16. Logitech Z-5300: High-end 5.1, Continued

The subwoofer, a mighty beast compared to the ones usually found by a computer, has a symmetrical load and a 165mm speaker inside it and a big port on the left to let the sound through. Its advantages include perfect protection for the speaker from knocks and clumsy fingers. It also ensures neat and natural bandpass filtering. At the back are three 3.5mm jack sockets for stereo input, and the cable for the sound card is supplied. Pity it doesn't have an aux input so useful for portable devices. The Cinch output sockets are color-coded to prevent any connection error.

There is a wired remote with all the settings. Though we don't like its thick stiff cable, we have to admit it has a lot going for it, with a big selector knob for overall volume control, bass and center level control and a fader (to balance front and surround). There is also a "Matrix" key to upmix if your source is not 5.1 (music in stereo or non-5.1 games) and a headphone socket. A little downside is that the LED display is too bright in dim lighting. So the 5300 in the main is a well-designed system that is easy to use. You might find, though, depending on your installation, that the cables are a bit short.