Verdict: Easy wireless surround sound with a dolby digital decoder
As awesome as the Logitech Z-5550 Digital speakers are, there's no getting away from the fact that plonking a monolithic subwoofer in the corner of the living room and snaking black cables around the furniture probably won't earn you rapturous appreciation from the missus. If you don't have the final say when it comes to colour schemes and furniture layout, but still want great surround sound for your PC or home cinema then a wireless speaker system could be the solution.
The Logitech Z-5450 has a smaller, more living-room-friendly subwoofer than that supplied with the imperious Z-5500 and, rather than being tethered to long black signal cables, the two rear speakers receive their signal from a wireless transmitter attached to the subwoofer. Unlike the Creative G550W with its bulky, ugly receiver box, each of the Z-5450's rear speakers has a built-in receiver. While this is a neater solution to reducing cable clutter, it means that you'll need two additional power sockets, one per satellite, as humans still haven't discovered how to safely transmit power through air.
The subwoofer is rated at 116W RMS and, although a 116W subwoofer certainly shouldn't be sniffed at, compared with the 187W provided by the Z-5500, it's almost measly. However, as the Z-5450's sub is of a band-pass design (with the driver placed inside the enclosure), it's easier on the eye than the Z-5500's bass-reflex sub. The satellite speakers, too, are leaner and better-looking than those found with the Z-5500. Disappointingly, though, the gorgeous Z-5500 control unit has been replaced by a more esoteric set-top box that doubles as the wireless transmitter.
Setting up the speakers was simple. The thicker wires of the Z-5450 system felt much more secure in the cable grips than those of the G550W, and the fact that the rear speakers don't have a signal cable means that you just have to plug them in and place them where you want. Each of the rear speakers has a light that turns from red to blue to show they're receiving a signal as soon as the control panel is turned on. According to Logitech, the rear speakers have a humungous 100m range, which would be very handy if you lived in Blenheim Palace.
It's sound quality that really matters, though, and as soon as you crank up the volume and stick on a DVD, the Z-5450 demands attention. The Mines of Moria echoed with deep, powerful bass as Gandalf scrapped with the Balrog in 'The Fellowship of the Ring', and the Orc arrows zipped across the room as if we were fighting alongside him. Similarly, car engines sounded brilliant in Need for Speed: Most Wanted, and the speakers handled the gunfire and reverberating corridors of F.E.A.R. with ease. We didn't experience any problems with the wireless connection. Throughout testing, the satellites connected instantly, and there was no distortion.
The Z-5450 has analogue cables included, but the system also supports digital connections. It's child's play to set up the speakers to perform at their best when using a superior quality coaxial or optical S/PDIF cable.
The trump card for the Z-5450 is the fact that it has its own hardware Dolby Digital and DTS decoder, so it's perfect for use with a console or DVD player. It's also beneficial for your PC, providing your sound card or motherboard has an optical or coaxial S/PDIF output, as you can offload the task of decoding the digital bitstream from the CPU or sound chip.
Films and games sound awesome, and music was also a great experience. The Z-5450 appreciates being turned up; the satellites kept an authoritative grip on the mid-range as the volume was increased to over halfway. The Z-5450 offers more than enough power for a medium-sized living room or large bedroom, although the sound started to lose detail and became boomy at very high volumes. However, the strong, warm vocals and bass-rich sound effectively showed the door to the Creative G550W. The Creative satellites sounded as if they were covered by a blanket compared with the detailed sound from the Logitech speakers.
CONCLUSION
If looks and practicality aren't important to you, we'd advise you to go for Logitech's eminently powerful, but slightly cheaper, Z-5500 digital speakers. However, if the Z-5500's subwoofer is too large, or you don't want to trail black wires across your living room, then the Z-5450 is a great alternative. While the Creative G550W is focused on games, the Z-5450 displays much more versatility, and holds its own in the grunt stakes, even with a slightly less powerful subwoofer.
