Best 5.1 Solution for your PC

Logitech's latest flagship offering, the Z-5500 5.1 Digital speaker set, is an updated version of the excellent Z-680, with new styling and a few performance upgrades. The Z-5500 Digital set ($399.95) includes four satellite speakers, a center-channel speaker, a mammoth subwoofer, a wireless remote control, and a swank control module with both analog and digital inputs, all of which amounts to a package that should keep Logitech at the top of its game.

The Z-5500 Digital's control module incorporates Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS, and DTS 96/24 processing, facilitating direct connection to DVD players and game consoles without using an A/V receiver. You may, however, require an adapter to add digital outputs to your game console.

Measuring 9 inches tall and 4.5 inches wide, the control module includes a tabletop stand. The unit has a backlit, two-line text display and six buttons that make it easy to configure settings. A big, easy-to-find silver knob makes it easy to adjust the volume without looking away from your monitor. Despite its small size, the well-designed remote lets you control almost all of the system's features.

The Logitech Z-5500 Digital has an impressive assortment of jacks that allow you to connect up to six source devices simultaneously. The control module's rear panel boasts optical and coaxial digital-audio inputs as well as three 1/8-inch analog minijack inputs. You can configure the three minijacks as a group to connect a 5.1-channel PC sound card or independently to connect up to three separate stereo sources. The control module's side panel hosts a 1/8-inch headphone output and a 1/8-inch auxiliary input for playing a device such as an iPod. We've seen home audio receivers with fewer inputs--a testament to the flexibility of this setup.

All four of the identical satellite speakers and the matching (though horizontally oriented) center speaker include desk stands that swivel and conveniently convert into wall mounts. Each of the speakers incorporates a single 3-inch driver as opposed to the dual-driver, two-way designs employed by Klipsch's competing ProMedia Ultra 5.1system, but performance doesn't suffer.

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