Verdict: Excellent sound quality for the price.

Logitech already dominates the high-end PC surround-sound market with its Z-5500 and Z-5450 systems, as well as the entry level with the excellent Z-540. This latest addition neatly plugs the gap between the two sets. Its curvy satellites have a little personality, and their clear plastic side panels lift off so you can insert artwork underneath.

The speaker outputs are colour-coded for easy installation. However, the captive cables for the front left and right speakers won't be easily replaceable, and are way too short at just 1.6m. They'll be fine if you place the subwoofer under the desk, and the front satellites directly above, but if you have other intentions, you may run into problems. Three mini-jack sockets accept 5.1 surround signals, and there's an auxiliary phono input on the back of the subwoofer.

A headphone socket is located on the break-out box, and so too is a microphone pass-through socket, which is an excellent idea for accommodating headsets. This wired remote is one of our favourites, with a clear layout, mute switches for both the speakers and the microphone input, plus a highly effective upmixing function, which plays stereo sources through all six speakers for a satisfying surround effect. Best of all, there's a big volume knob that's easy to grab without taking your eyes off the screen.

Sound quality is the best of the lower-cost systems on test. Music sounded richer and more detailed than it did with the Altec Lansing and Creative T7900 sets and, with far more power under the bonnet than these two sets, it was much better equipped to do justice to games and DVD movies. Compared with the more expensive systems, the G51 stood its ground. It displayed a similar tone to that of the other Logitech set, albeit without the same precision and clarity, particularly in the lower-mid frequencies where the subwoofer and satellites' responses overlap. These frequencies sounded a little murky and congested, but this was only noticeable in music tests and had little impact in games.

If you don't need the pricier sets' extra power and connections, and can live with good rather than superb sound quality, the G51 is an excellent choice.

• Gaming Headsets - 26th September 2008
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