Thinking about the Logitech Z-680s? Hold your horses...

[sharkeeper]

After talking to the engineers in Vancouver, he told me that the clicking/popping when navigating menus while watching a DVD is "normal" for the control pod (operates within standards) because the unit has to detect the correct data stream.

Sounds like a poorly designed muting circuit or none at all! :Q

Cheers!

 

[bbrontosaurus]

Originally posted by: Yield
I'll stick with my home theater setup on my PC

love it... will never change it!

Agreed...I'm building a HTS system for my PC (got in on that sweet-azz Onkyo price mismatch at CC), and I still don't understand why anyone would spend ~$400 for the Z-680's. For that price + a little more, you can get a really nice full-fledged home theater system to use as speakers (the Onkyo HT-S650 comes to mind, check out this review. I've seen this system sell for around $434 shipped). Onkyo components are solid, and they will put the Z-680's to shame. Also, there are cheaper HTS out there that cost less than the Z-680's which can offer as much if not more than the Logitechs.

Not a flame on the Logitechs, as I'm sure they are a great set of speakers. Just trying to thow in my $.02.

 

[LehighBri]

That onkyo system looks great! What is the easiest way to hook up the receiver to my sound card (audigy)? Do I need any special cables? I'm just confused because the sound card has front out, rear out, and sub out. And can you hook it up digitally? Thanks!

 

[Sxotty]

I was lookin for that onkyo thing and 'i did not see it anywhere for very cheap. Also no one has any good info on it. Like what kind of inputs it has.

 

[MrDurden]

Returned the Z680's to best buy a couple days ago ? that felt good. Albeit the Z680's do have better sound imaging for movies than the Z560?s (dialogue is cleaner ? not drowned out by the other sounds) I do not think the improvement justifies $400.

As for music playback, the Z680 system I had exhibited very low max volume relative to the Z560 and, by my perception, a much less robust bass output. I understand the Z680 system supposedly has a ?tighter? bass response according to the mfr marketese and that this could account for what I perceived to be diminished bass response (audiophiles please save me the lecture about ?boomy? vs ?clean? or ?pure? bass). Nonetheless, for my purposes, music ranging from classical to 2pac and unwritten law, the Z560?s are without a doubt, absolutely superior. Personally I would not recommend the Z680?s to anyone. That?s my $0.02.

Contrary opinions invited...

 

[BD2003]

I heard the click and the hiss the other day at best buy. The clicking really isnt that bad at all, dont let it scare any of you. The hiss was noticible, but only at really high volumes.

 

[Ilmater]

Having missed this forum before, I can't believe that just found out about a problem like this. I've read many reviews of these speakers and this is the first I've heard of these problems. It's disturbing that Logitech would overlook (or in the case of the pops and clicks simply disregard) these problems.

 

[Dulanic]

Hissing is common with alot of PC speakers, a common reason it happens is if you turn up the treble, so a good idea is to turn it DOWN on your speakers, and adjust it up with your sound card, that can help eliminate alot of hiss.

 

[Justorq]

How do the MegaWorks fair against Klipsh and Logitech in 5.1?
Does creative have the same problems as the other two ?

 

[Lore]

Originally posted by: Dulanic
Hissing is common with alot of PC speakers, a common reason it happens is if you turn up the treble, so a good idea is to turn it DOWN on your speakers, and adjust it up with your sound card, that can help eliminate alot of hiss.

The hiss is there regardless of whether you have an input or not. Therefore, you can connect NOTHING to the speakers and it'll still hiss. And of course, if you increase the volume it'll hiss even louder, but the hiss is already there.

 

[mrman3k]

I think I shall wait for Klipsch to come out with an updated Promedia 5.1. I am simply now a lifetime Klipsch fan and customer after getting my 4.1's. Maybe in about I year I might pony up for a 5.1 system.

 

[Villareal]

Anyone know where the Data for such high failure rates being mentioned in this thread are available.
The speakers being discussed here are "THX" Certified (for whatever that's worth.)
They're supposed to be built to high quality standards.
Pretty disturbing if substantiated.

 

[IPLaw]

Does anyone know how these compare to the Lansing 641's? I received the 641's for Xmas from a family member who is an amateur musician, and based on his in store testing with his own CD's, he found the 641's produced better sound than the 680's. I will use the system for music, gaming, dvd, and tv, but the only time it will be really loud is for playing music. According to my brother, when you crank both systems, the 5.1 delay to the rear speakers in the 680's becomes noticeable and makes the sound muddy compared to the 641's; he also found the bass on the 680's inferior. Are there any audophiles with experience with these two systems would like to offer an opinion? I do find the wired remote annoying, and would like more inputs, but for me audio quality is key.

Thanks!

 

[Lore]

Finally, Logitech has decided to acknowledge all of these problems which many people experienced with their own units.

