Logitech Z640 5.1 Speaker System - $37 shipped free - great for bedroom gaming

CheapyD

CheapyD

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Update (8/30) Now only $37! (previously $39, $43, $47)

Looking for a cheap ass surround sound system for your console?
This is supposedly a good system for your money. Probably not powerful enough for a large living room, but sounds good for a bedroom or dorm room.

Cheap ass link

Reviews:
http://www.gamingnexus.com/Review.asp?ID=67
http://www.avault.com/hardware/getreview.asp?review=logitechz640
http://www.bizrate.com/marketplace/product_info/reviews__cat_id--483,prod_id--7324873.html

* Shamelessly ripped from www.Bensbargains.net *
 
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*phew* thank god i didnt buy it for a $90 a few months back. ill definetly pick it up now... thx cheapy
 
I have these speakers hooked up to my computer and they are a value. The sound quality of those little sattelites is really good and the woofer can drop some bass.
 
righton jaso, I got these a while back for 59.99$ from amazon free shipping, they rock. The bass is great and the sound is awesome and I am only using 2 of the sat speakers, great buy for 53$ if your looking for some good speakers.

Tim
 
[quote name='joey12169']Is this for PC only or can it be used for consoles or home entertainment centers too?[/quote]

reviews state it has a PC card input and a converter for stereo RCA jacks. So its fine for consoles or stereo tvs. I dont think it works with optical cables or 5.1 receivers. Of course if you have a true 5.1 receiver you probably dont want $50 speakers for it.
 
It can be used for TVs, PCs, and consoles.

It doesn't have a build in 5.1 decoder, so your device needs to have it in order to get the Dolby Digital surround. Consoles, DVD players, and decent pc sound cards have this built in, I believe that most TV's do not.
 
Beware that you'll need to have female mini jack to 2 male RCA converter if you want to use 5.1 on your DVD players (or other 5.1 devices). The default output they have is 3 mini jacks (one for front left/right, one for rear left/right and one for center/subwoofer). If you want to use it on TV/DVD and want to have 5.1, you'll either need a decoder that has the converter built in or you'll need to find these converters yourselves (note: you can't find them in radioshack, i tried 3 of them in CA and none of them has it.)
 
$53 eh? I was planning on getting the Z-5300's... Think those are still more expensive though, by a good margin. I have a decent 4.1 set (especially for my price... $300, on sale to $200 and triple clearance= $20)

Hmm, now to decide how much of a cheapass to be -_-
 
couple of questions...

it says satilite...so does that mean that there are no cables running to the speakers?

with what they supply, would i be able to connect my gamecube and tv to this thing at the same time????? if not what would i need to do so??? how much do these run????

thnx in advance
 
OK, if someone can clear this up for me, that'd be awesome. I've got an Xbox in my room, and I woulnd't mind paying the extra $25 or so to get whichever additional AV pack lets me have surround sound. Now, will I need additional cables to hook these speakers up to that, or no?

Thanks all, especially for the awesome deal :)
 
[quote name='muddrex']Beware that you'll need to have female mini jack to 2 male RCA converter if you want to use 5.1 on your DVD players (or other 5.1 devices). The default output they have is 3 mini jacks (one for front left/right, one for rear left/right and one for center/subwoofer). If you want to use it on TV/DVD and want to have 5.1, you'll either need a decoder that has the converter built in or you'll need to find these converters yourselves (note: you can't find them in radioshack, i tried 3 of them in CA and none of them has it.)[/quote]

According to one review
"""
Once unpacked you will find the subwoofer, four satellite speakers, center channel speaker, input adapter, and manual. Included also is an RCA adapter that allows you to hook up the Z-640 speakers to your game console if you want.
"""

RCA adapter included, I assume the RCA converter accepts Right/left and then splits them into these iputs shown in this pic http://www.avault.com/hardware/avscreenshot.asp?pic=logitechz640&num=7

and another clip from that linked review
"""
The subwoofer is made of a heavy pressed wood material in flat black with silver plastic trim and a heavy, fixed metal grill to protect the speaker. Inside the enclosure is the un-ported woofer, amplifier, and control electronics for the system. On the back of the subwoofer there is a level control and various connections to support the surround speakers and various types of inputs.

A nice feature of the Z-640 system is that you can use the included adapter to connect your latest generation gaming system to the speakers for surround sound console sessions. Overall construction of the Z-640 system is excellent throughout, and the wires are of the fixed nature with enough length to accommodate most setups.
""""

So most likely if you simply have stereo RCA jacks, which all consoles and most TVs have you dont need an adapter...according to that review.

Amazon estimates mine will arrive on feb 20-24. For $50 and a logitech 5.1 system, I wont mind buying a wire if I have to. :)
 
Maybe i should clear this up a little.
You CAN hook it up to your TV and another other devices for STEREO sound and they provide the converting cable for that. but if you want 5.1, and your device only accepts RCA type inputs, then you MUST obtain the female mini jack-to-male RCA jacks I mentioned above.
 
