk, also has a jack for headphones. Unfortunately, it does not include the bass and treble dials. Both of these dials are located on the lower side of the subwoofer.

To take advantage of all of its four satellite speakers, you will need a soundcard with a digital output or one with two separate pairs of analog channels-the front and the rear. My SoundBlaster Live! Value has no digital output, but it has two pairs of analog channels. Better still, the software driver for this soundcard supports the four-speaker configuration. There is a test application that I can use to check that the connection and the placement of the satellite speakers are correct.

SoundBlaster's EAX feature also offers a number of presets that I can choose to simulate environmental effects such as auditorium, alley, concert hall and even under water.

Not for loud music: If you are a serious computer game lover that always wants to have the floor and the walls rattling and shaking around you, this speaker system may not be the right one for you. While it is capable of reproducing good music in soft to mid volume, its power is simply insufficient to produce the earth-shaking effects. Forget about using this speaker system if you listen to MP3 files regularly, especially if the low-range has been boosted during the ripping process. During my test with MP3, the sound that came out from the subwoofer was simply terrible, and I had to reduce the bass level all the way down to get an acceptable result.

However, if you want to listen to soft music in the quietness of the night, Xtrusio really shines. I had a very enjoyable listening experience when playing one of those James Last's Classic CDs. The tone balance was very smooth, although it seems that I still need to experiment more with the placement of the speakers.

Each of Xtrusio's satellite speakers comes with a very long cable as well. However, it would be nice to have no cable at all on these speakers. It would give us more flexibility in placing them to achieve the best result. That is something that I believe Logitech, which is also known for its cordless keyboards and mice, should work on.

Budi Suryo B. from Surya Chandra, one of the two Logitech's distributors for Indonesia, told me that the US$140 Xtrusio is being phased out and replaced with a new model that he claimed would satisfy gamers who liked it extremely loud. The new model will have more power, of course. Called Logitech Z-560, it is THX-certified and has a maximum output of 400 watts. The bass dial has also been moved to the SoundTouch remote control. The system is being offered in the U.S. market for $199, which places it in the group of rather pricey computer speakers.