Take a look at Logitech's Support Doc

This document clearly acknowledges all of the problems I mentioned in my original thread. It's no surprise that they're blaming a lot of the issues on things like sound card, etc... And their suggestion for fixing the hiss is a joke! Of course if you move it away you won't hear the hiss. But these are computer speakers! Many people are going to have them within 2-3 feet from their ears!

I'm somewhat disgusted that they're not trying to fix it and instead label it a "feature" by putting up this document.

 

[PCMarine]

I guess it's a case of "You get what you pay for." Isn't this the 5.1 setup for $60-80?

 

[Lore]

No, you're thinking of the Z-640 series. This is the Z-680, retails for $399 but can be had for anywhere from $255 - $399.

 

[PreDatoR]

The price of them makes my Z560's look better every day

 

[SnOop005]

Noticed Rabieluh's post

http://www.neoseeker.com/forums/index.php?function=view_thread&threadid=157300

Also i've noticed the specs on these 680s have been changed, they were 450W not their 500W?

Could this be the fix to those hissing issues?

 

[Lore]

All they did was retest them and relabel them...there isn't a new set coming out.

 

[Lore]

Got some information from my contact at Logitech: Hissing problem to be fixed, wattage ratings incorrect on current website, to be fixed soon..

 

[Lore]

News update 1/15/02

I've been reading from other forums that there is a control pod replacement out so you can get a pod with revision 1.1 instead of the original 1.3. Supposedly this will reduce hissing dramatically, but this is only in the European market so far. My Logitech source told me this morning that there has not been a definitive strategy for the US market, but they're working on it.

 

[grunjee]

Well I am one pissed camper right now, but Lore I am glad you started this thread. I received my z680's today... I ordered them the other day and afterward I heard about the hissing problem.

First off, the positive. I've never had a high-end set of speakers before... but these things blow me away. I watched 30 minutes of The Matrix and heard sounds I've never heard before, tiny details... and I've seen the thing 10 times. I am happy with the quality of sound so far.

But I too have the hissing problem. Sure, if a movie's playing you can't hear it. But right now it's nighttime, the house is quiet... the speakers are a little less than 2' from my face... and all I can hear is this hiss. Really frustrating, considering the price I paid for them.
30 inches? Sure that would probably fix the problem but I shouldn't have to do that.

Logitech had better do something soon or I'm gonna flood their phone lines and email boxes. I don't care what you say -- something like this is just unacceptable.

 

[Insane3D]

I've had mine for awhile now, and I really enjoy them. I do have a very minor hissing, and its mostly out of the center channel. However, I need to be less than a foot away to hear it. I am thinking it is something to do with the muting circuit because when I first turn the speakers on with no input, there is no hissing..at all. Once sound is played, then turned off, the hissing returns until the unit is off for a bit.

I am not using these for my PC but just for a small room HT setup for my set top DVD player and my Xbox. I have my TV's stereo audio output run to the Z-680's and I watch TV in PLII mode, and both my Xbox and DVD player use the optical connection.

These speakers really are very very nice IMO, and I am thinking of getting another set since I found a sweet deal for $270 with free shipping. I have two sets of the 4.1's Promedia's on my main PC, and they have the slight edge in music listening, but the Logitech's are much better in DVD's and Xbox games.

Anyways, I fully expected the hiss, and I don't find it bothersome at all actually. I do regularly shut mine off when I'm not using them, so it's even less of a big deal.

 

[Lore]

I've been emailing my Logitech contact every once in a while and his latest response about the purported fix in Europe was that they haven't decided what to do in the States just yet regarding the hissing problem (And how to desseminate the fix out to the masses), but it's been acknowledged and should be fixed soon.

 

[Huma]

not to be a troll or an @ss in general, but if you're willing to spend $400 on speakers, do yourselves a favor and pick up an old receiver and a pair of good bookshelf speakers.

While they won't offer surround sound, they'll sound so much better for music and you can always add speakers to it as you save up some coin.

My friend picked up a used kenwood 405 receiver for $100 and a pair of paradigm titans for $230 and really, they sound great. He ended up upgrading the receiver to a denon 1802 and adding speakers up to a 5.1 system and it's pretty deadly.

Those high priced klipsch and logitech pc speaker setups have nowhere to go other than replacement and a new pair of high priced speakers. When I first bought my titans, I didn't think they sounded much better than my altec lansing acs-48s, but after using them for a while, I can't go back to computer speakers without noticing all the deficiencies in the sound. The bass is generally crap (you will learn this after hearing a good sub) and the sound just muffled compared to good speakers (paradigm, axiom, rockets, mirage, energy, some polk etc).

Of course, some people want their 5.1 sound regardless and that's fine. I just know I could never go back to pc speakers. But for similar amounts of money, don't buy into surround hype and consider quality vs quantity of sound.