Hey muddrex do you think you could link me to an example of the female mini jack to male RCA jacks you are talking about? I don't know very much about stereo equipment or anything, and my TV only has RCA type inputs (if that is the red, yellow and white thing), so in order to get 5.1 sound just watching television I will need these jacks you are talking about right?
 
ImpactPlayer, if your TV doesn't have a 5.1 processor built in, no adapter or jack will give you 5.1 sound.

Anyone know if this set provides some kind of simulated surrount when using a plain stereo signal?
 
I guess i need to clear it up even more.
The Speakers input jacks for this set consist of 3 mini jacks (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/s...entid=6973,contentid2=6026,showalldocuments=0 Go to the end of the page you should see the picture). and you need 3 sets of converters to convert each of these mini jacks into 2 RCA. So at the end, you'll have 6 RCA input jacks to match up the speaker output on your device to play 5.1.

For example, my DVD player, which i hooked this set of speakers onto, will require 6 RCA inputs for 5.1 (one for each speaker/subwoofer). And since the logitech speakers only outputs in 3 mini jacks, I need 3 sets of mini-to-2RCA converters to get it to work - specifically, I use one converter to convert the front left/right input jack from mini to 2 RCA, then one for the rear left/right and one for the center/subwoofer. Therefore, i now have the 6 RCA inputs for the DVD 6 RCA outputs.

Hope this clears up some confusion
 
ImpactPlayer,
CheapD is right, you'll need a decoder (whether built in or external) first in order to get 5.1.

I'm talking about even for 5.1 enabled devices, if they only take RCA input (like my DVD player), then you'll still need something to convert the mini jacks to RCAs
 
oh ok i get it now. i guess i will have to purchase an external decoder.

there is good news though, i ordered the speakers yesterday and since i picked the super saver shipping i was not supposed to receive the speakers until the week of the 20th through the 27th. Well I tracked my order today and it is already out for delivery in austin ! yay
 
[quote name='ImpactPlayer']Hey muddrex do you think you could link me to an example of the female mini jack to male RCA jacks you are talking about? I don't know very much about stereo equipment or anything, and my TV only has RCA type inputs (if that is the red, yellow and white thing), so in order to get 5.1 sound just watching television I will need these jacks you are talking about right?[/quote]

you cant get true 5.1 unless your TV supports it or you have a 5.1 receiver? YOu have RCA jacks you are going to get stereo or the "Matrix 3D sound" which this speak set supports (simulated 5.1)

Basically you can never have 5.1 unless everything in your set up supports it.
 
Hi, so what sound card would you guys recommend to use with this speaker. I'm currently in the market for a new card as it doesn't have surround sound on it. I'm on a budget FYI :)

Thx.
 
The Turtle Beach Santa Cruz is a cheap but decent quality soundcard. Last I saw them run for about $35. For higher quality, go for a Soundblaster... not too sure as to the latest stuff...
 
Yeah, I've been following this pretty much daily.
The $39 price was originally from Tiger Direct and not from Amazon.
Amazon is now offering the $39 price.
 
Apparently, I'm a home theater dumb-ass, as well as a cheap-ass. I didn't follow this one bit.

If I get these for use with my Xbox, what else will I need?
 
Well, I bought these, but only use for my PC....well worth the money...I think I paid the $42 price.

Anyways, what you will need. For XBOX/DVD you will need the Advanced A/V pack and run OPTICAL OUT from that to a RECEVIER that will support a digital signal (most do these days now)

Then, you plug your speakers into your receiver. However, for my home theatre, I use actual home theatre speakers...so not sure how these will hook up exactly. Most receivers have a speaker wire connection.

Here's a link to my receiver and it will give you a detailed PHOTO of what the connections are on it.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-m1MlUi...&s=0&cc=01&g=10420&id=morephotos&i=158STRDA1K


I forgot what exactly came with the Logitech system, since I only used it on my PC and it was almost dummy proof to hook up to that


EDIT: I honestly don't think you will get TRUE 5.1 sound through the XBOX....these are analog speakers, you may need the Z680 to get TRUE digital sound.
 
Is the receiver required? The Logitech website says that you can "easily hook it up to your video game console with our included adapter cable"
 
[quote name='peteyrose']Is the receiver required? The Logitech website says that you can "easily hook it up to your video game console with our included adapter cable"[/quote]

Ok, the receiver is NOT required. However, it is only a SIMULATED 5.1 surround sound. I don't believe you can get TRUE surround out of these at all.

You would need the Z680 speakers to get that.
 
[quote name='peteyrose']Is the receiver required? The Logitech website says that you can "easily hook it up to your video game console with our included adapter cable"[/quote]
The receiver is required to get full 5.1 sound. The XBOX and PS2 can output regular analog sound, Dolby digital sound, ProLogic and DTS. Gamecube , due to it's lack of digital output can only supply DPLII which is also pretty good. Dolby digital, Pro Logic and DTS need to be decoded by a receiver to be broken up into the 5 discrete parts plus LFE channel (basically a subwoofer only channel). I believe when they say that the system can be hooked up directly to a game system they are referring simply to regular analog sound which will NOT give you real surround sound.
 
[quote name='doubledown'][quote name='peteyrose']Is the receiver required? The Logitech website says that you can "easily hook it up to your video game console with our included adapter cable"[/quote]

Ok, the receiver is NOT required. However, it is only a SIMULATED 5.1 surround sound. I don't believe you can get TRUE surround out of these at all.

You would need the Z680 speakers to get that.[/quote]
With a reciever (and adapter cables mentioned above) there is no reason you wouldn't be able to get true 5.1 surround out of these speakers. Almost all speakers are "dumb" and don't care where the information is coming from, they just convert electrical impluses to sound waves. Some speakers have decoders built into them (like the Z680s) but the speakers in both sets work almost exactly the same. It is just that the sets like the Z680s have a decoder built into one of the enclosures or a separate piece as opposed to a full on home audio receiver which likely does video input switching, radio, etc. as well.

If you really want 5.1 sound, do what the poster above did and get the Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 decoder for $100ish and add them to these speakers. The only thing you don't get with the decoder as compared to a newer receiver is video switching and ProLogicII. If neither of these things are important to you, then by all means get this setup. You will have full surround with a lot of flexibility for under $150, which is a steal.
 
Well, if you are going to get the receiver and extras, I would spend the extra $50-$100 to get a better system.

Like this: (Goes on sale...can get for $160 according to the website)
http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.jsp?c=1&b=g&u=c&catoid=-10041&qp=036063607&oid=89605&m=0

(I would MUCH rather have this than the make-shift Logitech/Klipsch home theatre setup...although, I am set with my current one) But, for those of you buying the Klipshit, I would get this....then all you need is a the XBOX A/V pack and a optical cable...no adapters, DONE.

Or if you have the cash...this has been rated VERY highly:
http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.jsp?c=1&b=g&u=c&catoid=-10041&qp=036063607&oid=90794&m=0
 
Hrm, I'm a bit baffled by all this audio jargon. Does simulated 5.1 surround sound any good at all? I currently don't have any audio systems set up (I'm just using the audio from the TV) so almost anything will be an improvement. I'm not expecting too much out of these speakers considering their price and I'm not too keen on shelling out another $100 for extra equipment.

So if simulated surround sound isn't too bad, I'll take it.
 
[quote name='peteyrose']Hrm, I'm a bit baffled by all this audio jargon. Does simulated 5.1 surround sound any good at all? I currently don't have any audio systems set up (I'm just using the audio from the TV) so almost anything will be an improvement. I'm not expecting too much out of these speakers considering their price and I'm not too keen on shelling out another $100 for extra equipment.

So if simulated surround sound isn't too bad, I'll take it.[/quote]

You should be ok for the price...and if you ever want to upgrade you already have the speakers.

Simulated means that it just sends the sound to your rear speakers. You know like in movies, if someone fires a gun to the lef tof you, you would hear it from the left....you will NOT get that.

But, you should get a much better improvement from the TV sound. I know these speakers have a MATRIX button to simulate the surround. It should be ok.....for $37 you can't go wrong
 
These are good speakers for the money, but my subwoofer has developed a buzz even when the system is turned off, but still plugged in. If the room is quiet it is a little annoying.
 
Ok. Now heres my dilema. Im looking for this for my room. In it i have a 2 month old comap that cost me around 800$ and listen to music allot on that. Next to it i got a 5 month old tv(philips) cost me around 200$. Along with my systems. Now im looking at this mostly for my comp and for the music i listen ot on it. So would i need anything more like a sound card or whatever. O and can i hook some stuff up for my tv?
 
The price keeps dropping on these things. Amazon offers 30 days price protection against their own price. If you ordered these at a higher price less than 30 days ago, you can call or email to get some $ back.
 
to help claer up some confusion, I've had these speakers since january and I love them, I use them with all 3 consoles and my digital cable box. you do not need a separate reciever, or any additional cables, they are all included, the speakers plug into the self powered woofer, the only drawback is that there is no remote control,

just trying to help out my brethren, hope ive been helpful
 
[quote name='redline']These are good speakers for the money, but my subwoofer has developed a buzz even when the system is turned off, but still plugged in. If the room is quiet it is a little annoying.[/quote]
Check your grounding. If the speaker is buzzing when not powered up, you have a grounding issue most likely.
 
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